Teorema (Theorem) (1968)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Aditya G

  
  Pier Paolo Pasolini's "Teorema" had me dumbfounded! It was one of those rare instances where I was unable to formulate a clear opinion of what I thought about it. For one, this minimalist picture from the controversial filmmaker has "art-house" written all… More
  Pier Paolo Pasolini's "Teorema" had me dumbfounded! It was one of those rare instances where I was unable to formulate a clear opinion of what I thought about it. For one, this minimalist picture from the controversial filmmaker has "art-house" written all over it. Yes, there is extreme minimalism, very little dialog (it seems the number of actual spoken words in the film is about 923!). This almost silent film is allegorical...rife with symbolism and religious connotations, and may not be a very interesting subject matter for those looking at mainstream cinema, that is for sure! Terence Stamp is "The Visitor", a mysterious stranger who once visits the mansion of a rich family of four. The man of the house is Paolo, a rich businessman who owns a factory, and then there's his awkward son, a daughter, a beautiful wife who is sexually repressed and a scary-looking maid. In the next few days that pass, this visitor has sexual encounters with each of the inhabitants of the house! In a way, he "seduces" them. And almost as suddenly as he appears, he soon takes leave of them, leaving them in a state like never before! All of these people he "touched" exhibit marked changes in their lives, of a different level altogether! [img]https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7EljH4Alby0/Tz-6CMbR-gI/AAAAAAAACKY/ndaZl5x6cng/s720/vlcsnap-2012-02-15-21h26m01s207.jpg[/img] The "consequences" forms the crux of this strange film and paves way for detailed discussion! What makes Pasolini's film so important is the daring concept that Pasolini presents to his viewers with a script set in the contemporary world. From what I understand, The visitor is supposed to be a God-send or an angel who influences the members of the house in one way or another. Why "sexually" is a good question, but that depends on how you see it. Is it the touch of God, or the Devil's seduction? Perhaps it is symbolic of a "close encounter with God"? So what exactly does God do to these bourgeois individuals? Apparently he makes them see beyond their pretentious cocooned life. They all go through a self-realization phase, which they all confess one by one to the Visitor when it is time for him to leave. But he isn't there to see the changes. Are these changes always positive? Does being "blessed" always lead to happiness? Or is there another side to it? Pasolini, through his seemingly simple yet highly complex allegory poses these ambiguous questions, which likely polarized his audiences, based on their religious beliefs! Being an atheist I wasn't particularly offended or overwhelmed with the subject, but I was definitely intrigued by how drastically different this film and its viewpoint is! Pasolini's technique of story-telling is poetic! It is almost like Pasolini deliberately chose the visual style as exists in the film to give it a meditative form. Long takes, solitude, mostly gentle atmosphere, intermittent random scenes of a vast empty desert, the presence of a radiant light just before the visitor appears, all tactfully done! The visuals are also enchanting, the cinematography is beautiful, with the colours changing from sepia (in the beginning during the introduction of the characters, perhaps to show their 'ordinary' life?) to vividly colourful (a marked change with the introduction of the "visitor"?). It is then, mostly on the technical front and the handling of the film with its layered theme that makes "Teorema" most watchable. [img]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MqBOG9OXUGI/Tz-6BsJKS9I/AAAAAAAACKQ/_e5C2Xglxtw/s720/vlcsnap-2012-02-15-21h23m36s230.jpg[/img] Where it falters is in some (only a couple or three) haphazard sequences here and there, and in the tepid acting from the actors playing the son and the daughter. I don't know if it was intentional but the daughter, Odetta (Anne Wiazemsky) who also appeared in Robert Bresson's "Au Hasard Balthazar" delivers what could be one of the most wooden acting performances I've seen! At one point it even becomes slightly apparent that she is reading her lines from cue cards!! The son, Pietro is played by Andrés José Cruz Soublette also seems somewhat awkward, but maybe his acting reflects his character who behaves like that owing to being a closeted homosexual! The finest acting then comes from Terence Stamp, even though he doesn't have much to do except give mysterious smiles once in a while and appear compassionate! A close second best actor in the film is the beautiful Silvana Magnano, the lady of the house. Her Lucia's perplexed state of mind is wonderfully portrayed by the actress. Also impressive is Laura Betti as Emilia, the maid. Laura looks and acts the weird Emilia quite earnestly. [img]https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hgQn-ZFLEEQ/Tz-6BRCYLgI/AAAAAAAACKM/EXuw86vjnsY/s720/vlcsnap-2012-02-15-21h18m37s116.jpg[/img] But how does one eventually evaluate and rate something as flummoxing as "Teorema"? Why is it even called that anyway? ('Teorema' means 'Theorem') There are views that the structure of the film itself and the psychological transformation of all characters follow a single formulaic structure! The film doesn't boast of great acting, neither is it an intimate character portrait. Not all characters are dug deep into. The subject matter is not what one would fall in love with, but it sure is extremely interesting! But in spite of this, there is something about "Teorema" that makes it worthwhile. While the visuals and the characters haunt your memory long after the film is over, the happenings in the narrative will give you something to ponder about. It is not a film one may go ga-ga about, but can one ever forget having watched "Teorema"? Hell, no! Score: 8/10.

• Stefanie C

  
  Arresting and profound! The film begins with the ending. Stamp acts as an awakener to the pseudo-existence of the bourgeoisie. Stamp's character can be summarized by a Nick Cave lyric: I found god and all of his devils inside h(im). The second half of the film, or upon… More
  Arresting and profound! The film begins with the ending. Stamp acts as an awakener to the pseudo-existence of the bourgeoisie. Stamp's character can be summarized by a Nick Cave lyric: I found god and all of his devils inside h(im). The second half of the film, or upon Stamp's departure, is lingeringly complex. Upon initial viewing and at a cursory level, I find each character reacting to their a...wakening or crisis of the spirit, through means of the physical, insanity, art, sexuality, misguided spirituality, or stripped naked of materialism, possibly lost in the horror of recognition. I know there is a statement in this film about society, the spirit, and its relation to the human condition and experience: I just don't know what to think of it yet.

• moon r

  
  A very Christian rumination: what is the meaning of life? Pasolini poetically, lyrically offers the Book of Ecclessiates by Solomon (" ... everything is vanity ") for consideration. Made in the Sixties it reflects some of the counter- cultural ideas that were sweeping… More
  A very Christian rumination: what is the meaning of life? Pasolini poetically, lyrically offers the Book of Ecclessiates by Solomon (" ... everything is vanity ") for consideration. Made in the Sixties it reflects some of the counter- cultural ideas that were sweeping through the affluent West at that time.

• AJ V

  
  Another strange movie from Pasolini, about a strange visitor and the strange things he does like having everyone fall in love with him! Interesting concept, but the end falls flat, and it's not clear at all.

• Robert C

  
  My first Pasolini film and I have to say I was both impressed and a little disapointed at the same time. A film that (when taken at face value) could be simply labled as abstract and hypersexual and mistakenly dismissed as JUST that. But for those who enjoy really deconstructing and… More
  My first Pasolini film and I have to say I was both impressed and a little disapointed at the same time. A film that (when taken at face value) could be simply labled as abstract and hypersexual and mistakenly dismissed as JUST that. But for those who enjoy really deconstructing and putting a little thought into their analysis, will find layers of thought provoking symbolism and (sometimes) uncomfortable realism. The cast is amazing. Stamp in particular bringing both deeply knowing, yet totally illusive appeal to his character.

• Emily A

  
  Few movies can inspire the spontaneous loss of consciousness like this one. It's just an ugly, badly dubbed and badly acted film that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The moral of the story sppears to be that sex with Terence Stamp will severely mess up your life.

• Eric B

  
  Soaked in symbolism and mystery, "Teorema" is one of those films where even the most basic plot elements could launch a debate. What really happened here? Loosely similar to "Six Degrees of Separation" in theme, "Teorema" is set in a large mansion… More
  Soaked in symbolism and mystery, "Teorema" is one of those films where even the most basic plot elements could launch a debate. What really happened here? Loosely similar to "Six Degrees of Separation" in theme, "Teorema" is set in a large mansion populated by a middle-aged couple, their daughter Odetta, their son Pietro and a few servants. After an incoming telegram announces "ARRIVING TOMORROW," the family casually accepts the extended stay of an intense, handsome lad with piercing blue eyes (a young, wiry Terence Stamp). We have no idea about his previous connection to the others, if there is one. When he first appears onscreen, Odetta blankly identifies him as "a boy." Stamp's smoldering magnetism proceeds to seduce everyone who sees his flaunted trouser bulges. The maid, son, mother and daughter soon offer themselves to him, almost as if hypnotized. The father takes a more indirect route, and instead re-channels his desire into brutish sex with his wife. Their virile guest's motives remain unclear. Stamp seems more concerned with psychological domination than lust, and his words are no help because the script's dialogue is eerily sparse. And the others don't get much time to probe him, because he leaves shortly after completing his conquests. But the film is only halfway through. And here is where the tale leaves behind realism and turns much more interesting. The characters whom Stamp has touched discover new abilities and feelings within themselves, and change in ways which shouldn't be spoiled in a review. None of our lingering questions are answered, and we're only left to speculate why Stamp affected these people so deeply. Is he God? The Devil? Director Pier Paolo Pasolini isn't telling.

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]"Teorema" is a strange and difficult movie written and directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. There is very little dialogue(one sequence is filmed similar to a silent movie with no sound and faded color) and it is very hard to tell exactly what is happening… More
  [font=Century Gothic]"Teorema" is a strange and difficult movie written and directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. There is very little dialogue(one sequence is filmed similar to a silent movie with no sound and faded color) and it is very hard to tell exactly what is happening early in the movie.(There are occasional unexplained shots of a mysterious desert.) Terence Stamp plays an outsider staying with a wealthy family who has sex with everything that moves with some very weird aftereffects.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]I am not sure what Pasolini's intentions were. Maybe the film was meant as a commentary on class conflict, considering that it starts out with an industrialist giving his factory to his workers.[/font]

• Joey N

  
  what. the. hell.

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