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| A scene from The Inner Scar. |
It was an unusually cool August night
when I watched the 1972 surrealist film The Inner Scar by French film
director Philippe Garrel. The film stars Nico, Garrel and the late
French underground dandy Pierre Clementi. It was the kind of movie
with its gray skies and earthy brown palette to set the mood for the
transition to autumn.
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| Nico and Philippe Garrel. |
There is no plot to this hour long
movie as the director has said. There are reviews online saying that
this is the most influential movie ever shot, or essays on how it
holds the meaning of life or has something to do with the foggy
mysteries of the human soul, but those are flowery piles of bullshit.
Garrel has said not to ask questions of the film and to just watch it
for pleasure like taking a walk through the desert. There is no deeper meaning to analyze, but it was probably a blast to make.
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| Nico and Pierre Clementi. |
Visually it is a striking film shot in
the desolate but beautiful landscapes of the American Southwest,
Egypt and Iceland. It is filled with vignettes of beautifully
composed scenes in wild landscapes that mean nothing but are a feast.
There is no narrative to follow, though Nico screams, bellows and
sings through the course of the film. The Inner Scar is the kind of
film that you watch by wrapping up in a fuzzy throw on the sofa and let it lead you
through a hallucinogenic experience.
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| Pierre Clementi, unafraid to take acting risks. |
As a fan of Pierre Clementi, he was the
best part of the film, he certainly had the most acting experience
among the cast and his presence raised the prestige factor. He is
also completely nude in every second that he appears on camera as an
archer riding a horse bareback, navigating a tiny sailboat or
striding across the land with his long thin legs. The film is a must for Clementi admirers.
The ending did seem like a nod to Excalibur, but whatever The Inner Scar might be, it is a beautiful hour.
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