Theorem (1968)
1h 35m | PG-13
A wealthy Italian household is turned upside down when a handsome stranger arrives, seduces every family member and then disappears. Each has an epiphany of sorts, but none can figure out who the seductive visitor was or why he came.
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Studio: Aetos Produzioni Cinematografiche
Genre: Mystery, Drama
Video: 720p
Cast
Terence Stamp
as The Visitor
Silvana Mangano
as Lucia, the Mother
Massimo Girotti
as Paolo, the Father
Anne Wiazemsky
as Odetta, the Daughter
Andrés José Cruz Soublette
as Pietro, the Son
Laura Betti
as Emilia, the Servant
Reviews
Nowadays, when I see Terence Stamp, I wonder how on Earth he achieved the iconic status he did - until, that is, I watch films like this. He is a sexually enigmatic, enthralling stranger who visits and stays with a wealth family, seducing in turn each member of the family - boys and girls; hell even the maid - before finally the father then he departs leaving their hitherto functional, if not entirely fulfilled, family with gaping holes in their existence. The sex theme is prevalent, but PP Pasolini also encourages us to look at the psychology of the people, what makes them tick - their desires - spoken and not; their pent up passions and peccadilloes - all with precious little dialogue - and I say precious because what little there is contributes significantly to the film. Ennio Morricone creates a magnificent audio setting (perhaps not so much the trumpets) for this, ably abetted by Mozart and the gentle but elegant photography set against a backdrop of pretty Lombard scenery makes for a thought-provoking, soul searcher of a film.