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The Ninth Configuration, 1980
At the close of the Vietnam War, a former marine named Kane (Stacy Keach) arrives at a remote castle that's acting as a mental institution for members of the military. Kane becomes very interested in a man named Cutshaw (Scott Wilson), a military astronaut who bailed out of a shuttle launch after having a breakdown in the moments leading up to the launch. As he tries to help the men in his care, Kane begins having strange visions and questioning his own mental wellbeing.
Basically my only experience with this film over the years has been the really famous image from it of the astronaut on the moon facing a crucified Jesus Christ. It's one heck of an image, and I've always been intrigued by the film. Ultimately I really enjoyed it, even if I'm not 100% sure it achieves the kind of closure on its themes that it wants to.
Keach makes for a very engaging lead. He strikes just the right note of authority and empathy as he deals with the eccentric inhabitants of the castle. Wilson is also a highly sympathetic character---I really felt his anguish at having experienced a deep existential crisis when faced with the prospect of traveling to (and possibly dying in) the emptiness of space. I found his monologue around that moment to be very powerful.
Imagery-wise, the film has a lot more up its sleeve than just the astronaut/Jesus tableau (though, yes, it is the standout). There are some great, disturbing flashes that Kane sees in his dreams. There are some really great shots using extreme angles, showing how Kane sees the inmates and how they see him.
When it comes to the plot and the film's themes of loneliness and resolution and healing, the movie goes to mostly some very expected places, but it's not unsatisfying.
I often feel torn when movies take place in mental institutions. Too often, it feels as if the film is having fun at the expense of people who are mentally ill, making them totally outlandish characters and getting cheap laughs out of their eccentricities. This film does fall into that trap quite a bit, for example featuring an inmate named Reno (Jason Miller) who is determined to put on Shakespearean productions starring dogs. Miller has good comedic timing, and, sure, a line about wanting an actor to play Laertes, "a Pekingese", is funny. But there was a bit too much of it for my taste. I can appreciate that these characters add to the surreal nature of the hospital's environment, but at times it's too glib of a way to treat people with serious mental health problems.
The film also features a long, excruciating and memorable sequence where Cutshaw sneaks out to a bar where he is recognized and then harassed by a biker gang. When Kane shows up to try and rescue him, the two are subjected to a series of assaults and humiliations. The tension in the scene is not just about the safety of Cutshaw and Kane--it's about wondering how far the two men can be bullied and pushed before one of them snaps. Part of you begs for violence, to see these awful people put in their place. But another part of you knows that for Cutshaw or Kane, such violence would be a point of no return.
Overall this was an engaging thriller with sympathetic performances and some very impactful moments.
The Ninth Configuration, 1980
At the close of the Vietnam War, a former marine named Kane (Stacy Keach) arrives at a remote castle that's acting as a mental institution for members of the military. Kane becomes very interested in a man named Cutshaw (Scott Wilson), a military astronaut who bailed out of a shuttle launch after having a breakdown in the moments leading up to the launch. As he tries to help the men in his care, Kane begins having strange visions and questioning his own mental wellbeing.
Basically my only experience with this film over the years has been the really famous image from it of the astronaut on the moon facing a crucified Jesus Christ. It's one heck of an image, and I've always been intrigued by the film. Ultimately I really enjoyed it, even if I'm not 100% sure it achieves the kind of closure on its themes that it wants to.
Keach makes for a very engaging lead. He strikes just the right note of authority and empathy as he deals with the eccentric inhabitants of the castle. Wilson is also a highly sympathetic character---I really felt his anguish at having experienced a deep existential crisis when faced with the prospect of traveling to (and possibly dying in) the emptiness of space. I found his monologue around that moment to be very powerful.
Imagery-wise, the film has a lot more up its sleeve than just the astronaut/Jesus tableau (though, yes, it is the standout). There are some great, disturbing flashes that Kane sees in his dreams. There are some really great shots using extreme angles, showing how Kane sees the inmates and how they see him.
When it comes to the plot and the film's themes of loneliness and resolution and healing, the movie goes to mostly some very expected places, but it's not unsatisfying.
I often feel torn when movies take place in mental institutions. Too often, it feels as if the film is having fun at the expense of people who are mentally ill, making them totally outlandish characters and getting cheap laughs out of their eccentricities. This film does fall into that trap quite a bit, for example featuring an inmate named Reno (Jason Miller) who is determined to put on Shakespearean productions starring dogs. Miller has good comedic timing, and, sure, a line about wanting an actor to play Laertes, "a Pekingese", is funny. But there was a bit too much of it for my taste. I can appreciate that these characters add to the surreal nature of the hospital's environment, but at times it's too glib of a way to treat people with serious mental health problems.
The film also features a long, excruciating and memorable sequence where Cutshaw sneaks out to a bar where he is recognized and then harassed by a biker gang. When Kane shows up to try and rescue him, the two are subjected to a series of assaults and humiliations. The tension in the scene is not just about the safety of Cutshaw and Kane--it's about wondering how far the two men can be bullied and pushed before one of them snaps. Part of you begs for violence, to see these awful people put in their place. But another part of you knows that for Cutshaw or Kane, such violence would be a point of no return.
Overall this was an engaging thriller with sympathetic performances and some very impactful moments.