La Vénus à la fourrure 2013

John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: The couple's movie-long pas de deux, during which time a reversal of roles takes place and the inner Thomas is exposed to the world (us), is staged with delicious irony and ingenuity by Mr. Polanski Read more

John Hartl, Seattle Times: Never underestimate Roman Polanski. Read more

Scott Foundas, Variety: "Venus in Fur" finds Roman Polanski transferring a New York stage hit to the screen with maximum fidelity and facility, and a minimum of fuss. Read more

A.A. Dowd, AV Club: The director navigates an enclosed space with cinematic flair, his dynamic camerawork assuring that the talky proceedings never feel especially "stagy." Read more

Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: The haunted-house lighting is a perfect match for the claustrophobic intimacy of this two-hander - and camouflage, perhaps, for the fact that "Venus in Fur" remains more play than film. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Whether you like it or not, Roman Polanski is a great artist, and even the minor films of his fugitive decades glimmer with the claustrophobia and sardonic bleakness of his greatest work. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: The film has a creepy allure but, as movies featuring full-bore sexual gamesmanship often do, it wears thin. Read more

Joe McGovern, Entertainment Weekly: What is surprising is how little Polanski juices the material with his usual devilish touch. Read more

Jordan Hoffman, Film.com: A tasty light hors d'oeuvre rather than a full meal. Read more

David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: Roman Polanski is in playfully perverse form with this nimble pas de deux adapted from David Ives' stage hit. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: "Venus in Fur," a whip-smart dissection of gender politics via some teasing S&M, is arch. So arch in fact that it is surprising it's a Roman Polanski film. Read more

Anthony Lane, New Yorker: Ever the alchemist, Roman Polanski continues his quest for the process whereby theatre is transmuted and reforged into film. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: Polanski's direction of his performers is assured. His camerawork is precise. And the power games - moving, shifting, constantly surprising and inescapably, queasily conflating art and artist - hold us in their thrall. Read more

Bob Mondello, NPR: Roman Polanski's been making films about psycho-sexual mind games for decades, and when his opening shot poses his stage director next to a very phallic cactus, you know he's at it again. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: An exercise in moviegoing pain. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: One of the delights of Mr. Ives's play, and of Mr. Polanski's nimble rendering of it, is the way it jumps in and out of the play within. Read more

Michael Sragow, Orange County Register: [The] rare filmed theater piece that leaves you smiling, thinking, and maybe a bit hot and bothered, to boot. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: Wickedly smart and wickedly playful, Roman Polanski's adaptation of David Ives' Tony-nominated Venus in Fur works on so many levels, it's almost dizzying. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Pay attention to the camera, and you will see that Polanski is a clinician. He is in the thrall of no one. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Like "Carnage," "The Pianist," "Rosemary's Baby" and more, Roman Polanski's latest is a creepy exploration of claustrophobia and perversity that should not be missed. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Venus in Fur" is a stellar achievement. Read more

Keith Uhlich, Time Out: As always with Polanski, the narrative's eccentricities are cloaked in an expert veneer of classicism. Read more

Jake Coyle, Associated Press: Roman Polanski. Sadomasochism. What could possibly go wrong? Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Village Voice: Polanski orchestrates this cat-and-mouse game with devilish delight, dancing around Ives's play as if it were a pagan bonfire, jabbing at it with his figurative pitchfork. Read more

David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: If you didn't see the play onstage and don't know what you're missing, this Venus in Fur has its demonic, masochistic charms. Read more

Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: One thing that makes the dialogue-heavy movie so compelling (and also something that Polanski does so well) is an undercurrent of dread. Read more