The Driver’s Seat — The Driver’s Seat (Blu Ray)
The Driver’s Seat is an uneasy & arty drama-come-mystery. It follows a glamorous yet disturbed middle-aged woman around Rome, as she is seemingly searching for someone or something. The mid 70’s film features none other than Hollywood acting legend Elizabeth Taylor as its lead, and it certainly stands as one of the key strange & arty films of the actress's career. Here from the BFI is a new Blu-Ray release of this oddity- with a 4k scan, a new commentary track, and a selection of new and archive extras.
The Driver’s Seat (aka Identikit, Psychotic) appeared in the year 1974. It was an Italian/ West German production- filmed of course in Rome, but also in Munich & Hamburg too. It was directed by Naples-born Giuseppe Patroni Griffi. Between the early 1960s and mid-1980s, he had six directorial credits to his name- these took in well crafted & thoughtful drama Il Mare (1962), incest drama featuring Oliver Tobias and Charlotte Rampling Tis Pity She's a Whore (1971), and erotic thriller La Gabbia (1985).
After the rather plain black-on-white credits, we’re dropped straight into confusion & uneasiness- as we get shots of a series of clothesless mannequins- with sliver paper wrapped around their heads, and we can just make out two women talking. Soon it becomes clear we’re in a clothes shop, and the assistant is trying to sell a very bright rainbow dress to a middle-aged woman- who we later find out is simply known as Lise(Taylor). The assistant is trying to sell the dress by pointing out it’s made of a grease/strain-resistant fabric, but instead of having the desired effect it causes the woman to get cross & upset- so the assistant scuttles off to find the same dress in a normal fabric.
From here we get footage of 70’s shopping streets (I presume in either Munich or Hamburg), and Lise making her way home. Over this plays the film's score- which mainly consists of solo piano cues- these tread the line between being almost harmonic & pattern based- and this nicely plays into the mystery/ subtle un-balancement of the film. Lise returns to her small, and single light bulb-lit apartment- where she rings another woman to discuss her leaving, vaguely talking about issues she’s had in a nonspecific manner, and that she will put the apartment keys in an envelope.
Fairly soon she is at the airport, checking into her flight to Rome, through customs, and onto the plane- along the way making more than a few peculiar comments. Onboard she meets the first of a series of men she meets across the film's length- there’s Pierre (Maxence Mailfort) a twenty-something man who is put ill at ease by Lise’s staring at him, so much so he moves seat. And chatty & letch like Bill (Ian Bannen).
She lands down in Rome, booking into her hotel. And her odd behaviour/ strange comments continue, as she makes her way around the city meeting various people along the way. Like posh, bubble & slightly eccentric Helen Fiedke (Mona Washbourne), and mysterious English Lord(Andy Warhol), as well as a host of men.
Blended in with these encounters are integrations of those who have encountered Lise- with the viewer getting the impression she is either a possible escape prisoner, spy, or something similar. And this element very much pushes the mystery element of the film.
The Driver’s Seat runs at around the one hour and forty-minute mark. And it’s very much at the crossroads between troubling drama, and arthouse filmmaking. There is a sense of foreboding running right the way through the middle of the film. It also constantly feels like it slipping through your fingers, as you are constantly nearing its meaning & mystery- but never fully getting there. And by the downbeat & frankly weird resolve, you are left with more than a few questions.
Acting wise Taylor really throws herself into the role- and you do generally believe she is a very troubled character, or maybe her odd behaviour is leading towards something else?!. The surrounding cast is all fairly good too, and the arty/ off-angle feel of the films scoping & set-ups is done well. Ultimately The Driver’s Seat is an intriguing if decidedly odd and glumly-edged film, which will certainly appeal to those who enjoy the weirder side of the 70’s drama genre.
Moving onto this Blu-Ray, we have a 4k scan of the film- this originally appeared on the Severin release of the film from sometime back. And it looks very good- with bold colours and generally great depth of clarity. There’s an around five-minute filmed intro with Kier-La Janisse, author of House of Psychotic Women. We get a commentary track from curator and programmer Millie De Chirico- this is ok, if somewhat sporadic/ lacking depth- as she doesn’t really go terribly in-depth on any of the points she makes. She opens by talking about the novella the film was based on, and gives brief comparisons between the book/ film. She talks about Elizabeth Taylor's later career- pointing out how many of the films concerned women with illness/ addiction. We find out that just before the filming Taylor had just split up with Richard Burton, and that she was late on set due to this on her first day. She touches on the non-linear structure of the film. Giving brief bios on supporting actors as they appear. Later on, she talks about moments of juxtaposition within the film, its themes, and more.
Otherwise, we have A Lack of Absence (22.03) with writer and literary historian Chandra Mayo. She starts off by discussing Muriel Spark- who wrote the original novella the film was based on- with some great footage/ interview snippets with the author. Moving onto the film it’s self- this is an excellent in-depth featurette, filling in the rather skimmed detail of the commentary track.
On the archive side of things, we get the following: Darling, Do You Love Me? (3.44): a 1968 short which finds Germaine Greer parody of her media persona, stars as a terrifyingly amorous woman who pursues a man relentlessly. Waiting For… (11.10): a 1970 short regarding a woman who embarks on a filmmaking project after being given a camera and told to capture her everyday reality. The Telephone (3.55): a 1981 short where a young woman enacts imaginative revenge on her boyfriend.National Theatre of Scotland trailer (1.41): a 2015 promotional clip for the UK’s first stage production of The Driver’s Seat. alternative The Driver’s Seat credit sequences.
The finished release comes with an illustrated booklet with new essays by Simon McCallum and Bruce LaBruce, an essay by Kier-La Janisse originally published in the book House of Psychotic Women, notes on the special features and credits.
The Driver’s Seat certainly is a wonderfully strange film- simmering with unease and mystery- with a pervading feeling of tragedy & sadness. It's great to see the film getting its first Blu-Ray release from the BFI- with the disc featuring a nice selection of new & archive extras.