Is This a Great Film?

[John Cole]

Directed by Tony and Ridley Scott, "Swimming Pool" as it is sometimes called seems to me a tour-de-force of filmmaking. Some of you haven't seen this, I'm sure, but others of you will simply recall it as the Chanel #5 commercial that aired for a few years, usually during the Christmas season.

The film begins with the familiar opening used for all the songs of the Ink Spots (Ink Spots=Rorschach Test?), and we hear the group singing "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire (I Just Want to Light a Flame in Your Heart)."

In its imagery, the commercial seems like a David Hockney painting come to life. A woman lies at one end of the pool with her legs crossed, reclining in a lounge chair. The rather phallic shadow of an airplane's fuselage crosses the pool, bearing down on the woman. At the other end of the pool, a man appears from nowhere and dives into the pool, replicating the image of the shadow. He takes a stoke or two towards the woman. We see another shot of the woman with her legs opened and the film cuts back to the swimmer who has now disappeared. Another shot of the woman, this time with her legs crossed once again, as if she has swallowed him whole.

Is this the end of the man? No, not really. On the soundtrack, the a man's voice intones, "Share the fantasy. Chanel #5."

What's going on here? Certainly, this short film is open to all sorts of interpretation, feminist, pyshoanalytic, symbolic (water, fire, sky). Yet, I think one answer can be found by simply looking at what the commercial tries to do: sell perfume. And what it does, it does brilliantly. It threatens men and gives power to women. Women can feel emboldened to go out and by their perfume. But doesn't that mean tht men will respond negatively? I don't think so; keep in mind the man's voice that reasserts itself at the end: "Share the fantasy." It's a fantasy for both--a different kind of fantasy--but a fantasy nevertheless.

Here's what great advetising and effect imagery can accomplish: turn both men and women into consumers. The film, after all, is about consumption.

Note: I haven't seen this in years, so I may have gotten a few details wrong about the shots. I'd appreciate any corrections.

[Blarg]

I remember it being evocative and talked about when it came out, though like most high-end luxury item commercials, it had a bit of off-putting pretension, if I recall correctly. It was very visually tight, though.

I'm not sure that the message to go buy perfume is all that deep, even if perfume is a substitute for any number of sated spiritual hungers. I guess I'd have to see it again.

My favorite commercials are probably still all the ones by Sedelmeier. (Think I got the spelling right.) After he came around, every commercial had a tuba, and every commercial had a joke. He pretty much sounded the death knell in the early 80's for the old white grey haired talking head type commercial, with his genuine humor and
silly characters. Examples: Where's the Beef?, Nike shoes, Alaska Airlines. Probably the most influential commercial director of the last quarter century, if not ever. Spielberg was a huge fan, as was most everyone at the time, and at one point was in development with him on a script about a game show. I forget the particulars, but I was really looking forward to it. Never happened. Oh well. But people still remember his commercials and his characters 20 and 25 years later.

The more serious, evocative commercials generally strike me as full of baloney and usually at least a little ridiculous and insulting. Few of them have gotten a wow out of me. They seem more closely wedded to the pure sell at the expense of anything worth watching than do the best comic commercials, which can entertain you so much you don't feel patronized or manipulated, or annoyed or told how to think, at all.

[Zeno]

I remember this commerical but only vaguely. I pay little attention to commericals and almost always hit the mute and turn to a book whenever they assult my eyeballs and ears. So, I have little relevant to say. But, say on I will.


[ QUOTE ]
In its imagery, the commercial seems like a David Hockney painting come to life.

[/ QUOTE ]

This line leaped from my computer screen like Ten Lords. In the recent issue of Smithsonian [August, 2006] there is an article titled "David Hockney and Friends". The article features some of his paintings of course and one is: Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures). How unusual.

But back to commercials. I have one that is better.

A large fat middle-aged lady with slightly gray hair and an ugly face is strapped about the neck with a series of reddish sticks of dynamite wired to a traditional plunger detonator. There is a minimal amount of scenery

A young college male, an All-American type, walks to the Looney tunes plunger and grins with glee as he pushes downward.

The woman’s head shoots straight off the body out of sight, the body falls flat backward, no blood or gore of any kind is shown. Aside from a loud sharp explosion no other sound is heard.

The young man walks away. The Dupont logo appears on the screen -- beneath are the words: Dupont - Improving the Quality of Life. A lovely but faint twitter of birds is heard in the background as the image fades to black with nothing but the logo and words remaining.


I hope you appreciate the almost symphonic nature of my post, or should that be schizophrenic.

-Zeno: One Sick Bastard

[John Cole]

Zeno,

You got the job! Have you ever seen Putney Swope? Now, how about a commercial for Haliburton?

[John Cole]

Blarg, I agree with your assesment about commercials in general, especially the sorts of campaigns that depend on exclusion and pretension; however, I think "Swimming Pool" uses surrealism for its effect. Of course, the aim of all commercials--no matter what kind--is to sell. even the cute ones.

[Phat Mack]

I remember snickering when I saw this commercial. I thought the imagery was so blatant that it had to be satire. If they had never aired this as a commercial, but had instead shown it as a short on Saturday Night Live, I think the audience would have been rolling. jmo

Note: I am always seeing jokes where none are intended.

Edit: didn't the guy doing the voice over have a French or Italian accent? I thought it was an Erik Rhodes take off. I might not be remembering correctly, however.