Welcome to New York, indeed. Abel Ferrara’s movie about former IMF chief Dominique Strauss Kahn has a first 15 minutes no one will forget. Although they will try..French film superstar Gerard Depardieu, corpulent and repetentant himself, gets fully naked– I do mean fully– for a series of orgies. His character, Devereaux, has worked for the World Bank, was a professor once, and is now thinking of running for president of France. But after a sex bender, Devereaux attacks a New York hotel maid, is arrested, and must be saved by his wealthy French wife.
You know this story, don’t you?
Saturday night the movie was screened on the beach and also in a small theater complex on the Rue d’Antibes. Meanwhile, across France “Welcome to New York” was available on Video on Demand. This ambush presentation was to circumvent DSK, whose lawyers were no doubt standing by. And why not? He was portrayed as a sex fiend without a conscience who quizzes his daughter’s boyfriend graphically at the dinner table about the younger couple’s sex life. (The f word is employed in many ways.)
To make matters a little more fun, none other than Mickey Rourke turned up at the theater screening.
The standout performance is given by Jacqueline Bisset as Simone, the wife who is really Anne Sinclair, DSK’s long suffering spouse. Bisset as Simone actually explains some of what is going on, to the audience, to Devereaux, and to herself as she realizes her 20 year marriage is really over.
Depardieu gives what is now known as a “balls out” performance. Indeed, his testicles are truly out. This is more than anyone wants to see of him. Devereaux is such a rutting pig you’re not sure whether Depardieu has lost his mind or giving a landmark performance. Suffice to say, he’s the least sympathetic lead character in movies in some time.
A highly disorganized extremely tacky gargantuan party followed the screening. Some guests received white terry cloth robes with “WTNY” emblazoned in black. Others got gift bags that included a cat o’nine tails, a mask, glasses, and a pair of usable handcuffs.
What the porno and the gifts mean is that nothing around “Welcome to New York” should be taken seriously. It’s a send up of the DSK case, not a serious investigation. It’s almost as if 12 year old with a lot of money decided to tell the story. There is nothing about the maid’s life, class, race, or the media. Will Strauss-Kahn sue? I don’t know. But Ben and Jerry’s won’t be too happy. I’m leaving it at that.
