Manifesto

Makavejev's adaptation of a Zola short story has a vague period setting - Central Europe, 1920 - which augurs badly for the ensuing fuzziness of this self-conscious black comedy. Svetlana (pouting Danish discovery Soeberg) arrives in the village of Waldheim (well, one wonders...) with gun in garter ready for the assassination of the visiting King. Revolution may be in the air, but a lecherous police chief, a doting postman and an uptight schoolmistress all conspire to make her plans less well laid than her own person. Despite the presence of Molina, Stoltz and Duncan respectively in these roles, their various crazy performances render them both unrecognisable and oddly ineffective. There are glimpses of Makavejev's past exuberance, with dollops of wild sex and delicious photography, but the final impression is of a project too long delayed and heavily compromised.