Whenever $ ๐I see La Pa๐๐๐ur@๐คญa I think of(๐คค# it๐ค๐คญ as a companion๐ _piece to ๐E๐๐คฃ๐๐yes Wide :๐คฃ%$S๐ฅฐ๐ดhut, or maybe i๐ช$t is th$e other way aro๐,(๐คซund๐ค๐. Adult๐]๐ery mak_๐๐๐es both ๐๐คฎfilms tick ๐๐bu]๐๐ค๐ดt in diffe๐คฉ๐๐๐คr$_๐`ent:๐ท ๐ดways๐คญ`\๐ . I think?๐ค P๐คฅ h๐@๐ถ๐คญi๐@๐คฉllip Frenc๐h was right on -๐ท๐คฉ๐;the๐ฌ๐, mon๐๐ey when he ]๐คpoi๐ค[nted ๐คข%๐คฉout๐ค๐คฉ๐ด a Wi๐๐z)๐๐ard of Oz th_๐ ๐ing ๐ค:๐คฉin Kub ๐ค๐คข๐๐rick's l๐คฃ๐ด_ast work๐คซ๐ช. Like Doro๐ท๐thy, Tom and Nicole g๐๐ฌ๐คคo t@hr๐คซ๐๐ou๐\gh fantasies ๐๐an ๐ท๐๐คd night๐๐๐ฌ=mares and at the end Doroth ๐y's re๐คซ๐ดassu=๐๐ring [๐childish m`๐๐otto th๐ช\er๐๐๐e๐'s no๐คฉ place๐คฅ. li๐ค๐k๐e home๐ค๐๐ฅฐ? i๐ทs ironicall๐ท๐๐๐ y updated ๐to the ๐ค$ adult circums?+๐คฃta]๐๐+n๐คคti#๐คฉal adage t^๐คฉhere's )๐ค`no ?๐ค๐ถsex like ma๐๐คขri๐๐ฅฐtal s๐ด๐e@๐ฅฐ๐คคx.๐ Kubr]๐#๐ick๐@๐ค's take i๐คฃ,๐=s in๐ช๐๐๐te๐ค! l๐คค๐๐ชlectual, he#^ ๐ never le==?๐๐ aves the (!๐wor]!๐ld o๐-f ide๐๐คค๐๐คซ๐ชas t๐คฅ]o ๐touch the ground. He ta๐๐คญ? unts the audi๐ค๐คซ๐e๐ค๐nce fi, ๐คฉ๐คซrst with an ero๐๐ถtic movie an๐๐d then with๐๐ a thrill๐er ๐ด @^๐ฌand r๐ ef/+๐คจ๐คฎuse@๐ถ๐คs to [deliver either o๐]f them.๐คข H๐๐ค*,e was marri ๐คed t๐ท$๐o his th#๐ir!: ๐คขd w#๐๐ife f๐๐or 40 years๐๐ค, [๐un๐คฅ๐/til h๐ด๐e+ die@๐d. Rossell๐(๐@ini wa@#๐s still ma๐ r ried t๐-o Ingri๐คขd Bergman ๐๐๐?๐when-: he ๐คฉ/๐#directed La Pau๐๐๐ra; they had b๐๐๐ ๐een adult ๐erous _๐lovers and th๐๐คeir infid๐ช๐ค.elity wid *ely criticized L๐ ^a Paur๐ a is a tale, =๐ค๐ช๐๐คซa noirish =`one. T๐๐he noir๐ด๐ intrigue is solv[๐คed and t๐he t๐ถ[=+ale has a happy_ ๐ท๐ending. The c(`๐๐ity is noir; th#๐ค๐ค@e coun๐คญ )tr๐ค๐คชy ๐i๐คช๐๐ค๐ ^s tale๐ค!๐๐],๐๐ค๐ค the terri +tory whe re childhood is possi๐ค๐คble. ๐ฌ]The transi๐๐ t#ion i๐๐๐s\๐ oper)๐คate๐คชd in the !๐๐๐most re๐ค๐gular way b๐y c๐คฃ๐.๐ค a๐ค)]๐r, a ๐๐long-๐ ;he๐ฅฐ๐๐ld sh ;ot taken from ๐ค!)the fr)(o๐คฅ๐nt of th*๐๐e ca๐คจ๐คญ๐r a๐๐,s it ride๐คข๐ ๐s into t๐๐+he ro๐ช๐๐a_๐คฃd, as _๐คค๐๐if๐คข we were en๐คชtering a diffe๐(๐)re๐ nt dimension. Irene (Be/๐rg๐\man) starts_๐๐ the movie we just ๐)๐;see a +dark city-๐๐ค lan๐๐คซ dscape ๐คจ๐คbu๐คญ๐ t๐คซ๐คญ her๐๐ voice-over n๐arrati)on tel๐คจ]ls _=us๐? of๐คญ๐ช๐๐คจ( her angst๐๐คข and๐ค/ inf๐คฃ$๐คorms us that the sto๐คค\*ry ๐ฌ๐คคis a ๐?๐fl๐๐คฎ๐คashba๐๐๐:ck, hers. ;๐ Berg๐คค๐๐$m๐คช๐an's b)_๐(een cheating on her husband๐๐ \๐. A๐*t first gu๐ ๐\ilt is just psycho๐คจ๐ดlogical tortur๐e but soo?๐ฌ๐n expands int๐คซ๐คค๐ค_o ๐ช๐๐๐คฃecono๐๐ช๐mic๐ ๐๐ท๐คฅ blackmail and th๐๐e๐คฃn g๐๐คญ?rows ๐ท๐คinto somet๐คฅ๐ด hin๐ค๐ค๐]๐g else. From beginning๐๐คช๐ ๐๐๐ถto end the movie_ focuses on ๐ค๐๐ฅฐ^what \๐๐๐คBergman feels,๐$๐ every o!๐,#๐คฎther ch๐aracter +is th๐_๐๐e๐๐คre to mak๐ ๐e ๐๐คฃhe๐ช;(r feel something. Onl๐ช$y ๐ค๐w$๐คhen the direc*to๐๐ท๐r gives๐คซ๐ away๐คซ๐๐คจ the plo๐ ๐๐ถt ๐๐ฅฐ๐คbefore the ;๐main ch.๐ถ๐คaract๐๐e ๐r can๐๐๐๐คฉ find out $๐d]*oes he๐!@ ๐want us to๐ด f๐eel som๐ท[๐ค๐ethin ๐ฌ$g Bergman ๐ stil๐๐ฌ๐ l.๐ช ๐ฅฐcan't. Whe๐๐๐ฌ%n๐๐คจ she fin๐๐คฉ๐คคds out,๐ช๐ w-e h๐ถ๐คซ๐คขa-ve a๐๐คค๐คช๐l๐ฅฐ๐๐ถrea๐ *๐d๐@y expe๐rien๐คญc\๐ed๐๐ the๐คฎ๐คซ% warped me๐๐ ๐c.๐คฉ)hanics of$๐คฎ t๐คฅ๐๐คซ๐คhe)๐ ๐ ๐ค_๐situation๐๐คค an๐คค-d we may foc๐คซ๐?:us once ๐$ ๐a+๐g๐๐ฅฐ๐ค ain on ๐คข๐the emotio๐ -n$๐ค%=al im$pact it ๐คจ๐ท๐คhas on Bergman's Irene๐๐.๐ฌ๐คค In +La _๐๐ค๐คPaura t๐ ๐reasons ar!๐คe ]๐not imagin๐ ๐ed b:๐๐ut real,๐ค^ ` nightmares๐` are deliberate ๐คค๐and the c๐ ouple's venom suppura๐คค=)tes in b๐คจ๐^?it๐๐๐.ter๐#๐ช` ways. Need๐คญ๐๐le๐คซ ๐คชss ๐to say, In๐=g๐ ๐๐คจ๐rid๐คจ๐ฌ? ๐ค? (has@๐ค ๐ค another of *๐คขher r๐o๐๐u@gh rides in๐$ ๐๐ค:the movi:๐e๐ค%๐ท?s but Rossellini ๐ถ๐ค+doe-sn't dar#e p๐ถ๐ค=ut he๐ฌ๐r a+\way as he did๐] ๐ฌ๐ค๐i๐๐n= E?๐uropa 51, nor does he a??๐คฅban) don her? ๐๐๐t[๐o the i-๐๐#nscru๐๐คtable impassivity of nature (Stromb๐ol๐_๐]i). His gift i๐คฉ๐๐ชs less [๐ค๐คข๐๐คtr๐คญ๐anscende๐๐คฎ nt and fragile tha๐ค=๐n the c๐`onclusi๐๐๐ฌ๐o๐๐คn of Vi๐.$agg๐$io๐ค+: in )๐๐ค[Italia. He ๐๐ just give๐๐คจ๐ถs hi-๐คฅ๐s: ^ .๐คชwife as muc(๐๐คซh of a fairy tale ending as a real w๐๐คขoman๐๐ ca$ ๐n have, a human la*๐๐คญndscap๐ ๐๐e whe๐^r`$e she+ can๐๐คฅ fi๐๐๐คฃ๐n/๐คฉally feel at๐@+๐ค h]๐คome. B๐๐ช๐ค ack$๐ด#๐ท% ๐๐t]๐คฅo the co๐ค ๐untry, a hal๐`)๐f lit in^๐ter,๐คญio๐;r s๐คฅ)๐คcene wh๐๐ค๐๐คซ๐คere shadows su๐ggest the comf/ort o๐_f sleep. After al๐l, ๐คจ๐๐ชit'?๐คs the ๐ท๐!๐fairy godmoth๐๐๐๐คer wh(๐ค๐๐ทo spea๐๐ค๐คks the last๐ words in the mo๐ค๐คจvie.