No, this isn’t a Disney film, and it has no happily ever after.
I was first going to describe Sleeping Beauties as a film not many people would like, but I think I’ll go so far as to say it’s a film most people will not like.
Edmond (Vadim Glowna) is an older man who is still mourning the death of his wife and daughter fifteen years after. He is even convinced that the car accident was suicide on his wife’s part taking their daughter with her. A friend (Maximilian Schell) of his recommends a place he should go for “meditation.” It is a place where beautiful naked women lay sleeping in a bed and nothing will wake them up. It is a place where men may sleep beside them and touch them.
As the story, or what little there is of it, progresses Edmond begins to question the strange Madame (Angela Winkler) of the house about the women, how are they made to sleep and the like. The Madame does not like being asked questions and becomes very defensive towards Edmond.
The film meanders on. Edmond continues to come see the comatose women, talk to them, rambling on about life and death and past lovers, he touches them and tries to wake them and questions the morality of the whole thing but it doesn’t stop him from coming off as a lecherous old man. Watching this naked old man lying next to these young women is very uncomfortable sigh to behold. Who knows, maybe that was the director’s (also Glowna) point. Or maybe he just wanted an excuse to film himself naked next to all these beautiful women.
Sleeping Beauties seems to be more of a philosophical type film pondering love and eroticism and life and death, but barely scratches the surfaces of these subjects. Mostly it seems like an excuse to show a bunch of beautiful women naked. And therein lies the other disconcerting aspect of the film.
This film seems to present women as objects like no other film has. These beautiful women are being used solely for their bodies. They are deeply asleep and while two of them mutter in their sleep a little, they have no dialogue. They have no character, they are merely there for the pleasure of Edmond and the other unseen men who come to use the facilities of this house. Some people might find this idea erotic, most, I feel, will just find it creepy.
The other big problem with this film is that it was shot on video and looks it. There are a few beautiful shots in the film, but they are ruined by the dull flat lifeless look of video. I’ve seen student films that looked better than this one.
There are some interesting moments and the acting seems fine (it’s always hard to tell when watching a film in a foreign language), but when it comes down to it there doesn’t really seem to be much of a point to this film and most people who watch it will probably feel they’ve wasted an hour and a half of their lives.
The film is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. Like I said, the film looks pretty bad, the video is dull and lifeless and is really distracting. The sound is fine but at this point who cares.
Film Notes: A short two-page essay written by the director about his thoughts on the film and why he made it.
Biographies: Short biographies of the director and the main cast.
Photo Gallery
Trailer Gallery
House of the Sleeping Beauties is a slow, contemplative film that barely scratches the surface of its subject matter. There are some beautiful women in the film, but that hardly seems a reason to see it. I recommend skipping this film and moving on to something you’ll actually enjoy.
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First Run Features presents House Of The Sleeping Beauties. Directed by Vadim Glowna. Written by Vadim Glowna. Based on the novella by Yasunari Kawabata. Starring Vadim Glowna, Angela Winkler and Maximilian Schell. Running time: 99 minutes. Not Rated but contains full frontal female nudity and brief frontal male nudity and adult themes and language. Originally released in 2007. Released on DVD: April 21, 2009. Available at Amazon.com.
