Foxtrot (1976) User Reviews

Pretty but difficult

[sweetpeasonthepods · 5/10 · 12 January 2019]

This is a bleak movie. It is set on a gorgeous island that contrasts with the rather dark hearts of the characters.

These are not likable characters but they are all quite attractive and flawlessly dressed. Really, the wardrobe is the biggest star here. Charlotte Rampling is exquisitely stunning.

I got frustrated watching the rich white people idle about always drinking while treating the other two men as lessers. It does take a quick turn but this brings down the vibe even more.

My five stars are for the wardrobe, the beauty of Rampling and the island, and the creepy curiosity that is O'Toole. The director may have hit the mark too well in capturing the essence of selfish, entitled people and survival.

Well...

[searchanddestroy-1 · 1 November 2011]

I really don't know what to think, say and write about this strange film. I have not seen anything from Arturo Ripstein before, and I will probably never see anything from him later. This one is somewhere fascinating, surprising and not foreseeable at any point of view. I did not know what it was about. No plot line on IMDb.

We find here Charlotte Rampling, Max Von Sydow and Peter O'Toole, all used to international casts and productions. Some people find themselves on a paradise island, in the thirties, some time before the war they all could feel very close. And, of course, we assist at a tragedy, because of Charlotte Rampling between Sydow, Peter O'Toole and also Claudio Brooke. A drama, as we although could expect. The filming is rather classic, and actors directing too. But the story remains very offbeat.

I am surprised that no user has commented it yet. So it's done. I have filled my duty.

Strange

[BandSAboutMovies · 3/10 · 23 March 2023]

The Godfather of Mexican independent cinema, Arturo Ripstein got his start working for Luis Buñuel and this film has a very similar feel to that director's work.

Before World War II begins, Romanian count Liviu (Peter O'Toole) and countess Julia (Charlotte Rampling) have set up an Art Deco tent on a deserted island in the hopes of escaping their past and the war. All of their servants have come along and all of the conveniences of their palatial home, but before long, their friends start to arrive and take most of the servants and kill every animal that is near the island. They leave Liviu and Julia without supplies and without anyone else but Larson (Max von Sydow) and their servant Eusebio (Jorge Luke). There are no supplies coming but there is a war simmering between the three men and the one available woman.

Irish writer H. A. L. Craig was a contributor to the recut Lisa and the Devil known by the name House of Exorcism. He wrote the script along with Ripstein and José Emilio Pacheco. This was re-released with more sex scenes as The Far Side of Paradise and The Other Side of Paradise.

Foxtrot? The cast and script save an very peculiar movie.

[mpower1112 · 8/10 · 12 October 2017]

I've seen a lot of Peter O'Toole's movies, but never heard of this one. Charlotte Rampling? One of my favorites, she became more beautiful as she grew older. Here she's fairly young. And Max Von Sydow? How could one ignore this stellar cast so let's plunge in. A strange alternative reality about aristocrats marooned on an island to escape the war in Europe. Costumes are so outlandish they overshadow the actors at first. But gradually you realize the script is somewhat intelligent, a surprise. And the cast eventually overcomes the absurd premise and some real emotions emerge, again a surprise. So in the end the cream rises to the top, the actors make the best of what must have been a strange interlude in their professional lives and Foxtrot ends up being a somewhat fascinating sleeper. I would love to hear the story of the making of this movie, I have a feeling that narrative would be the real winner.

A distant memory. Fun memory!

[gcousins-51821 · 9 September 2020]

I saw this film at a theatre in Puerto Vallarta. I think it was a 'preview' since I believe it was a year or two earlier than 1976. The movie was introduced by John Huston. I'm not sure what his connection to the movie would have been except that he did frequent PV and other places in Mexico (like Acapulco & Cabo San Lucas) when he was making films. It's possible that Director Arturo Ripstein's English wasn't adequate to address a large crowd (?) but that's purely speculative. I think there were other luminaries in attendance - Houston's family maybe. I think I would have remembered O'Toole and Rampling of von Sydow if they had made an appearance. I went with a group of friends - we were on vacation from Toronto. The action in 'Foxtrot' is slow-paced. I don't think any of us were impressed with the film, but the preview was a big deal for Puerto Vallarta in the mid-seventies. It was an 'occasion'.