Director: Peter Fleischmann
Screenplay: Jean-Claude Carrière, Martin Walser, Peter Fleischmann
Based on a Novel by: Antonis Samarakis
Starring: Michel Piccoli, Ugo Tognazzi, Mario Adorf, Adriana Asti, Dimos Starenios
Country: France, Italy, West Germany
Running Time: 110 min
Year: 1975
BBFC Certificate: TBC

Weak Spot (a.k.a. La faille) is a film directed by Peter Fleischmann, a figure in the New German Cinema movement. A French-Italian-German co-production, Weak Spot was based on a novel named ‘The Flaw’, written by the Greek writer Antolis Samarakis in 1965.

Samarakis seemed to have predicted what was to come in his home country, as the book was set in a region where a secret police force had a stranglehold on its people. Only two years later, Colonel George Papadopoulous led a coup d’état in Greece, establishing the Regime of the Colonels and bringing forth a period of severe oppression and military control.

This reflection in reality likely inspired Fleischmann to adapt the story, though the setting of his film is kept unnamed. The comparisons are hard to ignore though and some Greek signage can be spotted in several scenes.

This tale of a world where the state knows everything about you and anything you say or do can get you in trouble is all too relevant today. Towards the end of the film, a character muses that “One day there will be no secrets” and it wouldn’t be difficult to argue that this has, indeed, come true.

Bringing Weak Spot to the modern age are Radiance Films, who are releasing it on Blu-ray. I got hold of a copy and my thoughts follow.

An unnamed tourist manager (Ugo Tognazzi) is arrested one day after a known revolutionary trips over his foot in a cafe. The man is subsequently humiliated and interrogated but continues to proclaim his innocence. This leads the police superintendent (Dimos Starenios) to believe that a different approach might be in order.

So, the superintendent orders two secret police agents (Michel Piccoli & Mario Adorf) to bring the man to Athens for interrogation. As they travel together, the agents engage in a psychological game of cat and mouse with their captive, which seems to draw some sympathy from the chief investigator (Piccoli). Is this just part of the plan though and what if the man is innocent?

Weak Spot is a film that grabs you from the start with an audacious opening sequence where a largely static single shot (other than a tilt up and then down) sees a group of secret police agents arrive at a small apartment block and rush inside before their suspect jumps out of an upper-storey window to his death. The shot is held to chart the unceremonious aftermath whilst the credits appear over the top of the scene.

The film was shot by Luciano Tovoli, who was the cinematographer on Dario Argento’s Suspiria and Tenebrae as well as Michelangelo Antonioni’s The Passenger. He brings a flavour of the latter here in particular, through the incredible opening shot, which brings to mind the final shot in Antonioni’s film.

The sequence also sets out the film’s main theme of state-sponsored evil and oppression at the hands of banal men. The state seems to be working to remove all traces of humanity from its people. None of the characters even have any names, despite the IMDB claiming the protagonist is called Georgis.

The dynamic between the two leads, Tognazzi and Piccoli, is the main hook though. They gradually seem to bond and sympathise with each other but is this a ruse or an actual blossoming relationship?

It’s not clear who is being targeted by the state as it goes on either, as Piccoli’s investigator is also in trouble after fumbling his last two cases (the opening suicide being one of them). Either way, he is as much a pawn in the State’s game as the suspect.

The film explores masculinity too. From the wild driving of the hyper masculine ‘manager’ (Adorf) to the surprising diversion when our protagonists head to the beach and flirt with two younger women, Weak Spot is filled with allusions to and subversions of the idea of ‘real men’.

There’s a lot of symbolism in the film too – some clear (prevalent references to breasts and phalluses) and some more subtle (flowers crop up everywhere). In his commentary, Travis Woods believes the flowers represent the humanity of the characters. I didn’t pick up on that whilst watching but it’s a valid point of view.

The film is not as relentlessly bleak as it sounds though. There’s a surprising amount of humour, subtle and otherwise, lurking in the sidelines. This makes for a film that’s as easy to watch as it is powerful.

This is all aided by a wonderful cast of European stars. Tognazzi and Piccoli both play things with relative subtlety but manage to nonetheless craft rich characters. Adorf, on the other hand, goes to town with his enjoyably meat-headed supporting role.

I can’t tie things up without mentioning Ennio Morricone’s score. It appropriates some cues from other scores he’d written previously, including Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, but this doesn’t make his music any less effective here in building tension and heightening the oppressive atmosphere. He’d borrowed bits and pieces like this several times in his career, which might help explain how he was so prolific.

Overall, Weak Spot is an excellent paranoid thriller that looks at how the authorities can wield power in a cold, heartless fashion, given the chance. Required viewing these days when privacy is a thing of the past and power-hungry dictators continue to swing their d**ks.

Film:

Weak Spot is out on 27th January on region-free Blu-Ray, released by Radiance Films. The picture looks great, with crisp details and natural colours. The audio is robust too.

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

– New 4K restoration from the original negative by Studio Canal
– Uncompressed mono PCM audio
– Audio commentary by critic Travis Woods (2024)
– Archival TV interview with Michel Piccoli discussing Weak Spot (1975)
– Soundtrack expert Lovely Jon discusses the Ennio Morricone score (2024)
– Newly improved English subtitle translation
– Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
– Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Kat Ellinger
– Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

Travis Woods provides a commentary over the film. He opens by talking about how its themes are still relevant today. His track is deeply analytical, making for a thought-provoking listen. He speaks with passion too, drawing you in rather than boring you with dry academia. I also liked the fact he compared the film to Mikey and Nicky, stating they would make a great double bill, as I happened to have watched them only a couple of days apart!

Lovely Jon talks about Morricone’s score in an essay/interview. He begins by discussing the team behind it before digging into the music itself. It’s a detailed and well-researched piece.

Michel Piccoli talks about the film in a 5-minute archival interview. It’s too short to dig deep into anything but I do like to see these pieces from the period the films were made.

I wasn’t provided with a copy of the booklet to comment on that, unfortunately.

So, it’s another must-purchase release from Radiance. The film is first-rate and the commentary, in particular, adds great value. Get it ordered.

Disc/package:

Weak Spot - Radiance
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