Last night I watched the 1932 film Freaks for the first time. I've had the dvd for years, but had never managed to watch more than about ten minutes of it before needing to switch the thing off. It had been banned for many years (no doubt due to the general shame and revulsion felt by 'normal' people towards those with serious physical and/or mental handicaps). Yesterday I think I actually understood the film at last. It wasn't the voyeuristic spectacle that I had originally understood it to be. The real monsters of the film were shown to be the 'normal' people, by account of their awful cruelty towards the 'freaks'. And I loved the ending.
Afterwards I watched another of my dvds for the first time. Waltz of the Toreadors was one of the most annoying films I have ever sat through. The tedious Brian Rix-type farce seemed to drag on interminably. Even Sellers' superb characterization wasn't enough to redeem it. I shan't be watching it ever again. I'll either give it to a charity shop (if I can be bothered), or just chuck it out.
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