Have you seen The Palace, the latest film by Roman Polanski? Me neither. At least not yet. And perhaps not for a while to come. Because while the film has been released in a limited number of countries, I believe it hasn’t yet found distribution in the US or the UK. So it’s just as well this piece is not intended as a film review. Besides, a quick Google search will turn up enough of those to keep you occupied.

But why do we at GstaadLife care about The Palace?
Because the film was set at and filmed on location in our very own Gstaad Palace. And it just so happens that I have a thing for visiting filming locations. From Notting Hill (London) to Ex Machina (Norway) and Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis (Bergues, although admittedly that was more by accident than design), I find myself in the novel position of being more familiar with a location in real life than on the silver screen.

For those not in the know, The Palace is a black comedy about a New Year’s Eve party in 1999. Set in the days of the Y2K bug (remember that?), the rich, outlandish guests frolic, scheme and cavort their way through the film, abetted by an unflappable maître d’whose goal is to satisfy the guests so they can “stuff themselves with caviar to their hearts’ content” and drink champagne until it “gushes from their ears.” Hmm.

At time of writing the film scores a lowly 5.2 on IMDB and a 0% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Not what you’d call a critical or commercial success. At least not yet. But let’s peek behind the scenes and talk to Elizabeth Beracasa who acted in the film. What was the experience like?

“I enjoyed being in the film. Roman is such a trouper – the days were often long and I give him a lot of credit for displaying so much patience with us. Critics are critics. I think the film is meant to be a bit tongue in cheek and a bit campy.”

The critics’ reviews make much of the gaudy characters – the dubious financiers, porn star, shady Russians and plastic surgeon – set against a backdrop of excess. And I find myself pondering the question: is this how people around the world actually see our village? After all Gstaad is frequently depicted as ’the millionaires’ winter playground’ (don’t they know we’re a prime summer destination too?) and the place where you can ’rub shoulders with the stars’ (which brings to mind my encounter with a Daily Mail hack on the Promenade a few years back who pumped me for Madonna’s whereabouts as though we were besties). Don’t they know we have fruit and veg shops here too?

But perhaps the reason for the film’s scathing reception is its genre? Comedy is a notoriously tough gig. This is not unknown to Polanski. His previous comedic forays (The Fearless Vampire Killers, What? and Pirates) also missed the mark. So perhaps at the age of 90 it’s time for him to hang up his comedy hat and stick to what he’s good at? Because while Polanski is a controversial figure in the eyes of many, he is still an Academy award-winning director with an illustrious career behind him.

The overriding conclusion from the scores of reviews I’ve read is that The Palace is the worst film of Polanski’s career. Is this down to the characters (too much of a rogues’ gallery?), the script (poorly conceived?) or simply because it’s a Polanski film? I think the answer probably lies somewhere in the middle.

ANNA CHARLES

Showing in Ciné-Theater Gstaad:

29 and 30 December 2023
1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 11 & 12 January 2024

For further dates, visit www.cine-theatre.ch