The other day I watched A Dangerous Method again, and, as I wrote in my original review, was frustrated all over again by the sensation of a film having all the right ingredients for me - actors I like (Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender and Keira Knightley), a scriptwriter I like (Christopher Hampton), a director I like (David Cronenberg), complicated relationships, good performances, some excellent dialogue - and yet completely failing to deliver a satisfying whole. I still think the biggest problem is that it focuses on the wrong main character (i.e. Jung), and the second biggest problem that it doesn't overcome its stagebound origins in the way other Hampton adoptions of his plays did. But upon rewatch, other problems occured to me: even within the Jung-as-central-character premise, it avoids digging deeper. ( Spoilers for not very well known movie ensue. )

So frustrating! But definitely not boring. Also, this time I picked up on more of the musical in jokes. Since Sabina is a Wagner fans, the soundtrack uses a lot of Wagnerian motifs, and the wittiest use is the one of the Valhalla theme at the end of Rheingold , which the movie uses when the skyline of New York comes in sight and Jung is into raptures and says how the Americans are going to love psychoanalysis, which sardonic Freud comments with "before or after they accuse us of spreading the plague?" Given that the splendour of Valhalla at the end of Rheingold is one bought by deception, blackmail and betrayal and also doomed to destruction three operas later, this is very apropos.

In other fannish news: the third season won't be shown for many months more to come, but Black Sails has already been granted a fourth, which makes me a very happy watcher indeed. Also, moving on to another of my fandoms, some great Vanessa Ives icons (from Penny Dreadful).