Roman Polanski's The Palace premieres at Venice Film Festival, gets a dismal 0 rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Roman Polanski
Controversial director Roman Polanski's latest film, The Palace, premiered on Sunday at the 80th Venice Film Festival. The film has got a dismal 0 per cent rating on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. The rating has been deduced based on a total of 10 reviews submitted by Rotten Tomatoes-approved critics. The score implies a unanimous note of disappointment with the filmmaker's latest work, which is in the competition section of the festival.
'Rotten' score for Polanski's new film
The Palace's plot is set in 1999 during the New Year’s Eve celebration in a luxurious hotel called the Gstaad Palace, which is located in the Swiss Alps, where the lives of various guests and those who work for them, intersect.
The film stars Oliver Masucci, John Cleese, Fanny Ardant, Luca Barbareschi, and Mickey Rourke.
The dismal 0 per cent score might see an improvement as more reviews come in. The film has also received a poor reception at the festival which will prove to be a major hindrance to the distribution of the film.So far, the film has sold distribution rights across continental Europe only.
The Palace did earn a modest standing ovation at the premiere in Venice, although the reception was particularly harsh, with many critics calling it a 'misfire' that is to be ranked as Polanski's worst to date.
A press member took to Twitter and said, "#Polanski's #ThePalace makes What? feel like a comedic masterpiece, in comparison. Imagine Playtime being remade by Michael Bay but without the wit and subtlety of the Transformer films. I don't want to sound negative, but it's one of the worst films I've ever seen. #Venezia80".
The Variety review said, 'Nothing in the movie is funny,' and wrote, "Even at 90, he wants to be the “bad boy.” In “The Palace,” though, he’s just a bad filmmaker."
The Times review called it, "An eye-scorching atrocity that is instantly one of the most egregious film-making failures of the year, possibly even the decade."
Controversial move at the Venice Film Festival
Roman Polanski's inclusion in Venice was met with protests at the Lido. Thecontroversy surrounding the director has not stopped. Polanski was arrested and charged with drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977. He left the USin 1978 after pleading guilty to statutory rape.
