Day 85: The Honeymoon Killers (1969)

Picked this up on Criterion a few weeks ago. The film was originally intended to be directed by Martin Scorsese, who was fired after spending too much time and money on master shots. François Truffaut saw it and named it his favourite American film.

Based on the true American crime story of Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck, who met through a lonely-hearts correspondence club, and proceeded to kill numerous women together. While Ray lures lonely women into marriage, Martha pretends to be his sister, and together they rob and kill these women. In real life, the 1940s' slayers were dubbed by contemporary tabloids as 'The Lonely Hearts Killers', and faced the death penalty in San Quentin in 1951.

The film is carried by the character of Martha Beck, an overweight nurse - an outstanding performance by Shirley Stoler. Her presence on the screen carries the film through it's rather unconventional format. Her size, especially compared to Ray, is often used to fill the frame, suggesting the claustrophobic nature of their relationships and the crimes they committed. The film revolves just as much around the killings as it does around Ray and Martha's relationship. Ray is clearly still a child in many ways, and Martha adopts a motherly tone towards him. Their relationship is a confusion between dependent/independent, and two lovers. The film is filled with humour, black humour obviously, right up until the end, but the last murder leaves the audience shocked and in despair. The film's ending of a love letter being read aloud is the final provocation towards the audience. It's a unique film that I won't soon forget.