Three Women (3.5.06)

Victoria Foyt and Stephen Dillane in "Truth".

Recently, I've been pondering the thematic similarities of three works which, on the face of it, should have nothing to do with each other. The first is "Deja vu", the Henry Jaglom movie, recently released on DVD. The second is "Casablanca", now also on DVD and the third, a novel titled "The Constant Image" is by the late New York author and historian Marcia Davenport.

"Deja Vu" caught my attention because of the delightful performances by Glynis Barber and Michael Brandon. In this story, Sean (Stephen Dillane) and Dana (Victoria Foyt) meet coincidentally at various times and places and see these coincidences as signs that they were meant to be together. Ultimately, they leave their respective partners, Claire (Glynis) and Alex (Michael) causing much pain. There are some other characters who waffle their way through the film but they are entirely inconsequential distractions.

In Casablanca, as everyone knows, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) leaves Richard (Humphry Bogart) standing on a rainy Paris railway station platform with the German army knocking at the door and the last train about to leave. He reluctantly departs while she returns to her husband, the brave underground leader, Victor. Ilsa and Richard meet again, presumably by chance, in a bar in Casablanca and have to try and work it all out.

Marcia Davenport writes of a wealthy American socialite divorcee, Harriet Piers. (Well, they always say write about what you know.) Harriet is invited by a friend to spend a winter in Milan. Once ensconced, she embarks on an affair with a young married Milanese businessman. At first she is confident that she won't get "in too deep" and will be able to leave Milan in the Spring without major consequence. (Yeh, right). The two fall deeply in love and the separation proves excruciatingly painful. That is until the businessman decides to leave his wife and two young children to follow Harriet to America.

Each of these three women protest that they were doing what their heart told them, that they were swept along by fate. Dana emotes that she does not know what to do with this feeling of de jevu (or more accurately, the feeling that she should be with her new lover rather than her fiance). This may make "Deja vu" one of the most self indulgent movies ever filmed. Ilsa argues that she still loves Rick with all her heart but did not have the courage to leave her husband in Paris or to tell Rick the truth. That conveniently changes when she and Victor are desparate to leave Casablanca and need Rick's assistance. Meanwhile, Harriet knows well what it is like to be the wife of an unfaithful husband (her ex having been a real cad) but does not see this as a valid reason to leave well enough alone.

Are these three women entitled to behave as they did? Does their perception of "true love" excuse what are essentially three base acts of betrayal? I don't think so. We all put up with circumstances that may not be ideal and should do so to protect others from pain. Whether they have insight or not, these women are self absorbed and cruel. Moreover, they have no patience and so the consequence of their infidelity is immediate, searing and unforgiveable.