Explicit satire loses its steam
Russian f ilmmaker Sergei Eisenstein’s ill- fated production of “Que Viva Mexico!” as filtered through British filmmaker Peter Greenaway’s own heavily stylized, heavily satirical lens, serves as the brimming- with- possibility conceit behind “Eisenstein in Guanajuato.”
Arriving in Mexico in 1931 after being spurned by Hollywood, the white- suited Eisenstein, played with wildhaired, impish gusto by Elmer Bäck, f inds more than his creative juices being rejuvenated when he embarks on a sexually explicit relationship with his tour guide/ chaperone ( Luis Alberti).
Greenaway, whose previous art house efforts include “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover” and “Pillow Book,” has cooked up an audacious, sex- and- death- obsessed travelogue.
But while Finnish actor Bäck gives a daring and utterly vanity- free performance here, as does the studly Alberti, the heady effect proves f leeting.
Long before production of “Que Viva Mexico!” is shut down by investors, Greenaway’s boundary- pushing, breathlessly in- your- face approach begins to take its toll on viewer patience, resulting in Eisenstein not being the only one to ultimately lose interest in his bold Mexican odyssey. “Eisenstein in Guanajuato.” No MPAA rating. Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes. Playing: Laemmle Royal, West L. A., Laemmle Playhouse 7, Pasadena.