The enemy in my bed

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Movie
German title The enemy in my bed
Original title Sleeping with the Enemy
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1991
length 95 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Joseph Ruben
script Ronald Bass
production Jeffrey Chernov
music Jerry Goldsmith
camera John Lindley
cut George Bowers
occupation

The Enemy in My Bed (Original title: Sleeping with the Enemy ) is an American feature film from 1991 . Directed by Joseph Ruben . Julia Roberts plays a woman abused by her husband ( Patrick Bergin ) who fakes her death in order to build a new life without him. Ben Woodward, played by Kevin Anderson , helps her deal with the bad times.

The film, whose plot is based on a novel by Nancy Price, was produced by 20th Century Fox .

action

Laura Burney is married to the dominant Martin, who is a pedantic perfectionist and sadist . He beats her when she doesn't act as he expects and obsessively controls every detail in his wife's life. It even goes so far that she has to hang up the towels exactly as he imagines and the groceries in the kitchen cupboard are to be clearly arranged in a row. During a trip on a sailing boat , the supposed non-swimmer Laura goes overboard and is pronounced dead. Martin Burney finds it difficult to believe that his wife should no longer live.

In truth, however, Laura has put her carefully prepared escape plan into action and is trying to build a new life under the name Sara Waters. She befriends her neighbor Ben Woodward, who teaches acting at the university. Meanwhile, Martin found out by a stupid coincidence that Laura had taken a swimming course without his knowledge and, as part of this, had developed into a very good swimmer. When he, having grown suspicious, searches for evidence in his house by the sea and discovers his wife's wedding ring in the toilet, he sees his suspicion confirmed that Laura is still alive. He hires private detectives to track down his wife and doesn't shy away from pressuring and lying to Laura's blind mother, who lives in an old people's home, in order to get information. Without meaning to, the old lady helps him pick up Laura's trail and find where she lives now. After observing his wife at a party that she and her new boyfriend Ben attend, he breaks into Laura's house and sets clear signs there, so that Laura already has a bad feeling when entering her place. The towels, the cans in the cupboard, the music that is playing ... Even Ben, who shortly afterwards rings the doorbell and feels Laura's fear, cannot help her because Martin puts him out of action with a targeted blow. A bitter fight ensues between Laura and Martin, in which she succeeds in taking Martin's pistol and keeping him at a distance. However, Martin still feels confident of victory, even when Laura dials the police number and asks to come quickly, saying that she shot a burglar. After these words, Martin approaches his wife in disbelief and is shot by her.

Publication and DVD

The film premiered in the US on February 4, 1991 in Westwood, California. On February 8, 1991 it was shown in cinemas in the United States. It was shown for the first time in the Federal Republic of Germany on March 7, 1991. It was also marketed in Sweden, Denmark, France, Finland, Argentina, the Netherlands, Australia, Portugal, Peru, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Japan, Turkey, Ireland, the Philippines, Hungary, Greece and Estonia. It has also been shown in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Slovenia and the Soviet Union.

The film was released on DVD on September 5, 2005 by the Twentieth Century Fox studio.

Reviews

Roger Ebert described the film in the Chicago Sun-Times on February 8, 1991 as a "camouflaged slasher film". Given the “strong” beginning, which casts an “unyielding” look at an abused wife, the rest of the film is all the more disappointing. Ebert praised the performances, but said the filmmakers would not support the actors.

“A film full of clichés that very soon focuses on the stereotypical horror effects of a persecution story instead of paying more attention to the psychological consequences of such a violent marriage; also disappointing in terms of acting. "

- Lexicon of international film

“Critics criticized clichés and shock effects. Patrick Bergin is convincing as brutal, and Julia Roberts' Mona Lisa smile leaves no one indifferent. Conclusion: simple but nerve-racking psychological duel. "

- Cinema

Awards

  • Julia Roberts, Patrick Bergin and the score by Jerry Goldsmith and the film were nominated for the Saturn Award in 1992 .
  • Jerry Goldsmith was honored with the 1992 BMI Film Music Award .

literature

  • Meinolf Zurhorst : Julia Roberts. "Pretty Woman" . In: Heyne Film Library . 3. Edition. tape 168 . Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-453-05757-0 , p. 93-108, 182-184 .
  • Nancy Price: Screams in the night . Gustav Lübbe Verlag, Bergisch Gladbach 1990, ISBN 3-404-11614-3 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Enemy in My Bed DVD
  2. ↑ Sleeping with the Enemy review by Roger Ebert (English)
  3. ↑ The enemy in my bed. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  4. ↑ The enemy in my bed on cinema.de