Wisconsin farm girl Elizabeth Carlson leaves family and her English teacher lover behind and escapes to New York. There she soon makes a career for herself as a fashion model. During a vernissage she's approached by a mysterious man whose motives are unclear...
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Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.
The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
Exposed showcases Nastassja Kinski's enigmatic beauty. She is beauty without ego. A rare trait in this day and age of vanity ridden films. Her presence is most rewarding in a rather awkward film. James Toback directed the film to showcase Kinski and expected her to become a superstar after it's release. This did not happen. Kinski is a phenomenon on screen and is a perfect example of star presence. She did it in Polanksi's handsome Tess, Wender's, Paris Texas, and Coppola's One From The Heart. However, it is Toback's Exposed that captures her primitive nature at its core. Her exotic beauty combined with an esoteric knowledge hidden behind those dark eyes is intimidating and hypnotic. It was if Director Toback said to Kinski: " Just be yourself." It is unique to witness how this actress can be captured so unattractive then in the right light become the most radiant unusual striking figure of defined beauty. This is what the famous directors who seduced her saw in her. There is something very sexy about the film as Kinski gets transformed from farm girl to high fashion model. Beauty and the beast unfold as idealism and terrorism seduce young sexy women to act out their rebel idealistic cause in a Capitalistic world. It is understandable why two Romantic Men would pursue such a cover girl as Kinski. She is exquisite at times and striking to the senses. She plays a free spirit very well, a Goddess to the nymph. The film has some cool 60's rock interwoven in the story, :"Locomotion" and "La Bamba" play as Kinski discovers her new world. The Shoop Shoop Song by Betty Everett has Kinski dancing alone to the spirits of desire.Rudolph Nureyev has a perverse sexiness that somehow balances Kinski's exotic nature. He plays her like a violin to foul a terrorist who killed his father. There is a scene where they look like vampires as pretense surrounds Published photos in a gallery showcasing Kinski. Shame on Toback for not drawing us nearer or shame on the photographer for allowing pettiness not to allow the camera to explore the photos. It was a pivotal moment in the film to prove to the audience why this actress was the "one." Toback keeps the viewer away at times from the action. It was as if he could only do one take.Exposed is alluring like it's star. Don't even pay attention to the world that surrounds Kinski. Just watch her. She has been Exposed.
Taken as an historical perspective of Nastassja Kinski, this is a relatively young Nastassja who totally dominates the screen. As the movie proceeds, it becomes more and more apparent that Nastassja has something called screen presence, meaning that whenever she is on screen there is the promise of something electric occurring that is extraordinary. Today, this movie may appear to be wooden and dated, especially with the performance or lack of performance of Rudolph Nureyev who is absolutely obliterated by Nastassja. The movie on its own cannot be taken seriously, but it maybe viewed as a celebration of Nastassja Kinski.
This is a a very underrated film with many qualities. Somehow the parts don´t really add up but it´s still worth watching.The camera can´t get enough of Nastassja Kinski which is understandable since she is gorgeous. The films captures some of her feminine mystique and one can let oneself be seduced. The main weakness of the film is that it´s fragmented with parts that barely have anything holding them together except ms. Kinski.First she´s a midwestern farmgirl, then she goes to the BIG CITY and works as a waitress until -VOILA!- she´s discovered as a model! (which really is not at all unlikely as she is GORGEOUS). Then, she meets a mysterious man (European natch), follows him to France and gets involved with a terrorist group plotting to kill several people.But all this is very entertaining in a loose way with fine low-key performances from everyone. Nastassja is very good as the curious, open and vulnerable girl.So it´s the directors folly, but it´s very interesting to see the 80´s again, people like Nureyev, Harvey Kietel and Bibi Andersson, a terrorist groups´ way of thinking from the inside, and the looseness of the film is rather appealing if one can give reality a rest. I liked it.
This is a colossal waste of the talent of actors like Keitel, Nastassja Kinski, Carl Lee and Russo. The "revolutionaries" are portrayed as birdbrained automatons. The dialogue is embarrassing. Nureyev is positively wooden. Kinski does a ridiculous dance, made choppy by pathetic editing. If memory serves, the direction was so bad that during a silly car chase the pursued and pursuers are actually passed by a Parisian taxi in a traffic circle. That has to be a metaphor for the entire travesty. The movie would be gauged as sophomoric compared to the worst efforts of high school film classes.