The Night Porter

Filmmaker Liliana Cavani visited a Nazi concentration camp after WW II and interviewed a woman who had been involved in a sadomasochistic relationship with a guard, then made her story the basis for this powerful, sometimes ponderous film. Bogarde stars as the night porter in a Viennese hotel in 1958. His duties go far beyond the usual for a man in his position, since the hotel guests--former Nazis--and the proprietress enjoy being sadistically "dealt with" by the night porter, an ex-storm trooper. All believe they have managed to eliminate any witnesses to their war crimes. Although Bogarde himself is about to go on trial, he too thinks he's safe, until Rampling a...