Fatal Attraction was released during the height of the Aids hysteria and hysteria it was. I saw the film at that time first and I remember thinking Alex Forrest (Glenn Close) looked like a human representation of the virus. There she was, showing up in all the wrong places at all the wrong times. She was dangerous, possibly homicidal, too. She looked like she could easily kill Dan (Michael Douglas) or any of his family.
She wouldn’t take no for an answer. The casual sex was no longer casual. It was serious. Dan might not come out of it alive. Alex was hazardous to his health. We all got that.
Now, watching it as I did the night before, I saw it differently. It was just as gripping and powerful, but the hysteria was gone or at least subdued. Now, she was a woman a married man slept with who didn’t want the relationship to end. She's still scary but in a different way.
She becomes a stalker. Clearly she isn’t dealing with a full deck. I mean why let two opera tickets go to waste? She bought them hoping, let’s face it, she could manipulate Dan into going with her. But she couldn’t. For goodness sakes, Alex, you could have taken a friend or sold the damned things—instead of sitting in your darkened loft apartment turning the lights on and off! That’s dumb!
The film is superb. The acting and directing and the soundtrack, too. Remember the drums when Dan realizes Alex has cut her wrists? Sure, not deep--she just wanted to scare him I always thought.
The wife's (Anne Archer) terror when she can’t find her daughter at school was palpable. We all felt it. The tension was excruciating.
There are some great moments that question Dan’s morality. When Alex asks him why is he there, with her, I always feel like applauding. He's been telling her he never meant for the affair to go on. So the question is like a sucker punch just for Dan.
HEY DAN, WHY ARE YOU THERE? She didn’t force you. You went willingly! Okay, now you can’t get rid of her. But there are reasons. She’s got a borderline personality disorder or two. But definitely.
She lies, manipulates and, let’s face it, lets herself get pregnant. But then again, Danboy didn’t ensure that he wouldn’t get a STD nor did he ensure that Alex would not get pregnant.
Dan bears responsibility. Yes, Alex is nuts but Dan isn’t a choirboy. He cheated on his wife and then when he tried to dump this crazy woman, he found he couldn’t.
The climax is shattering, it was almost too much to watch.
This film is a classic and even when our perceptions change, a classic remains a classic.
Director: Adrian Lyne
Writers: James Dearden (screenplay),
Stars: Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Anne Archer
If you haven't seen it, by all means, see it!
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