Review of Rhinoceros

I stayed up very late one night to see this film, largely because the idea interested me and also because it had Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel in it(The Producers is another of my favourite films). I was pleasently surprised,as the TV guide had slated it. In a nutshell, this film concerns a town which is overrun by a plague of sorts, which causes people to turn into Rhinoceroses (Rhinocerii???). Why this is happening is never properly explained, though at least one explanation is implied.

This film presents the central themes of conformity and pack mentality pretty well, and becomes quite powerful towards the end. However, its main flaw is trying to present some segments of it as a comedy. This does not work, it is a piece of absurdism, and just does not work as a farce. The whole thing could have done with being played far more deadpan, for instance, the scene where the woman's husband (now a rhinoceros) besieges the office, and the scene where Gene wilder and the girl(whose name escapes me)are in the flat together, near the end. Still, despite all this, it manages to be a very good and underrated film. Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel both give excellent performances, especially Mostel. His descent into Rhinocerosness and the loss of his dignity mange to be funny and horrifying at the same time.