Rating: 
Summary: Less than 3 stars?!! Madness....
Review: I was compelled to write this review based on the handfull of negative reviews (like the one below). I think this movie is an absolute gem. First off, taking a step back, this movie isn't about two good people that meet and fall in love. I believe this movie is about what happens when two very base, very bored, and largely devoid of virtue collide. It's about the danger in irrational immoral entanglement (again, this is just my opinion). You see, the sex scenes (some of them anyway) are meant to be laughable. These two hit bottom together and reach (what Peter Coyote, the male partner calls) "sexual bankruptcy"....right in front of your eyes, they get slaughtered by their own insane urges! Brilliant, strange, interesting, depressing, important (especially if you're prone to confuse urges with love). Peter Coyote gives an amazing performance, Polanski offered up his own wife (Emmanuelle Seigner) as the temptress (c'mon, you've got to give him at least one star for having enough love for this film to direct his own wife through sex scenes). If you haven't seen Bitter Moon, don't miss this film. I think it raises important questions and warnings about certain popular behavior (or at least tendencies) in relationships. All the while being entertaining, and at times utterly shocking. Hope this was helpful.
Rating: 
Summary: Visualy Seductive !
Review: If you are familiar with Polanski's earlier artisticachievements and feel close to the way he reveals "the darkside" of human mind and spirituality, Polanski's very own realism, black comedy, slowly unfolding and buildup mystery and suspense, "psychedelics", if you watched and liked some of the films he made ("Knife in The Water", "Repulsion", "Cul-de-sac", "The Fearless Vampire Killers ", "Rosemary's Baby", "Macbeth", "Chinatown", "The Tenant", "Tess", "Frantic"), you may also enjoy "Bitter Moon" ("Lunes de fiels"). Interestingly, Polanski seems to have always been married to mysteriously beautiful women actresses, and cast them in his movies: the American Sharon Tate, whom he cast in the delicious spoof of vampire films "The Fearless Vampire Killers", and French Emmanuelle Segnier, who does very well next to Harrison Ford in "Frantic", Polanski's 1988 mystery-thriller set in Paris.. I admire Seigner (as I do other French actresses of her generation, such as Parillaud, Beart, Adjani), and. although I must admit, I have not yet watched the 1999 "The Ninth Gate", which is the very last film Polanski "made for her", I feel that "Bitter Moon" could very well be "her" movie. I was less preoccupied with the exact details of the story, instead I was just fascinated with Seigner's performance. Sober, "correct" English couple played by Hugh Grant - Kristin Scott-Thomas is there to emphasize by contrast, Emmanuelle Seigner's French character. Polanski captures the diversity and intricacies of a woman's mind: innocent youth, passionate love, total dedication to her partner, and then , when passion vanishes and there is no room for just a bit of friendship-companionship, what follows is emptiness, desolation, despair that leads to human degradation, and, in the end, tragedy. Do not look just for the steamy lovemaking scenes - appreciate Seigner's character in its entirety ! "Bitter Moon" is, definitely, not a masterpiece, and does not call for Academy Awards as was the case with "Chinatown" and "Tess", but I sense it is a good movie coming from Polanski, the artist who was born in Paris, lived and produced in Eastern Europe and France, then, for short time found himself across the ocean in Hollywood, and now is "back" in Paris.
Rating:
Summary: A disturbing, yet compulsive, film!
Review: If you have ever felt you have been in a dysfunctional relationship, think again. The obsessive, sado-masachistic connection between the two main characters has to be seen to be believed. The lengths they go to to cause each other pain are positively frighteneing. It is well worth seeing though, if you are at all interested in films about relationships. The contrast between the relationships of the two couples is very clever and the additional spin of adding flashbacks to the film gives it that extra edge.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: If you like this type of film,-you will probably give it 4 or 5 stars. I don't. I bought this video mainly because Vangelis did the music and I am a Vangelis fan and collector. There was practically no music by Vangelis in the film. So I give the film 1 star for the actors and 1 star for the very small amount of Vangelis music. I was disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: PURE ART
Review: Nobody will ever understand Polanskis real taste. Unless someone goes through the things he did do not even try. Every film of his shows the reality of our pathetic but wonderful life. Bitter moon is one of his best. The strange couple and the so called normal couple meet and change eachothers life forever. The question is which one of them is normal. Hugh Grant and Kristin Scott Thomas? The tipical couple with no phantasy but no brutality or mania, OR Peter Coyette and mrs. Polanski? The strangest couple jumped out of Roman's mind? Everyone can deside! There's no correct answer, I can tell you that.
Rating:
Summary: Dysfunctionally Pleasing
Review: Peter Coyote as an embittered paraplegic, Hugh Grant as a goofy geek with a 7 year itch, and Emannuelle Seigner as the utterly beautiful goddess (and the wife of the paraplegic), that tempts Grant. Dysfunctuional relationships sbound in this twisted view of romance that could only have come from one of the most brilliant directors of our time--Roman Polanski. This is a great film, but it's NOT a good film to watch on your first date with someone special...If on the other hand, your relationship is getting tired and dreary, this film may be just the thing to perk it up... :)
Rating:
Summary: Still Sweet After All These Years ...
Review: Quick synopsis: Kinky couple on a cruise ship looking to entice another couple into their twisted game of sex,love, and deceit (or is it a game ?)...It is through semi-erotic flashbacks, witty story telling by a paraplegic author in a wheelchair, that manages to keep both Nigel Dobson (Hugh Grant) and us the viewers engrossed ! There is a reason (while a morally questionable one) that Oscar continues to tell Nigel about how he and his wife met and the culmination of their relationship...But you must watch the film to find out Oscar's hidden agenda... Theatrically released back in 1992 in Europe and neglected here in the States, Bitter Moon made it to vhs in 1994. Hugh Grant may seem a bit ill at ease in his role as a dorky husband. But then again, this character role would be a prelude to the many other somewhat comical characters he would portray in later films. Kristin Scott-Thomas plays Fiona, the savvy and sophisticated wife on this anniversary cruise with Nigel. She longs for true romance and passion and the possibility of having children some day. French actress/model and Roman Polanski's wife in real life, Emmanuelle Seigner steals a lot of scenes with her brand of sizzling beauty as Mimi (the film's stereotypical French seductress).Her acting is a bit limited at times...but who cares. Peter Coyote is witty and clever as a hard edged and cynical author who has a hidden agenda in the grand scheme of the story as it unfolds ! ...The climax of the film is quite an eye opener ! I have waited for years for this Polanski directed vhs title to make it onto the dvd format...It finally has. The only disappointment is the lack of a 5.1 Dolby Digital surround soundtrack(only 2.0 is available).However, I was able to extract a rear surround channel by Pro-Logic processing in my receiver(remember Pro-Logic?).Though the film itself is more dialogue than special effects, there is no excuse. With the dvd format a little over half a decade old, all movie titles should be mastered or re-mastered in the full digital surround system. No questions asked or anything spared. The studios or sound engineers should just do it !Picture quality is as good as it gets for this type of film. Colors are natural,reds don't bleed.There isn't any exaggerated or vibrant coloring as on some releases. There is a bit of film grain (that's to be expected) but not enough to distract. Any other visual digital artifacts are minimal. Beyond this small gripe this film is provocative and richly steeped in various scenes with dark twisted humor. But beware; the humor only goes so far and then drama is entertwined... While this is NOT a film for a young audience, adults will appreciate the dark natured humor intermingled with scenes containing adult material...This is very much a film directed in pure Roman Polanski style. The excitement found in Polanski's directing is his unpredictability in whre he is going to take the audience ! I highly recommend this little obscure title...But remember, ADULTS ONLY !...
Rating:
Summary: Daring...
Review: Really solid recent Polanski film, which did not have a big distribution in the US, but deserves to be seen. You'll remember this one.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Erotic Story
Review: Roman Polanski has never been accused of being a timid filmmaker. Over the years, his many movies have been distinguished by their potent subject matter and sure-handed direction. They are certainly not for everyone's taste, but those who like Polanski films tend to like them very much indeed. Bitter Moon is no different. It is one of the most frank and deliciously outrageous films I have seen in a long time. The story begins with a very staid and proper British couple on an ocean voyage. Nigel and Fiona (Hugh Grant and Kristen Scott-Thomas) are hoping to rekindle the faint spark of romance that is left in their marriage. What they get instead is something much more than they bargained for. Almost immediately, they meet Mimi (Emmanuelle Seigner), a seductive French femme fatale, and her crippled husband Oscar (Peter Coyote), a failed American writer. Oscar knows that Nigel desires Mimi and he is willing to accommodate him, but first Nigel must listen to the sordid story of their life together. I don't want to give away too many of the details, for the shock of hearing their tale is the best part of the film. It is, at various turns, erotic, outrageous, outlandish, hilarious, titillating and unbelievable. What it is certainly not is boring. As we peek in on their bizarre sex life, first stimulated, then horrified, we are never quite sure what is true and what is fantasy. Against his better judgment, Nigel finds himself drawn into their twisted, little world and the results do not disappoint. It seems that it always takes a European director to make a film such as this one. Americans are far too timid about sexuality to deal with it in an frank and adult manner. You can count on Polanski or Paul Verhoeven or Bertrand Blier to make a film like "Bitter Moon." But what about Spielberg or Scorsese or Coppola? Never. When it comes to films involving violence, American directors can be as bold and explicit as one could ever desire. In stories involving eroticism and sensuality, however, they are sadly lacking. Due to some regrettable incidents in Polanski's past, his films seldom get the respect they deserve in this country. That is unfortunate because his work is generally superb. His 1988 thriller "Frantic," starring Harrison Ford, remains one of the best, most unappreciated films of recent years. "Bitter Moon" was first released in Europe in 1992, but it took two years for it to finally be shown in America. Anyone who ignores this one, though, will be missing a damn fine film.
Rating:
Summary: A Delightfully Guilty Pleasure
Review: Take a horny, repressed geek, his brittle yet sensuous wife, a creepy, cripppled American parapeligic/dilettante and his smoulderingly sexy young wife, toss them all onto a slow boat to India and what do you get? Bitter Moon. Roman Polanski's delightfully tawdry tale of sexual compulsion is a definite rainy evening's viewing delight and it is aided by fine performances by Hugh Grant, Kristen Scott- Thomas, Peter Coyote and Emanuelle Seigneur (the director's real life spouse). Pop open a good bottle of buttery red wine, grab a box of Godiva truffles, sit back and enjoy a bit of high class trash. Bitter Moon will not disappoint.
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