Reviews (332)

Brotherhood Of the Wolf-A Masterwork of Period Horror
Director Christopher Gans (Crying Freeman, Necronomicon)has adapted the 300 year old case of the Beast of Gevaudon into the absolutely brilliant BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF (Le Pacte De Loups). Samuel Le Bihan stars as King Louis the XV's chief naturalist, war veteren Gregoire De Fronsac, sent to the French countryside with his best friend, a Native American warrior named Mani (Marc DeCascos)to hunt and kill a wolf-like "beast" responsible for a series of bloody deaths. Along the way, they encounter political intrigue, a witchy courtisan (the stunning Monica Belucchi) and the Beast itself, with amazing results.
Although compared to The Matrix, Crouching Tiger and Jaws, I found this breathtaking film more in the vein of Tsui Hark's Once Upon a Time in China series, with a dose of Dragonslayer thrown in for good measure. Complete with amazing locations, spot-on costumes and butt-kicking Savate sequences courtesy of DeCascos, Le Bihan and the menacing Vincent Cassel (The Crimson Rivers), BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF was well worth the year's wait (it was released in France in January of 2001). By all means, treat yourself to this truly ORIGINAL film. Within five minutes, you'll forget the subtitles, drawn in by the film's voluptuous beauty and thrilling plot twists.

Magnificent folly, way ahead of its time
BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF (Le Pacte des Loups, 2001): In 18th century France, a brave young naturalist (Samuel Le Bihan [TROIS COULEURS ROUGE]) and his Native American companion (Mark Dacascos [DRIVE]) are hired to trace the origins of a bloodthirsty 'beast' which has been terrorizing the countryside, killing women and children. But their investigations uncover an appalling conspiracy which cuts to the very heart of French high society...

Loosely based on true events, this high-powered Gallic blockbuster - directed by Christophe Gans, hired on the strength of his incredible genre-bending adaptation of CRYING FREEEMAN - wowed French audiences when released in 2001. And no wonder! A high-kicking combination of horror movie, period drama, political thriller and 'Matrix'-inspired kung fu pageant, the film combines the best elements of these disparate sub-genres in a dazzling display of technical wizardry. Photographed in widescreen Super 35 by Dan Laustsen (MIMIC, THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN), and played with solemn conviction by an all-star cast - including relative newcomers Vincent Cassel (LA HAINE), Monica Bellucci (the MATRIX sequels) and Jeremie Renier (LES AMANTS CRIMINELS), and veterans Jean Yanne (most recently seen in BELLE MAMAN) and Edith Scob (the elegant heroine of Franju's LES YEUX SANS VISAGE) - the movie is a riot of action and intrigue, sustained by a multilayered screenplay (co-authored by Gans and Stephane Cabel) which recounts an elaborate fable of class warfare and religious bigotry during a grim period of French history. The fight scenes - choreographed with ruthless efficiency by Hong Kong movie veteran Phillip Kwok (MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE, HARD-BOILED, TOMORROW NEVER DIES, etc.) - are fashioned with elegant grace, and edited to perfection by Sebastien Prangere and David Wu Dai-wai (another prominent HK movie figure, Ronny Yu Yan-tai's current editor of choice). Much of the film's otherworldly visual texture is due to the sumptuous art direction (by Guy-Claude Francois [JEFFERSON IN PARIS]) and costume design (by Dominique Borg), which roots proceedings in a recognizable period 'style', despite Gans' resolutely modern approach to the material. It shouldn't work, but it does, somehow. The 'explanation' for the beast and its murderous activities - which takes into account a wide range of modern research into the story of an animal which really DID terrorize the French countryside during the 18th century - forms the backbone of the entire production, and while much of the film is a rip-roaring joy, the climactic sequences are offset by an element of tragedy and sadness, which thoroughly distinguishes the movie from most of its Hollywood counterparts. All in all, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF is a magnificent folly, way ahead of its time, and quite unlike anything ever made before.

This review is based on a viewing of the Canadian disc from TVR Films which presents the original French version in its entirety (the international version, including the one released in the US and UK, appears to be shorter by about 10 minutes) and runs 150m 34s, minus the logos which open the video print and weren't part of the original production, and letterboxes the scope frame at 2.35:1 (anamorphically enhanced). The US disc - a region 1 release from Universal - is a no-frills affair which features a letterboxed anamorphic version of the shorter print, and some reviews suggest it's a better-looking transfer than the one featured on the Canadian disc. Captions and subtitles are provided. The Canadian version, however, is a 3-disc spectacular, and features (amongst many other things) an extremely frank documentary on the making of the film which opens with an actress being clobbered during an accident on-set, and proceeds to outline the various obstacles which constantly threatened the production schedule (not least the unpredictable weather during location shooting) and ultimately strained relations between director Gans and co-producer Samuel Hadida. That such a remarkable film emerged from these traumatic circumstances says much about the talent and dedication of these extraordinary gentlemen and all those who helped bring their unique vision to the silver screen. A triumph.

terrible!
i am completely amazed as i read the other reviews of this movie and have to wonder if we saw the same film.
did we?
a movie with no characterization? terrible dialogue? a lot of slow-motion action sequences (trying desperately to copy the John Woo style)? a lot of style and glitz but no plot motivation to back it up? and a SUPER hokey ending?
and don't even get me started on the character of Mani. i'm from the region Mani is said to come from, and all of the displays of Native American traditions which are presented in this film are fabricated and presented to the point that i was insulted!

did we see the same movie?
this is a good movie for cutiosity sake but little else.

Regarding the Beast
From the outset of Le Pacte de Loups, we know that the central beast of the movie is no ordinary wolf. Regarding its identification, however - a point that is never truly elucidated whether you've seen the film or not - there remains debate. My initial and superseding question is, no matter how the beast appears, what makes it impossible to believe in the beast's specificity as a common French wolf? This fact is unmistakable to my intuitions. Many of you might not know French, but I looked it up and "loup" is actually French for "wolf" - not "beast," like many appear to think. First point, the movie title states this so-called mysterious answer from the outset. If the beast was a hyena, the French would be referring to "hyènes," and were it a lion, it would actually be called "lion" (the two languages share this word).

If you need more evidence, there is no lack in the film. Our beast is often seen running with its pack, howling at the moon, and killing people. While Grégoire attempts to denounce the belief in human murders by wolf, one of the final scenes of the movie clearly depicts wolves doing just that: an obvious statement to disaffirm his slander. If you listen to the revealing narrative at the end of the film, it is stated that while visiting Africa Jean-François found the beast and raised her offspring, selecting the largest and strongest to take back with him to France and training it to be more ferocious and cruel than the average wolf.

***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.
Earlier we learn that this character has been savaged by a lion, which resulted in the loss of his right forelimb. Would you take the same animal that disfigured you and raise it as your own? Neither would Jean-François.

I had to chuckle at some of these reviews!
Wow! Four out of five. Three out of five. You have to be joking don't you? This movie is perfection. Pure, true, honest, stylish. Of course Americans get a bit ruffled when a 'foreign' film shows the good old US of A how 'it's done' yet again. You folk like you're movies with justification, explanation and gradification... all tied up in a bow. This movie is not sugar covered and goes in depth within (I won't give it away for those that have not seen it) an area that goes way back in time and is still happening today (Bohemiam Grove hint hint etc)which has always fascinated me. So why would you not like it? Firstly that pesky 'other' language (yes, it's in French - and so it should be) makes those of less IQ's have to read. Pesky pesky. Secondly it has many layers as a movie and does not always have to explain EVERYTHING that is going on, and instead relies on the intellect of it's viewers and allows us to progress on the journey and make up our own minds as to how, why and who. I will not go into 'explaining' the film as it is done already in the top review and you all seem to explain it over and over again. I am not French as you may all think, and instead an Aussie relieved and satisfied that a certain standard of perfection is retained in some movies in the world. Erotic, scary, action, suspense, intelligent, beautiful. Simply one of the best movies I have seen this year. (I'll put money on it that America will remake this movie very soon... and yet again bugger up another classic foreign film that should have been left well alone! Please don't! I beg you!) ... Read more

Reviews (55)

Sweeping epic that focuses on romance, not revolution
This 1992 film won an Academy Award for best foreign language film. Starring Catherine Deneuve, it's a sweeping epic set in French Indochina in the late 1930s. The French were colonialists without apology. They felt they were bringing civilization to the country. We all know what happened later, but the characters don't. This made me have the persistent feeling throughout about how I knew the style of life displayed in the film would all be swept away.

Catherine Deneuve was almost fifty years old when the film was made and her maturity just adds to her beauty and elegance. She's cast as a wealthy rubber plantation owner who has never married but has adopted a lovely young Vietnamese girl she raises as her daughter with all the advantages of a French education and beautiful clothes. Both she and her daughter, played by Linh Dan Pham, fall in love with the same French navel officer, 30-year old Vincent Perez. And when the lovely Catherine has him sent to a remote outpost, her daughter follows him. There's political upheaval in the air and soon the daughter and the naval officer are on the run. Eventually they become revolutionaries. There's much tragedy. And a child who is left to be raised by his grandmother.

It's a good story, well told. But it focuses on the romance instead of the revolution. This makes it a little too sugar coated for my taste although the acting is excellent and the screenplay engaging. It did hold my interest throughout the 158 minutes, however, and gave me a picture of what Vietnam must have been like for the French. They lived a fairytale existence in the lap of luxury while all around them people were being exploited and worked to death. I enjoyed the film even though it lacked the bite and emotional engagement that I would have preferred.

Beauty and Sorrow
This deeply felt and emotionally rich portrait of a country about to change forever is one of the most beautiful films ever made. It is elegant and opulent in it's visual presentation and subtle in it's human tale of heartbreak. This film has the majesty of morning sunlight on water we dare not shield our eyes from for fear we will miss one moment of its glory.

Director Reigis Wargnier has created a masterpiece of epic beauty, showing us the country of Vietnam when it existed as the French colony Indochine. He shows how and why the communist uprising was so popular and the way of life it threatened. It does not make judgements but shows the human drama and the heartbreak caused by a way of life that existed and the one that was coming to change it.

Wargnier accomplishes all this in a slow and visually stunning portrait of one family in Indochine centering around the magnificent performance of Catherine Deneuve as French rubber plantation owner Eliane Deveries and the equally terrific Linh Dan Phan as her adopted Indochine daughter Camille. The contrasts of Eliane's cool elegance and Camille's young and sensual beauty is like a mirror for the country itself as Wargner shows the difference between the French and those that serve them.

Eliane runs her rubber plantation with the help of her 'coolies' and it appears to be her entire life except for her daughter Camille. Eliane's cool outward elegance only masks the repressed emotions she hides from others. Her affairs have been casual and she believes indifference is the secret to surviving love. But that indifference changes dramatically as she finally falls hard for young French Naval Officer Vincent Perez (Jean-Baptiste Le Guen). She throws herself at him as he draws away and discovers she is not enough for Vincent.

There is much unrest at the class distinctions of Indochine. Eliane's Indochine is one of elegance and self-indulgence. It is a world of Fitzgerald and Gatsby. The world of the Indochene people is more severe. This film takes it's time showing us all that is beautiful about the country and slowly begins to show the darkness underneath that beauty when Camille falls in love with Vincent also. Eliane is stunned beyond words but not actions as she uses her clout to have him transferred to the farthest outpost so Camille can go through with an arranged marriage to Tanh (Eric Nguyen).

But Eliane has underestimated her daughter's love for Vincent and she runs away to find him. Vincent has learned about the slave trade which provides Eliane and others like her with their workers in this remote French outpost and sees firsthand it's brutality. When Camille finds him it is during the picking of these workers and a tragedy forces both to flee to a place hidden and supposedly cursed where their love will bloom and a legend will start. There are some tender and moving moments and some true heartbreak involving a baby.

As the communist revolution grows stronger and Camille is imprisoned, Vincent will meet Eliane once more. It is only when Camille is imprisoned that she is even sure she is alive. Her long time aquaintance Guy (Jean Yanne) has been searching for years as the legend of this young beauty has grown so that everyone in the country knows the story. Once released she will be the one to help change the country forever, but not before a heartbreaking meeting with her mother and a sacrifice of love.

This film may indeed be slow but it is emotionally rich and the visual beauty of the country itself is magnificently captured. Deneuve's cool elegance is perfect for the part and her Oscar nomination was well deserved. Linh Dan Phan is wonderful as Camille as she goes from the innocence of dancing with her mother to her country's Joan of Arc. There are no judgements made here. This is a human film and not a political one. This film is what a Renoir painting would be if it could leave the canvas and find our hearts.

Watch this film and stay with it. It is richly rewarding and certainly one of the finest films ever made. It's quiet beauty and sorrow you will not soon forget. You must see, and own, this magnificent film.

one of the best
Few films touch my mind, heart and soul at once. This one does. It presents strong, multidimensional characters in complex situations, and who change, grow, and cope with challenges and tragedy in sometimes surprising ways. I am stunned to see the reviews that saw the actors as wooden, the directing inconsistent, or the story lacking: they didn't see what I saw, suggesting that different experiences lead to different perceptions. This film can be seen at many levels and with many interpretations: among them, it showed how individuals may support tyranny with the best of intentions, oppression must fail, and change requires sacrifice...love may conquer, but perhaps not as one hopes for individual joy. There were no innocents, no ineffably strong heroes in this film. The characters portrayed people with whom I could relate, and understand, and cry for. Yet all of the central characters had (at least at some point) participated in enforcing oppression, or committed murder for various compelling reasons. It shows that those who accept the call to fight injustice may be compelled to sacrifice their personal happiness if not their lives-- and their motives are not necessarily noble. The film provides insight to the history that led to the Vietnam war, and relevant perspectives for reflecting on present problems of terrorism, cultural imperialism, and political justifications for war. As in life, there is no single correct view, no one correct line of action, only flawed humans, inadequate policies, and political systems dedicated to reinforcing a status quo. And Indochine shows the failures, the struggles and the human drama...will we ever learn from history?

Awful, overacted, messy
I wish I could find something good about this film but helas...I'm a true passionate about Vietnam but this film is one of the worst ever made about it. I really envy non french-speakers who may then not be affected by the terrible acting (but the text is basically awful so the actors may not be totally responsible). This film is discontinued, the storyline is either too slow or too fast, no identification with the characters is possible, the actors seem to 'recitate' their part with no emotion (Deneuve plays 'Deneuve' and Vincent Perez can be good-looking he truly has no talent). Everything happens abruptly with no real sense. We don't see that much of the Vietnam either and these bits of history do nothing for the film. Reality is far more complex than the 'nasty French and the nice Vietnamese'. This is a very black and white approach.
Bits of this and bits of that, I find hard to understand how this film got an award for the best foreign film. My advice would be: borrow it from someone you know before you actually buy it.
I certainly will recommend 'The Lover' inspired by Marguerite Duras'novel of the same name as well as the films like 'Cyclo' or 'the smell of the green papaya'. A different aspect of the Vietnam but far more interesting and so much more beautiful.

Powerful sophistication
Catherine Deneueve returns to bring class to the movies! This time, she plays a French colonialist in Vietnam who is in love with a man who has an affair with her adopted daughter. The film covers many social and political questions that are still hot topics today! A very relevant film with powerhouse performances by great actors.

Another great film by the progressive French! ... Read more

Reviews (29)

A believeable tale only possible outside of Hollywood
This movie was a rare treat to have seen on the big screen. It showcases Oliver Martinez (Angelo Pardi) and Julliette Binoche (Pauline de Theus) in this engaging tale of romance in the cholera epidemic of 1832.

Rather then get into the specifics of the plot which can be seen in the myriad of other reviews, I want to stress how this movie was only made possible due to the supreme casting by Director Jean-Paul Rappeneau and Producer Rene Cleitman. The choice of Mr. Martinez brought this movie to life. Befroe his death in 1970 Giono said that in the belief of Neo-Realism that the actor be a commoner. While not at that level, Martinez portrays an air that other well known actors are unable to feign.

In addition, Julliette Binoche is able to work with him to the point where we are able to actually see Martinez grow throughout the film. All in all a fantastic watch and the upcoming release on DVD will hopefully bring a few more fans of Rappeneau into the mix.

It's lack of love scenes was not a minus
This movie is, first of all, something I don't think could ever be made in America. Why? Because America would want more action and more romance and more of everything that this movie has and "fails to deliver".
I've seen some French movies that were poor and this one doesn't fall into that category. Part of what I liked about this movie was it's simplicity and it's honor. Yes, Olivier Martinez does come across as superhuman as everyone around him succumbs to cholera and he wanders unscatched from every death scene, but it made me keep watching, just to see who this man was and where he came from and what he was supposed to be doing.
I liked the fact that the movie portrayed Juliette Binoche and Olivier Martinez's infatuation in such a simple, uncomplicated way. I liked the ending of the movie and how they kept everything open. It was nice to see people on the silver screen facing "real life rejection" as well, which is something few American films fail to portray, if the candy coated glossed over version of the powerful psychological film "Abre Los Ojos" is any example. Tom, I'm willing to just pretend that didn't happen.
Anyway, you should watch this film, if only to sit there and grind your teeth and be frustrated over it. At least you are grinding your teeth over something.

Very beautiful
This is one of my favorite foreign movies. I won't reveal anything about the plot, I'll leave it to you. I will say that some parts are slightly predictable though.

The acting is superb. I've always loved Juliette Binoche (Chocolat, The English Patient American movies) and I met Oliver Martnez through this movie. Both portray their roles amazingly and delicately, adding something great to a slightly dull script.

The scenery is absolutely stunning, enough said. This is well worth seeing, if you don't mind subtitles. (I don't at all ^^)

Good Old Fashioned Adventure--a la Francaise
Olivier Martinez has been called the French Brad Pitt. How about Juliette Binoche as the French Julia Roberts. Or is that not saying enough in either case?

Well, whatever your opinions of the actors in general, they are perfectly cast in this corker of a romantic adventure. Perfect chemistry between the two stars adds to what already a good, old fashioned high spirited adventure film. They don't make 'em like this anymore--either in this country or in France.

In fact, when you think of current French cinema, you tend to come up with charming, but self-consciously post-modern works like AMELIE or L'AUBERGE ESPAGNOLE. That kind of nod-and-a-wink filmmaking has its place, and I have nothing but affection for those films, but there's something about good old school stroytelling that can be utterly enthralling. You're actually allowed to get caught up in the tale and to forget that you're in a cinema (or your living room) watching images on film (or videotape or DVD or whatever). What a concept!

I am unfamiliar with most of director Rappeneau's work--although I have heard good things about his version of CYRANO and the celebrated ZAZIE DANS LE METRO. He certainly has a flair for historical romance, so I am now eager to see his treatment of the Edmond de Rostand classic. Or almost anything else he's done for that matter. He appears to have a great visual sense (or knows enough to seek out cinematographers who do). It's hard to think of a more beautifully shot film.

Like most films, HORSEMAN ON THE ROOF is not for everyone. But for lovers of foreign films in general--and of real romantic adventure in particular--this film delivers the goods.

Horseman could have been a contender
Horseman on the Roof is a beautifully filmed movie. The acting is good; the script, not so good; the choleric, two-minute transformations from healthy to "Dawn of the Dead" puplesque, ridiculous. The plot is rather predictable and mundane. I'm a big fan of foreign films, including the French ones. Overall, this one disappointingly misses the mark. There are, however, several action scenes that are quite good and the cinematography is outstanding. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

flatter than the DVD
Anyone who claims to have liked this movie can only have said so after
having read the book. Without the book as background there is no point of watching this movie. It was loyally re-enacted but skipped through scenes of the book like a skipping stone over water,
never getting below the suface. The cinematography for a movie about passion
was flat. The lighting was probably done with two hardware
store flood lamps. The scenes were layed out like a low budget neighborhood cultural center production. No great scores. No ones eyes ever meet. Never a breathtaking moment. I just rented this movie after spending
the last week getting through the book. I wasn't moved by the book's plot but I had imagined a movie adaptation enhancing the storyline. I love Isabelle Huppert but she was totally miscast for the role. She's way too old and there's nothing provincial about her. See her instead in Merci Pour le Chocolat. I was expecting something along the lines of The Piano, but got instead someting along the lines of a cardboard box.

flatter tham the DVD
Anyone who claims to have liked this movie can only have said so after
having read the book. Without the book as background there is no point of watching this movie. It was loyally re-enacted but skipped through scenes of the book like a skipping stone over water,
never getting below the suface. The cinematography for a movie about passion
was flat. The lighting was probably done with two hardware
store flood lamps. The scenes were layed out like a low budget neighborhood cultural center production. No great scores. No ones eyes ever meet. Never a breathtaking moment. I just rented this movie after spending
the last week getting through the book. I wasn't moved by the book's plot but I had imagined a movie adaptation enhancing the storyline. I love Isabelle Huppert but she was totally miscast for the role. She's way too old and there's nothing provincial about her. See her instead in Merci Pour le Chocolat. I was expecting something along the lines of The Piano, but got instead someting along the lines of a cardboard box.

C"EST MAGNIFIQUE...
This is an excellent adaptation of the Gustave Flaubert novel of the same name. Isabelle Huppert is superb as the central character, Emma, a prosperous farmer's daughter, who marries a doctor, Charles Bovary (Jean Francois Balmer). He is a kind and gentle soul who adores her and wants nothing more than to make her happy. The problem is that he does not know how. Even Emma does not really know what would make her happy.

This is the story of Emma Bovary and her unhappy, wasted, shallow life. She is a woman who on the surface seems to have everything, an adoring, doting husband, a lovely, healthy daughter, an attractive well appointed home. Yet, she is unhappy. She loathes her husband, finding him pedantic and dull. She has little time for her daughter and seems to have little motherly instincts. What worldly goods she has never seem to ber enough.

Seeking fulfillment, she takes lovers who always seem to fail her in the end. She mistakes passion for love and never fails to be disappointed when that love turns out to be fleeting, blind to the love that exists under her very own roof. As her unhappiness and dissatisfaction grow, so does the beauty of her wardrobe. Beautifully gowned and accessorized, Emma Bovary is as beautiful as she is shallow. She spends what she does not have on passing fripperies, only to have her world eventually come crashing down around her. She takes the easy way out of her self inflicted misery and, in doing so, consigns those who had the misfortune to truly love her to a doomed existence.

Claude Chabrol deftly directed this arresting period piece, exacting wonderful performances from the entire cast. Isabelle Huppert is perfectly cast as Emma Bovary with her icy beauty and gives a performance that is on the money. Jean Francois Balmer is also notable for his portrayal of her doting and supportive husband. This is an excellent, value priced film, one that is well worth having in one's collection. Period piece lovers will especially enjoy this film.

A true Madame Bovary
This movie is one of the best renditons of Gustave Flaubert's classic novel. The actors do a wonderful job giving depth to the characters and it is a wonderful adaptive screenplay. I recommend this version of all others except for maybe the one with Francis O'Conner.

Madame Bovary
Nobody could play the role better than Isabelle Huppert! I have red the book and seen the film. Never have I seen a film more "loyal" to such a wonderful book, than the film made by Claude Chabrol. And Isabelle Huppert gives us the most wonderful representation of the young Madame Bovary. She truely transmites us the idea of a woman who lives in another world; whose soul is restless, sufering, bored and longing for a glamourous life. If one likes the book, the film by Claude Chabrol will certainly not be disappointing! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Filmed in 1995 and marginally released in Europe in 1998, Victory deserves a better life on video. Adapted by director Mark Peploe from Joseph Conrad's 1915 novel Victory: An Island Tale, this exotic melodrama takes place in the Dutch East Indies in 1913 and '14, where the reclusive Mr. Heyst (Willem Dafoe) lives alone on the secluded island where he once operated a coal mine. Rumored to have killed his business partner, Heyst makes a rare trip to a nearby island, rescues a beautiful violinist named Alma (Irène Jacob) from a wretched hotelier, and returns home with reward-seeking killers (Sam Neill, Rufus Sewell) in close pursuit. A misanthropic pacifist, Heyst faces a dual dilemma: he's fallen in love and must protect Alma at all costs. Preserving Conrad's literary elegance, Peploe opts for a simmering escalation of tension, with a conclusion that Miramax deemed too downbeat for U.S. audiences. Boasting fine performances and breathtaking locations, this gripping film is ripe for rediscovery. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Description

Le Boucher (The Butcher) is possibly Claude Chabrol's best known and critically acclaimed film.At a friend's wedding, Helen meets Popaul (Yanne), an ex-soldier with combat honors from Algeria and Indo-China, who has returned to his hometown and the family trade of butchery.The two are attracted to each other, but Helene is reluctant to get involved, as a previous lover has hurt her.Shortly after Popaul's arrival in town, the body of a murdered girl is found.When Helene discovers a second victim and a vital piece of evidence that seems to link Popaul to the murders, she reluctantly suspects her new found friend.Consistently taut, with engrossing twists, Le Boucher (The Butcher) is an intense and enthralling thriller. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

...a passionate story in the backdrop of murder...
Le Boucher is a passionate story about the French countryside butcher, Popaul (Jean Yanne) falling in love with the town's head teacher, Helene (Stéphane Audran), which is set in a backdrop of a series of grisly murders. Helene is hesitant on entrusting Popaul, as she has been burnt before in a previous relationship, but Popaul remains devoted on pursuing Helene's trust and affection. Slowly, Helene opens up to Popaul's devotion to find herself in a troubling situation. La Boucher is slow paced and this is done through tedious effects that provide a strong idea of Popaul's determination to gain Helene's affection. This leaves the viewer with an outstanding cinematic experience that offers much thought of the psychology behind the ending.

A poor version of a great movie
As an earlier reviewer has observed this film needs to be seen letterboxed. Despite saying 'letterboxed' on the DVD box, this version (from Patherfinder Home Entertainment) could not be viewed by my standard DVD player in letterbox form.

DVD info
According to the packaging this DVD is meant to be letter-boxed (enhanced for 16X9 televisions). Yes and no. On my up-scale DVD player the DVD projects in full-screen mode. Like most DVD players in the U.S. there is no X-Y feature to correct this. My odd ball brand region-free DVD player does, however, play the DVD in letterbox (though it needed quite a lot of correcting using the X-Y feature). Go figure. Since the film is a wide aspect ratio (the packaging doesn't state the ratio but I'm guessing somewhere around 2.7:1) it is very important that it be viewed letterbox. The DVD has an audio commentary delivered by a couple film school teachers who spend a little too much time entertaining each other, though I've heard much worse commentaries on much more expensive DVDs. The only other special feature is a trailer. Obviously I'm rating the DVD high on the basis of the film alone. Le Boucher is a great film. Chabrol's films frequently have a plot arch that is virtually flat. Everybody compares Chabrol to Hitchcock, and there are certainly plenty of visual references to Hitchcock, but Hitchcock would never tell stories this way, without melodrama, about people this irredeemably emotionally blunted. (IMDB has some reviews of this film that miss the point that the teach Helene is every bit as evil as the butcher.) Not every Chabrol film works for me every viewing but I've never been able to turn away when watching this film.

The Ancient and the New
Superb. Excellent. And every other superlative you can think of.
Funny how when you see a bad or flawed movie you are full of words but in the presaence of a masterpiece you are speechless. From the beginning sequence in caves while the credits roll to the final scene of Stephane Audran by the sea you are speechless as before a painting which captures an ineffable mystery.
Most of Chabrol films involve the wealthy but this one follows two very humble lives in a rural French village near the mountains. The town butcher meets the schools headmistress at a mutual friends wedding and from there on the film follows their unusual courtship. He served in the military for 15 years and has seen his fill of bloodshed and waste and as a result he has aquired a rather maudlin view of life. She suffered heartbreak 10 years previous to their meeting and has kept her distance from men ever since. But then they meet and there is an immediate attraction beyond eithers control. The caves that Chabrol so evocatively photographs and which the headmistress provides a rather intriguing commentary on link the everyday goings on of life in the village with human natures primitive past. Meanwhile somewhere in the countryside a murderer runs loose. Chabrol like the master that he is suggests more than he tells. The viewer is given a rich assortment of things to meditate upon and many interesting paths to follow but the atmosphere of the film remains the real allure of this perfectly structured study of two lives. The atmosphere is created with music, excellent cinematography including some astounding long views of the mountain valley at different times of the day, and those interiors with the cave drawings which are echoed in Stephane Audrans apartment which is lined with prints and paintings. The mystery at the heart of this is the mystery of human nature. if you love Chabrol there is no more essential film in his catalogue than this one. If you love French film this was called "the most important french film since the liberation" by Le Figaro and if you just love film this will become a savoured gem in your collection.

"BEAST DE JOUR"
A Poetic study of lonely people [the schoolteacher and the village butcher] recognizing each other's needs, and dealing with darker impulses along their way ...... with an almost pedantic and analytical lens, M. Chabrol guides you through this maze with deliberate intent.

Deliberately paced and quite terrifying it is well worthwhile. The utter bleakness and isolation of the characters communicates directly to you. You are also clearly reminded of primitive urges briefly veneered by "current society", all too willing to ermerge, when an opportunity presents itself, and conditions apply..........!

You are left with a chilly vision of "what lies beneath" Country airs, without being unnecessarily graphic.

Unsettling "chemistry" between Jean Yanne and Stephanie Audren. SHE is especially terrifying during the final moments of the movie.

Disturbing/Contemporary. ... Read more

Description

Audiences and critics across America cheered A LA MODE, the deliriously sexy comedy praised for its style and light, infectious wit! You'll fall in love with this charming rags-to-riches tale of a young man whose uniquely original designs make him the rage of the fashion industry. And at the same time his sexy designs are winning over Paris, he's winning the hearts of the city's loveliest young women! Don't miss this enchanting comedy -- a lighthearted, sexy romp that's sure to entertain you! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

An Unashamedly Enjoyable Film
The American critics have been not been kind to this film, nor have the French critics been overwhelmed. Granted, if your first impulse on leaving the cinema is to ask what the film was trying to say, then you will likely be disappointed. Meaning and message are not the stuff from which "A la mode" ("Fausto" in France and the UK) is fashioned. The business of this film is simply to provide an hour and a half of enjoyment. This it certainly does.

The four principals know their craft well and provide excellent ensemble. Ken Higelin is winning as the driven young emerging fashion designer. Jean Yanne is endearing as the kindly Jewish tailor who adopts him. He is the one strong actor in the film and doesn't try to steal the show from the youngsters. Francois Hauteserre is charming as Higelin's gross-out friend. Florence Darel is wonderfully demure and unaffected as the love interest and gorgeous as well. The smaller parts are given equal care. More than the usual attention, obviously, was paid to editing and the mise-en-scene. The film never lags, something possibly due in part to its director's having worked for a decade previous in advertising. (And before "selling out" to advertising, he spent a decade working as an assistant director on several important French films.) Sadly, "A la mode" seems to be Duchemin's only feature film. This is a film for those who simply want to sit back and be entertained. It is totally lacking in pretentiousness (Hauteserre certainly sees to that) and very full of charm. Even if it is not "The 400 Blows" or "Citizen Kane," I continue to enjoy "A la mode" after many viewings.

Yet another saucy French coming-of-age comedy
"A La Mode" is a fairly standard coming-of-age movie, without much of a French twist. Our hero is young Fausto (Ken Higelin), who is bullied for a while in the orphanage but eventually makes friends with Raymond (François Hauteserre), who can fart Beethoven's Fifth. Eventually Fausto is apprenticed to a Jewish tailor named Mietek, who adopts the two boys. Fausto turns out to have a natural flair for creating outlandish fashions, but his attention is on Tonie (Jean Yanne), the daughter of the local mechanic. In the end Fausto manages to combine both of his loves, dressing up the woman he loves. This is a funny film and certainly has touching moments, but there are so many of these types of films on both sides of the ocean that it is hard for any of them to stand out.

A mix of comedy and passion does not make a movie a success!
This film will not make the list of 100 best films ever, nor the top 200 or 300, but the film does make a decent effort to make you laugh. Overall, it is a decent film without any break through performances. The movie is the story of Fausto, an orphan who becomes an apprentice to an established tailor. Fausto, however, has dreams of becoming a fashion designer, particulary for women. Fausto's friend in the film provides much of comical relief, and is the only character who seems to have any depth.

If you have a couple of hours to waste and need a good laugh, then you may want to watch this film. If you are looking for a good foriegn or french film however, I do not recommend you rent/buy this film. ... Read more

Description

A hit and run driver kills a child.The child's father Charles wants to do everything to revenge the death of his son.After a long investigation, a chance meeting puts him in the presence of Paul, a despicable garage owner, who terrorizes his family.Paul is the murderer of Charles' son.Charles waits for the right moment to face Paul and to bring him to justice. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

One film worth checking out but not a good double-feature
What we have here is another unfortunate pairing of films that could have found better mates, because nobody who has seen these films would suggest this as a double feature."The Scorpion King" is the lesser of the two.We know the Rock played a character called the Scorpion King in "The Mummy Returns," which was supposed to set up this film. But the character goes from being a silent, brooding warrior of great strength and skill to a wisecracking, snarling warrior of great strength and skill. Did I miss something? At least in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" they explained how the character went from being the villain to the hero. No such explanation is offered here for what I thought was a similar transition. Then again, maybe I am guilty of thinking, which is not a prerequisite skill for watching this film.

Ironically, you may well enjoy this film a whole lot more if you have not seen "The Mummy Returns," especially if you are a devotee of WWF wrestling, the arena in which the Rock originally perfected his eyebrow arching technique. The story is set way before the pyramids were build, when the original Scorpion King, Memnon (Steven Brand) was the best swordsman on the planet and used the prophetic talents of a sorceress (Kelly Hu) to rule the known desert. Going up against him are the Arkadians, a group of professional assassins, of which Mathayus (the Rock) is the best and the brightest. He is aided by a giant Nubian (Michael Clarke Duncan) is what is certainly an homage to the legendary friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu (sorry, I was thinking again). Anyhow, "The Scorpion King" is clearly a standard action adventure in which the hero has to kill the bad guy, win the woman, and rule happily ever after.

It dawns on me that this film is similar to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." That film made Hong Kong wire work a part of the Hollywood cinematic repertoire, where as this film does the same for WWF Wrestling techniques. This film is not happy unless it is going over the top. When our hero shoots somebody with an arrow in this film the result is comparable to having used a small tactical missile: they are sent flying through the wall. The film certainly delivers exactly what you would expect, high energy heroics at breakneck speed, but a bit more creativity would have been nice. At least the dialogue knows it is supposed to be either tongue in cheek or painfully bad, so you cannot hold that against the film. The Rock delivers the performance demanded by his fans, so that is not going to be grounds for big complaints either. I did enjoy the film, more than I thought I would, but the ultimate standard for an action film is your desire to watch it again and again, and on that critical score "The Scorpion King" falls short (3 stars).

Then we have a film that tosses just about everything into the pot, including the French Revolution."The Brotherhood of the Wolf" ("Le Pacte des Loups") starts off as a exquisitely photographed costume drama/horror flick set in 18th century France with a poor peasant girl being hunted down by an unseen beast. My first thought that this was a beautiful film, more reminiscent of a Jane Austen period piece than a horror flick from Hammer Studio. But then our hero, Grégoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) and his faithful Indian companion, Mani (Mark Dacasos), show up and we suddenly discover the film is also a cross between "The Last of the Mohicans" and "Couching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." However, since this is movie based on a legend regarding a huge wolf ravaging the French countryside, this hardly seems the time to insist upon a standard of realism.

The collaboration between director Christophe Gans and cinematographer Dan Laustsen results in some beautiful and memorable camera shots (most notably, as the camera tracks up a woman's nude body it morphs into snow covered terrain), often playing with time and movement to great effect. In the deleted scenes Gans provides a sort of mini-commentary on the film that is quite interesting in terms of setting up the film's dynamic, especially regarding the opening sequence originally conceived for the film and the scene that replace it. Laustsen is the cinematographer on upcoming "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," and my assumption is that when I see that film I will have a better sense of who contributed the most to "Brotherhood of the Wolf."

The film was edited Xavier Loutreuil and Sébastien Prangère, with David Wu doing the Hong Kong kung fu fight sequences, which are impresive because they do not, for the most part, violate the realism of the time, which is a way of saying the wire work is extremely limited and understated. I also like the way Fronsac's love triangle is color coded: Marianne de Morangias (Émilie Dequenne) is a redhead often dressed in a red uniform while the raven haired Sylvia (Monica Bellucci) always wears black. The rouge/noir opposition works well in contrast to the blues, browns and yellows which serve as the palatte for most of the film.

My only real complaint is actually the traditional complaint one has after watching a Hammer horror film: the beast, when we finally get to see it, is something of a disappointment. However, I will allow that this is probably due as much to my heightened expectations given the quality level of the rest of the film more than to the limitations of CIG technology. The second time I watched the film this aspects was less bothersome to me, but still something of a disappointment. An action/horror/fantasy/thriller/romance like "Brotherhood of the Wolf" is not going to be embraced by everyone, but certainly fans of those genres will admire the ambition of this film, the most beautiful of its type we have ever seen (4 stars).This is the film to check out, but since this pairing makes no sense, we round down once we split the difference.

... Read more