“The Bridesmaid” (2004)
It all began with a smug, behind-the-back insult: protagonist Philippe chides one of his sister’s bridesmaids for constantly adopting random nicknames (now wanting to be called “Senta”) only to find himself eventually smitten with lust for this eccentric female. In between his job and trying to keep his family in line, the two partake in ferocious sex, usually followed by lengthy absences and shadiness on her part, which drive Philippe looney. The man is so head-over-heels and desperate for Senta’s attention that he seems to either ignore the weirder things she says, or to humor them. This includes, unfortunately, a suggestion that they should kill a person to prove their love to one another. Chabrol‘s script (co-written with Pierre Leccia and based on Ruth Rendell’s novel) fluidly weaves various sub-plots and minor characters in and out, both fleshing out the movie’s reality and making the narrative much more satisfying by the credit roll. There’s also plenty of praise for the couple: Benoit Magimel, best known for going head-to-head with Huppert in Michael Haneke’s incredible “The Piano Teacher,” gives an energetic but not showy performance; a reserved job that makes up for Chabrol’s sometimes-sketchy directorial choices (Philippe’s obsession with a garden statue of Goddess Flora is fine, but him talking to it, sleeping with it, and kissing it is mostly not). Laura Smet’s Senta is properly impenetrable, her unpredictable nature providing much of the flick’s mysteriousness though never feeling random for the sake of throwing audience members off. Though his latter-day work is spotty, “The Bridesmaid” proved that the old-timer could not just keep up with most young hot-shots, he could upstage them with relative ease. [B+]
“L’ivresse du pouvoir” (2006)
Using a ripped-from-the-headlines premise (based on the “Affaire Elf” scandal, even though the opening coda overtly claims the film to be a strict work of fiction), this late-era drama by the prolific filmmaker studies the legal prosecution of a corrupt corporate chairman, the accompanying tangled politics, and the hardened judge who sees it all through. It’s yet another pairing for Chabrol and Isabelle Huppert, this time analyzing both her character’s dedication to the case and the toll it’s taking on her life (mostly affecting the relationship with her husband, a man obviously insecure with her powerful position). As Jeanne Charmant-Killman, Huppert drills the accused suit throughout the flick, sending him to jail and digging up some serious dirt involving money and mistresses. But the mighty, invisible hand of government interferes, planting moles and even going as far as to impair Jeanne’s car brakes to prevent her from furthering the case against their wealthy cohort. These are some serious opponents, and that’s only the beginning. There are plenty of opportunities here for serious drama and thrills, but the filmmaker instead opts to play every moment casually. This works when restraint is called for, but when a character study refuses to hone in on anything, even the commanding presence of Huppert starts to lose brawn. There’s some odd sexual tension between Jeanne and her husband’s cousin which works surprisingly well, and there’s even something amusing in the bureaucrat meetings as they suck on awkwardly-long cigars to an overwrought score. Even so, the picture never feels like it’s going anywhere and all plot points feel like a trifle rather than legitimate obstacles or weight. It’s topical and competent, much like Alfred Hitchcock’s “Topaz,” but it’s similarly (dare we say it) shrug-worthy. [C]
“The Girl Cut In Two” (2007)
It’s always nice to see an aging, master filmmaker — perhaps a little forgotten over the years due to simply plugging away whether his films are well-regarded or not — deliver one near-masterpiece before he calls it a day, and in 2007, with his penultimate picture, Chabrol did just that. This deliciously wicked and elusive black comedy/drama about a woman (Ludivine Sagnier) figuratively pulled apart by two men will seem unintentionally comedic if you’re unfamiliar with Chabrol’s work, but the tone is masterful — what is achieved in the end is an erotically-charged and tightly-coiled melodrama that is mordant, mischievously wry and meticulously crafted. Sagnier plays a comely local TV weather girl lusted after by two men: a famed aging author (François Berléand) and a spoiled pharmaceutical scion (Benoît Magimel). As each suitor’s ardor for the girl increases — it’s practically a wild kingdom episode with two distinctly different beasts chasing after the same prey — she ping pongs between them sexually, leading to the overentitled heir becoming psychotic in his lustful desires, which crescendos into a deliciously over-the-top finale. Boasting pathetic, despicable characters and situations replete with wry cruelty and transparent narcissism, this richly textured picture is perhaps a modern day “Dangerous Liaisons” and an unforgettable commentary (and satire) on class, lust and the malice of love. [A-]
“Inspector Bellamy” (2009)
Speculation runs rampant any time a filmmaker passes on around the time their latest (and then posthumous) work is released. Is this really their best effort? Was it at all affected by the degradation of health? How satisfied were they with the cut before it was too late? It’s not exactly the most respectful eye to cast, but it’s generally unavoidable. So here we are with the final offering by the French top dog of mystery. Unfortunately, he’s unable to muster up anything remotely enticing here despite his track record with the genre and the presence of Gerard Depardieu. The titular gumshoe, well-renowned in Paris, goes on holiday with his wife (Marie Bunel) but quickly finds himself wrapped up in a murder case involving a man who possibly faked his own death and hides under extensive plastic surgery. If it sounds contrived, it is. Chabrol, however, is the kind of director that could potentially elevate the second-rate material, but here he coasts along without any energy or finesse. The same can be said for Depardieu, who lumbers around and makes skeevy passes at his wife (at one point, they’re talking in bed and he non-chalantly grabs her boob while talking to her). What could’ve been played as a comfortable marriage only feels enormously perverted, alienating and distracting. Things get worse when Bellamy’s deadbeat half-brother arrives, introducing redundant sibling bickering that only ever feels cartoonish. Eventually the protagonist suspects adultery between his wife and brother, and although few things are more cliched than that, it successfully builds off his trouble with the case and marries the two plots perfectly. However, the suspicion comes too late and is resolved with a slap in the face (and never mentioned again), thus destroying the only smidge of life “Inspector Bellamy” ever held. It’s without a doubt a very competent film and by no means a disaster, but it contains few worthwhile ideas and almost no soul. To top it off, it’s just not very entertaining. [C-]
And The Rest… With such a prolific career, we were never going to be able to cover everything, so we’ve kept it to a not-so-lean seventeen. But for anyone who gets hooked on the films above, there’s plenty more to look at. 1959’s “Web of Passion” was his first thriller and starred the great Jean-Paul Belmondo, while “Wise Guys” in 1961 and “The Third Lover” in 1962 followed not long after. 1963’s “Ophelia,” was a change of pace, an adaptation of “Hamlet,” while “Bluebeard” the following year saw him take on the classic Gallic fairytale (as recently made by Catherine Breillat). These were followed by a trio of near-pulpy Bond-aping spy films, “Le Tigre aime la chair fraiche” and “Le tigre se parfume a la dynamite,” which starred Roger Hanin as the titular Tiger, and “Marie-Chantal contre le docteur Kha.”
1966 brought a very different kind of espionage picture, the World War II-set “Line of Demarcation,” and in the following year Chabrol borrowed Anthony Perkins from Hitchcock for the more familiar “The Champagne Murders” before going back into spy territory for “Who’s Got the Black Box?”. “The Beast Must Die” is a revenge thriller, based on a novel by Cecil Day-Lewis (the father of Daniel), while 1971’s racy “Just Before Nightfall” is particularly well-regarded, and won Stéphane Audran a BAFTA for Best Actress. In the same year, he worked with Perkins again, as well as Orson Welles, for “Ten Days Wonder,” based on the Ellery Quinn novel, before reteaming with Belmondo for the comedy “Dr. Popaul,” his biggest-ever box office hit to that point.
That was swiftly followed by “Wedding In Blood” and ‘The Nada Gang,” while a change of pace came with 1975’s “A Piece of Pleasure,” which starred long-time screenwriter Paul Gegauff, and Gegauff’s ex-wife and daughter — a sort of proto-“Schizopolis,” at least as far as the casting goes. “Innocents With Dirty Hands” was another big hit at home, (and stars Rod Steiger), while “Les Magiciens” dabbled in the supernatural, and teamed Franco Nero and Jean Rochefort. Infidelity thriller “The Twist” came in the same year, followed swiftly by “Alice ou la Derniere Fugue,” and “Blood Relatives.”
The 1980s started with “The Proud Ones,” “Les fantomes du chapelier” and “Le sang des autres” (1984), before his 1985 Cannes entry “Chicken With Vinegar” (released in the States with the genius/awful title “Cop au Vin“). He stayed on a similar route with “Inspecteur Lavardin,” “Masques” and “The Cry of the Owl,” the latter based on the Patricia Highsmith novel, recently remade with Paddy Considine by Radiohead video director Jamie Thraves. The 1990s, meanwhile, began with “Jours tranquilles a Clichy” and “Docteur M,” while “L’oeil de Vichy” followed “Betty.” 1994’s “L’Enfer” saw Chabrol take on the unfinished film of the same name by “Les Diaboliques” director Henri-Georges Clouzot (about which an excellent documentary was made last year).
Chabrol and muse Isabelle Huppert went more light-hearted for “Rien ne va plus” in 1997, while the grim “The Color of Lies” was one of his best-reviewed films of the 1990s. Finally, 2003’s “The Flower of Evil” brought in political elements to a a very Chabrolian thriller. Not all of these are among his best, but there are very few that aren’t worth checking out to some degree. -Rodrigo Perez, Samantha Chater, Christopher Bell, Jessica Kiang, Catherine Scott.
