What would you do to get rid of your wife's new husband? The protagonist's answer is "quite a lot". The plot is interesting but marred by a certain inability of keeping up the tension, by a slow pace and by unremarkable performance of the protagonists, all in "ohh" and "ahh" but without the depth required by their supposed turmoil. Bruno Ganz does hovewer an excellent job of his modest part of decent man witnessing the unthinkable. Also, the atmosphere is pleasantly gothic. Georges Perec worked on the dialogues. Given the talent involved, this film could / should have been better. It remains watchable, but not much more.
Plot summary
Former concerto failed, Julien (Jacques Dutronc) has become an obscure pianist, living in addition, separated from his wife Jeanne (Isabelle Huppert) and his son Thomas. She has resumed her life with Dr. Stéphane Kern (Bruno Ganz) and all three live in the old house of Julien, "The Hesperides" he wanted to leave his son. Julien, accepting this situation badly, resorts to the services of a certain Keller to whom he asks photographs where he must necessarily appear with the couple Jeanne-Stéphane. Then, having summoned him one night in the property, Julien kills Keller, "robs" the house and voluntarily leaves one of the photographs taken by his former partner. Thomas will discover Keller's corpse. The police, she, discovered the photograph that is there to confuse the doctor, which obviously denies not knowing the victim. As for Julien, invited by Jeanne to take care of Thomas very shocked by his discovery, he gets stuck in the house and tries to win back his wife of yesterday. But their reunion will be short-lived, the inspector and Kern surprise them one evening and exploding the truth.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Heavy going
Long Time Between Drinks
Who Knew. A barely recognizable Jacques Dutronc lays some classical piano on Isabelle Huppert in 1979. Move on a quarter of a century and they're at it again in Chabrol's Merci pour le chocolat. Like the man said there's nothing new under the son. Hard to see why this hasn't attracted any comments. Okay, it's SLOW but that's not the same as saying DULL. It's got all kinds of referential touches making it facile to say Checkovian, just for openers then there's the psychological aspects of Chabrol etc. Basically Dutronc was divorced by Huppert some five years before we join them and she has remarried. Dutronc is not a happy bunny. He hires a guy to follow Huppert, lures him into the grounds of Huppert's new gaff, tops him, and frames the new husband. Okay, we've been here before but it's harmless and passes the time painlessly.