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Charles
Thenier, a writer, is bringing up his son alone. When his
son is killed by a hit and run driver Charles devotes his
life to tracking down and killing those responsible. After
a fruitless search, a coincidental meeting with the actress
Helene Lanson leads him to the driver of the car, but after
all the time it's taken can he still bring himself to commit
murder...
Que
la Bete Meure (1969) is based on the novel The Beast
Must Die by Nicholas Blake. Directed by Claude Chabrol
and staring Michel Duchaussoy as Charles and Caroline Cellier
as Helene, this is a thought provoking thriller, with more
than one twist at the end to keep you guessing. Chabrol was
a member of the French new wave cinema group and whilst he
is not as famous outside of France, as Truffant or Jean-luc
Goddard, has produced an extensive body of work, mostly psychological
thrillers and has often been compared to Hitchcock.
Charles
is a complex sympathetic character. His hunt for his son's
murder holds little in the way of emotional invective that
one would expect; instead he follows his course with a cold
clarity of purpose, willing to use anyone to fulfil his aims.
Duchaussoy's haunted look keeps our sympathies with the main
character throughout the film, even when it looks like he
is willing to commit murder for what could be viewed as an
accident.
Helene
Lanson is the consummate victim. An accidental victim of circumstances,
for finding herself in the car with her brutal brother-in-law
when the boy is killed. A victim Decourts sexual lusts and
even a victim of Charles' desire for revenge. The emotional
deadness that the accident has left her with, and her subsequent
breakdown, is almost tangible in Celliers portrayal, to the
point of even finding it hard, for her character, to sustain
an honest relationship with Charles.
Paul
Decourt (Jean Yanne) is Charles nemesis a man who is painted
as a truly brutal figure even before he is introduced to the
audience, but through his interactions with Charles a much
more vulnerable figure emerges, afraid of being seen as afraid
he is even willing to get on a boat with a man who he knows
wants to kill him, even though he cannot swim. At points the
audience's sympathies shift from the father to the killer
and back again.
Jean
Rabier uses the Breton coastline to imbue a truly haunting
quality to the photography. The print remains crystal clear,
given the age of the film, with a vibrant use of colour. The
music serves as the perfect compliment to the visuals. The
disc has no extras above the scene selection and the choice
of having the subtitles on or off.
A really good thriller from a very good director, if you are
unaware of Chabrols work you could do a lot worse than start
here.
 
Charles
Packer
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