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Pierre
suffers in a loveless marriage to the permanently sick Clotilde,
he finds sexual solace in the arms of Lucienne, the wife of
the town's mayor Paul. When he can no longer stand the situation
Pierre overdoses his wife. Just when the lovers think that
they are free to see each other Paul finds out about their
affair and uses it to blackmail Pierre into agreeing to a
dodgy land deal that will make Paul rich whilst allowing Pierre
to continue sleeping with Lucienne. A strange kind of status
quo settles but can the lovers accept the situation and what
shall they do about Paul...?
Supposedly based on a true story, Les Noces Rouges (Wedding
in Blood) follows Chabrols fascination with infidelity
and its consequences amongst the French bourgeoisie. The film
adds an extra layer, from the normal Chabrol narrative, with
Paul using his political position for his own financial benefit.
It was this idea that the French political system was by its
nature corrupt that got the film banned during the French
elections. The French Gaullist party did not take kindly to
the idea that the president himself would intervene to bury
a murder enquiry.
Pierre
and Lucienne's affair is extreme in its nature, they tear
each others clothes off like over excited teenagers trying
to fill the emptiness of their daily lives by trying to have
sex in the most forbidden places. At one point a night of
passion in the local museum nearly leads to their affair being
uncovered. The affair only comes to light after Paul comes
home early, from Paris, where he is getting the go ahead for
the land deal from his political masters.
Stéphane
Audran
plays the tortured Lucienne with a quite intensity that is
juxtaposed well with the boorish portrayal of her husband
Paul played to the hilt by Claude
Piéplu.
When he confronts the bewildered lovers with his discovery
their bewilderment over his motives and lack of concern for
his wife's infidelity are tangible, here is a man who is more
gangster than husband. The real gem of the film is Helene
Chevalier (played by Eliana De Santis), Lucienne's daughter
from a previous, unhappy, relationship. For most of the film
she has little to do except stand around and look pretty.
Nothing wrong with that but you feel that her part could have
been written out altogether that is until she becomes the
catalyst for the films ending. Helene is the one true innocent
in the film and the only one who ends the film with any sort
of morality intact.
Like the other Chabrol films in this series, the disc comes
with no extras to speak of, just scene selection and the choice
of English subtitles. Sound is stereo and the film print is
very clear.
Charles
Packer
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