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Que La Bete Meure [1969]
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And the man too must die
Review date: 2007-10-28 Rating: 10 out of 10
I have lost count of the times I have watched this film. Death comes early in the film and seems to have emotionally hollowed out most of the characters almost from the moment that the locals see the corpse (no-one runs). The old housekeeper alone is allowed emotion in public, the grieving father becomes an unduly calm seeker of revenge. Like all Chabrol films the personalities are but part of the picture, there is always a good plot. In Que La Bete Meure they run in tandem. The father must track down and find the killer. He does so with a complete lack of concern about whom he hurts in passing. Then he must plot how he may kill him in return.
The arrival of the revanchist at the home of the killer finds an entire household similarly hollowed out by hatred of the killer. Indeed the killer seems often to be the only person alive. Complications arise with the son of the killer and there are some excellent plot twists until, finally, the original death is joined by others - still with hardly any emotion.
A good plot, excellent characters and a very good line in conversation. This is a fine film, but it is never about making anyone feel good.
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Reviews
Another Chabrol masterclass
Review date: 2007-08-31 Rating: 10 out of 10
As in Juste Avant La Nuit the film starts with an unexplained act of violence and then goes on to explore its causes and ramifications. Chabrol expertly prompts certain expectations in the viewer as to what has happened and then confounds them. He is able to do so because the plot is driven by his profound understanding of his characters who in turn express a highly individual world view: the purely formal trickery of a 'thriller' plot becomes a deeply intriguing and unsettling psychological and philosophical investigation. This is why I think Chabrol's films at their best succeed in being both so challenging and so accessible.
The Beast Must Die
Review date: 2005-07-28 Rating: 10 out of 10
'Que la Bete Meure' is one of the French director Claude Chabrol's finest films. It's a revenge thriller with some very off balance, memorable moments and is, throughout, made with dazzling skill and virtuosity. The original source text was in fact an old fashioned English crime novel, 'The Beast Must Die' by Nicholas Blake, a pseudonym for a former poet laureate.
Chabrol is often said to be 'The French Hitchcock' because the old man is clearly his greatest influence, and both often deal in their films with murder in the middle classes. This film is a good example of that, as it follows the attempts of a man driven by rage at the death of his young son to track down the killer himself, and kill him.
'Que la Bete Meure' is a taut thriller for much of the time, drawing the viewer in and sweeping them along with the tension of the pursuit, but towards the end it becomes very strange and enigmatic. Coincidences pile up and motivations become less and less clear, and everything - camerawork and music in particulat - contributes to the sheer oddness. By the time the Brahms piece at the conclusion adds further comment on what we've watched, nothing is certain anymore.
A rewatchable and very assured thriller, this one deserves to be rediscovered now that it has been re-released on DVD.
Unpredictable and highly recommended.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Michel Duchaussoy
Caroline Cellier
Jean Yanne
Anouk Ferjak
Marc Di Napoli
Creators:
Michel Duchaussoy (Primary Contributor)
Caroline Cellier (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Arrow Films
Manufacturer: Arrow Films
EAN: 5027035003863
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2005-07-25
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 107 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1969
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: French (Original Language)