tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post4714178293207794615..comments2024-03-16T10:03:59.180-07:00Comments on The Movie Projector: Le Boucher (1970)R. D. Finchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-75205180695928374652010-09-14T22:30:04.053-07:002010-09-14T22:30:04.053-07:00That scene of the cherry eating is one that has st...That scene of the cherry eating is one that has stuck in my memory for years.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-20728133637029682232010-09-14T13:13:36.473-07:002010-09-14T13:13:36.473-07:00John, thank you for your comment. It was actually ...John, thank you for your comment. It was actually your post on "La Femme Infidele" that made me think "It's time to watch something by Chabrol" and spurred me to decide where to begin--a nearly overwhelming task because of all the movies he made. I finally settled on "Le Boucher" because what I read about it convinced me it was a pretty safe choice, and I'm glad I did. Thanks also for your recommendations. I'll be watching more by Chabrol soon.R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-14263475218568511182010-09-14T11:27:13.483-07:002010-09-14T11:27:13.483-07:00R.D.
"Chabrol's direction of the entire ...R.D. <br />"Chabrol's direction of the entire movie could be characterized by his meticulous and unfailingly apt selection of detail" <br /><br />Similar detail is paid attention to in "Le Femme Infidele" and "Violette" two other favorites of mine by Chabrol. His work is like that of a subtle painter, at first glance nothing seems to be, it is all very detached, however upon a second viewing you capture enjoyable details that seem to peel away hidden layers including a black sense of humor.<br /><br />Chabrol was awfully prolific working right up to his death (reminds me of Woody Allen who still manages to one film every year). I read somewhere that he and his former wife Audran made more than twenty films together. I myself need to catch up on more of his work. <br />Wonderful write up, looking forward to more on this French master.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01808503055317962289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-62086419175590353372010-09-13T22:28:53.765-07:002010-09-13T22:28:53.765-07:00Sam, thanks for the kind comments and also the sug...Sam, thanks for the kind comments and also the suggestions for viewing. I was going to hold this post back for a week because I've been writing so much recently about French films of this time, but with Chabrol's passing I decided to go ahead and post it right away. I can't believe that with my longstanding interest in European and especially French cinema I'd never gotten around to watching anything by Chabrol before this. His movies never seemed to be playing when I saw the films of the European masters in the 60s and 70s. I suspect that like Hitchcock, Chabrol wasn't taken seriously as a film artist for a long time because he was attracted to entertaining stories without obvious artistic aspirations. I sure was impressed by this movie, though, and I anticipate many hours of pleasure ahead getting more familiar with his work.R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-79128151018478859632010-09-13T09:26:58.987-07:002010-09-13T09:26:58.987-07:00"This happens after one of the students, a yo..."This happens after one of the students, a young girl sitting under an overhanging rock, notices something dripping on the piece of bread she is eating and it turns out to be not what it seems at first—raspberry or strawberry jam—but blood, an image that graphically conveys a chilling juxtaposition of the ordinary and the horrifying. That this is the first and only time in the film Chabrol uses such visual shock tactics makes the scene all the more jolting."<br /><br />Well, Sir, you've made a perfect choice for your first Chabrol, and I applaud you for posting pronto after his passing in this provocative homage. Had I done the same, LE BOUCHER would have been a prime candidate with the likes of LES BONNES FEMME, LA FEMME INFIDEL and LA CEREMONIE, though one of the cinema's most prolific careers does yield about a dozen other extraordinary efforts.<br /><br />His sense of detail is astounding, as you well conveyed here, and his use of metaphors is a trademark device. Your passage here is vintage Chabrol.<br /><br />Wonders await you my friend. Faboulous work here.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.com