The Butcher

Rating:
Summary: The Ancient and the New
Review: Superb. Excellent. And every other superlative you can think of.
Funny how when you see a bad or flawed movie you are full of words but in the presaence of a masterpiece you are speechless. From the beginning sequence in caves while the credits roll to the final scene of Stephane Audran by the sea you are speechless as before a painting which captures an ineffable mystery.
Most of Chabrol films involve the wealthy but this one follows two very humble lives in a rural French village near the mountains. The town butcher meets the schools headmistress at a mutual friends wedding and from there on the film follows their unusual courtship. He served in the military for 15 years and has seen his fill of bloodshed and waste and as a result he has aquired a rather maudlin view of life. She suffered heartbreak 10 years previous to their meeting and has kept her distance from men ever since. But then they meet and there is an immediate attraction beyond eithers control. The caves that Chabrol so evocatively photographs and which the headmistress provides a rather intriguing commentary on link the everyday goings on of life in the village with human natures primitive past. Meanwhile somewhere in the countryside a murderer runs loose. Chabrol like the master that he is suggests more than he tells. The viewer is given a rich assortment of things to meditate upon and many interesting paths to follow but the atmosphere of the film remains the real allure of this perfectly structured study of two lives. The atmosphere is created with music, excellent cinematography including some astounding long views of the mountain valley at different times of the day, and those interiors with the cave drawings which are echoed in Stephane Audrans apartment which is lined with prints and paintings. The mystery at the heart of this is the mystery of human nature. if you love Chabrol there is no more essential film in his catalogue than this one. If you love French film this was called "the most important french film since the liberation" by Le Figaro and if you just love film this will become a savoured gem in your collection.

Rating:
Summary: An extremely good movie !
Review: This film is simply greatful . But the charm lives precisely in that intelectual pleasure which some masterpieces challenges the viewer .
Two characters ; she is a school teacher and he is a simple butcher . but she establishes with him a very strange link with the butcher of that little village in Perigord .
But she has a sexual frustration and her job and the bitter memories of an previous ill fated realationship .
But a serie of brutal murders will convince her about the blame of her suitor .
A superb rendition to Hitchcock but developed in a very french style . And since the film flows slow paced , th new tricks and clues wil be a feast for your mind .
The fertile creativity of Chabrol one of the fundamental icons of the French New Wave, allowed him to build a fascinating story loaded with obsession , mystery and suspense .
Watch this film and enjoy it till the last shot .