Rating: 
Summary: Not worth the price of DVD
Review: A real bad quality tranfer of video
Rating: 
Summary: Obsessive jealousy
Review: Although Emmanuelle Béart (Manon des sources (1986), Un coeur en hiver (1992) etc.) is particularly beautiful in this Claude Chabrol film and entirely compelling in the role of a free-spirited wife suspected of adultery, and even though her co-star Francois Cluzet (Une affaire de femmes (1988)) does a fine job as a man obsessed with jealousy, this turns out to be an almost boring movie.I think the problem is in the ambiguity about Nelly's infidelity that director and scriptwriter Chabrol relied on. Ambiguity by itself does not create tension. Artistic tension comes from an interplay within the mind of the viewer between an anticipated or expected result and its actual delineation. Thus in comedy we know that they will live happily ever after, and in tragedy, the fatal flaw will lead to something horrible. We can even know the end of the story, as in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet or in the Swedish film, Elvira Madigan (1967), or indeed in any number of war films, and still eagerly anticipate how it happens. In fact, I think it is always the case that we anticipate the end of a story at least in a general way: "good" will triumph over "evil," the evil person will get his or her comeuppance, the British army will win the war, etc. In modern cinema this may not seem always true since the bad guys sometimes triumph, as in noire movies. Nonetheless I think the ending of such movies is really what we expect, the revelation of the essential unfairness of the world. It becomes then only a question of just how this unfairness manifests itself. As in classic drama, the modern comédie noire may be seen as a tragedy, with society or the meek or the slow or the trusting being devoured by the wild animals of the city. Regardless, here I think it might have been better to clearly reveal Nelly's infidelity or lack of it, early on, and then focus on its discovery or the revelation of a delusion. Obsessive jealousy is a theme that should work, but may be harder to put on film than Chabrol realized. I think too that the character of the irrationally jealous man be made manifest in some collateral way; perhaps we should see his insecurity before hand somehow; perhaps he should have some obvious shortcoming of appearance or character or there should be something from his past that leads him to irrational jealousy. Clearly an older man with a young and beautiful wife may be jealous in anticipation of the inevitable; or any man with a flirtatious wife. This is not necessarily irrational. Béart's Nelly reminds me of Brigitte Bardot from the days of her youth as in And God Created Woman (1957), a naturally warm and sensuous being, full of affection for others, very beautiful and impossibly sexy. The way Nelly walks and swings herself owes something to Bardot. The psychology of the Roger Vadim film from the fifties advanced the controversial "argument" that a woman like that needs a firm hand. Here the suggestion is that the husband's jealousy can only lead to pain and disaster, and that the only hope is complete trust. What I am trying to say is that the psychology, like the tension of the film, seemed at loose ends. It is clear before we are halfway through that Nelly really loves her husband, the real question being, is he enough for her? I also think that Nelly's character should have included something negative in it (she seems a little too good to be true), something the viewer could relate to, perhaps a past infidelity or betrayal. Charbol is a better director than this film might indicate. See the aforementioned Une affaire de femmes (1988) starring Isabelle Huppert as an example of what he can do.
Rating:
Summary: Obsessive jealousy
Review: Although Emmanuelle Béart (Manon des sources (1986), Un coeur en hiver (1992) etc.) is particularly beautiful in this Claude Chabrol film and entirely compelling in the role of a free-spirited wife suspected of adultery, and even though her co-star Francois Cluzet (Une affaire de femmes (1988)) does a fine job as a man obsessed with jealousy, this turns out to be an almost boring movie. I think the problem is in the ambiguity about Nelly's infidelity that director and scriptwriter Chabrol relied on. Ambiguity by itself does not create tension. Artistic tension comes from an interplay within the mind of the viewer between an anticipated or expected result and its actual delineation. Thus in comedy we know that they will live happily ever after, and in tragedy, the fatal flaw will lead to something horrible. We can even know the end of the story, as in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet or in the Swedish film, Elvira Madigan (1967), or indeed in any number of war films, and still eagerly anticipate how it happens. In fact, I think it is always the case that we anticipate the end of a story at least in a general way: "good" will triumph over "evil," the evil person will get his or her comeuppance, the British army will win the war, etc. In modern cinema this may not seem always true since the bad guys sometimes triumph, as in noire movies. Nonetheless I think the ending of such movies is really what we expect, the revelation of the essential unfairness of the world. It becomes then only a question of just how this unfairness manifests itself. As in classic drama, the modern comédie noire may be seen as a tragedy, with society or the meek or the slow or the trusting being devoured by the wild animals of the city. Regardless, here I think it might have been better to clearly reveal Nelly's infidelity or lack of it, early on, and then focus on its discovery or the revelation of a delusion. Obsessive jealousy is a theme that should work, but may be harder to put on film than Chabrol realized. I think too that the character of the irrationally jealous man be made manifest in some collateral way; perhaps we should see his insecurity before hand somehow; perhaps he should have some obvious shortcoming of appearance or character or there should be something from his past that leads him to irrational jealousy. Clearly an older man with a young and beautiful wife may be jealous in anticipation of the inevitable; or any man with a flirtatious wife. This is not necessarily irrational. Béart's Nelly reminds me of Brigitte Bardot from the days of her youth as in And God Created Woman (1957), a naturally warm and sensuous being, full of affection for others, very beautiful and impossibly sexy. The way Nelly walks and swings herself owes something to Bardot. The psychology of the Roger Vadim film from the fifties advanced the controversial "argument" that a woman like that needs a firm hand. Here the suggestion is that the husband's jealousy can only lead to pain and disaster, and that the only hope is complete trust. What I am trying to say is that the psychology, like the tension of the film, seemed at loose ends. It is clear before we are halfway through that Nelly really loves her husband, the real question being, is he enough for her? I also think that Nelly's character should have included something negative in it (she seems a little too good to be true), something the viewer could relate to, perhaps a past infidelity or betrayal. Charbol is a better director than this film might indicate. See the aforementioned Une affaire de femmes (1988) starring Isabelle Huppert as an example of what he can do.
Rating:
Summary: Can't decide one way or the other.
Review: For the first half hour of L'Enfer, and with an urgent pace, Chabrol shows every reason and indication that Nelly is cheating on Paul. But after that, it becomes frusterating and hard to know for sure. Ultimately, Paul was dillusional. But the first 30 minutes still makes me wonder. I guess it's up to you to decide how faithful Nelly is and what really happens at the end.
Rating:
Summary: Can't decide one way or the other.
Review: For the first half hour of L'Enfer, and with an urgent pace, Chabrol shows every reason and indication that Nelly is cheating on Paul. But after that, it becomes frusterating and hard to know for sure. Ultimately, Paul was dillusional. But the first 30 minutes still makes me wonder. I guess it's up to you to decide how faithful Nelly is and what really happens at the end.
Rating:
Summary: Emmanuelle' Beart:
Review: hey I agree with most here: however, with one exception. Emmanuelle' Beart, is one of the most extrodinere' performers to come around in a long time. Shes not only beautiful, but talented. She took this ho hum movie, and made it so realistic. Lighten up, critics.. its only a movie.
Rating:
Summary: Film is fine; dvd transfer horrid.
Review: I bought and had to return this DVD twice because it is a badly flawed transfer. Considerably worse than the VHS. Only filler was a trailer which was unwatchable because the video and audio broke up.
Rating: 
Summary: L'Enfer defines Psychological Thriller!
Review: L'Enfer is a film about a young French couple who moved to a lake resort in hopes of finding peace from the stress of the city life with their young son. This film contains a very real circumstance which many couples experience. The accuracy of the insanity of the husbands justifiable suspiscions turn into an absolute destructive obsession is all to real in a very disturbing way. This film is a must-see and may even prevent yourself from falling into this vortex of self-induced paranoid psychosis.
Rating:
Summary: Destined for the inferno
Review: Life is too short to watch this kind of movie. The depiction of mental illness is worthy of some of Hollywood's more disrespectful efforts. The entire scenario is ludicrous and uninvolving, the tone stupidly histrionic. Emmanuel Beart tries to make sense of her role, it is true, but even she eventually despairs and abandons her performance to the whims of the director. Having seen this at the theatre, I can only say that it is extremely fortunate that the DVD transfer is very poor - the less you see and hear of Mr.Chabrol's folly the better.
Rating:
Summary: Destined for the inferno
Review: Life is too short to watch this kind of movie. The depiction of mental illness is worthy of some of Hollywood's more disrespectful efforts. The entire scenario is ludicrous and uninvolving, the tone stupidly histrionic. Emmanuel Beart tries to make sense of her role, it is true, but even she eventually despairs and abandons her performance to the whims of the director. Having seen this at the theatre, I can only say that it is extremely fortunate that the DVD transfer is very poor - the less you see and hear of Mr.Chabrol's folly the better.
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