Thursday, September 8, 2011

Four funerals and a wedding

I'm beginning to suspect I don't like French New Wave films. Or Italian neo-realist films. But my burgeoning cinematic xenophobia is grist for another post. As for "The Butcher," I was disappointed. It was such a great premise! A serial killer invades a small town in France, and the prime suspect is the new butcher in town. But see, I wasn't really expecting the killer to be the butcher. I thought that was too easy. Apparently, it was just easy enough.

I just didn't get this movie. Is it supposed to be about woman's attraction to primitive man? That pisses me off, on behalf of women and men. An anti-pastoral? Wasn't well realized enough. An et in Arcadia ego devil in the white city indictment of small towns? I'd rather watch "Blue Velvet." And that's saying something.

It did get legitimately creepy around minute 70 . . .  and stopped being so around minute 80. I'm not sure if the crappy and incomplete subtitles left me cold, or I can't even get with the "accessible" French New Wave. I just need more characterization and drama. Are we supposed to judge Helene for swearing off of love? Is that what brought Paul into her life? How do I make myself care about anything other than the the clothes in this movie?

So, two questions. The first: What sayeth the book? The second: Did she take her students to The Cave of Forgotten Dreams on a field trip?

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