"Merci Pour Le Chocolat" *** 1\2 (out of ****) Claude Chabrol's "Merci Pour Le Chocolat" (2002) begins with the marriage of Marie-Claire Muller (Isballe Huppert) and Andre Polonski (Jacques Dutronc), who were married before many years ago. We see their wedding reception, where we see the guest are commenting about the newly wed couple.
And here Chabrol takes us beneath the many layers of the bourgeoise. They engage in malicious gossip, they are cruel and because it is Claude Chabrol, often they have murder on their mind.
After Marie and Andre divorced, he remarried and now has a son, Guillaume (Rodolphe Pauly). Andre's second wife and Marie became very close friends but mystery hangs in the air concerning her death. She died behind the wheel. Alcohol and sleeping pills were found on her but Andre says his wife never took sleeping pills.
But that is all in the past. For now Andre and Marie seem very happy. With their age comes maturity. She was very young the first time they married and he was trying to establish a name for himself as a pianist. Now he is established and she has inherited her father's chocolate company. Guillaume also seems fine with this new arrangement. He and Marie seem to have a special bond between them.
Their lives will soon become more complicated when Jeanne Pollet (Anna Mouglalis) enters the picture. She was born in the same hospital, on the same day, as Guillaume. Andre was giving at concert during the birth and when he rushed to the hospital to see his child, a nurse gave him Jeanne. He later found out, from his wife, that they have a son, not a daughter. But Jeanne is also a pianist. Could there have been a mix-up at the hospital.
Now, don't go jumping to conclusions. "Merci Pour Le Chocolat" is not a story about a young girl trying to find herself. She claims she doesn't believe that Andre is her father. But human curiosity has led her to pay a visit to him to see if he remembers the incident. He does. Soon after talking, and discovering they are both pianist, Andre offers to give her lessons as she prepares for a competition in Budapest.
The real question when watching "Merci Pour Le Chocolat" is whether or not Marie is a murderer. Did she kill Andre's second wife? And is she trying to kill Guillaume by putting drugs into his chocolate, which she prepares for him every night?
Chabrol seems to be suggesting that Jeanne may be Andre's daughter and that in fact Marie is the killer. But I find when watching "Merci Pour Le Chocolat" that the plot is not so important. I have now seen it three times and every time the same thing strikes me. It is the the way Chabrol handles the situation. Each scene reveals a new secret creating more and more tension. "Merci Pour Le Chocolat" is really a lesson in how to set-up a suspense film.
Chabrol is very subtle dropping hints and clues in each scene. And slowly the audience's participation in the film grows stronger and stronger even though the story may sound far-fetched. But I suspect Chabrol is more interested in the characters, namely Marie, than the actually plot. Chabrol wants to examine these characters and their lifestyles. What makes them tick? Who are they really? What are they after?
Of course Chabrol has been dealing with these issues and attempting to answer these questions his entire career. Lately I have been somewhat disappointed in his latest outings such as last year's "A Girl Cut In Two" and "The Bridesmaid" (2006). He seems to have lost his nerve to condemn his subjects but in "Merci Pour Le Chocolat" he shows no signs of softening up. These characters engage in vile and evil actions and show no remorse. Chabrol is not afraid to point fingers this time. That makes "Merci Pour Le Chocolat" rank among some of the master's best films, as was the case with his next film "The Flower of Evil" (2003) the last great film he has made, so far.
And what can I say about Isabelle Huppert? She, as always, is wonderful to watch. Like Buster Keaton, her face never reveals too much. Her mind always seems to be at work but what evil plan is she working on? She is one of Chabrol's great muses. Together they have worked on seven films together including "La Ceremonie" (1997), which I have reviewed, as well as "The Story of Women" (1989), "The Swindle" (1997), another title I have already reviewed, and their first collaboration together "Violette" (1978). Recently she was also in Chabrol's "The Comedy of Power" (2007), a lesser attempt but still worthwhile.
As film critic Michael Wilmington said, when Huppert is playing bad in a Chabrol film, they work best together. And here she is playing bad. There is not another actress who could have taken on this role and add to it what she does.
The film was based on an American novel, "The Chocolate Cobweb" by Charlotte Armstrong whom also provided Chabrol with material for his film "La Rupture" (1970). The screen adaptation was done by Chabrol and Caroline Eliacheff, who also co-wrote "La Ceremonie" and "The Flower of Evil".
Those who consider themselves Claude Chabrol fans should see this film despite some of the mix reaction it has received from the public. As an old devotee of Mr. Chabrol's work, I truly feel the film is a throwback to his heyday back in the late 60s and 70s.
There are a few great visual moments in the film but may favorite and perhaps the most revealing deals with Marie sitting on a couch as a shawl is behind her. It resembles a web and now Marie is caught in her own web of lies. Meanwhile Franz Liszt's "Funerailles" plays in the background creating quite the atmosphere of dread and death. It is a great moment and one of the reasons Chabrol is such a master.
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