"Bellamy" *** (out of ****)
What happened to Claude Chabrol? There was once a time he was making enthralling, exciting films. To watch a Claude Chabrol film meant something at one time. He, like Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, was an important figure in the French New Wave, making what many historians believe was the first film in the movement, "Le Beau Serge" (1958) one of his masterpieces.
Claude Chabrol is admittedly one of my favorite filmmakers. I use to delight in his cynical views, the way he would expose the dark secrets within the well-to-do. But as of late his films; "The Bridesmaid" (2006), "Comedy of Power" (2006) and "A Girl Cut in Two" (2008) all lacked Chabrol's bite. The edge was gone. He wasn't examining his characters the same way. The best of his more recent films are probably "The Flower of Evil" (2003) and "La Ceremonie" (1997), which I have reviewed. But if someone has only seen his more recent films, they might begin to wonder, what is wrong with me? Why would I consider Chabrol one of the masters of cinema? To see his genius you have to watch his older titles; "Le Boucher" (1972), "Les Biches" (1968), which I have also reviewed, "Wedding in Blood" (1974), "The Unfaithful Wife" (1969) and "This Man Must Die!" (1970). These are among his greatest efforts. The more recent titles I would consider mid-range titles. Not his best, but because it is Chabrol, there is usually something interesting about them.
Chabrol's latest "Bellamy" (2009) is a film I was greatly looking forward to as part of this year's Chicago International Film Festival. There were only two showings and both of them were sold out. Luckily I bought my tickets well in advance. So, this would suggest to me, there are many film lovers out there who look forward to see his films. His name attached to a movie still brings in an audience. But I doubt that there were many in attendance who walked out of the theatre feeling they had just witness a masterpiece. A film which would have a profound and lasting effect on them. There might have been a few who did, but, I doubt Chabrol devotees feel this is one of his best films.
I'm not one of these people who are going to make such exaggerated statements like, "this is the worst movie I've ever seen" or "Claude Chabrol should stop making movies". I've read such comments on the internet. These people appear to be interested in sensationalism. They want to use such bold words so others will read what they say and cause a stir. I'm not like that. "Bellamy" is not the worst film of all time. Claude Chabrol should not stop making movies. I have to believe he's still got one more great film left in him. And I'll continue to see his films based on that hope. I don't want to miss his next masterpiece.
"Bellamy" is a film which seemed to have some of Chabrol's usually characteristics but I could tell very earlier into the film, it wasn't going to amount to much. Or at least Chabrol's usual standards. Gerard Depardieu stars as Paul Bellamy, a famous police detective. He and his wife are currently on vacation in their country home. A strange man has been snooping around their home hoping to talk to Bellamy about an important matter. Francoise Bellamy (Marie Bunel) will not allow the man to speak to her husband. This is suppose to be their alone time. But the man is persistent and leaves his number. Bellamy is presented as the kind of man incapable to taking a vacation. He doesn't know what to do with free time. He enjoys his work and doesn't want to take a break from it. He immediately calls the man.
The man turns out to be Noel Gentil (Jacques Gamblin, who appeared in Chabrol's "The Color of Lies" (1999), which I have also reviewed). He has information relating to a famous news scandal concerning Emile Leullet, who has disappeared after being accused of insurance fraud and faking his own death. Bellamy doesn't believe the man's story and soon finds himself caught in a mystery greater than what he expected.
Chabrol tries to make things interesting by having us doubt Bellamy's character. No, we never suspect Bellamy is responsible for the crime, but, Chabrol has us question his past and raises questions about his marriage to Francois and whether or not she is cheating on him with Bellamy's step-brother Jacques (Clovis Cornillac). In this way in the film resemble Chabrol's much better film "L'Enfer" (1994) about a man driven by jealousy. And in Chabrol's defense the film starts to pick up at the end by raising several questions about the reality of the situation.
What I think is wrong with "Bellamy" is the film is a police investigation, which is fine, back in the 1980s Chabrol worked on a series of films concerning Inspecteur Lavardin, which also served as the title of one of the films back in 1986 and "Cop au vin" (1985). "Cop au vin" in particular had much more wit and exposed secrets within a wealthy family. Chabrol uses Bellamy as the lead character instead of making it Emile Leullet. He should have been the focus and explain his scam in further detail. Bellamy should have been a supporting character. Yes, Chabrol has some secrets about Bellamy, but, they are not as interesting as what we find out about Leullet and his wife (Marie Matheron) and another woman, Nadia Sancho (Vahina Giocante, a stunning beauty who was in "Lila Says" (2004). By not focusing on them I feel Chabrol is going away from what he does best. There were great possibilities with this material but Chabrol and co-writer Odile Barski, who worked on "The Color of Lies" and Barski who wrote Andre Techine's "The Girl on the Train" (2009), the best film I have seen at the festival, and a Chabrol-like thriller, have missed a good bet here. I guess they thought this set-up would be more mysterious.
But perhaps Depardieu wouldn't have taken the role if it was a supporting role. And anytime Depardieu is in a movie I feel it is a cause for celebration. He is best known perhaps for his Oscar nominated performance in "Cryrano de Bergerac (1990) as well as "Camille Claudel" (1989) and "Jean de Florette" (1987), the first French film I ever saw. He has put on a lot of weight. I remember when I saw him in the charming "Bon Voyage" (2004), he had lost some weight. He seems to have put it back on. Here he gives a much more relaxed performance. It is not a high energy performance. The film has many "quiet" moments between Bellamy and his wife in bed discussing the case. We can tell he loves her but Chabrol does raise questions concerning her affection.
One interesting thing Chabrol does is bring the film full circle. We see one image and later go back to it to realize it is not what we thought. Chabrol even adds another layer to it creating more doubts. It is a clever ending which gives the audience something to discuss afterwards. But I felt by the time this incident occurs it was too late to save the film. Still it does make us admire the old master and prove there are still moments when he does have some tricks up his sleeve.
And that is what makes "Bellamy" at times feel like a disappointment. We know Chabrol is a talented filmmaker. He still has the ability to tell us a story. But he has not been working at the top of his game now for years. And this leads me back to my original question, what happened to Claude Chabrol? "Bellamy" could have been a very successful film but I think Chabrol is following the wrong character.
I'm sure "Bellamy" will find distribution in America. Chabrol's name still carries weight with serious film buffs. So that shouldn't be a problem. However I will be curious to see what public reaction will be. Will the critics celebrate it as a masterpiece? A lot of critics had good things to say about his previous film "A Girl Cut in Two". Roger Ebert gave it the best review he has given a Chabrol film in years, also the highest star rating. But I felt it wasn't anywhere near Chabrol's best films. "Bellamy" is a nice improvement, but that is not saying much. I have reviewed "A Girl Cut in Two" so you can read how I felt about it. I still have faith in Chabrol and look forward to what else he has in store for us.
Will those not familiar with Chabrol have the same reaction as me? My gut tells me no. If you aren't familiar with his films you can't compare them to his earlier films. So those people might enjoy "The Bridesmaid" or this film. But I still wouldn't suggest starting off with this film. "Bellamy" has its moments but Chabrol could have done better.
Claude Chabrol is admittedly one of my favorite filmmakers. I use to delight in his cynical views, the way he would expose the dark secrets within the well-to-do. But as of late his films; "The Bridesmaid" (2006), "Comedy of Power" (2006) and "A Girl Cut in Two" (2008) all lacked Chabrol's bite. The edge was gone. He wasn't examining his characters the same way. The best of his more recent films are probably "The Flower of Evil" (2003) and "La Ceremonie" (1997), which I have reviewed. But if someone has only seen his more recent films, they might begin to wonder, what is wrong with me? Why would I consider Chabrol one of the masters of cinema? To see his genius you have to watch his older titles; "Le Boucher" (1972), "Les Biches" (1968), which I have also reviewed, "Wedding in Blood" (1974), "The Unfaithful Wife" (1969) and "This Man Must Die!" (1970). These are among his greatest efforts. The more recent titles I would consider mid-range titles. Not his best, but because it is Chabrol, there is usually something interesting about them.
Chabrol's latest "Bellamy" (2009) is a film I was greatly looking forward to as part of this year's Chicago International Film Festival. There were only two showings and both of them were sold out. Luckily I bought my tickets well in advance. So, this would suggest to me, there are many film lovers out there who look forward to see his films. His name attached to a movie still brings in an audience. But I doubt that there were many in attendance who walked out of the theatre feeling they had just witness a masterpiece. A film which would have a profound and lasting effect on them. There might have been a few who did, but, I doubt Chabrol devotees feel this is one of his best films.
I'm not one of these people who are going to make such exaggerated statements like, "this is the worst movie I've ever seen" or "Claude Chabrol should stop making movies". I've read such comments on the internet. These people appear to be interested in sensationalism. They want to use such bold words so others will read what they say and cause a stir. I'm not like that. "Bellamy" is not the worst film of all time. Claude Chabrol should not stop making movies. I have to believe he's still got one more great film left in him. And I'll continue to see his films based on that hope. I don't want to miss his next masterpiece.
"Bellamy" is a film which seemed to have some of Chabrol's usually characteristics but I could tell very earlier into the film, it wasn't going to amount to much. Or at least Chabrol's usual standards. Gerard Depardieu stars as Paul Bellamy, a famous police detective. He and his wife are currently on vacation in their country home. A strange man has been snooping around their home hoping to talk to Bellamy about an important matter. Francoise Bellamy (Marie Bunel) will not allow the man to speak to her husband. This is suppose to be their alone time. But the man is persistent and leaves his number. Bellamy is presented as the kind of man incapable to taking a vacation. He doesn't know what to do with free time. He enjoys his work and doesn't want to take a break from it. He immediately calls the man.
The man turns out to be Noel Gentil (Jacques Gamblin, who appeared in Chabrol's "The Color of Lies" (1999), which I have also reviewed). He has information relating to a famous news scandal concerning Emile Leullet, who has disappeared after being accused of insurance fraud and faking his own death. Bellamy doesn't believe the man's story and soon finds himself caught in a mystery greater than what he expected.
Chabrol tries to make things interesting by having us doubt Bellamy's character. No, we never suspect Bellamy is responsible for the crime, but, Chabrol has us question his past and raises questions about his marriage to Francois and whether or not she is cheating on him with Bellamy's step-brother Jacques (Clovis Cornillac). In this way in the film resemble Chabrol's much better film "L'Enfer" (1994) about a man driven by jealousy. And in Chabrol's defense the film starts to pick up at the end by raising several questions about the reality of the situation.
What I think is wrong with "Bellamy" is the film is a police investigation, which is fine, back in the 1980s Chabrol worked on a series of films concerning Inspecteur Lavardin, which also served as the title of one of the films back in 1986 and "Cop au vin" (1985). "Cop au vin" in particular had much more wit and exposed secrets within a wealthy family. Chabrol uses Bellamy as the lead character instead of making it Emile Leullet. He should have been the focus and explain his scam in further detail. Bellamy should have been a supporting character. Yes, Chabrol has some secrets about Bellamy, but, they are not as interesting as what we find out about Leullet and his wife (Marie Matheron) and another woman, Nadia Sancho (Vahina Giocante, a stunning beauty who was in "Lila Says" (2004). By not focusing on them I feel Chabrol is going away from what he does best. There were great possibilities with this material but Chabrol and co-writer Odile Barski, who worked on "The Color of Lies" and Barski who wrote Andre Techine's "The Girl on the Train" (2009), the best film I have seen at the festival, and a Chabrol-like thriller, have missed a good bet here. I guess they thought this set-up would be more mysterious.
But perhaps Depardieu wouldn't have taken the role if it was a supporting role. And anytime Depardieu is in a movie I feel it is a cause for celebration. He is best known perhaps for his Oscar nominated performance in "Cryrano de Bergerac (1990) as well as "Camille Claudel" (1989) and "Jean de Florette" (1987), the first French film I ever saw. He has put on a lot of weight. I remember when I saw him in the charming "Bon Voyage" (2004), he had lost some weight. He seems to have put it back on. Here he gives a much more relaxed performance. It is not a high energy performance. The film has many "quiet" moments between Bellamy and his wife in bed discussing the case. We can tell he loves her but Chabrol does raise questions concerning her affection.
One interesting thing Chabrol does is bring the film full circle. We see one image and later go back to it to realize it is not what we thought. Chabrol even adds another layer to it creating more doubts. It is a clever ending which gives the audience something to discuss afterwards. But I felt by the time this incident occurs it was too late to save the film. Still it does make us admire the old master and prove there are still moments when he does have some tricks up his sleeve.
And that is what makes "Bellamy" at times feel like a disappointment. We know Chabrol is a talented filmmaker. He still has the ability to tell us a story. But he has not been working at the top of his game now for years. And this leads me back to my original question, what happened to Claude Chabrol? "Bellamy" could have been a very successful film but I think Chabrol is following the wrong character.
I'm sure "Bellamy" will find distribution in America. Chabrol's name still carries weight with serious film buffs. So that shouldn't be a problem. However I will be curious to see what public reaction will be. Will the critics celebrate it as a masterpiece? A lot of critics had good things to say about his previous film "A Girl Cut in Two". Roger Ebert gave it the best review he has given a Chabrol film in years, also the highest star rating. But I felt it wasn't anywhere near Chabrol's best films. "Bellamy" is a nice improvement, but that is not saying much. I have reviewed "A Girl Cut in Two" so you can read how I felt about it. I still have faith in Chabrol and look forward to what else he has in store for us.
Will those not familiar with Chabrol have the same reaction as me? My gut tells me no. If you aren't familiar with his films you can't compare them to his earlier films. So those people might enjoy "The Bridesmaid" or this film. But I still wouldn't suggest starting off with this film. "Bellamy" has its moments but Chabrol could have done better.
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