The Flower of Evil

Starring:Benoît Magimel, Nathalie Baye, Mélanie Doutey, Suzanne Flon, Bernard Le Coq, Thomas Chabrol, Henri Attal, Kevin Ahyi, Jérôme Bertin, Françoise Bertin, Caroline Baehr, Didier Bénureau, Yvon Crenn, Jean-Marc Druet, Michel Herbault, Edmond Kastelnik, Marius de Laage, Isabelle Mamère, Juliette Meyniac, François Maistre
Director: Claude Chabrol
Studio: Lions Gate
Product Type: DVD
Average customer rating:
- the Karl Marx sci-fi action movie
- B-Movie fun
- A vision like no others
- They Live
- Fresh concept (even for today) 5 Star Winner!
|
They Live
Starring: Roddy Piper , Keith David , Meg Foster , George 'Buck' Flower , and Peter Jason
Director: John Carpenter
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
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ASIN: B0000AOX0F
Release Date: 2003-09-23 |
Amazon.com
An economic crisis brings unemployed Nada (Roddy Piper) to L.A. in search of work. What he finds instead is that the ruling elite of the world are aliens in disguise, their aim being to keep humans in a state of mindless consumerism. His discovery comes when he dons a pair of special sunglasses made by a resistance group and sees for the first time reality unadorned. Billboards, store signs, magazine covers--all bear subliminal messages to OBEY, to CONSUME, to have NO INDEPENDENT THOUGHT. Money itself says THIS IS YOUR GOD. But worst of all, with these glasses you see which of us are really hideous, bug-eyed aliens. The conceptual breakthrough is hilarious while keeping its roots in darker matters. Although some fault the film for settling into its action plot, the ending has a great payoff. And the direction by John Carpenter is handled with superb workmanlike aplomb. One unforgettable set piece has Piper in a back-alley fistfight with a friend who won't put on the glasses that goes on and on, and just when you think it's over it goes another round. One of the most subversive films ever made in Hollywood, They Live was released on the eve of the 1988 elections. The first TV ads had two hideous alien politicians debating, then one accusing the other of being "No John Kennedy!" --Jim Gay
Customer Reviews:
the Karl Marx sci-fi action movie.......2007-04-23
Last night I had the pleasure of seeing this wonderful 1980's sci-fi action film starring pro wrestler "Roddy Piper". Piper plays an unemployed drifter, who is looking for work. Unfortunatley there aren't many good paying jobs available, because of corporate outsourcing (a problem which is killing the middle class and increasing poverty). However, nobody seems to notice or care that their fellow Americans are suffering, because they are caught up in materialism.
Piper discovers a pair of glasses that expose the truth. With the help of a few greedy individualistic elites, an evil race of aliens are slowly enslaving the human race.
Pipers acting is great, and there are plenty of memorable one liners.
B-Movie fun.......2007-03-28
I'm a HUGE fan of Carpenter's early work, everything from ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, CHRISTINE, THE FOG, and his magnum opus, HALLOWEEN. So when I picked up THEY LIVE and saw that Rowdy Roddy Piper starred, I knew I couldn't call myself a Carpenter fan without popping this in for a viewing. I sat back and looked forward to taking in more Carpenter goodness.
The result? A movie that takes a long time to get going, has only one standout acting performance, and displays some really lame effects.
We watch Piper's character drift into town and apply for work, shelter up in a homeless community, chance upon a construction job, chat with the homeless residents, go back to the job, etc. Some 30-40 minutes later the movie finally kicks into gear. It was hard for me to stay interested for this long without anything really happening, but the promise of aliens and action compelled me to persevere. The highpoint in all of this was Keith David, who plays Piper's fellow homeless/construction worker friend. The man acted circles around everyone else in this movie. The other actors, however, come off as wooden, more like actors TRYING to act. Because they couldn't imbue their characters with much of any real emotion, I didn't sympathize with them nor really care what happened to them. And the effects are pretty low-grade, more of the B-movie variety. There's not a whole lot of difference between the effects in ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (1976) and THEY LIVE (1988). As you could guess, the lack of more sophisticated effects sets this movie back to, well about 1976.
I must say that I loved the ending (which I won't give away), but my investment in the finale was lessened by the slow beginning and poor quality of the movie's middle. If you like cheesy B-movie fun, then rent THEY LIVE. If you want serious action and fear, rent something from the beginning of Carpenter's career, like HALLOWEEN or CHRISTINE.
A vision like no others.......2007-03-09
John Carpenter explicates his theory on where yuppies and corporate culture come from. If you hate this movie you must be a College Republican.
They Live.......2007-02-14
The best of the genre. Cheesy acting but the subject matter is real, "aka David Icke." If you have interest in conspiracy or aliens then you must absolutely watch this movie and of course "read between the lines" for the message that the savvy Carpenter weaves into this somewhat plausable tale. Hey it could happen, especially if you don't like who is president at the time you see the movie. The last scene is unsuitable for children without your input.
Fresh concept (even for today) 5 Star Winner!.......2007-01-26
ok first off let me start by saying piper and keith david are excellent and their little fight scene in the middle is worth every penny! imagine you feel something is wrong with the world (seems..hm nahh) and all of a sudden you come into possesion of glasses that when you put them on you realize the world is so much different then you ever thought with thought provoking signs like "OBEY" and "SLEEP" "EAT" "WATCH TV" etc a superb movie a true gem that should be in every library totally origional story and concept. this movie may seem a little dated but the theme music sets the sinister mood and the feeling of "this isnt good, something bad is going to happen" that creeps down your spine. well this movie is really that good and worth owning without doubt.
Average customer rating:
- Murder, elections and secrets...all the things that make the new French grande bourgeoisie so interesting
- "Everything's a secret here"
- Chabrol watching the flowers grow
- "I love it when you have qualms."
- Actually the flower is not so evil
|
The Flower of Evil
Starring: Benoît Magimel , Nathalie Baye , Mélanie Doutey , Suzanne Flon , and Bernard Le Coq
Director: Claude Chabrol
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
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Similar Items:
- Merci Pour le Chocolat
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ASIN: B0001EFV9A
Release Date: 2004-04-20 |
Customer Reviews:
Murder, elections and secrets...all the things that make the new French grande bourgeoisie so interesting.......2007-06-15
We are the eyes of the camera, moving from the dark shadows of trees, across a gravel driveway, through the entrance of a large house, past an open door where a maid is setting out dishes on a table, up the stairs and past a room where a young woman is sitting on the floor, clasping her knees, down the hallway and into a bedroom, then past the corpse on the floor to focus on his hand grasping the coverlet. All the while we hear a cheap, romantic song coming from a radio somewhere in the house...
A memory
comes to you in your dreams
but it is not what it seems
and haunts you for eternity.
A memory
makes you believe he has never gone
that there's no need to grieve
and that the past lives on.
The Flower of Evil (La Fleur du Mal) is an almost elegiac Claude Chabrol movie that starts with a dead man and finishes with our understanding of how he came to be dead. In 101 minutes between these two points we find ourselves in the lives of a family whose secrets seem to repeat themselves. This isn't so much a mystery as a parable of inevitability. It also is a movie of deliberate story-telling. It takes its time as we observe the Charpin-Vasseur family. What a family it is. Chabrol once again opens the window to let the stale air of the French grande bourgeoisie out of the room. You may need a family chart to keep things straight at first, and one is provided as an extra on the DVD as well as in an insert.
Anne Charpin-Vasseur (Nathalie Baye) is running for the office of mayor. She is married to Gerard Vasseur (Bernard Le Coq). They married after their spouses, who had been having an affair with each other, were killed in a crash. Anne has a daughter from that first marriage, Michele Charpin-Vasseur (Melanie Doutey). Gerard has a son from his first marriage, Francois Vasseur (Benoit Magimel). Francois has been in America for three years and has just returned. The family lives in a fine country home with Aunt Line (Suzanne Flon). Anne is in for a nasty surprise when an anonymous letter accuses her publicly of being from a family whose members were Nazi collaborators, informers, unethical about they ways they made their money, and a family with a taste for brother-sister incest. Of course, it's all true. Francois and Michele, within a day of his return, not exactly a brother and sister but at least as close as cousins, have become lovers, aided by Aunt Line. She, in fact, in her youth was suspected of having killed her father, the collaborator, who sent his son, Line's brother, to his death when the young man joined the Resistance. You can see how a family chart can come in handy.
For the length of this movie we observe the family...the drive of Anne to be elected mayor, the womanizing of her husband who is always charming, the disdain of Francois for his father, the times Aunt Line can drift into a momentary reverie when we share with her the voices from her past. And that's largely what happens, slowly and deliberately, bit by bit, as we patch pieces together until, an hour and twenty minutes into the film, we encounter a woman hitting a man with a lamp, two women dragging him up the stairs and into a bedroom, and one of the women taking his hand to twist the fingers into the coverlet. "I feel as if I am doing things backward," says one of the women. We realize that, with her life, she is. When she tries to comfort the other, she can only hold the other woman's face in her hands and say, "Oh, my dear, time doesn't matter. You'll see. Life is one perpetual present."
I found the movie to be a fine example of Chabrol's craftsmanship and storytelling. As often with Chabrol, it's the women who dominate the story. Nathalie Baye and, particularly, Suzanne Flon, provide the energy and the calm that make the movie work. Flon, 85 when she made the movie, gives us an almost fragile Aunt Michelina, a woman who has seen and done many things in her life, and who has in the present so many echoes of her past. If Baye tends to dominate the first half of the movie, Flon serves up the second half on a platter for us.
This is the kind of movie that some will say, "Nothing happens." They'd be wrong.
The DVD transfer is adequate; the picture is softer than it should be. There are no significant extras. Do yourself a favor, however, and study the family chart of the Charpin and Vasseur families. It will simplify considerably the first 20 minutes or so of the movie.
"Everything's a secret here".......2006-12-14
"The flower of evil" (= "La fleur du mal"), directed by Claude Chabrol, is centered on an upper middle-class family, the Charpin-Vasseurs. This family seems perfect but has dark and deep secrets, as seen from the very first scenes of this movie. What is wrong with the members of this family? Chabrol's mission is to make us care about the answer to this question...
The story begins with a crime, and continues many years later, when Francois Vasseur (Benoît Magimel), returns home after spending four years in the United States. Gérard (Bernard Le Coq), his father, is happy to see Francois again, but disturbed by the fact that his wife Anne Charpin-Vasseur (Nathalie Baye) is involved in politics and running for mayor. Francois doesn't have a very good relationship with Gérard, but is pleased to see his stepmother Anne, his aunt Line (Suzanne Flon) and specially his stepsister and first cousin Michèle (Melanie Doutey).
Truth to be told, Francois left France because he had strong feelings towards Michèle, feelings she reciprocated. Is he now ready to act on those feelings? And what impact will that relationship have on the dynamics of his family, already disturbed by Anne's incursion into politics and old scandals that surface again? "The flower of evil" answers these questions, and tackles subjects such as the cyclical nature of life, the importance of secrecy in some lives, guilt and the need to keep up appearances ("il faut faire belle figure").
All in all, I think that this film will interest those who are fond of whodunnits, but that can also appreciate complex psychological studies that make a movie more interesting. Of course, recommended.
Belen Alcat
Chabrol watching the flowers grow.......2006-12-04
La Fleur du Mal aka The Flower of Evil isn't quite Chabrol on auto-pilot, but he's clearly more interested in the usual bourgeois side issues than the identity of the author of an anonymous leaflet that threatens Natalie Baye's campaign to become mayor of a small town by raking over the coals of the family's history of murder and Nazi collaboration. History is obviously going to repeat itself, but there's no sense of impending dread, merely a feeling that Chabrol has left himself too little time to remember the plot and wrap it up. Thus we get a somewhat hurried finale that feels practically like an afterthought - you can almost imagine him looking at his watch and thinking "Is that the time? I'd better kill someone so we can all go home." It's at its best dealing with local politics and petty ambitions on the campaign trail, and Baye and Suzanne Flon have the best of the film, but Chabrol's reunion with La Ceremonie scripter Caroline Eliacheff seems far more a time-filler than an essential.
"I love it when you have qualms.".......2006-09-16
Claude Chabrol fans won't be able to resist taking a look at "Flower of Evil"--a film with a great beginning, loaded with atmosphere, but with an ultimately disappointing ending. The story revolves around a wealthy family whose multi-generational habit of inter-marrying has created a great deal of scandal and rumour in a small French town. When the story begins, Francois (Benoit Magimel) returns from America to the family mansion. Three generations of the Vasseur and Charpin families live there--including Aunt Line (Suzanne Flon)--a woman who holds a number of family secrets. Immediately upon his return, Francois picks up a long-term relationship with his stepsister who is also his cousin--Michele Charpin-Vasseur (Melanie Doutey).
Francois' stepmother Anne Charpin-Vasseur (Nathalie Baye) is running for a political position in town, and she's very busy with the upcoming election. Her husband (Francois' father) Gerard Vasseur (Bernard le Coq) clearly resents Anne's involvement in politics. Gerard owns a laboratory in town, and here he distracts himself--not exactly subtly--with various young women. Trouble begins when an anonymous letter circulates in town detailing the scandals and unsolved crimes in Anne Charpin-Vasseur's family history. The letter is distributed to all the voters in town and is obviously timed to ruin Anne's chances at the polls.
"Flower of Evil" sets the stage for a great drama to unfold. The members of the household share a lot of secrets--Anne and Gerard, and for example, married after their spouses were killed. It's rumoured that their long-dead spouses were having a wild affair, and it's particularly nasty since there's a hint that they were murdered. To complicate matters, Gerard's brother was married to Anne. The sinister aspect of the film and its unsolved questions are emphasized, and the element of incest raises the notion of rot in the family tree.
Some of the best scenes in the film take place as Anne tries to campaign in a lower-class block of flats, and the film is its strongest in these sections. Unfortunately, the denouement is too rapid, and too unsatisfying. Chabrol leaves the viewer with the sense that this was a great half a film (and this happened in an earlier Chabrol film--"Merci Pour la Chocolat"). The film's strong beginning promised so much more, and the ending left a great deal unexplored. In French with English subtitles--displacedhuman
Actually the flower is not so evil.......2006-01-30
This is a pleasant film by Claude Chabrol, nothing like the forbidding title "La Fleur du Mal" would suggest. I say pleasant in that there is nothing gross or ugly about it or really shocking, and it ends in a way that most viewers would find agreeable. There is some dark suggestion of family evil and a kind of playful non-incest and some skeletons in the closet from the Nazi occupation and one dead man at the end, but otherwise this is almost a comedy.
It is not, however, in my opinion his best work, but is very representative. My favorite Chabrol film is Une affaire de femmes (1988) starring Isabelle Huppert and Francois Cluzet. I also liked La Cérémonie (1995) featuring Sandrine Bonnaire, Isabelle Huppert and Jacqueline Bisset. Both of these are much darker works than The Flower of Evil.
As in many Chabrol films this starts slowly but manages to be interesting thanks to some veracious color and characterization blended with a hint of the tension to come. And then, also characteristic of Chabrol, there is a interesting finish.
Nathalie Baye plays Anne Charpin-Vasseur, who in her fifties decides to run for mayor. Her philandering husband Gérard (Bernard Le Coq) is not pleased. Benoit Magimel plays the prodigal son Francois Vasseur, just home after four years in the US, while Melanie Doutey plays his non-biological sister Michele. Francois apparently ran away to the States to cool his growing attraction to Michele (to her disappointment). Now on his return their love blooms.
This is very much approved of by Aunt Line (played wonderfully well with spry energy by Suzanne Flon who was 85 years old when the film was made). Their affair reminds her of her youth, a mixed blessing since she lived through some horrors.
The main plot concerns the opposition that Anne is getting as she runs for mayor. A leaflet accusing the family of collaboration with the Nazis during WWII is distributed that threatens to derail her campaign.
See this for one of France's great ladies of both film and the theater, Suzanne Flon, who died last year after a career than spanned five decades.
Average customer rating:
- the Karl Marx sci-fi action movie
- B-Movie fun
- A vision like no others
- They Live
- Fresh concept (even for today) 5 Star Winner!
|
They Live
Starring: Roddy Piper , Keith David , Meg Foster , George 'Buck' Flower , and Peter Jason
Director: John Carpenter
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
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ASIN: 6305077754
Release Date: 1998-03-25 |
Amazon.com
An economic crisis brings unemployed Nada (Roddy Piper) to L.A. in search of work. What he finds instead is that the ruling elite of the world are aliens in disguise, their aim being to keep humans in a state of mindless consumerism. His discovery comes when he dons a pair of special sunglasses made by a resistance group and sees for the first time reality unadorned. Billboards, store signs, magazine covers--all bear subliminal messages to OBEY, to CONSUME, to have NO INDEPENDENT THOUGHT. Money itself says THIS IS YOUR GOD. But worst of all, with these glasses you see which of us are really hideous, bug-eyed aliens. The conceptual breakthrough is hilarious while keeping its roots in darker matters. Although some fault the film for settling into its action plot, the ending has a great payoff. And the direction by John Carpenter is handled with superb workmanlike aplomb. One unforgettable set piece has Piper in a back-alley fistfight with a friend who won't put on the glasses that goes on and on, and just when you think it's over it goes another round. One of the most subversive films ever made in Hollywood, They Live was released on the eve of the 1988 elections. The first TV ads had two hideous alien politicians debating, then one accusing the other of being "No John Kennedy!" --Jim Gay
Description
They influence our decisions without us knowing it. They numb our senses without us feeling it. They control our lives without us realizing it. Horror master John Carpenter directs this action-packed sci-fi thriller about one man's battle against aliens who are systematically gaining control of the Earth.
Customer Reviews:
the Karl Marx sci-fi action movie.......2007-04-23
Last night I had the pleasure of seeing this wonderful 1980's sci-fi action film starring pro wrestler "Roddy Piper". Piper plays an unemployed drifter, who is looking for work. Unfortunatley there aren't many good paying jobs available, because of corporate outsourcing (a problem which is killing the middle class and increasing poverty). However, nobody seems to notice or care that their fellow Americans are suffering, because they are caught up in materialism.
Piper discovers a pair of glasses that expose the truth. With the help of a few greedy individualistic elites, an evil race of aliens are slowly enslaving the human race.
Pipers acting is great, and there are plenty of memorable one liners.
B-Movie fun.......2007-03-28
I'm a HUGE fan of Carpenter's early work, everything from ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, CHRISTINE, THE FOG, and his magnum opus, HALLOWEEN. So when I picked up THEY LIVE and saw that Rowdy Roddy Piper starred, I knew I couldn't call myself a Carpenter fan without popping this in for a viewing. I sat back and looked forward to taking in more Carpenter goodness.
The result? A movie that takes a long time to get going, has only one standout acting performance, and displays some really lame effects.
We watch Piper's character drift into town and apply for work, shelter up in a homeless community, chance upon a construction job, chat with the homeless residents, go back to the job, etc. Some 30-40 minutes later the movie finally kicks into gear. It was hard for me to stay interested for this long without anything really happening, but the promise of aliens and action compelled me to persevere. The highpoint in all of this was Keith David, who plays Piper's fellow homeless/construction worker friend. The man acted circles around everyone else in this movie. The other actors, however, come off as wooden, more like actors TRYING to act. Because they couldn't imbue their characters with much of any real emotion, I didn't sympathize with them nor really care what happened to them. And the effects are pretty low-grade, more of the B-movie variety. There's not a whole lot of difference between the effects in ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (1976) and THEY LIVE (1988). As you could guess, the lack of more sophisticated effects sets this movie back to, well about 1976.
I must say that I loved the ending (which I won't give away), but my investment in the finale was lessened by the slow beginning and poor quality of the movie's middle. If you like cheesy B-movie fun, then rent THEY LIVE. If you want serious action and fear, rent something from the beginning of Carpenter's career, like HALLOWEEN or CHRISTINE.
A vision like no others.......2007-03-09
John Carpenter explicates his theory on where yuppies and corporate culture come from. If you hate this movie you must be a College Republican.
They Live.......2007-02-14
The best of the genre. Cheesy acting but the subject matter is real, "aka David Icke." If you have interest in conspiracy or aliens then you must absolutely watch this movie and of course "read between the lines" for the message that the savvy Carpenter weaves into this somewhat plausable tale. Hey it could happen, especially if you don't like who is president at the time you see the movie. The last scene is unsuitable for children without your input.
Fresh concept (even for today) 5 Star Winner!.......2007-01-26
ok first off let me start by saying piper and keith david are excellent and their little fight scene in the middle is worth every penny! imagine you feel something is wrong with the world (seems..hm nahh) and all of a sudden you come into possesion of glasses that when you put them on you realize the world is so much different then you ever thought with thought provoking signs like "OBEY" and "SLEEP" "EAT" "WATCH TV" etc a superb movie a true gem that should be in every library totally origional story and concept. this movie may seem a little dated but the theme music sets the sinister mood and the feeling of "this isnt good, something bad is going to happen" that creeps down your spine. well this movie is really that good and worth owning without doubt.
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Dark Breed
Starring: Jack Scalia , Robin Curtis , Lance LeGault , Felton Perry , and Angelo Di Mascio Jr.
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ASIN: B00009V7SJ
Release Date: 2003-06-24 |
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Wishmaster/Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies/Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell
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ASIN: B00005YUNE
Release Date: 2002-04-23 |
Description
Wishmaster: Magically powerful. Supernaturally evil. The ancient entity known in human legend as Djinn can grant a person's wildest dreams. And in the process, it unleashes your darkest nightmares. The moral of this explosively terrifying, special-effects-powered, horror-fantasy spectacular: Be careful what you wish for! Wishmaster 2: When the legendary monster, the Djinn, is re-released, he begins he reign of terror, plunging the earth into horror and chaos. As the Djinn reaches his goal of a thousand captured souls, it is up to Morgana to stand between the world as we know it and a terrifying future beyond our darkest fears. Wishmaster 3: Horror goes to extremes with Wishmaster 3: Beyond the Gates of Hell, the goriest installment of the hit franchise yet. When Diana, a beautiful coed, discovers an ancient gem inside a mystical Persian case, she unwittingly releases the mercilessly evil "Djinn." The gut-slinging demon uses fiendish trickery to take the form of a professor in order to slice, dice and burn his way through the university staff and its students. If he can overpower Diana, his "waker," and grant her three sick and twisted wishes, the very gates of Hell will open up and engulf the world in eternal damnation. With help from the man she loves, she must impale the bloodthirsty demon with a sword from Heaven to save herself and the entire world.
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- Murder, elections and secrets...all the things that make the new French grande bourgeoisie so interesting
- "Everything's a secret here"
- Chabrol watching the flowers grow
- "I love it when you have qualms."
- Actually the flower is not so evil
|
Flower of Evil
Starring: William Lucas , Betty McDowall , Anthony Newlands , Aubrey Morris , and Meredith Edwards
Director: Robin Nash
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ASIN: B00049QR1S
Release Date: 2004-10-19 |
Customer Reviews:
Murder, elections and secrets...all the things that make the new French grande bourgeoisie so interesting.......2007-06-15
We are the eyes of the camera, moving from the dark shadows of trees, across a gravel driveway, through the entrance of a large house, past an open door where a maid is setting out dishes on a table, up the stairs and past a room where a young woman is sitting on the floor, clasping her knees, down the hallway and into a bedroom, then past the corpse on the floor to focus on his hand grasping the coverlet. All the while we hear a cheap, romantic song coming from a radio somewhere in the house...
A memory
comes to you in your dreams
but it is not what it seems
and haunts you for eternity.
A memory
makes you believe he has never gone
that there's no need to grieve
and that the past lives on.
The Flower of Evil (La Fleur du Mal) is an almost elegiac Claude Chabrol movie that starts with a dead man and finishes with our understanding of how he came to be dead. In 101 minutes between these two points we find ourselves in the lives of a family whose secrets seem to repeat themselves. This isn't so much a mystery as a parable of inevitability. It also is a movie of deliberate story-telling. It takes its time as we observe the Charpin-Vasseur family. What a family it is. Chabrol once again opens the window to let the stale air of the French grande bourgeoisie out of the room. You may need a family chart to keep things straight at first, and one is provided as an extra on the DVD as well as in an insert.
Anne Charpin-Vasseur (Nathalie Baye) is running for the office of mayor. She is married to Gerard Vasseur (Bernard Le Coq). They married after their spouses, who had been having an affair with each other, were killed in a crash. Anne has a daughter from that first marriage, Michele Charpin-Vasseur (Melanie Doutey). Gerard has a son from his first marriage, Francois Vasseur (Benoit Magimel). Francois has been in America for three years and has just returned. The family lives in a fine country home with Aunt Line (Suzanne Flon). Anne is in for a nasty surprise when an anonymous letter accuses her publicly of being from a family whose members were Nazi collaborators, informers, unethical about they ways they made their money, and a family with a taste for brother-sister incest. Of course, it's all true. Francois and Michele, within a day of his return, not exactly a brother and sister but at least as close as cousins, have become lovers, aided by Aunt Line. She, in fact, in her youth was suspected of having killed her father, the collaborator, who sent his son, Line's brother, to his death when the young man joined the Resistance. You can see how a family chart can come in handy.
For the length of this movie we observe the family...the drive of Anne to be elected mayor, the womanizing of her husband who is always charming, the disdain of Francois for his father, the times Aunt Line can drift into a momentary reverie when we share with her the voices from her past. And that's largely what happens, slowly and deliberately, bit by bit, as we patch pieces together until, an hour and twenty minutes into the film, we encounter a woman hitting a man with a lamp, two women dragging him up the stairs and into a bedroom, and one of the women taking his hand to twist the fingers into the coverlet. "I feel as if I am doing things backward," says one of the women. We realize that, with her life, she is. When she tries to comfort the other, she can only hold the other woman's face in her hands and say, "Oh, my dear, time doesn't matter. You'll see. Life is one perpetual present."
I found the movie to be a fine example of Chabrol's craftsmanship and storytelling. As often with Chabrol, it's the women who dominate the story. Nathalie Baye and, particularly, Suzanne Flon, provide the energy and the calm that make the movie work. Flon, 85 when she made the movie, gives us an almost fragile Aunt Michelina, a woman who has seen and done many things in her life, and who has in the present so many echoes of her past. If Baye tends to dominate the first half of the movie, Flon serves up the second half on a platter for us.
This is the kind of movie that some will say, "Nothing happens." They'd be wrong.
The DVD transfer is adequate; the picture is softer than it should be. There are no significant extras. Do yourself a favor, however, and study the family chart of the Charpin and Vasseur families. It will simplify considerably the first 20 minutes or so of the movie.
"Everything's a secret here".......2006-12-14
"The flower of evil" (= "La fleur du mal"), directed by Claude Chabrol, is centered on an upper middle-class family, the Charpin-Vasseurs. This family seems perfect but has dark and deep secrets, as seen from the very first scenes of this movie. What is wrong with the members of this family? Chabrol's mission is to make us care about the answer to this question...
The story begins with a crime, and continues many years later, when Francois Vasseur (Benoît Magimel), returns home after spending four years in the United States. Gérard (Bernard Le Coq), his father, is happy to see Francois again, but disturbed by the fact that his wife Anne Charpin-Vasseur (Nathalie Baye) is involved in politics and running for mayor. Francois doesn't have a very good relationship with Gérard, but is pleased to see his stepmother Anne, his aunt Line (Suzanne Flon) and specially his stepsister and first cousin Michèle (Melanie Doutey).
Truth to be told, Francois left France because he had strong feelings towards Michèle, feelings she reciprocated. Is he now ready to act on those feelings? And what impact will that relationship have on the dynamics of his family, already disturbed by Anne's incursion into politics and old scandals that surface again? "The flower of evil" answers these questions, and tackles subjects such as the cyclical nature of life, the importance of secrecy in some lives, guilt and the need to keep up appearances ("il faut faire belle figure").
All in all, I think that this film will interest those who are fond of whodunnits, but that can also appreciate complex psychological studies that make a movie more interesting. Of course, recommended.
Belen Alcat
Chabrol watching the flowers grow.......2006-12-04
La Fleur du Mal aka The Flower of Evil isn't quite Chabrol on auto-pilot, but he's clearly more interested in the usual bourgeois side issues than the identity of the author of an anonymous leaflet that threatens Natalie Baye's campaign to become mayor of a small town by raking over the coals of the family's history of murder and Nazi collaboration. History is obviously going to repeat itself, but there's no sense of impending dread, merely a feeling that Chabrol has left himself too little time to remember the plot and wrap it up. Thus we get a somewhat hurried finale that feels practically like an afterthought - you can almost imagine him looking at his watch and thinking "Is that the time? I'd better kill someone so we can all go home." It's at its best dealing with local politics and petty ambitions on the campaign trail, and Baye and Suzanne Flon have the best of the film, but Chabrol's reunion with La Ceremonie scripter Caroline Eliacheff seems far more a time-filler than an essential.
"I love it when you have qualms.".......2006-09-16
Claude Chabrol fans won't be able to resist taking a look at "Flower of Evil"--a film with a great beginning, loaded with atmosphere, but with an ultimately disappointing ending. The story revolves around a wealthy family whose multi-generational habit of inter-marrying has created a great deal of scandal and rumour in a small French town. When the story begins, Francois (Benoit Magimel) returns from America to the family mansion. Three generations of the Vasseur and Charpin families live there--including Aunt Line (Suzanne Flon)--a woman who holds a number of family secrets. Immediately upon his return, Francois picks up a long-term relationship with his stepsister who is also his cousin--Michele Charpin-Vasseur (Melanie Doutey).
Francois' stepmother Anne Charpin-Vasseur (Nathalie Baye) is running for a political position in town, and she's very busy with the upcoming election. Her husband (Francois' father) Gerard Vasseur (Bernard le Coq) clearly resents Anne's involvement in politics. Gerard owns a laboratory in town, and here he distracts himself--not exactly subtly--with various young women. Trouble begins when an anonymous letter circulates in town detailing the scandals and unsolved crimes in Anne Charpin-Vasseur's family history. The letter is distributed to all the voters in town and is obviously timed to ruin Anne's chances at the polls.
"Flower of Evil" sets the stage for a great drama to unfold. The members of the household share a lot of secrets--Anne and Gerard, and for example, married after their spouses were killed. It's rumoured that their long-dead spouses were having a wild affair, and it's particularly nasty since there's a hint that they were murdered. To complicate matters, Gerard's brother was married to Anne. The sinister aspect of the film and its unsolved questions are emphasized, and the element of incest raises the notion of rot in the family tree.
Some of the best scenes in the film take place as Anne tries to campaign in a lower-class block of flats, and the film is its strongest in these sections. Unfortunately, the denouement is too rapid, and too unsatisfying. Chabrol leaves the viewer with the sense that this was a great half a film (and this happened in an earlier Chabrol film--"Merci Pour la Chocolat"). The film's strong beginning promised so much more, and the ending left a great deal unexplored. In French with English subtitles--displacedhuman
Actually the flower is not so evil.......2006-01-30
This is a pleasant film by Claude Chabrol, nothing like the forbidding title "La Fleur du Mal" would suggest. I say pleasant in that there is nothing gross or ugly about it or really shocking, and it ends in a way that most viewers would find agreeable. There is some dark suggestion of family evil and a kind of playful non-incest and some skeletons in the closet from the Nazi occupation and one dead man at the end, but otherwise this is almost a comedy.
It is not, however, in my opinion his best work, but is very representative. My favorite Chabrol film is Une affaire de femmes (1988) starring Isabelle Huppert and Francois Cluzet. I also liked La Cérémonie (1995) featuring Sandrine Bonnaire, Isabelle Huppert and Jacqueline Bisset. Both of these are much darker works than The Flower of Evil.
As in many Chabrol films this starts slowly but manages to be interesting thanks to some veracious color and characterization blended with a hint of the tension to come. And then, also characteristic of Chabrol, there is a interesting finish.
Nathalie Baye plays Anne Charpin-Vasseur, who in her fifties decides to run for mayor. Her philandering husband Gérard (Bernard Le Coq) is not pleased. Benoit Magimel plays the prodigal son Francois Vasseur, just home after four years in the US, while Melanie Doutey plays his non-biological sister Michele. Francois apparently ran away to the States to cool his growing attraction to Michele (to her disappointment). Now on his return their love blooms.
This is very much approved of by Aunt Line (played wonderfully well with spry energy by Suzanne Flon who was 85 years old when the film was made). Their affair reminds her of her youth, a mixed blessing since she lived through some horrors.
The main plot concerns the opposition that Anne is getting as she runs for mayor. A leaflet accusing the family of collaboration with the Nazis during WWII is distributed that threatens to derail her campaign.
See this for one of France's great ladies of both film and the theater, Suzanne Flon, who died last year after a career than spanned five decades.
Average customer rating:
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La Fleur du Mal (Original french Version with English Subtitle)
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ASIN: B000936OU8 |
Product Description
Anne runs for re-election to the town council, shepherded by Matthieu, her fellow candidate and campaign manager. Her husband, Gérard, a businessman and philanderer, hates the campaign and feels vindication when a nasty leaflet circulates about their family history. His son, François, just back from the U.S., is in love with his step-sister Michèle, and she with him, although something is amiss besides their being cousins. Watching it all is their elderly Aunt Line, who has her own haunting memories. A death in World War II and a death on election night collapse time in the perpetual present and bring unexpected expiation. There's a lot to celebrate.
Customer Reviews:
The Black Dahlias.......2005-10-16
Claude Chabrol's "La Fleur du Mal" is as tightly structured as a Moliere comedy or a Shakespeare drama: nothing is left to chance, everything is accounted for, from the lampshade in a home office to the neatly stacked and folded shirts packed in a suitcase. Chabrol is also fastidious about his mise en scene: from the décor and the photography to the clothing and jewelry.
Chabrol has focused his microscope on a family, riddled with the sins of their ancestors that once again come to the forefront in the form of a hate letter aimed at the mother, Anne (Nathalie Baye) during her bid for mayor in a small French provincial town. It's the middle class, the Bourgeoisie that Chabrol views with contempt here: their insistence on sweeping things under the carpet, their not talking about things better discussed and their fascination with those with more money and a better lineage.
Despite the fact that most of these people are pretty despicable, guilty of the worst kind of betrayal, "La Fleur du Mal" is nonetheless fascinating to watch as Chabrol pieces his story together, layering scene upon scene, dissecting and surgically removing all the false faces and peeling away the fake smiles.
Benoit Magimel (The object of Isabelle Huppert's affection in "The Piano Teacher") as Francois and Melanie Doutey as Michele add sexual heat to the surroundings and also a clear dislike for what is going on. But I think Suzanne Flon as the eldest member of the family is the one who really holds the film together: her portrayal of Tante Line has seen it all, literally and has used her experience wisely by turning it into wisdom not archness or conceit.
"La Fleur du Mal" is Chabrol at his best, at his smartest, at his shrewdest and as such begs viewing by anyone interested in Contemporary film.
Average customer rating:
- Beyond boring - way, way beyond boring
- Bored
|
Beyond Evil [Region 2]
Starring: John Saxon , Lynda Day George , Michael Dante , Mario Milano , and Janice Lynde
Director: Herb Freed
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ASIN: B000260PNE |
Customer Reviews:
Beyond boring - way, way beyond boring.......2003-12-26
The only thing scary about Beyond Evil is the fact that one professional reviewer called it "shamelessly bloodthirsty" at the time of its release. The film was reportedly a big hit at drive-ins in 1980; this does a lot to explain why the drive-in movie business crashed and burned in the early 1980s, I think. The plot summary sounds unoriginal but promising: newlyweds move into a haunted house and have to fight to stay alive. Writer and director Herb Freed throws in a dash of witchcraft on the side, but this cinematic concoction turns out as thin and bland as tap water. Awful special effects don't help, nor does the ridiculous darkness of the print. Freed apparently believed that the secret of making a good horror/suspense movie was to keep the audience in the dark at all times - literally; if the audience can't actually see anything that is going on, perhaps this will frighten them. Let me tell you - staring at a black screen for about two-thirds of a movie is nothing but annoying. Every so often, you can almost make something out, but on these occasions the director seems to be switching between blue and green filters. There is some actual light during a few daytime scenes, but even the sunshine has a dark quality to it here.
Beyond Evil is set on some island somewhere, apparently in the South Pacific. Larry (John Saxon) and his new wife Barbara (Lynda Day George) have just arrived for an extended stay. Larry has come to oversee a big building project, working for this guy Del that Barbara apparently used to date. There is some kind of subplot about under-the-table deals among a couple of businessmen at play here, but just forget about that - the writer certainly did. Anyway, good old Del gets Larry and Barbara set up in a wonderful old house; no one has lived in the house for a century because it is said to be haunted, but of course John Saxon has fought Bruce Lee and thus finds nothing to fear in the ghost department. It goes without saying that the house is, indeed, haunted. Barbara is annoying enough as it is, but when the ghost starts trying to get into her head she becomes painfully unbearable.
I might have given this movie two stars, but the special effects made sure that didn't happen. Let's just say that Beyond Evil boasts some of the cheesiest, most pathetic special effects I've ever seen. If you like watching a black screen, jump at the chance to see awful special effects, and have a neurotic craving for weak plots involving completely unlikable characters, Beyond Evil is calling your name. If not, you'll find this movie utterly annoying and tiresome.
Bored.......2003-03-14
While your watching the movie,just keep repeating to yourself: I will be bored, I will be bored.
Average customer rating:
- 976-Evil? What will happen next? 1-800-Horror?
- Where is the DVD?
- 976-Evil 2: The Astral Factor
- It can't help being entertaining. Check the cast and crew
- AWFUL,IN A GOOD WAY
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976-EVIL 2: The Astral Factor [Region 2]
Starring: Debbie James , René Assa , Patrick O'Bryan , Philip McKeon , and Leslie Ryan
Director: Jim Wynorski
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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Coufos, Paul
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James, Debbie
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McCary, Rod
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McKeon, Philip
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O'Bryan, Patrick
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Wynorski, Jim
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Similar Items:
- 976-Evil
- Silent Night Deadly Night 5
- Ghoulies 4
- The Amityville Curse [Region 2]
- Witchboard 2
ASIN: B00004L8KO |
Customer Reviews:
976-Evil? What will happen next? 1-800-Horror? .......2005-10-28
This is a cheap rip off of A Nightmare On Elm Street, when a man goes to sleep, his soul/spirit comes out of him and he kills teenagers. Not a good movie, it's kind of stupid with a dumb ending.
Where is the DVD?.......2005-10-01
ALL I'm going to say about part II is I think it has better plot then the first one and I'd like to see it released on DVD!!!
976-Evil 2: The Astral Factor.......2002-09-27
The majority of the plot deals with pretty coed Robin (Debbie James), who learns that her dean, Prof. Grubeck (Rene Assa), is a sorority girl murderer who has made a deal with the devil. In exchange for his soul, Grubeck can project his rotting ghost to kill. Leather bound bad boy, Spike (Patrick O'Bryan), joins forces with Robin who has developed a psychic link with the maniac.
Not a really horrible flick, but not really that good either. The make up effects are crude, the acting is a bit rough, and the ending is a disappointing attempt at a twist. Some of the scenes are real gems though, including one in which one of Robin's friends (Leslie Ryan) is watching It's a Wonderful Life on TV. Grubeck pops up on a commercial, sucks her into the movie, and combines it with Night of the Living Dead.
It can't help being entertaining. Check the cast and crew.......1999-12-19
Sorority girl murderer ...makes a deal with the devil thatallows him to escape his physical form during lights out and killothers. A friend with a psychic link is terrorized by the maniac and teams up with a leather bound bad boy to stop him. Pretty good most of the time but the make up effects are something crude and the ending is disappointing. Who would of thought? Look for the average appearences from cast members of Sorority House Massacre sequels and backgrounds for in-jokes. END
AWFUL,IN A GOOD WAY.......1999-04-10
First thing first,this movie has horrible acting and the story is kinda of silly.But it is so creative and the special affects are halfway decent.But the first one was better.There is no Sandy Dennis or Stephen Gefforeys in this movie but it still lacks a awful but good movie.
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