Cop Au Vin (1985)
December 21, 2024 9:04 PM - Subscribe
[TRAILER] In a small French town, a bitter, demanding disabled mother (Stéphane Audran) and her dutiful, oppressed son (Lucas Belvaux) are pressured to sell their land for a shady development deal, and decide to fight back. When one of the scheme's sponsors ends up dead in a most unusual way, the skilled and determined Inspector Lavardin (Jean Poiret) arrives to uncover and clean up the mystery.
French title: Poulet au vinaigre ("Chicken with Vinegar.") As poulet is also slang for "cop," it's a pun, as it refers to both a provincial dish but maybe also a "bitter cop."
Also starring Michel Bouquet, Jean Topart, Caroline Cellier, Andrée Tainsy, Jean-Claude Bouillaud, Jacques Frantz, Josephine Chaplin, Albert Dray, Henri Attal, Marcel Guy, Dominique Zardi.
Directed by Claude Chabrol. Written by Claude Chabrol, Dominique Roulet, based on Toilet's novel Un mort en trop (One Death Too Many.) Produced by Marin Karmitz. Cinematography by Jean Rabier. Edited by Monique Fardoulis. Edited by Monique Fardoulis. Music by Matthieu Chabrol.
3.3 average rating on Letterboxd.
Currently streaming on Arrow Player. Also available for digital rental or purchase. JustWatch listing.
French title: Poulet au vinaigre ("Chicken with Vinegar.") As poulet is also slang for "cop," it's a pun, as it refers to both a provincial dish but maybe also a "bitter cop."
Also starring Michel Bouquet, Jean Topart, Caroline Cellier, Andrée Tainsy, Jean-Claude Bouillaud, Jacques Frantz, Josephine Chaplin, Albert Dray, Henri Attal, Marcel Guy, Dominique Zardi.
Directed by Claude Chabrol. Written by Claude Chabrol, Dominique Roulet, based on Toilet's novel Un mort en trop (One Death Too Many.) Produced by Marin Karmitz. Cinematography by Jean Rabier. Edited by Monique Fardoulis. Edited by Monique Fardoulis. Music by Matthieu Chabrol.
3.3 average rating on Letterboxd.
Currently streaming on Arrow Player. Also available for digital rental or purchase. JustWatch listing.
I'm a Chabrol fan, so I'm a bit biased, but I like his Lavardin films (even the TV movies). Of the 2 theatricals, this one is a bit better than the follow up. It has a deliberate pace which I can see how some people might find this boring. Lavardin is also not Columbo.
posted by Ashwagandha at 7:45 AM on December 22, 2024
posted by Ashwagandha at 7:45 AM on December 22, 2024
I mean, he's not a great cop. He just gets frustrated and roughs people up, which they don't see coming because he seems like a mild older man.
I liked the scenes with Louis and Madame Cuno, which had a weird energy.
The overall pacing and style were great, I agree.
I also think Chabrol is visually interesting because he doesn't reach for flashy angles/setups, but the lighting is so good, it's often painterly.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:38 AM on December 22, 2024
I liked the scenes with Louis and Madame Cuno, which had a weird energy.
The overall pacing and style were great, I agree.
I also think Chabrol is visually interesting because he doesn't reach for flashy angles/setups, but the lighting is so good, it's often painterly.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:38 AM on December 22, 2024
Also, Pauline Lafont, y'all. She's just too adorable. Sort of a Manic Pixie Dream Girl here, but maybe just a single-mindedly lovestruck/horny person.
Either way, she's adorable.
Sad story: she was well-liked in a number of movies and her career was going well. Then she went hiking, fell ten meters, died instantly. She was considered missing and it was kind of a mystery what happened to her until her body was finally found.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:41 AM on December 22, 2024
Either way, she's adorable.
Sad story: she was well-liked in a number of movies and her career was going well. Then she went hiking, fell ten meters, died instantly. She was considered missing and it was kind of a mystery what happened to her until her body was finally found.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:41 AM on December 22, 2024
Pauline Lafont's mum, Bernadette LaFont was one of the original French New Wave It girls. If you liked Pauline, see Bernadette's early New Wave work - she's the OG Gallic Manic Pixie Dream Girl.
posted by Ashwagandha at 11:18 AM on December 23, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by Ashwagandha at 11:18 AM on December 23, 2024 [1 favorite]
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"Another of Chabrol's policier mysteries, taking place in a nice provincial town in the mid-80’s. Business conspiracy, disappearing mistresses, spying on the neighbors, Stéphane Audran as a controlling Norman Bates mother, murders and a maverick police inspector who has no problems waterboarding suspects to coerce confessions from them. 7/10."
posted by growabrain at 1:45 AM on December 22, 2024