Péril en la demeure
1985 Thriller Drama
Credits
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Summary
A young teacher, David Aurphet, agrees to give guitar lessons to Vivianne, the daughter
of a wealthy bourgeois couple. Straight away, David finds himself the object of
unbridled desire for Vivianne’s mother, Julia. But a few weeks into their passionate
love affair, David’s life begins to take a dark and potentially deadly turn. One
evening, he is assaulted by a stranger, but is saved thanks to the intervention of another
stranger, Daniel, who reveals that he is a hired assassin. Daniel’s target turns
out to be Julia’s husband, who may possibly have uncovered his wife’s infidelity and may
be planning to kill David. Meanwhile, David receives a video recording of his hot
romantic liaisons with Julia and suspects that Julia’s mysterious neighbour, Edwige, may
be implicated. If nothing else, one thing is clear. Someone is about to be
killed…
Review
Michel Deville won the best director César in 1985 for this slick erotic thriller,
an unusual departure for a filmmaker who has made a point of avoiding genre cinema for
most of his career. Without compromising his very individual artistic style, Deville
manages to compose one of the most memorable thrillers of the 1980s, rated by some as
one of his most inspired and accessible films. The director’s quirky humour and
eccentric ideas for linking scenes add some disturbing undercurrents to a bizarre but
thoroughly compelling story, which is based on a highly acclaimed French detective novel.
Christophe Malavoy heads a distinguished cast, playing a naïve teacher caught up in an increasingly bewildering web of intrigue and romantic entanglement. Malavoy is a perfect casting choice – he plays innocence and vulnerability supremely well, and his beautiful physique serves the film well in the raunchy (but tasteful) lovemaking scenes. There are fine contributions also from Nicole Garcia (as hot as a barbecue sausage in some scenes, and just as tasty) and a spectacularly sinister trio comprising Richard Bohringer, Anémone and Michel Piccoli (each of whom seems to be auditioning for the last place in a lunatic asylum). Seductively tense from start to finish, and ever so slightly bonkers, Péril en la demeure is a satisfying treat for any fan of the sophisticated French thriller. © James Travers 2006 Write a review for this film... User Comments
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