Les Noces rouges (1973)
Directed by Claude Chabrol

Film Review

In this well-oiled, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, psychological thriller director Claude Chabrol embarks on another of his sly studies of the not so discrete charm of the bourgeoisie.  With a rare topicality, Chabrol shows how the relentless pursuit of personal freedom can rebound and result in an ever increasing sense of entrapment (perhaps a wry commentary on the hippie culture and consumerist/permissive trends of the day, phenomenona that offered merely the illusion of freedom).  The central characters Pierre and Lucienne find release from the shackles of their barren marriages by defying the standards of middle class respectability and acting out love making trysts in the manner of a tacky soft core porn movie.  When the obstacles to their perceived lack of freedom are removed one by one, they find it more difficult to get together and their stolen happiness becomes ever more elusive.  There is a vague resonance with classic film noir, a genre in which the pursuit of freedom inevitably ends in failure or disillusionment.

Whilst it may lack the dramatic intensity and stylistic brilliance of Chabrol's previous great thrillers of this period - Le Boucher (1969), La Femme infidèle (1969), Que la bête meure (1969), to name just three - Les Noces rouges is nonetheless just as effective as a satire of bourgeois double standards and an exploration of the darker side of the human psyche.  The film is more of a black comedy than a conventional thriller - the trio formed by Pierre, Lucienne and Paul makes a far more amusing variant on the eternal triangle than any other that Chabrol conceived.  This is mainly on account of Claude Piéplu's delightfully parodied portrayal of a pompous businessman with grand political ambitions.  But there are other comical elements which Chabrol uses to cleverly darken the mood.   Michel Piccoli and Stephane Audran's love scenes are hilarious and look as if they were written for a debauched sex comedy; equally, the scenes where they meet in public (as near strangers) to keep up appearances are irresistibly funny.

One intriguing aspect of the film is Hélène, Lucienne's daughter.  In three of Chabrol's previous films, the character of Hélène was played by Stephane Audran and was central to the story, to a greater or lesser extent a victim of the bourgeois milieu she inhabits.   In Les noces rouges, Hélène is a minor character who provides a crucial part in closing the narrative - a kind of self-appointed judge who acts with supreme innocence to restore order and harmony to a broken universe.  Here, Hélène comes across as the standard bearer for the bourgeoisie, smug and content in her comfy middle class bubble.  But she is also a kind of avenging angel, the guardian of drawing room respectability, motivated solely by the desire to bring a prim notion of happiness to those around her - just like the self-righteous little politician she will inevitably become.

When you watch a Claude Chabrol film, it is hard not to feel a twinge of pity for his bourgeois protagonists as they are led, like sacrificial lambs, to the altar of glib propriety and mercilessly slaughtered for satirical effect.  Do we agree with the opening quotation to this film, lifted from Aeschylus' The Eumenides: "Goddess, tell me if I am innocent or guilty. I will accept your verdict? This cause is difficult. What mortal would dare pass judgement?" Of course not, the irony is ladled so thickly that, however dispassionately Chabrol approaches his subject (and, to be fair, he does try to be even handed here), any fleeting impression of sympathy for the bourgeois hypocrites is soon washed away on a tide of gratification as they get their richly deserved comeuppance,  There is always something wonderfully cathartic about a Claude Chabrol film, n'est-ce pas?

Film Synopsis

Pierre Maury and Lucienne Delamare are enjoying a wildly passionate extra-marital affair.  The intensity of their clandestine meetings makes them aware of the emptiness of their lives.  Both are trapped in loveless marriages with partners they despise.  Pierre's wife Clotilde is perpetually ill and abhors physical contact.  Lucienne's husband, Paul, is a self-important businessman who is also deputy mayor of the local community.  By killing his wife, Pierre believes he will be free to spend more time with Lucienne.  However, to avoid arousing suspicion, Pierre and Lucienne can only meet at night.  All is well until Paul discovers his wife's infidelity.  He intends to blackmail Pierre, whom he has roped in as his mayoral assistant, to lend his support to a dubious land development scheme.  Disgusted, Pierre and Lucienne decide they must dispose of Paul…