La Rupture
by Claude Chabrol
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Annie Cordy, Jean-Claude Drouot, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Michel Bouquet, St?phane AudranDirector: Claude Chabrol
Brand: PATHFINDER HOME ENTERTAINMENT
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: French (Original Language); English (Subtitled)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled
Running Time: 120 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-05-20
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Pathfinder Home Ent.
Movie Reviews of La Rupture
Movie Review: A thriller that actually thrills...
Summary: 4 Stars
putting contemporary (and inexplicably acclaimed) garbage like 'Disturbia' and 'Hard Candy' to sad and sorry shame. The generous pacing and character development (broad by Chabrol standards, but largely satisfying) harks back to an earlier era - but the film is all the more delightful for it, and some of the surprises that it has in store are as far from old-fashioned as you can get. This is, as another reviewer pointed out, far less subtle than many Chabrol films, but the film doesn't suffer for it - far from it! 'La Rupture' has a wild streak that periodically shatters its mannered surface and keeps us deliciously off-balance right from its opening moments.
It does go over the top from time to time, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Those moments when the film becomes strange only add to the richness of what might have been a standard-issue thriller, but emerges as something considerably more. While I love some of Chabrol's more measured works, this one can as easily hold a special place in my heart, not in spite of, but because of it's more audacious moments - which is not to say that those moments dominate everything. They are well balanced by, and stand in prickly contrast to Chabrol's more delicate and reserved qualities - also strongly displayed here. This is not a perfect film, but it's a rather extraordinary one, and so much better than what we're used to that it deserves a strong recommendation.
Had Koch Lorber bothered to restore this film I would have given it another star - but, as anyone familiar with their (often substandard) releases knows, things could be far, far worse. The widescreen print is just passable (for the most part), and they did manage to pony up a few extras, making this an acceptable (at least for now), if not anywhere near ideal viewing experience.
The less you know about this movie before seeing it, the better. The surprises start coming before even the opening credits, and half the pleasure is in seeing a story play out that isn't quite the usual thing.
St?phane Audran isn't the usual thing, either. While she is certainly wonderful to look upon, one thing that especially struck me on the second viewing is that her simple but intelligent (and intelligently written) character, while distressingly vulnerable, is never once called upon to do anything stupid or weak in order to keep the thriller mechanics churning. Cassel is a consummate slime-ball here, and it's bitterly fun to watch him go to work. And Chabrol fills the margins with characters who, while broadly drawn, are nonetheless consistently interesting.
Some find the ending weak. There was only one plot point that was somewhat strained to me, but otherwise I found the denouement to be perfect. I like those abrupt, economical Chabrol endings that tell us exactly what is going to happen without burdening us (or himself) with a conventional show of it, leaving him free to show us something else. This one has a wonderfully surreal quality.
If you haven't seen this, you shouldn't waste any time. It is a refreshing change of pace from over-hyped, recycled junk, usually thrown together by committee.
Summary of La Rupture
Helene is a good mother with a checkered past as a stripper and barmaid. She divorces her ne'er-do-well husband and her in-laws blame her for causing her husband's addiction and set out to remove their grandchild from Helene's custody. Thwarted by the courts, they hire a seedy penniless operative, Paul, to destroy her reputation. He moves into her rooming house and begins to insinuate himself into her life, hatching darker and more convoluted plots to implicate Helene. A harrowing thriller from France's master of suspense, LA RUPTURE ranks among Chabrol's finest works.Art House & International DVD Video
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