| DELICATESSEN |
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| Year: 1991 Starring: Dominique Pinon, Marie-Laure Dougnac, Jean-Claude Dreyfus Region: 2 Price: �14.99 - �19.99 Certificate: 15 Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet Running Time: 96 minutes Chapters: 15 |
| This lovely (if aging) French dark comedy comes to DVD at last. I first saw this in a French class on a video with no subtitles, and with limited French skills, did not get the full gist of the story. Now with the release of this digital version, those lacking in Francais can finally understand what the hell it's all about. In the future (following some unnamed holocaust) food is in short supply and the only viable alternative is human flesh. The local butcher, who is also the landlord of a block of flats, keeps his tenants in meat by murdering those who attempt to escape from his clutches - as detailed in the prologue. When an ex-circus performer comes to stay at the flats, everyone is curious, especially the landlord's timid daughter, who takes a shine to him. The butcher, not liking anyone preying on his precious daughter, does not take kindly to this, and wants the "clown" dead. With numerous sub-plots involved (a suicidal woman who just can't do it right, an old man who lives in a damp flat with frogs and snails and a pair of men who work making musical boxes that make animal noises) this is a strange, humourous story. Then there are the Troglodites, a renegade band of vegetarian freedom fighters looking to kidnap the landlord's daughter. It all culminates in a great flooding scene, and a rooftop battle between the butcher and the clown. It really is great fiolm making - surreal, funny, horrific - give it a go. |
| EXTRA FEATURES The extras on this disc are linked by nice animated menus, although they are a little fiddly and quite hard to navigate sometimes. There is a good French language (with subtitles) commentary by the director, who gives you a lot of information on the filming and actors involved. Elsewhere, there is some audition tapes of the actors practising scenes and rehearsing together, and a short behind the scenes making of feature. Not the best package in the world, but good enough. |
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