"Le Boucher" is one of Claude Chabrol's most heavily (over)praised films, but I suspect that this has more to do with the fact that it was made during the most celebrated period of his career (1968-1973), rather than with the strengths of the film itself. Trouble starts early on, with an opening after-the-wedding-celebration sequence that goes on for SO long, it almost seems as if Chabrol is challenging the viewer not to give up right there. But as the film goes on, you realize that Chabrol has so little story (which he wrote) to tell, that he stretches nearly EVERY scene too long: a funeral, kids entering the classroom, the heroine walking from place A to place B, etc. There is absolutely no mystery - the second you learn about the first murder, you immediately know who is responsible. And although there are essentially only 2 characters in the film, they are not really very well-developed: the killer is given no motivation beyond his 15-year war experiences that apparently desensitized him to blood and killing, and the heroine's behavior makes little to no sense - Charbrol's characters often cover up crimes of their loved ones, but the schoolteacher in this film (who is wonderful with the kids, by the way) shows no more than a passing interest in the butcher, and certainly no indication that she cares about him so much that she would abandon her human values and let brutal crime go unpunished. Even with an unflattering hairstyle, Stephane Audran is fascinating to watch - Jean Yanne less so; Michel Bouquet is a better leading man in "La Femme Infidele". In fact, "La Femme Infidele", which I saw just a few days ago, is a far superior Chabrol film on all levels; watch that one twice before you start with "Le Boucher". ** out of 4.
Review of The Butcher
