An unlikely friendship between a dour, working class butcher (Jean Yanne) and a repressed schoolteacher (Stéphane Audran) coincides with a grisly series of Ripper-type murders in a provincial French town.
Jean Yanne had been around for awhile, appearing in "Week End", directed by Jean-Luc Godard, among others. Stéphane Audran may be more notable; her first major role was in Chabrol's film "Les Cousins" (1959) and she has since appeared in most of Chabrol's films. After "Le Boucher", she went on to appear in international successes like "Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie" (1972) and "Babette's Feast" (1987).
The title is clever in that it references both a butcher (meaning the occupation) and a butcher (meaning a killer). And, possibly, the two are the same person. But that is the extent of the thrill -- is it or is it not the same person? This is not your American thriller. The scares and violence are quite toned down... it is more about the dread of worrying who your friends are.
Jean Yanne had been around for awhile, appearing in "Week End", directed by Jean-Luc Godard, among others. Stéphane Audran may be more notable; her first major role was in Chabrol's film "Les Cousins" (1959) and she has since appeared in most of Chabrol's films. After "Le Boucher", she went on to appear in international successes like "Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie" (1972) and "Babette's Feast" (1987).
The title is clever in that it references both a butcher (meaning the occupation) and a butcher (meaning a killer). And, possibly, the two are the same person. But that is the extent of the thrill -- is it or is it not the same person? This is not your American thriller. The scares and violence are quite toned down... it is more about the dread of worrying who your friends are.