In 18th-century France, the Chevalier de Fronsac and his Native American friend Mani are sent to the Gevaudan province at the king's behest to investigate the killings of hundreds by a myste... Read allIn 18th-century France, the Chevalier de Fronsac and his Native American friend Mani are sent to the Gevaudan province at the king's behest to investigate the killings of hundreds by a mysterious beast.In 18th-century France, the Chevalier de Fronsac and his Native American friend Mani are sent to the Gevaudan province at the king's behest to investigate the killings of hundreds by a mysterious beast.
- Awards
- 4 wins & 22 nominations
Jérémie Renier
- Thomas d'Apcher
- (as Jérémie Rénier)
Eric Prat
- Capitaine Duhamel
- (as Éric Prat)
Edith Scob
- Mme de Morangias
- (as Édith Scob)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaTo prepare for his role, Mark Dacascos learned how to ride a horse, studied Mohawk Indian culture, and became fluent in French.
- GoofsMani would not have been called a "Mohawk," even by the Chevalier De Fronsac, as this tribe had not yet been granted this official unique name. In French, he would have been called an "Agnier," "Iroquois" or simply "Indien."
- Alternate versionsThe DVD version of the film contains five deleted scenes, commented on by director Christophe Gans, that were cut from the movie for reasons of pacing or character continuity:
- An extended version of the fight sequence the opens the film between Mani (Mark Dacascos) and the highwaymen. In the extended version, Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) ends up assisting Mani in defeating them. In the film version, Mani fights alone.
- A raven assists Mani in finding the body of a shepherdess, the beast's most recent victim. In the film, the body is found much later on than when this scene would have led the audience to believe.
- Sardis (Jean-François Stévenin) warns Fronsac about continuing his affair with Marianne (Émilie Dequenne), saying that he doubts Fronsac has the moral character required to be with such a woman.
- A tender scene between Fronsac and Marianne on a frozen pond covered in fog.
- A scene set in La Teissier's where Sylvia (Monica Bellucci) reveals to Fronsac that the rooms in the bordello are equipped with two-way mirrors. She shows him a room where a friend of the Morangais family is involved in a bizarre sadomasochistic encounter.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Le pacte des loups - Les coulisses du tournage (2001)
Featured review
A Rainy Day Extravaganzza
When it is cold and wet and foreboding outside, leaving one to fend for a good escape into fantasy and a time gone by, then this movie DELIVERS. Say whatever you want about miniscule "holes" in the story, or the tedium applied to the cinematography or the excessive use of slow camera effects in the fight sequences, THIS IS ENTERTAINMENT.
This movie carries the viewer into a whole new world- not like the one inhabited by Hobbits and Elves, and other creatures that obviously DO NOT exist- but rather a world of old France where the people are stranger than fiction and the times are changing. Fables meet their demise AND their verification in this film.
It's not a movie I would call a "favorite", but it IS a movie that I consider a "guilty pleasure" on a day that affords me three hours to slip out of my existence and follow a satisfying and well-presented fantasy. Every millimeter of every frame is a work of art, and that alone is worth getting lost in.
This movie carries the viewer into a whole new world- not like the one inhabited by Hobbits and Elves, and other creatures that obviously DO NOT exist- but rather a world of old France where the people are stranger than fiction and the times are changing. Fables meet their demise AND their verification in this film.
It's not a movie I would call a "favorite", but it IS a movie that I consider a "guilty pleasure" on a day that affords me three hours to slip out of my existence and follow a satisfying and well-presented fantasy. Every millimeter of every frame is a work of art, and that alone is worth getting lost in.
helpful•8440
- vfuess
- Aug 4, 2004
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $29,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $11,274,610
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $475,181
- Jan 13, 2002
- Gross worldwide
- $70,767,418
- Runtime2 hours 22 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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