DELICATESSEN (1991) A Film Review by Ted Prigge Copyright 1997 Ted Prigge
Directors: Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro Writers: Giles Adrien, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and Marc Caro Starring: Dominique Pinon, Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Marie-Laure Dougnac, Chick Ortega, Jean-Francois Perrier, Silvie Laguna, Edith Ker, Karin Viard, Anne-Marie Pisani, Ticky Holgado, Pascal Benezech, Marc Caro, Rufus
With "Alien: Resurrection" out just now and all, I thought I'd FINALLY see "Delicatessen," an earlier flim by its director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who had co-directed it with Marc Caro, but had not done the same with the new "Alien" film (bringing about some tension over whether or not he was the one with talent - by the way, it was good). "Delicatessen" is an amazing film, filled with amazing style, a wonderful off-beat tone, and some bits of satire which work with the film instead of being apart from it.
"Delicatessen" takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where there's apparently a shortage of meat. We meet a ex-clown turned wanderer named Louison (Dominique Pinon, who was Vriess in the new "Alien" film), who finds a room at an apartment building with a butcher shop in it, run by, well, the butcher: Clapet (Jean-Claude Dreyfus). He gives him a job as his assistant, which basically means he goes around painting and doing odd jobs about the bizarre building. Little does he know, this is a very temporary job as he will be chopped up after a week or so, and fed to the apartment dwellers (we find this out in the first scene).
The film chronicles his going-ons in the apartment, as well as that of the inhabitants. Everyone in the building is eccentrically weird in one way or the other. For instance, there's an old man who lives in an apartment filled with water so frogs and other amphibians can live with him. There's also the aristocratic suicidal Aurore (Silvie Laguna), who is always setting up overly-elaborate death traps for herself which never work out (one has the old electrical appliance dropped into a bathtub).
The only ray of sun-shine in the gloomy, bizarre building is that of the mousy Julie Clapet (Marie-Laure Dougnac), daughter of the butcher. She and Louison immeadiately hit it off, and start a kind of bittersweet romance which never gets really sexual or anything, but is never overly-corny. There are great scenes they have together, including one where they play a duet together: she on the cello, and he on a saw (it sounds really cool too), and they become a symbol of light in the gloomy post-apocalyptic world.
As the film goes on, the need for meat gets worse, and soon other people are being hacked for the good of the rest, mostly since Louison is an excellent worker. A subplot involving a group of renegades who live underground is also introduced, and they struggle to stop Clapet from killing more people. The climax is wonderfully long, and incredibly elaborate, bringing the film to a very satisfying conclusion, but not becoming overly grand.
One of the many great things about this film is how it refuses to get off on its gimmick. The cannibalism idea is one that could bring about a huge gorefest a la "Dead Alive." While this is not a bad idea, I really admired how un-gory this film really is. Jeunet and Caro barely show the killings, making it more effective. Sure, there's some gore in it, but it never glamorizes or over-does it.
The style is the best thing about this film, even though it is jam-packed with wonderful things. It is incredibly off-beat, and shows us some truly bizarre characters, as well as some wonderfully weird and imaginative scenes. One of the best parts of this film deals with sex going on, which is then juxtaposed through certain other scenes of people doing things, all in rhythm with the other, and ending in a wonderfully inspired climax (i.e. Julie playing her cello in synch with everyone else, and resulting in her breaking her bow). And one scene dealing with the grandmother is truly classic.
I also admired how sweet and gentle it could be. While its style is so offbeat that even the Coen brothers would drop their jaws, there are moments and scenes that are just wonderfully calm. There's a scene towards the beginning where Louison is unpacking which is strangely melancholy, which is one thing this film usually isn't. And the scenes between Louison and Julie are wonderfully bittersweet and strangely touching. Pinon and Dougnac have great chemistry, which helps.
A special note should be made to Jean-Claude Dreyfus who is absolutely awesome as Clapet. While being hysterical and all, he also shows some truly human signs in quieter scenes, and just does a great job with the role. Another note should be made to Chick Ortega who steals scenes as a freaky mailman with a crush on Julie and a penchant for shooting anything subversive.
But most of all, this film is truly a masterpiece of a black comedy. It's hysterical, moving, and just jaw-dropping to watch visually. There are some minor flaws (the rebel underground subplot really never goes anywhere), but overall, the film is more than a rewarding experience, and a symbol of sheer filmmaking craftsmanship.
MY RATING (out of 4): ***1/2
Homepage at: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/8335/
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