Watch Wedding in Blood For Free

To me, this movie is perfection.

Pretty Good

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Les Noces Rouges is about two married people who are having an affair behind their partner's backs. In both cases they are in sexless marriages. The man's wife is suffering from mental illness and is close to catatonic, while the woman's husband is impotent and never there. This leads them to the idea of murder…Like a few other Claude Chabrol films, this one is about murder without actually ever really being a thriller. It's the psychological consequences of killing and complex male/female relationships that are the focus. Once again, the highlight of the film is the performance of Stephane Audran. This incredibly sensual French actress is something of a revelation in my book. Both an outstanding beauty and a highly accomplished actress, Audran has a real screen presence and charisma in everything I have seen her in. In this one she is ably complemented too by Michel Piccoli in the role of her partner in crime. While Chabrol himself keeps the film looking nice with his usual pastel colour scheme very much in evidence.Another feature of Chabrol's work that this one displays is a tendency for its characters to easily forgive and forget the sexual-betrayal of their partners. The reasons may differ depending on the film but it is an unusual regular feature of his work. It's never exactly believable and does give his films a sense of detachment, which is very much in keeping with how he portrays all of his characters; they are always at arms length and are never the warmest people. In Les Noces Rouges this does lead to a problem of sorts, as it's quite hard knowing who to sympathize with. I guess we are supposed to empathize with the central couple but considering they murder their respective partners for essentially selfish reasons, they're not the easiest people to get on-side with. But ultimately, these types of moral ambiguities and complications are one of the things what make Chabrol's films interesting and unpredictable.

It's easy to see that "Wedding In Blood" is the work of a cinematic master right from the opening sequence: the camera follows Michel Piccoli as he, after a brief talk with his wife, gets out of his apartment and drives to an idyllic country spot, where he meets Stéphane Audran for some passionate sex. Then, Piccoli becomes just a shadow while the camera follows Audran this time, as she drives back to her own house where her husband and daughter await her. It's a simple technique which, however, perfectly sets up the rest of the story. The problem with the story is that it doesn't really have much psychological depth: the two lovers behave increasingly recklessly, are driven to murder rather inexplicably (since their spouses, for all their faults, hardly pose much of an obstacle to their affair), and get caught (as some DVD covers stupidly spoil!) without offering much resistance. Even the husband's sudden discovery of the truth doesn't ring, well, true - at least the daughter is shown forming her suspicions from early on. Speaking of the daughter, it's a shame that Eliana De Santis, who plays her, seems to have retired from films since the mid-1970s - she is quite an engaging actress, and you can tell that about 5 years later, she would become a total knockout as well. Anyway, "Wedding In Blood" probably doesn't rank among Claude Chabrol's most important films, but it's still gorgeous to look at and interesting to watch, with fine performances all around: Audran and Piccoli's body language totally makes you believe that their characters are crazy for each other. **1/2 out of 4.

I was very surprised upon reading some of the comments for this film after having seen it - not only is this not a lesser Chabrol movie or a non-entertaining one, for my money its Chabrol at his subtle and intriguing best, and no doubt up there with the likes of The Unfaithful Wife and Le Boucher! The plot is not particularly original, but it's not too important as it's Chabrol's style and attention to detail that really makes the film what it is anyway. The plot seems to take a lot of influence from the classic 'The Postman Always Rings Twice' and focuses on murder due to an illicit love affair. Lucienne Delamare is not so happily married to town major Paul Delamare and, unbeknown to her husband, is currently engaged in an affair with her husband's assistant Pierre Maury. The two are able to spend time together because Paul is often away on business. Pierre's wife Clotilde is weak and sick and when she dies suddenly, the town suspect suicide; but the truth is more sinister, as revealed by Pierre's confession to Lucienne...The film is kept interesting as Chabrol always focuses on the important elements and ensures that the chemistry between the leads is always engaging. The acting is once again superb with Chabrol's beautiful wife (at the time) Stéphane Audran being suitably brooding and mysterious in the lead role and receiving excellent support from Michel Piccoli and Claude Piéplu. The village in which the film takes place is also well thought out and Chabrol manages to create a foreboding atmosphere stemming from that. As usual with Chabrol films, this one is beautifully shot and realised and it's clear that the director put a lot of care and attention into the film. As usual, the suspense is generated through intrigue and the way that the characters are developed rather than through scenes of tension, though there are some brilliant sequences in the film - a pivotal scene towards the end involving a car accident being particularly noteworthy. I wouldn't recommend this film as a starting point for someone who has not previously seen a Claude Chabrol film, but I'd be surprised if fans of his don't enjoy it. Highly recommended!

Claude Chabrol started as part of the nouvelle vague,as contemporary of Truffaut and -yuk!- Godard ,but his roots are in the old cinema,that of Clouzot and Duvivier.That's why his best movies hold up very well today.A first golden era included such works as "à double tour" "le beau Serge" and "les cousins".Then came a period of barren inspiration which ended with "les biches" (1967) with which Chabrol entered his most fruitful period the 1967-1973 era:at least five of the works of this time are first-rate works :"la femme infidel" (1968;dubious American remake);"the beast must die" (1969) ;"the butcher" (1969) his towering achievement;"la rupture"(1970) his most underrated ;"juste avant la nuit" (1971) and finally "les noces rouges" which seems today as the last hurrah,a farewell to a golden era.Unlike the four other films I mention "les noces rouges" is based on a true story which was widely talked about in France of the early seventies.But ,true or not,Chabrol's touch is strong and he makes the story a chabrolesque plot to the core.The bourgeois whom Chabrol depicted in "la femme infidel" or "la rupture" ,and who was played by Michel Bouquet has turned into a caricature.Enter Claude Piéplu,and with his high-pitched voice,he almost overshadows the excellent Stephane Audran and Michel Piccoli.An impotent self-satisfied mean bourgeois with political ambitions ,he accepts his wife's(Audran) affair with his deputy mayor(Piccoli) ,more,it's fine with him because it will be useful for his shady business.The scene when he tells the lovers so is incredible;lines such as "I want everybody to be happy around me!" he delivers to a stunned Piccoli and a bewildered Audran give goose pimples.You will notice the omnipresence of water:in "que la Bete meure" and "le boucher" ,it symbolized a return from hell,not necessarily a happy end but a world with some peace of mind.In "les noces rouges" it appears during the love scenes (played by the two actors with more gusto than usual :never in a Chabrol movie the carnal act had been -and will be-so much to the fore)as a symbol of innocence (after all, the two people have no sex with their legal partners)in the sin.But it's the heroine's daughter ,called Helene ,who epitomizes innocence and some kind of deus ex machina.What's more puzzling is that Stephane Audran's characters were all called Hélène in the four other movies I mention:in "la femme infidel' Helene had a lover but with some excuse :her husband appeared like a washout sexually;in "le boucher" she was a brave schoolteacher ,purity flesh on the bone;in "la rupture" her character had to fight against a hostile bourgeois world .In "les noces rouges" Audran ,called Lucienne,is on the other side of the mirror:she really becomes a criminal,almost in a dream .When her daughter,Hélène,who took the place she occupied in former movies asks her "I want you to be happy,mom,please tell me the truth" Audran does not seem to realize all that means.And when she does,it will be too late.Les noces rouges" is also a movie which depicts political life circa 1970 in a small town where gossips run rampant.And as usual,Chabrol is marvelous when it comes to painting vignettes of ordinary life -see the scene in the library-It would take Chabrol five years to muster this sort of command ("Violette Nozieres" (1978)),and although he has occasionally made great works ("l'enfer" " la cérémonie" ),he will be remembered in fifty years or so for those gems of the late sixties/early seventies era."Les noces rouges" is a must.