La Grande bouffe (1973) - film review

Four wealthy middle-aged men decide to get together at a country villa and eat themselves to death.  They are: Marcello, a pilot; Ugo, a chef; Philippe, a judge; and Michel, a television executive.  After the first night, they agree that something is lacking: female company.  They recruit three prostitutes and a local primary school teacher, Andrea.  The prostitutes, disgusted, depart after a few days, but Andrea appears to be having the time of her life and stays the course.  Although the food is magnificent, it soon becomes apparent that this is not the nicest way to go…

A truly black comedy, this is a film that elevates vulgarity and bad taste – if not to a fine art – to great comic effect at least.  With on-screen vomiting, endless fart jokes (done literally to death) and the amazing exploding toilet (the funniest thing ever in French cinema?), La grande bouffe must surely win anyone’s award for the most shamelessly vulgar example of mainstream French cinema.  Yet, in spite of that (or, perversely for that reason), this film has a strange melancholic charm that makes it compelling viewing – even if, for most of the time, we are just watching four fat middle-aged men stuffing their faces.

It is curious that the film does not explain why the four central characters want to kill themselves – in fact this is only revealed one third of the way into the film.  Consequently, the viewer feels throughout that something is missing.  Maybe this is what lends the film its tragic dimension and makes the boorish vulgarity on display somehow more tolerable.  A very strange and disturbing film – but one with some absolutely outrageous comic moments.

© James Travers 1999

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