If Alfred Hitchcock had made a mystery thriller film set in a French village, I think it would have been ‘Le Boucher‘. Hitchcock, as we all know, did not make such a film, but maybe he got to see Claude Chabrol‘s 1970 film. I think he had every reason to be proud of his disciple. ‘Le Boucher‘ is an atmospheric film, perfectly constructed and acted, an atypical thriller, in which there are corpses and a police investigation, but in which the thrill is built psychologically, within the relationship between a man and a woman. And yes, the woman is a blonde.
Helene (Stéphane Audran) is a teacher in a small and picturesque French village (are there villages in France that are not picturesque? Not in movies anyway). About ten years ago she had a disappointment in love which led her to decide or to resign to stay alone, dedicating her entire life to her pupils, even living in the school building. Popaul (Jean Yanne) returned to the village after 15 quite traumatic years in the army, and took over his father’s butchery. A platonic relationship develops between the two. Desire floats in the air, but is never consumed. The difference in social status may have a role, Helene’s decision to be alone is another cause. Is there a connection between this strange liaison and the series of crimes that are beginning to disturb the village and its surroundings, in which young women die stabbed?
The film has tension and consistency. The two characters are gradually revealed to us, the traumas of each of them meet in a toxic combination, and what could be an idyll between a man and a woman from different social classes is heading towards something very different and very dangerous. Apparently the relationship progresses monotonously, platonic, a little boring. In reality, each of the two slides into the abyss, each in his own way. The cinematography is splendid. Pierre Jansen‘s music is permanently dissonant accompanying the quiet frames, interrupted only by the police sirens, the church bells and … a minuet. It creates a state of anxiety that is further amplified. Each scene looks at its place. At first we witnessed a wedding in the village, somewhat in the spirit of Italian realism. There follows a long scene filmed in a single frame (Nouvelle Vague technique) in which the two characters, slightly dizzy because of the alcohol consumed at the wedding, walk through the village from the wedding to the school where Helene lives. This is the scene in which the two heroes begin to reveal themselves to us. I will not describe all the anthological scenes, but there are a few more. The school has, of course, an interior staircase, as in many of Chabrol‘s films. Small objects play an important role. Each has its place and its contribution to the edifice of the film. Stéphane Audran (Chabrol‘s wife at the time) plays here one of his best roles. Her partner is Jean Yanne, a less famous actor, but very well distributed in this role. Many critics consider ‘Le Boucher‘ to be the director’s best film. Personally, I’ve only seen a few of Chabrol‘s films, so my opinion is not educated enough. Yet, I have many reasons to believe that they are right.