A few years after being one of the French New Wave four aces, Claude Chabrol said goodbye to film experiments and embarked on a very active commercial directorial career. For over 30 years he has produced films at a rate of about one each year, most of them thrillers, whose heroes belong to the French bourgeoisie, high or mid-class. ‘Les noces rouges‘ made in 1973 belongs to these years. The setting in which the action takes place is a small French town where everybody knows everybody and where secrets seem very difficult to keep. And yet, from the first scenes of the film we realize that behind the quiet streets and facades, in the villas or apartments of the heroes with comfortable furniture and beautiful objects, there are hidden passions and secrets. Sooner or later, it is inevitable that corpses will show up.
If we were to look for a motto for this film, it would be ‘how stupid lovers can be’. With question mark or exclamation mark – you can choose. Lucienne (Stéphane Audran) has an extramarital affair with Pierre Maury (Michel Piccoli), the deputy of her husband, the politician, mayor and representative Paul Delamare (Claude Piéplu). Both are unhappily married, which would be the justification for their infidelity that combines the passion and the grotesque, because in a provincial town like the one where they live (and where they also are public figures) such liaisons are difficult to consume and keep secret. Is murder the only way out? The script is inspired by a true crime case, so it seems that life not only beat the film but in this case even anticipated it.
As in many other films of Claude Chabrol it is difficult to cling to a character and identify with him or her. Paul’s sick wife and Lucienne’s teenage daughter may be the only innocent figures in this quiet but sinister story, sinister because of the violence that erupts in various forms, and because of the moral decay of the characters, be they criminals or victims. Lucienne’s character seemed insufficiently developed, I think it was a much more interesting story than it results from the film in the biography of this woman who begins her life as a teenage mother, marries a man who does not love her but yet she supports his political career and keeps the social appearances, only to fall prey to passion on a path that can only lead to tragedy. Stéphane Audran seemed less inspired than in other films, Michel Piccoli does a good role but not one of his best, and Claude Piéplu, the less famous of the three, manages to create the most interesting character as the husband who accepts his wife’s infidelity, being more much interested in his political career sprinkled with dubious business. The thriller plot plays a secondary role, the social commentary and the characterization of the characters seem to be the focal points of the director. Also pay attention to the costumes created by Karl Lagerfeld. ‘Les noces rouges‘ may not be a high point in the career of Chabrol or his actors, but there are enough good reasons to give him a chance to watch or revise.