Delicatessen (1991)

A futuristic comic feast

Surreal expressionistic vision, as in The City Of Lost Children (1995), surprising and interesting in its fantastic story and weird visuals; enjoyably so. The Radio Times compares the vision to that of David Lynch or Terry Gilliam.

The protagonist, Louison (Dominique Pinon), is an unlikely but engaging and endearing character. The other characters are amusingly grotesque.

There are some very funny moments, such as when the butcher and wife's love-making is echoed by everyone in the building; also, when the protagonist and the butcher's wife test the bedsprings in a synchronised rhythmic dance-like sequence, echoing the previous love-making sequence; and when Louison comes to tea with the butcher's short-sighted daughter, Julie, who decides not to wear her glasses.

• Rating: Full price
• When seen: 2 May 2010
• Where seen: Home
• More information: IMDB | RottenTomatoes | Wikipedia

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Amendments: Removed link to Wikipedia-sourced image. Added ranking image.

The City Of Lost Children (1995)

Where happily ever after is just a dream.

Like an unrestrained French Terry Gilliam. Very unusual and original in almost all aspects: characters, story, production design. Outlandish and bizarre characters framed in hallucinatory closeups. Fantastical often industrialised settings. Interesting tropes from science fiction: clones, living brains, trained fleas with tiny artificial proboscises injecting victims with killer serums.

The two leads, Perlman's strongman and the girl, Judith Vittet, are very compelling. Ron Perlman of course great in Hellboy (2004). Vittet like a young Audrey Tatou. Even Perlman and the girl's relationship a bit iffy, a future legitimate romance, or if now, with paedophilic overtones?

Until we found out how to switch the DVD to French audio with English subtitles, we watched in the default audio setting of dubbed English which definitely spoilt the first half of the movie.

• Rating: Full price
• When seen: 4 Feb 2010
• Where seen: Home
• More information: IMDB | RottenTomatoes | Wikipedia

Posted using Blogo from my MacBook Pro

Amendments: added year of release to the film "Hellboy". Removed link to Wikipedia-sourced image. Added ranking image.