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Le Grande Bouffe

1973 French film. A recent rental.

4 50-ish men (a who's who of 70s Euro cinema including Mastraionni and Ugo Tonaganzzi), all wealthy, all suffering from enui and a general sense of "I am so bored with life, I've done everything" decide to get together in a rundown chalet for a weekend of debauchery and eating. Their goal is to party to the death. The whole story is a metaphor for the downward spiral of decadent modern society. It's also a good excuse to watch most unattractive people have sex and prepare and eat the richest and most filling food you can imagine.

This movie was extremely controversial in it's day. It's quite graphic and beyond decorum. One character actually has diarhrrea to death. Ridiculous shock value stuff that is no different than, say, Belushi's "I'm a zit" antics in Animal House.

Today, it's an anachronism. The sexual content is still graphic by today's prudish standards so the French have that going for them, but the symbolism and metaphors are far too heavy-handed and obvious, also a very French trait. It was poorly shot with most of the film being too poorly lit (both too contrasty and dark in spots and too evenly lit and grey in others).

Overall, once you get past the inital shock value and unwrap the story, it's pretty dull and plain.


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Topic - Le Grande Bouffe - Troy 10:44:13 03/18/04 (10)


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