A serene scene showing two young boys playing above a quiet beach changes completely as a dead man is seen naked in the rocks below, with the word "pork" written on his back. The man, Raoul Mons, a successful writer, has appeared before at his home just about to have dinner with his family. He is summoned to the front door where a group of concerned citizens have to come to enlist his support in condemning a theatrical troupe that is staging a blasphemous play in town. Mons, it will be discovered was a man living a double life.
Enter Inspector Jean Lavardin, an astute investigator who also happens to be acquainted with the widow of the dead man, Helene Mons. The inspector was called to help solve Raoul Mons' death. Lavardin is puzzled as to the reaction of this woman, who confesses she hated the dead man and had only married him for convenience's sake. Lavardin encounters a strange household in which a homosexual man, Claude, has a strange hobby of creating human eyes. In his collection there are eyes of celebrities as well as ordinary people. Then there is a teen ager, Veronique, who is docile, sweet and shy, at least on the surface.
It takes Lavardin a while to sort through all the clues he discovers during his visit to the Mons' estate in the outskirts of the small town by the sea. He catches a tangled web where wealthy citizens of the town have been involved with the shady owner of the disco in the heart of the old town. The revelations are surprising as well as the conclusion to this story.
Claude Chabrol brings back Inspector Lavardin, who surfaced to fame in his previous film, "Poulet et Vinagre". Jean Poiret returns as the inspector who discovers that what he is being told is not necessarily the truth. All the elements of the detective genre are found in this film that for us was not as satisfying as the previous film, although the movie is by no means a misfire. Mr. Chabrol's son Mathieu created the music score and Jean Rabier, a good cinematographer captured the story in glorious detail.
Jean Poiret is fun to watch because he doesn't act like a regular detective. He has his own methods which pay for him handsomely. Bernadette Lafont, an actress that has worked with Chabrol before, plays a woman who is mourning for a former husband while having to deal with the mystery at hand. Jean-Claude Brialy is fun to watch as Claude, the gay sculptor of eyes. Jean-Luc Bideau is the creepy owner of the disco.
The film will please fans of Mr. Chabrol.
Enter Inspector Jean Lavardin, an astute investigator who also happens to be acquainted with the widow of the dead man, Helene Mons. The inspector was called to help solve Raoul Mons' death. Lavardin is puzzled as to the reaction of this woman, who confesses she hated the dead man and had only married him for convenience's sake. Lavardin encounters a strange household in which a homosexual man, Claude, has a strange hobby of creating human eyes. In his collection there are eyes of celebrities as well as ordinary people. Then there is a teen ager, Veronique, who is docile, sweet and shy, at least on the surface.
It takes Lavardin a while to sort through all the clues he discovers during his visit to the Mons' estate in the outskirts of the small town by the sea. He catches a tangled web where wealthy citizens of the town have been involved with the shady owner of the disco in the heart of the old town. The revelations are surprising as well as the conclusion to this story.
Claude Chabrol brings back Inspector Lavardin, who surfaced to fame in his previous film, "Poulet et Vinagre". Jean Poiret returns as the inspector who discovers that what he is being told is not necessarily the truth. All the elements of the detective genre are found in this film that for us was not as satisfying as the previous film, although the movie is by no means a misfire. Mr. Chabrol's son Mathieu created the music score and Jean Rabier, a good cinematographer captured the story in glorious detail.
Jean Poiret is fun to watch because he doesn't act like a regular detective. He has his own methods which pay for him handsomely. Bernadette Lafont, an actress that has worked with Chabrol before, plays a woman who is mourning for a former husband while having to deal with the mystery at hand. Jean-Claude Brialy is fun to watch as Claude, the gay sculptor of eyes. Jean-Luc Bideau is the creepy owner of the disco.
The film will please fans of Mr. Chabrol.