BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF (Le Pacte des Loups)
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Sound formats: Dolby Digital / DTS-ES
In 18th century France, a young naturalist (Samuel Le Bihan) and his Native American companion (Mark Dacascos) are employed to hunt down a bloodthirsty 'beast' which has killed dozens of women and children. But their investigation uncovers an appalling conspiracy which cuts to the very heart of French high society...
Loosely based on true events, this high-powered Gallic blockbuster - directed by Christophe Gans, hired on the strength of his incredible genre-bending adaptation of CRYING FREEEMAN - wowed French audiences when released in 2001. And no wonder! A high-kicking combination of horror movie, period drama, political thriller and "Matrix"-inspired kung fu pageant, the film combines the best elements of these disparate sub-genres in a dazzling display of technical wizardry. Beautifully photographed by Dan Laustsen (MIMIC, THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN), and played with solemn conviction by an all-star cast - including relative newcomers Vincent Cassel (LA HAINE), Monica Bellucci (the "Matrix" sequels) and Jérémie Renier (CRIMINAL LOVERS), and veterans Jean Yanne (most recently seen in BELLE MAMAN) and Edith Scob (the elegant heroine of Franju's EYES WITHOUT A FACE) - the movie is a riot of action and intrigue, sustained by a multilayered screenplay (co-authored by Gans and Stéphane Cabel) which recounts an elaborate fable of class warfare and religious bigotry during a grim period of French history.
The fight scenes - choreographed with ruthless efficiency by Hong Kong movie veteran Phillip Kwok (MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE, HARD-BOILED, TOMORROW NEVER DIES, etc.) - are fashioned with elegant grace, and edited to perfection by Sébastien Prangère and David Wu (another prominent HK movie figure, Ronny Yu's current editor of choice). Much of the film's otherworldly visual texture is due to the sumptuous art direction (by Guy-Claude François) and costume design (by Dominique Borg), which roots proceedings in a recognizable period 'style', despite Gans' resolutely modern approach to the material. It shouldn't work, but it does, somehow. The 'explanation' for the beast and its murderous activities - which takes into account a wide range of modern research into the story of an animal which really DID terrorize the French countryside during the 18th century - forms the backbone of the entire production, and while much of the film is a rip-roaring joy, the climactic sequences are offset by an element of tragedy and sadness, which thoroughly distinguishes the movie from most of its Hollywood counterparts. All in all, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF is a magnificent folly, way ahead of its time, and quite unlike anything ever made before. A triumph.
(French dialogue)
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Sound formats: Dolby Digital / DTS-ES
In 18th century France, a young naturalist (Samuel Le Bihan) and his Native American companion (Mark Dacascos) are employed to hunt down a bloodthirsty 'beast' which has killed dozens of women and children. But their investigation uncovers an appalling conspiracy which cuts to the very heart of French high society...
Loosely based on true events, this high-powered Gallic blockbuster - directed by Christophe Gans, hired on the strength of his incredible genre-bending adaptation of CRYING FREEEMAN - wowed French audiences when released in 2001. And no wonder! A high-kicking combination of horror movie, period drama, political thriller and "Matrix"-inspired kung fu pageant, the film combines the best elements of these disparate sub-genres in a dazzling display of technical wizardry. Beautifully photographed by Dan Laustsen (MIMIC, THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN), and played with solemn conviction by an all-star cast - including relative newcomers Vincent Cassel (LA HAINE), Monica Bellucci (the "Matrix" sequels) and Jérémie Renier (CRIMINAL LOVERS), and veterans Jean Yanne (most recently seen in BELLE MAMAN) and Edith Scob (the elegant heroine of Franju's EYES WITHOUT A FACE) - the movie is a riot of action and intrigue, sustained by a multilayered screenplay (co-authored by Gans and Stéphane Cabel) which recounts an elaborate fable of class warfare and religious bigotry during a grim period of French history.
The fight scenes - choreographed with ruthless efficiency by Hong Kong movie veteran Phillip Kwok (MASTER OF THE FLYING GUILLOTINE, HARD-BOILED, TOMORROW NEVER DIES, etc.) - are fashioned with elegant grace, and edited to perfection by Sébastien Prangère and David Wu (another prominent HK movie figure, Ronny Yu's current editor of choice). Much of the film's otherworldly visual texture is due to the sumptuous art direction (by Guy-Claude François) and costume design (by Dominique Borg), which roots proceedings in a recognizable period 'style', despite Gans' resolutely modern approach to the material. It shouldn't work, but it does, somehow. The 'explanation' for the beast and its murderous activities - which takes into account a wide range of modern research into the story of an animal which really DID terrorize the French countryside during the 18th century - forms the backbone of the entire production, and while much of the film is a rip-roaring joy, the climactic sequences are offset by an element of tragedy and sadness, which thoroughly distinguishes the movie from most of its Hollywood counterparts. All in all, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF is a magnificent folly, way ahead of its time, and quite unlike anything ever made before. A triumph.
(French dialogue)