THE CHAMPAGNE MURDERS
France, 1967, 107 minutes, Colour.
Anthony Perkins, Maurice Ronet, Stephane Audran, Yvonne Furneaux.
Directed by Claude Chabrol.
The Champagne Murders is yet another Claude Chabrol thriller. It is interesting that two versions of the film were made. The French version was called Le Scandale. The Champagne Murders refers to the background and environment of the thriller.
Chabrol uses Anthony Perkins (later to use him in Ten Day Wonder along with Orson Welles) and his wife Stephane Audran, who has appeared in at least a dozen of Chabrol's films. The film is very interesting, although not as engaging and involving as his later thrillers. The themes of guilt, responsibility, repentance are all present and there is a strange inverted ending which remains in the memory.
1. To what genre does the film belong? Psychological drama. social criticism. murder mystery? A blend of each? The significance and focus of the title? The significance of the original French title, The Scandal?
2. How particularly French was the film in its sensibility? It was made for an international market with international stars and made in English as well as French. Did the film-makers bridge the gap from France to a more universal audience or not?
3. Colour, Techniscope. music? The attention to detail of the wealthy millionaire class? The beauty of the Champagne fields, the bizarre interiors of the house with old world and new world e.g. television? The odd world of the modern Parisian artist and her studio? Hamburg and its blatant street sexuality? What environment did the film present and how well?
4. Could the audience identify with any of the characters? Identification or observation? How did this have repercussions on the response to the film and its themes?
5. The initial psychological emphases giving the tone of the film? The initial social critique? How did this provide a basis for the murders and the solution to the mystery?
6. The response to the opening with Christopher and Paul, Paris, picking up the prostitutes, the accident and the ugliness of the bashing and the strangulation? What kind of introduction to the characters? To their world, types?
7. How sympathetic a character was Paul throughout the film? During the opening, his victimisation and injury? His hospitalisation and release? The nature of his madness and hovering on the border between sanity and madness? His wealth allowing him to be eccentric? The playboy, playing with Christine and taunting her about his name and the selling of the vineyards? Hamburg and his relaxing, the experience with Paula and his realisation of her death afterwards? His becoming a victim of circumstances especially after the death of Evelyn and his discovery of her corpse? The exhilaration of his discovery that he was not responsible? A possible recovery? How interesting a character and well developed? Themes of guilt and responsibility and irresponsibility?
8. Paul's bonds with Chris and the nature of their friendship, the past? Chris as an Anthony Perkins nervous type? How well drawn a character? The initial impact, his later explanation of himself as a gigolo, wanting money and security? The motivation of his marrying Christine, the bonds between them? His self-indulgence. boats? His pedantic behaviour. e.g. watching the television interview and smashing the set? His behaviour at meals? His moodiness? His love of money, manoeuvring Christine into helping him use Paul? The clashes with Paul, with Christine? How much of the truth did he know? The final rev~ elation of his liaison with Jacqueline? Her urging him to kill Paul and his inability to do it? How guilty and responsible was he for the occurrences?
9. Christine and the portrait of the self-satisfied businesswoman? Her greed,, power., control? Her beguiling Paul and cajoling him? Her playing up to the American businessman? Her relationship with Chris - how much love, how much patronising and mothering? Her patronising Jacqueline? Parties, social life? Her wanting to achieve wealth? Trying to blackmail Paul after receiving the anonymous letter? Her lack of scruple? Fear that he might kill her, the irony of her death?
10. How well did the film portray the world of wealth, millionaires, psychotics? The world of wines, industry, greedy American businessmen? Prostitutes and Hamburg? Evelyn and the promiscuous kisses at the parties? The bizarre parties in Paris. The emptiness of this world, the greed, the absorption in materialistic ambitions? How much sympathy did the film have for this, criticism?
11. Jacqueline and her background presence? Unobtrusive? The ambiguity in audiences recognising the actress portraying her? The change in Hamburg and Paris? Her presence finally in the how and the shock of realisation? The confrontation and Paul asking where Jacqueline was? The visual presentation of her making herself up and at times the mirror of half Jacqueline the secretary to half Jacqueline the actress? The revelation of her killings and her motives? Her wanting Paul to be killed and pushing Chris? Why was she unable to persuade him to kill?
12. The visual irony of the triangle and their struggle, the crane and lifting shot and leaving the three of them there? The significance of the struggle, the symbolism of the three tearing at each other? An appropriate ending?
13. How interesting an exploration of people, motivations, society, crime, guilt and responsibility?
