COP AU VIN
France, 1984, 104 minutes, Colour.
Jean Poiret, Stephane Audran, Michel Bouquet, Jan Topart, Lucas Belvaux.
Directed by Claude Chabrol.
Cop au Vin is in the tradition of Chabrol's many films about the French bourgeoisie and crime and deception. His former wife, Stephane Audran, appeared in many of these film in the '60s and '70s. Here she portrays a self-centred woman, in a wheelchair, dominating her son who is the local postman (even to steaming open the local letters and reading them). They are to be evicted from their house by a group wanting to develop the property.
Michel Bouquet, another veteran of Chabrol films, leads the group who are threatening the postman and his mother. When the wife of one of the conspirators decides to withdraw her money and oppose the plan, she disappears. Her best friend is concerned - and she also becomes involved in an accident. The young postman puts sugar in the petrol of one of the conspirators and he is killed in an accident.
Into this mixture comes Inspector Lavardin, a genial and ironic performance from Jean Poiret. As he goes about investigating, making comments, asking pointed questions, he works out what happened and resolves the case, deciding to let the young man go - especially after his possessive mother, who doesn't want to let him go and resents his relationship with his assistant at the post office, sets the house alight and he finds her standing and walking.
There was a sequel with Jean Poiret in 1986 called Inspector Lavardin.
1. An entertaining crime thriller? The situation, the characters, motivations? A portrait of French middle-class society and its values and corruption?
2. The opening credits with the photographer and the focus on the principal characters and their lifestyle? The discussion about the plot against the Cuno family? The conspirators, Delphine and her deciding not to support the conspiracy? The setting for murder and investigation?
3. The focus of the title on Inspector Lavardin, his not arriving until a third of the way through the film, his personality, enjoying his meals, at the bar with his eggs, his discussions with people around the town, nosing around, asking questions, drawing conclusions, ironic perspectives? His finally putting everything together, finding the body of Delphine in the base of the statue, the discussions with Louis about putting the sugar in the car, deciding to let him go, sending him off to his girlfriend? An entertaining if low-key and ironic French inspector?
4. The conspirators, their place in society, doctors, lawyers, the butcher? Their plan, letters to the authorities - and the irony of their telling lies and that Louis and his mother, having steamed open the letters, knew the truth and that they were not to be evicted? The growing desperation, the husband killing Delphine? Anna and her enquiries, the accident? The growing malice of the conspirators? The characters, caricatures?
5. The mother and her being crippled, her relationship with her husband, falling down the stairs? Her hold over her son, his waiting on her literally hand and foot, carrying her around? Her not wanting to move from the house, examining the letters with him? The puzzle about Delphine, her lover, her husband? The letters with the empty pieces of paper? The contrast with Louis' life at the post office, delivering the letters, the reaction of the various people around the town to him, welcoming and hostile? His relationship with Henriette? Falling in love with her, the trysts? His not telling his mother? Her domination, making him promise that he would not leave, threatening to set the house on fire? Her final exasperation, setting up the flames, getting of the wheelchair, walking? Louis and Henriette seeing the flames, his rushing home, discovering his mother, leaving her? The discussion with the inspector and his explaining the situation? Louis going away with his girlfriend?
6. A murder mystery - but a study of French society and tensions to give a situation and motivation for crime?
