DEMOISELLE D’HONEUR (THE BRIDESMAID)

France, 2004, 110 minutes, Colour.
Benoit Magimal, Laura Smets, Aurora Clement.
Directed by Claude Chabrol.

The Bridesmaid is an adaptation of a Ruth Rendell novel by Claude Chabrol. Chabrol, always interested in crime stories, had adapted another Ruth Rendell story in the 1990s, The Ceremony.

This film is standard Chabrol. It focuses on a family, partly dysfunctional, partly loving. It also focuses on madness and crime, the bewilderment of people innocently caught up in this world of madness.

Chabrol has been making films since the late 50s, numerous films along these lines. This one is neither better nor worse than any of his others. Benoit Mangimel (who had appeared in Chabrol’s The Flowers of Evil) is a young salesman who has to deal with his mother, a genial woman who loves cooking and pampering her son, a sister who is about to be married and a younger sister who is seemingly irresponsible. At his sister’s wedding, he glimpses the bridesmaid whom he had heard about from his sister (Laura Smets) and is attracted to her. She expresses her love and her sense of destiny for him. As time goes on, we realise before he does that she is obsessive and that he is in some kind of danger. This, of course, is what happens, to his dismay and, sometimes, to his shock.

Laura Smets is interesting as the rather bewildering bridesmaid who lives a strange narcissistic life and who is revealed to be quite mad. By contrast, Aurore Clement is a picture of commonsense as the hero’s mother, concerned about her daughters, wondering whether she should marry again.

Chabrol has always been able to offer civilised entertainments, particularly French entertainments with insight into the French middle class.

1.A Chabrol drama: family themes, crime and madness? An adaptation of a Ruth Rendell novel – to France?

2.The authentic locations, contemporary, the town, the details of the homes, the streets, the workplaces? The musical score?

3.The opening with the television and the crime reports, the family watching, Philippe coming home, the preparation to meet Gerard? The focus on Christine, her excitement, as their mother, wanting them to meet Gerard? Philippe and his wariness, urging his sisters to get ready? Pat and her offhand manner, style, rings etc? Sophie as more sedate? The discussion about the gift of the statue head? The dinner itself, the restaurant, the conversation? The aftermath, the criticism of the children, a possible husband for Christine or not?

4.The focus on Philippe, his age, experience, success with his job, meeting the clients, the various pacifyings of Madame Crespin, his good relationship with his boss, being offered a partnership? Pat and her offhand nature, criticism, wanting a hundred euros? The preparation for the wedding, the wedding ceremony? The noticing of Senta?

5.Christine, the mother, busy at home, the good preparation of the meals, the love for Gerard, the hopes, her concern about her children, her hairdressing at home, her concern about Pat, the happiness of the wedding? Going to the police station, her concern about Pat and the shoplifting?

6.Sophie and Jacquie, preparation for the wedding, sewing the clothes, Pat going off on her own, the wedding itself, the aftermath, their visit home? Sophie at the police station?

7.Senta, the information about her, her changing her names, glimpsed at the wedding, her attraction towards Philippe, her arriving at his house, having refused a lift, drenched, her comments about destiny and their being made for each other? Infatuation? Philippe, the attraction, his response? The visits, the sexual relationship? Talking, visiting her basement, curious about upstairs, the story of Iceland, Rita, the dancing and the tango competitions? His wanting to be with her, downstairs, their talk, the hostility to the old man in the garden, the irony of his not being murdered? The four things she wanted from Philippe, the talk about killing? Her explanation of complete love? His reading the paper, claiming the murder? Her explaining that she had killed Gerard for love of him? Her madness, his discovery of the actual murder? The girl upstairs, the motivation for killing her, her jealousy? The police arriving to take her away?

8.Philippe, his response to the four conditions, claiming to have done a murder, visiting Gerard and finding him alive, his relief, going to the police station, Pat and the shoplifting, meeting the man in the park, giving him the money, relieved that he was alive? His dismay to hear of the actual murder? Going back to Senta, the body of the girl upstairs, his promising to stay with her?

9.The film as drama, as portrait of a family, as portrait of madness, of crime?