La Rupture (1970)

Helene is a good mother with a checkered past as a stripper and barmaid. She divorces her ne'er-do-well husband and her in-laws blame her for causing her husband's addiction and set out to remove their grandchild from Helene's custody. Thwarted by the courts they hire a seedy penniless operative Paul to destroy her reputation. He moves into her rooming house and begins to insinuate himself into her life hatching darker and more convoluted plots to implicate Helene. A harrowing thriller from France's master of suspense LA RUPTURE ranks among Chabrol's finest works. DVD and VHS are French w/English Subtitles.System Requirements:Starring: Stephane Audran Jean Pierre Cassel and Michel Bouquet. Running Time: 124 Minutes.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: FOREIGN/LATIN Rating: NR UPC: 825307906097 Manufacturer No: PH90609 Product Description

A thriller that actually thrills...

putting contemporary (and inexplicably acclaimed) garbage like 'Disturbia' and 'Hard Candy' to sad and sorry shame. The generous pacing and character development (broad by Chabrol standards, but largely satisfying) harks back to an earlier era - but the film is all the more delightful for it, and some of the surprises that it has in store are as far from old-fashioned as you can get. This is, as another reviewer pointed out, far less subtle than many Chabrol films, but the film doesn't suffer for it - far from it! 'La Rupture' has a wild streak that periodically shatters its mannered surface and keeps us deliciously off-balance right from its opening moments.

It does go over the top from time to time, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Those moments when the film becomes strange only add to the richness of what might have been a standard-issue thriller, but emerges as something considerably more. While I love some of Chabrol's more measured works, this one can as easily hold a special place in my heart, not in spite of, but because of it's more audacious moments - which is not to say that those moments dominate everything. They are well balanced by, and stand in prickly contrast to Chabrol's more delicate and reserved qualities - also strongly displayed here. This is not a perfect film, but it's a rather extraordinary one, and so much better than what we're used to that it deserves a strong recommendation.

Had Koch Lorber bothered to restore this film I would have given it another star - but, as anyone familiar with their (often substandard) releases knows, things could be far, far worse. The widescreen print is just passable (for the most part), and they did manage to pony up a few extras, making this an acceptable (at least for now), if not anywhere near ideal viewing experience.

The less you know about this movie before seeing it, the better. The surprises start coming before even the opening credits, and half the pleasure is in seeing a story play out that isn't quite the usual thing.

Stéphane Audran isn't the usual thing, either. While she is certainly wonderful to look upon, one thing that especially struck me on the second viewing is that her simple but intelligent (and intelligently written) character, while distressingly vulnerable, is never once called upon to do anything stupid or weak in order to keep the thriller mechanics churning. Cassel is a consummate slime-ball here, and it's bitterly fun to watch him go to work. And Chabrol fills the margins with characters who, while broadly drawn, are nonetheless consistently interesting.

Some find the ending weak. There was only one plot point that was somewhat strained to me, but otherwise I found the denouement to be perfect. I like those abrupt, economical Chabrol endings that tell us exactly what is going to happen without burdening us (or himself) with a conventional show of it, leaving him free to show us something else. This one has a wonderfully surreal quality.

If you haven't seen this, you shouldn't waste any time. It is a refreshing change of pace from over-hyped, recycled junk, usually thrown together by committee. December 27, 2007

La Rupture

One of Chabrol's most jarring suspense films opens with a shocking scene of domestic violence before settling into a quiet, disturbing tale of moral corruption and wicked duplicity. Audran tweaks our sympathies as the vulnerable young mother who rents a boarding room across from the hospital where her son recuperates, only to find herself isolated and scorned by the elderly female tenants, then manipulated by Cassel's twisted schemes (which involve LSD, porn, and a dim-witted innocent). If this film didn't end on a psychedelic grace note, you could almost call it an experiment in psychological sadism. "Rupture" is a Hitchcockian marvel. July 4, 2007

Not Chabrol's Best

Claude Chabrol is often credited as being the French version of Alfred Hitchcock, to some extent that is true, but Chbarol has his own style.

Chabrol's films are very bubtle. No gratuitous nude scenes, no extreme violence, no explosions, and yet his films linger in your mind. They leave their mark. That's one of the problems I have with this Claude Chabrol film.

He is too forceful. He doesn't let the material speak for itself. Chabrol is trying too hard to convince us what we are watching is exciting.

I enjoy the work of Claude Chabrol. He is one of my favorite directors. Of his "classic" films I enjoy "Les Biches" and "Le Boucher" the most, followed by "The Unfaithful Wife". They each move at the subtle pace I'm talking about.

Watch those movies or even Chabrol's most recent "Merci pour le Chocolat" and tell me those movies weren't more subtle.

This film along with "Innocent With Dirty Hands" (which I prefer) are almost like "America" thrillers. They are much more over-the-top than I find Chabrol's other works.

"La Rupture" starts off with a violent domestic dispute between Helene (Stephane Audran) and Charles (Jean-Claude Drouot). She leaves with her son and decides it's time to get a divorce.

Charles' parents are upset and decide they will fight back and try to take away all visitation rights from Helene.

Now Helene has a questionable past and Charles' parents (including Michel Bouquet) send someone to spy on her to get some incriminating evidence. This is all starting to sound like a political witchhunt (Pick your president).

As I watched "La Rupture" my mind kept going back to the first scene. I woundered why did the fight happen. One of the mistakes Chabrol makes is by not giving us enough information about the husband. I thought the husband was just as important as the wife because I thought a dramatic connection would be made between the two and a great secret would be revealed. But Chabrol had other plans and we are left with subtle and mild hints about Charles' past.

Although I find faults in this film, don't think I'm bashing it. I enjoy the film to some degree. The movie does have some good moments, plus Stephane Audran, as usual, is quite watchable. She does her best to hold the film together.

"La Rupture" perhaps if made by someone else my have impressed me more, but, I know Chabrol's work. I know what he is capable of, and "La Rupture", while at times enjoyable, is not his most effective film.

Bottom-line: Not up to par with Chabrol's other film. Too forceful and "in your face". Doesn't have the mysterious touch other films like "Les Biches" and "The Unfaithful Wife" had. October 18, 2004

Hmmm... That summary leaves a bit to be desired...

Excellent Chabrol film --- probably the best introduction to the director. I'm suprised and very happy that this is out on video at a sell-through price. For some inexplicable reason, no one seems to talk much about this film. It's extremely absorbing and quite beautiful to look at though. Stephane Audran is particularly charming in this movie, although some have thought her to be a bit sophisticated for the part. A silly criticism, I think. The colors in this movie are absolutely amazing --- everything somehow dayglo and hyperrealistic at the same time. I think Philip K. Dick fans would in particular get a kick out of this film. It's organized similarly to his novels... Everything just gets more and more disjointed until reality has almost completely broken down. The denouement is pretty darned funny, too. A film that more folks should see, it'll add to your appreciation of Chabrol's other films too. February 24, 2000

to go beyond

I liked this movie. It made a strong impact on me and brought meaning to past conversations and what it means to "go beyond." August 27, 1999

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