Baby Blues (1999)

On a sweltering summer day, the police discover the skeleton of a newborn baby. Jacques Deveure, a detective with a clubfoot, is in charge of the investigation. As it unfolds, it reveals a rogue gallery of strange individuals, shady dealings, all the hidden private life of a small town. Stars Audrey Tautou.

Audrey Tautou O la la

You dont want to miss the same star who played in AMELIE and HE LOVES ME NOT Audrey Tautou the famous french film actress who also plays a great part in this drama BABY BLUES...It's about a small French town that falls under scrutiny when the bones of a small child are dug up in its vicinity. When a detective looks into the case, he discovers that many strange and secretive people populate the town, taxing his powers of deduction. This isnt one of the best films Audrey Tautou stars in but its a cute film and very pleasant to watch.

July 2, 2008

A Little French Who-Done-It with Twists and Spice

'Le Boiteux: Baby Blues' is a sassy little French mystery made for French television in 1999 and is just now showing up on the shelves of local DVD rental stores. It is a fun little diversion with lots of French flavor and has a cast that is not only secure but plays this little tale with a sense of flair and tongue-in-cheek charm.

We meet Lieutenant Deveure (Vincent Winterhalter) in the black and white backgrounds during the opening credits, watching him chase a criminal only to be shot in the ankle, an injury that leaves him crippled for life, requiring a leg brace and funky shoe and a limp. After the credits the blue-eyed lieutenant and his partner Granier (the always superb François Berléand) are investigating the discovery of a baby skeleton buried in the basement of an old home in the little town of Saint-Paray. Living in the curious house is a newly married couple Blandine (Audrey Tautou) and Patrick (Frédéric Gorny) Piancet, strange little people who initiate some of the twists the lieutenant must face in solving the mystery of the buried skeleton. Multiple characters are tangentially involved with the house - former owners and renters and contractors - each with sufficient reason to be implicated. Odd events eliminate some suspects and Deveure and Granier ultimately uncover a ring of criminal history that sets the little town on edge: all is not what it seems, even in the provincial villages!

The manner of telling the story as directed by Paule Zajderman, who also wrote the screenplay based on Pascale Basset-Chercot's novel, is what brings the enchantment to the film. The cast is very strong (this is an early film for Tautou) and aside from Tautou and Berléand few of the actors are recognized outside of France. But for a mystery 'Blue Eyes' still bubbles like champagne! Grady Harp, May 07 May 1, 2007

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