Brotherhood Of The Wolf [DVD] [2001]

Set in 1764, it centres on the investigations of two men (Gregoire de Fronsac & his kung-fu Mohawk pal - no, really) into the appearence of a mysterious savage beast, which hunts down women & children mercilessly in the Gevaudan region of France.

Cut through the martial arts bizarritude, & you have a rather decent film which supplies all the necessary: action; intrigue; love interest; guns; wolves; exploding pumpkins; prostitutes & lots of peasants thrashing about in mud.

The actors are well cast & include the wonderful Vincent Cassel as a disturbingly incestuous bad guy. The soundtrack is a voluptuous mix of bagpipes, accordians, & 'Gladiator' style atonal wailings. Blend these with cartoon style incidental sound effects (Kerrrunnch! Kablammnn!), a darkened room & a good sound system & you're in for an eerie time. (Watch it with subtitles to complete the experience.)

As a whole, this tale is a rich masterpiece which contains a more than a grain of truth at it's heart. If you can suspend your disbelief for 2 hours 17 minutes (plus the historical docmentary) you shouldn't be disappointed.

The collaboration between director Christophe Gans and cinematographer Dan Laustsen results in some beautiful and memorable camera shots (most notably, as the camera tracks up a woman's nude body it morphs into snow covered terrain), often playing with time and movement to great effect. In the deleted scenes Gans provides a sort of mini-commentary on the film that is quite interesting in terms of setting up the film's dynamic, especially regarding the opening sequence originally conceived for the film and the scene that replace it. Laustsen is the cinematographer on upcoming "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," and my assumption is that when I see that film I will have a better sense of who contributed the most to "Brotherhood of the Wolf."

The film was edited Xavier Loutreuil and Sébastien Prangère, with David Wu doing the Hong Kong kung fu fight sequences, which are impresive because they do not, for the most part, violate the realism of the time, which is a way of saying the wire work is extremely limited and understated. I also like the way Fronsac's love triangle is color coded: Marianne de Morangias (Émilie Dequenne) is a redhead often dressed in a red uniform while the raven haired Sylvia (Monica Bellucci) always wears black. The rouge/noir opposition works well in contrast to the blues, browns and yellows which serve as the palatte for most of the film.

My only real complaint is actually the traditional complaint one has after watching a Hammer horror film: the beast, when we finally get to see it, is something of a disappointment. However, I will allow that this is probably due as much to my heightened expectations given the quality level of the rest of the film more than to the limitations of CIG technology. The second time I watched the film this aspects was less bothersome to me, but still something of a disappointment. An action/horror/fantasy/thriller/romance like "Brotherhood of the Wolf" is not going to be embraced by everyone, but certainly fans of those genres will admire the ambition of this film, the most beautiful of its type we have ever seen.

What I will say, however, is that the UK DVD release is a total disappointment. The film itself is missing over 15 minutes of footage, basically the whole scenario with Beauterne. Additionally, the extra features are meagre at best - the only documentary being a very dull one about the real legend, there being no real connection with this film. My recommendation, based on my own experience, is that anyone who really wants to enjoy this film and to get the most out of the DVD market should buy the 3 disc Canadian set. This contains the full director's cut of the movie, both in French and English, with subtitles, as well as a host of 'making of' documentaries and other goodies (all subtitled in English). It also comes with a nice booklet and is attractively packaged. This is the definitive edition and is actually available widely and not too expensively. I shan't say where, but it is worth the investment if you love this film.

So, if you have a multi-region player, don't waste your money on this typically tawdry UK version, but go with the definitive Canadian version. You'll be pleased you did!