Death in a French Garden [DVD] [1986]

One of my favourite films of all time: this is a stylish, sexy, intriguing thriller, brilliantly executed and with some of the most evocative music you could hope for in a film. The story is straightforward - a handsome young guitar tutor (Christophe Malavoy) starts an affair with the mother (Nicole Garcia) of his tutee but all is not what it seems - the husband is an industrialist with secrets that someone is willing to kill for. A very young Anemone plays the nosey neighbour. I won't give away any more of the story but suffice to say that Michel Deville directs the film with his usual verve and panache. The simple sets seem to suit the mood of the film, moving from one sensual scene to the next, accompanied all the time with glorious music from Granados, Brahms and Schubert (shame there's never been a soundtrack released). If you haven't seen this film yet, you're in for treat. Even after fifty or more viewings (my video tape wore out), I still enjoy it. It's one to watch late at night with a glass of wine!
Some interesting points of note about the DVD: the picture quality (non-anamorphic transfer) is very good, without much grain and with no pops or drop-outs. The sound (ostensibly Dolby Digital, but more realistically two-track stereo) is a little hissy but clear and with good depth. The dialogue has been re-translated compared to the video version (which has been available for many years) and the sub-titles are subtely different from the theatrical release and the video. For example, David describes the symbol on his pillow as a 'crossed - o' in the video translation but in the the DVD it is translated as a 'mythical symbol'. Extra features are mimimal - just a few potted biographies really. However, the DVD has been worth waiting for - enjoy!

A simply great thriller, great in any language, timeless, visually stunning, what more can I say?

Unusually, for a cast full of unsympathic characters, I was drawn into this film the first time I watched it 5 years ago, and I have been returning to it ever since.

A must for anyone who enjoys a superior mystery - after you've watched it once, I'll be very surprised if you don't want to watch it again.

One of the best art movies I've seen. Usually they're slow and ponderous. And all French films have that existential disconnected emptiness to them. This film had a quick brisk pace and there was just a small dollop of existential emptiness (see The Pornographer to see how a movie can be made unwatchable by it).

It had a proper plot and is part of a clear and distinct genre (erotic thriller). It also has interesting, well realised characters.

The film is visually pretty and the DVD looks good; although I think it was sourced from an old cinema print as the reel change burn marks can be seen every twenty or so minutes.

I'm not sure why it's so obscure as it's better than the over-rated Three Colours Trilogy, of which this film could easily have been the fourth part.

Even if you don't like French art movies, it is still very enjoyable and remarkably free of pretension. And there's no higher praise than that when it comes to French movies.

I would also recommend Choses Secretes (Secret Things) as it's a great film that is very explicit and almost without pretension.

NOTE 7/1/12 (25 of 29 found the review helpful):

I watched it again for the second time.

The plot was a little odd and sort of mildly unsatisfying. To me it feels like it climaxes too early with the obvious end point being only the conclusion of the second act.

It's a good film but it perhaps comes across as more adult and classier than it really is due to the pretty visuals, the upfront handling of the sexual material (Hollywood in 1985 was a hell of a lot tamer) and the fact that it's in French with subtitles. Some of the dialogue and the relationships between the characters might be harder to swallow if in English.

It's a bit over-directed with the camera constantly panning, and the editing cutting the start and ends of scenes together in pointlessly tricksy ways.

4 out of 5 stars

"it's better than the over-rated Three Colours Trilogy, of which this film could easily have been the fourth part."

I no longer think it would fit the Three Colours Trilogy, as it's too "trashy".