Search - Coup De Torchon [Criterion Collection] on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Violence, Nudity, Not For Children, Adult Humor, Profanity, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 1981 DVD Release: 03/13/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: French Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 8 mins Studio: Criterion Members Wishing: 13 Genres: Comedy, Crime, Satire, Black Comedy, Crime Comedy

Based on pulp master Jim Thompson's -Pop. 1280, Bertrand Tavernier's Coup de Torchon is a sardonic thriller that remains true to its source's spirit, even as it transposes the action from the American South to colonial West Africa. Lucien (Philippe Noiret) is the bumbling police chief of Bourkasa, a dusty outpost in rural Senegal. Badgered by local thugs, Lucien initially comes across as a pathetic oaf unable to stand up for himself. Things at home are scarcely better, as Lucien finds himself harried by his nagging wife, Huguette (Stéphane Audran), who is carrying on an affair with a man she claims to be her brother (Eddy Mitchell). Without warning, Lucien embarks on a nonchalant killing spree, murdering everyone who has ever mistreated him. As he sets about "cleaning the slate," Lucien intensifies his affair with ditsy Rose (Isabelle Huppert), all the while pining for the newly arrived schoolteacher, Anne (Irene Skobline). Remaining above suspicion even as bodies pile up, the seemingly witless Lucien gradually develops a twisted logic for his actions, animating his crusade with an evangelical purpose. By movie's end, Tavernier leaves little room for redemption, leaving the joyless Lucien mired in a moral quagmire of his own making. ~ Elbert Ventura, All Movie Guide

Philippe Noiret - Lucien Cordier
Isabelle Huppert - Rose
Jean-Pierre Marielle - Le Peron
Jean-Pierre Marielle - Le Peron's brother
Stéphane Audran - Hughuette Cordier
Eddy Mitchell - Nono

An intelligent and disquieting adaptation of Jim Thompson's novel -Pop. 1280, this darkly witty thriller has been given a splendid North American release on DVD through the auspices of the Criterion Collection. Coup de Torchon has been given a letterboxed transfer to disc in its original widescreen aspect ratio of 1.66:1, and the image has also been enhanced for anamorphic playback on 16 x 9 monitors. The audio has been mastered in its original mix in Dolby Digital Mono. The dialogue is in French, with optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release. Bonus materials include an interview with director Bertrand Tavernier, an alternate-ending sequence, and the film's original American release trailer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide