Pleasure Party (1975)
Pleasure Party (1975)
DVD9 | ISO+MDS | NTSC 4:3 VBR | 01:37:09 | 7,97 Gb
Audio: #1 French, #2 Spanish - each AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps | Subs: English
Genre: Art-house, Drama
DVD9 | ISO+MDS | NTSC 4:3 VBR | 01:37:09 | 7,97 Gb
Audio: #1 French, #2 Spanish - each AC3 2.0 @ 192 Kbps | Subs: English
Genre: Art-house, Drama
Director: Claude Chabrol
Stars: Danièle Gégauff, Paul Gégauff, Clémence Gégauff
Philippe and Ester appear to be the perfect couple. They have been together for eight years and, although they have never married, they have a six year old daughter who is testament to the solidity of their relationship. Fearful that complacency may one day sour their feelings for one another, Philippe suggests that they should both be free to indulge in extra-marital affairs. With some reluctance, Ester agrees, but Philippe is unhappy with the man she chooses, an intellectual named Habib. His increasing jealousy drives Ester away from him and he reacts by hastily marrying an English woman, Sylvia. Even this fails to bring Philippe peace of mind and he resolves to win Ester back, at any price…
Pleasure Party directed by French filmmaker Claude Chabrol is another of his perceptive and tough bourgeois crime tales.
Pleasure Party (1975)
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The film stars Paul Gégauff as Philippe a sweet talking but cruel and egotistical man who belittles his mouse-like docile wife Esther (Danièle Gegauff) every chance he gets. One evening before one of the house parties they hold in their country home Philippe encourages his wife to sleep with another man. She takes him up on it and from that moment she begins to be an independent minded woman; a fact that drives him crazy.
Pleasure Party (1975)
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When they move to the city Esther becomes even more independent and Philippe is faced with a crumbling marriage, which he basically encouraged in the first place. And in time he finds ways to embarrass, belittle and beat her until she is dependent again.
Pleasure Party (1975)
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The film was directed in 1975 just after Chabrol's strongest period, which included such films as La Boucher, Le Biches, This Man Must Die and La Rupture (all of which are available on DVD from Pathfinder). And while this one is not as good as those films it is still a worthy film about the anguish that the bourgeois bring on themselves as well as a comment on the primitive nature of violence that lurks under the perfect bourgeois veneer.
Pleasure Party (1975)
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Pleasure Party ('Une partie de plaisir' in French) is often a tough film to watch because it is fairly easy to see where it is going and what will happen. And this being a Chabrol film each scene builds toward the crime with the precision of a metronome. It is also difficult to associate with any of the characters. In a good number of Chabrol films [he's directed over 70 films] there is at least one likable character who we can connect with on some level. In this film the only thing to connect with is the filmmaker and his style – all if which is good but not enough to make the film entirely enjoyable or satisfying. Maybe that's the point – you be the judge.
Pleasure Party (1975)
![Pleasure Party (1975)]()
Pleasure Party is a somewhat dated but effective French film by French master Claude Chabrol. Although it is not one of his better films it does have the ability to have a lasting impression on anyone who sees it; especially for a three notable scenes. The extras are modest in number but very good and informative. Overall a good tough film and a good DVD that is recommended because of the extras.
Pleasure Party (1975)
Special Features:
- Audio commentary by film critic Dan Yakira and screenwriter Ric Menello (in English)
- Audio interview with Chabrol (47:21, in French with English subs)
- Biographies of Claude Chabrol (director) and Paul Gégauff (writer and lead actor)
- Still gallery (15 pictures)
- Film Notes (17 pages, in English)
- Trailer (3:25)
All Credits for DVD goes to Original uploader.