The Twist is a 1976 film co-written and directed by Claude Chabrol. Its title in French is Folies bourgeoises (literally - bourgeois madness).

The Twist
DVD cover
Directed byClaude Chabrol
Screenplay byClaude Chabrol
Ennio de Concini
Norman Enfield
Based onLe Malheur Fou
by Lucie Faure
Produced byAlexander Salkind
Ilya Salkind
Pierre Spengler
StarringBruce Dern
Stéphane Audran
Ann-Margret
CinematographyJean Rabier
Edited byMonique Fardoulis
Music byManuel De Sica
Production
companies
Barnabe
Central Cinema Company Film (CCC)
Gloria
Release date
  • 23 June 1976 (1976-06-23)
Running time
107 minutes
CountriesFrance
Italy
West Germany
LanguagesFrench
English

Plot

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The film follows a bored, upper class group of Parisians who embark on a series of affairs with each other.

Principal cast

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Actor Role
Bruce Dern William Brandels
Stéphane Audran Claire Brandels
Sydne Rome Nathalie
Jean-Pierre Cassel Jacques Lavolet, l'éditeur
Ann-Margret Charlie Minerva
Maria Schell Gretel
Francis Perrin Robert Sartre
Sybil Danning La secrétaire
Charles Aznavour Dr. Lartigue
Curd Jürgens Le bijoutier
Tomás Milián Le détective
Claude Chabrol Le client chez l'éditeur (uncredited)

Critical reception

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Glenn Davidson of Turner Classic Movies:

[T]he story cannot decide whether it is a romantic farce, a serious look at relationships, or a setup for a series of erotic daydreams experienced by a troubled married couple... The Twist is a confused and halfhearted comedy of manners that never decides on an approach to its subject... Although the film does have a few interesting moments, it is cluttered with pointless digressions and unfunny comedy.[1]

Michael Barrett of PopMatters:

Chabrol's typical themes don't fit so well into wacky-comedy mode (given that French wacky comedies usually are no funnier than American ones) and not so easily into surreal-fantasy mode either. The chicly transgressive dreams seem intended to remind us of Luis Buñuel's French films of this era, but it suffers in the comparison. Where the film wants to be frothy and sexy, it looks grating. What tries to look smart looks dumb.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Erickson, Glenn (February 22, 2011). "The Twist (Folies Bourgeoises) - Bruce Dern & Ann-Margret In Claude Chabrol's THE TWIST Aka Folies Bourgeoises)". TCM.com. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
  2. ^ Barrett, Michael (27 July 2011). "A Double Dose of Claude Chabrol: 'Just Before Nightfall' and 'Twist' < PopMatters". PopMatters.com. Retrieved 2024-08-07.
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