Docteur Popaul

I've watched this film about thirty years ago and it stuck in my mind until now. When I came across it on DVD, I didn't hesitate too long, even more, because I have a predilection for early Belmondo flicks. But what a bad surprise! Some movies should be allowed to resign from public exposure, to preserve a certain memory, and not to shock audiences.

Widely hailed as one of Chabrol's rare cynic works, the only lasting impression I got from re- watching it is... boredom. Some movies really do not age in style. But what about movies which didn't have any sense of style at all?

The flaws in the script, uninspired acting - presumably due to the lack of direction -, a sort of production design, which doesn't deserve its name, less than mediocre photography and, last but not least, the worst editing job I've seen in ages, make this one truly hard to stand.

My impression was, that there was a bunch of people with too much money and equipment but obviously, no idea or any skills at all. It really comes as a surprise, that this one didn't abruptly end Chabrol's career. Don't blame it on the overall bad taste of the 70s, this one is crap in its own right and a worthy contender for the most useless waste of celluloid ever.

While drinking and playing cards with his friends, the medical student Paul Simay (Jean-Paul Belmondo) bets an amount who among them will conquest more ugly women in one year. When he travels to Tunisia on vacation, he meets the unattractive and weird Christine Dupont (Mia Farrow), who has one crippled leg, and seduces her. They go to bed; Christine loses her virginity with Paul, and he wins the bet. Some time later, Paul meets Christine in Bordeaux, and she introduces her father to Paul. He was a medical student of Professor Dupont (Daniel Lecourtois), who owns a clinic, and he offers a partnership to Paul if he marries Christine. At the wedding, he meets the sexy Martine Dupont (Laura Antonelli), who came from London, and soon Paul gives sleeping pills to Christine to have a love affair with her. Meanwhile, all her suitors die, and she get pregnant with Paul. When the girl Claudine is born, Paul is happy with his dysfunctional family. Until the day he has a mysterious car crash and becomes crippled and emasculated, despite the treatment of the old Dr. Berthier (Daniel Ivernel).

"Docteur Popaul", a.k.a "High Heels" (1972), is a movie of dark comedy directed by Claude Chabrol with a story of revenge. The proverbial phrase "revenge is a dish best served cold" was never more adequate than the plot of Christine and Dr. Berthier against the misogynist Paul. The conclusion is corny and commercial, maybe to satisfy conservative audiences, with Dr. Berthier pumping out Paul and saving his life. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Armadilha para Um Lobo" ("Trap for a Wolf")

At the time ,Chabrol was producing movies at an alarming speed .And that period is still looked upon as his very best:"la femme infidèle" "le boucher" "que la bête meure" "la rupture" and "les noces rouges" are unqualified musts for any Chabrol fan.Two works took a divergent road in this golden era: "la decade prodigieuse " was a failed (but not completely wretched) attempt at transferring one of Ellery Queen's absorbing books to the screen .And then "Docteur Popaul" which is from Hubert Monteilhet's "meurtres à loisirs" .Monteilhet writes thrillers which sometimes recall Boileau-Narcejac ("Diabolique" "Vertigo" )but he introduces a sense of humor and a certain bad taste not present in the works of the writers I mention above.Chabrol has given a totally true rendering of Monteilhet atmosphere:the set up,the grotesque characters (particularly a made look ugly Mia Farrow :why her anyway?The director had to dub her in French ).The conclusion ,like in any Monteilhet's book, is immoral to a fault.But deliciously immoral.

I generally can't understand what people see in Chabrol. His films are boring and predictable. Take The Butcher. One suspect, he did it and the clue is in the title. The film is very cynical, it's not even dark humour. For me it wasn't homour at all. The overall concept is deeply mysoginist. I can't really laugh about women being degraded. And all that bourgeoisie bashing in the late 60s / early seventies is hardly original. Most of all the film is very boring because there are no characters the viewer can relate to and the narrative doesn't really get going. Apart from some sexy scenes with Laura Antonelli this is a total waste of time.

A delightful black comedy which is quite unlikely ever to be re-made by Hollywood, it is just too cynical about beauty and love and marriage and family and medicine and murder. Jean-Paul Belmondo plays the title hero, ever in pursuit of ugly women (which incidentally furthers his career) until the sight of his sister-in-law, played by Laura Antonelli, make him change his priorities. It is amazing how Belmondo manages to stay likable while his character's actions are thoroughly objectionable throughout - it probably helps that his adversaries are not such terrific people themselves.