The two other Marco Ferreri films I've seen, Dillinger Is Dead and Bye Bye Monkey, I found utterly boring, I must admit. I was a little wary of La grande bouffe, though I had always wanted to see it. I've always been drawn to stories where a group of people (or more usually a couple) lock themselves up together and slowly kill themselves, or screw each others brains out. In this film, four men (Marcello Mastroianni, Michel Piccoli, Philippe Noiret and Ugo Tognazzi, all playing characters who use the actors' real first names) come together in a palatial estate to screw prostitutes and eat themselves to death. No real reason is given. The prostitutes don't make it very long. The constant feasting disgusts them, and they leave. The only woman who does stay is a Reubenesque teacher named Andrea (Andrea Ferreol), who is intrigued by both the food and sex (unlike the other women, the idea of food and sex together turns her on). This movie is a tad too slow. At it's best, though, it's fascinating and hilariously gross. Food seems quite unappetizing after about a half hour of this. I loved the performances. Definitely of interest.
Review of The Big Feast
