This belongs in the category of the most twisted movies I have ever seen, without a doubt.
The "Eat a meal while watching the second half of La Grande Bouffe Challenge" should be a thing. Most will fail.
I can't remember how I heard of this but I think it may have been because someone told me the riotous vomit sequence in Triangle of Sadness reminded them of this movie.
The plot sounded not only intriguing but unlike anything else I had ever seen, and, the film itself lived up to that. La Grande Bouffe stands entirely on its own. Four ritzy men who have a taste for gourmet food rent a manor and indulge in a nonstop feast until they quite literally eat themselves to death. For the first hour, things move slow and these legendary European actors (the lead actor from Fellini's 8 1/2, and a prominent character from the fantastic Belle De Jour, amongst others) do a fine job of establishing their characters as high-class on the outside with a twisted, low-class core. After an hour or so, of cooking and non-stop eating, the prostitutes they've hired to hang around finally realize they are getting into something absolutely twisted, and once they leave, all of the sickness creeps in. Somewhere close to the mid way mark, a toilet explodes and a fountain of feces erupts, from here on out the entire film is a straight plunge into a horrible, gastric death.
This movie will make you feel nauseous in a way you've never felt before. They JUST KEEP EATING. "It's...medicinal puree". And all the while, they manage to weave in some of the most unsexy sex amidst all the goopy body failure. I feel that I shouldn't say more in that regard, but I will say that the actors' commitment is impressive, and the fact that such esteemed fellows would go down this path makes it all the more disturbing. On that note, perhaps I missed something, but I don't even understand WHY they decided to eat themselves to death. The confusion you will feel will make you feel even more uneasy.
It doesn't necessarily make much sense and it's not the easiest movie to get through in one sitting, but it will take you to a sickly world you've never been before - that's guaranteed. Philippe Sarde's haunting theme song adds a lot to the farcical tragedy. Between this, Sweet Movie, and Turkish Delight - I'm starting to think that 1973 was the peak year for cinema getting as twisted as is humanly possible, in an artistic manner. I wouldn't recommend this to many people, but you will know based off of this review if it's something you should see or not. It's an absolute freak show of a film.
This is the most extreme case of "The French are frickin' weird, man" that I can think of.
The "Eat a meal while watching the second half of La Grande Bouffe Challenge" should be a thing. Most will fail.
I can't remember how I heard of this but I think it may have been because someone told me the riotous vomit sequence in Triangle of Sadness reminded them of this movie.
The plot sounded not only intriguing but unlike anything else I had ever seen, and, the film itself lived up to that. La Grande Bouffe stands entirely on its own. Four ritzy men who have a taste for gourmet food rent a manor and indulge in a nonstop feast until they quite literally eat themselves to death. For the first hour, things move slow and these legendary European actors (the lead actor from Fellini's 8 1/2, and a prominent character from the fantastic Belle De Jour, amongst others) do a fine job of establishing their characters as high-class on the outside with a twisted, low-class core. After an hour or so, of cooking and non-stop eating, the prostitutes they've hired to hang around finally realize they are getting into something absolutely twisted, and once they leave, all of the sickness creeps in. Somewhere close to the mid way mark, a toilet explodes and a fountain of feces erupts, from here on out the entire film is a straight plunge into a horrible, gastric death.
This movie will make you feel nauseous in a way you've never felt before. They JUST KEEP EATING. "It's...medicinal puree". And all the while, they manage to weave in some of the most unsexy sex amidst all the goopy body failure. I feel that I shouldn't say more in that regard, but I will say that the actors' commitment is impressive, and the fact that such esteemed fellows would go down this path makes it all the more disturbing. On that note, perhaps I missed something, but I don't even understand WHY they decided to eat themselves to death. The confusion you will feel will make you feel even more uneasy.
It doesn't necessarily make much sense and it's not the easiest movie to get through in one sitting, but it will take you to a sickly world you've never been before - that's guaranteed. Philippe Sarde's haunting theme song adds a lot to the farcical tragedy. Between this, Sweet Movie, and Turkish Delight - I'm starting to think that 1973 was the peak year for cinema getting as twisted as is humanly possible, in an artistic manner. I wouldn't recommend this to many people, but you will know based off of this review if it's something you should see or not. It's an absolute freak show of a film.
This is the most extreme case of "The French are frickin' weird, man" that I can think of.