A tale of love and murder in the provinces, complete with classical references and a caustic portrayal of political corruption. Inspired by a real murder case, Les Noces rouges stars Claude Pieplu as the deeply vulgar Gaullist mayor of a small town in the Loire valley. When he discovers that his wife (Stephane Audran) is having an affair with his deputy (Michel Piccoli), Paul seizes the opportunity to blackmail his left-of-centre political colleague into supporting a crooked property deal. The trapped couple decide to murder Paul in a staged car accident, which Chabrol films in such a way as to emphasise the connection between his characters’ passion and their murderous actions. Les Noces rouges links personal and political corruption to the highest levels of power (a telephone call from ‘M. le President’ terminates the murder investigation) and ruffled some feathers in France at the time of its release, which coincided with an election.

France/Italy, 1973.
English subtitles.
Colour.
90 min.