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A Double Tour

John Farr | 06/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Chabrol's first color film is a welter of oedipal conflict and emotional savagery, all of which is given a slightly Hitchcockian twist. Among the excellent cast, Belmondo is particularly memorable for his hilariously irreverent turn as a drunk, uncouth Hungarian hanger-on--and so too is Robinson as Marchaux's unattractively petty yet sympathetic wife. Jocelyn is also nicely cast as a creepy music lover who peeps through keyholes, among other habits. Adapted from a Stanley Ellin thriller, "Tour" is a poison dart aimed squarely at bourgeois convention."

Chabrol in progress!

Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 12/17/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This film explores one of the favorite issues of Chabrol. The decadence of a wealthy family involved into a dark affair respect the mistress of a bored husband and a dysfunctional family.



This bored marriage has two sons, a beautiful daughter who is in love with a good for nothing (Jean Paul Belmondo) who has an unemployed and unworried friend, and his brother a man of good manners and weird behavior.



An undated suspense film whose Hitchcokian approach is more than obvious, specially in the opening sequence that works out as an homage to "Vertigo".



Don't miss it.

"

"Double" Trouble

Alex Udvary | chicago, il United States | 05/09/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Master filmmaker Claude Chabrol's "Double Tour" is not one of his best films. It's not on the same level as "Le Boucher", "Les Biches", "This Man Must Die" or "The Unfaithful Wife", but "Double Tour" is just too much fun to watch not to like.



The movie follows Chabrol's usual ingredients that make a successful film. We have the upper class family, the hidden family secrets, murder and lust, but the movie plays the material as if it were stylized melodrama. I wonder what Douglas Sirk would have done with the same material.



Henri (Jacques Dacqmine) is married to Therese (Madaleine Robinson) and has two children; Richard (Andre Jocelyn) and Elisabeth (Jeanne Valerie). But meanwhile he is having an affair with Leda (Antonella Lualdi), who lives right next door.



Now besides Henri's activities this family is going through a lot. Elisabeth is about to marry Laszlo (Jean-Paul Belmondo). Did you ever think you'd see Belmondo play a Hungarian? And son Richard, is a bit of a lose screw. He seems to lust after their maid, Julie (Bernadette Lafont) who likes to parade around in the underwear.



"Double Tour" was Chabrol's third film, coming after "Le Beau Serge" and "Les Cousins". It's not as good as "Serge" but clearly Chabrol was coming into his own with this film. He was finding a style that worked for him and themes that interested him. After watching this film, when you view his later films you will see the logical progression.



I compared the film to a melodrama and the performances are just as wild and overly dramatic. This is not a fault. It helps give the movie more color. No one really goes over the top, not even Belmondo, because no one is "normal" to compare them to.



Again, while this isn't Chabrol's best film, it's one of most most fun to watch. And something this fun should be seen by everyone.



Bottom-line: Not one of Claude Chabrol's best films, but one of the most fun and entertaining. The movie reminds me of a Douglas Sirk melodrama, but shows Chabrol's progression as a filmmaker.



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