by Robert Firsching
synopsis
In this Hitchcockian French thriller directed by Claude Chabrol, marital infidelity once again leads to murder. Set in a small village, the plot gets underway when Mayor Paul Delamaire (Claude Piéplu) discovers that his wife Lucienne (Stéphane Audran) is cheating on him. Her lover is the mayor's own deputy, Pierre (Michel Piccoli), whom Delamaire then sets about blackmailing in order to pull off a real estate scam. As might be expected, the ensuing tensions and anger result in homicide. Les Noces Rouges is stylishly directed and contains a fair amount of dark humor, but is a bit too predictable to stand among Chabrol's best.
characteristics
- Adulterer
- Extramarital-affair
- Murder
- Unlikely Criminals
- Adultery
- Infidelity
- Mayor
- Small-town
- Deputy
- Wife
- Wives
- Blackmail
- Scheme
- Real-estate
- Crimes Of Passion
