When the weather turns gloomy and wet, with rain pelting the roof and a fire crackling in the wood stove, it’s time to break out “Le Pacte des Loups (Brotherhood of the Wolf).”
I suppose you could classify this strange French historical fantasy-horror/martial arts movie as a guilty pleasure. But that would imply that I feel guilty about loving it so much. Which I don’t. BTW, I always watch it in French with English subtitles; the dubbed version just doesn’t cut it.
Anyway…
The story is based on the legend of the Beast of Gévaudan, which terrorized the rugged French province for several years starting in 1764, savagely mauling its victims, mostly young women. The Chevalier de Fronsac is dispatched from Paris to investigate the killings and to capture or slay the Beast. Fronsac is a naturalist who has spent years on the North American frontier — a man of science and a notorious libertine. He is accompanied by his Mohawk friend Mani.
Mani, forest warrior and mystic…
Along the way lie lust, love, and a grotesque evil worse than the ravages of any Beast.
Beautiful, deadly and expensive… but obviously worth it.
The film is visually lush (and no, I’m not just talking about the luscious Monica Bellucci) and atmospheric. The forested mountains of the French highlands are dark and foreboding, as wild in their way as the Canadian forests Fronsac and Mani explored and fought in during the Seven Years War. The troops called in to hunt the Beast are colorful and the strange clan of gypsies of the forest is downright lurid.
“Le Pacte des Loups” requires a fair bit of willing suspension of disbelief. It is a heavily-stylized historical fantasy, a dark and grim (Grimm?) fairy tale. Some of the weaponry and martial arts are over-the-top and from a historical perspective I have to view the setting as an alternative 18th Century.
It’s not perfect, even taken on its own terms. But I don’t care. There’s nothing else quite like it, and nothing more fun on a cold, wet, dreary night, when you know damn well that a Beast lurks in the forest, just beyond the lights of the manor…
Paul McNamee says
After seeing this, I wanted Mark Dacascos to play Bran Mak Morn.
JimC says
THAT would work!
Lane Batot says
Son, we MUST have some recent common ancestry, fer shore….I LOVE this weird-ass movie! It is a very strange(well, it IS French!) combination with the martial arts, Mohawk and Gypsy fighters, 1700’s hunting–but it is mesmerizing! BEAUTIFULLY(if darkly) filmed, with most intriguing characters–indeed, there is nothing quite like it! A definete “cult”(literally and figuratively!) movie! I personally was somewhat aggravated at the (to me) unnecesary bizzareness of the “beast”, but that was more than made up for with actually portraying ACCURATE breeds of hunting dogs and REAL WOLVES for many scenes! My DVD copy has some neat features, including some discussion on what the REAL Beast of Gevuadan could have been–unlike the unrealistic(in that wolves NEVER kill and eat people) naturalist interviewed. This movie SHOULD make people want to study up on the real accounts of the Beast Of Gevuadan(a favorite subject avec moi), and I will recommend what I think is THE BEST, MOST REALISTIC based on the evidence,(but not cheap, alas) book on the subject, the title of which is something like “Monsters Of The Gevuadan; the Making of a Beast” by Jay Smith–EXCELLENT account–the most thorough out there, too, that I’ve found. And I agree with the book’s conclusion–it were wolves(but not werewolves!)–perhaps wolf-dog hybrids–combined with human exagerrations and superstitions. But I too, highly recommend this strange, compelling film–I’m wondering if Mister Bodio has seen his copy of the film yet?(some cross-blog conversation here….) I happen to know he has a copy, but haven’t gotten any feedback on it yet–this seems like the perfect time and place!
JimC says
“Son, we MUST have some recent common ancestry, fer shore….”
I’d bet on it…
Over to you Steve…
Steve Bodio says
Awright, awright… I take FOREVER to plug movies into my machine, but it is cold and wet and spitting sleet and time to huddle around the fire while the wolves howl. Just got out the copy that Lane sent me, and we will watch & report….
JimC says
Enjoy!
John Maddox Roberts says
I’ve never seen this one, but now I’ll have to seek it out. But I thought the Mohawks were British allies in the Seven Years’ War, and the Hurons sided with the French.
JimC says
Mani was captured by the French and rescued and befriended by the freethinking Fronsac.