Châtaignes de Fromage
Sunday July 18, 7:30pm, The Castro, San Francisco
When a failed playwright is lost at sea and presumed dead, he is eulogized as a cultural hero. Theodore Larue (Nicolas Rimsky) sheepishly watches through a hole in the backdrop as his latest effort opens and closes on the same night. His wife Suzanne (Suzanne Bianchetti) suggests a vacation, "Titi! Let's go to the sea!" He falls overboard, she returns heartbroken to Paris and the shallow literati shower Larue with accolades. The surviving author unexpectedly slinks home unnoticed and, with Suzanne's help masquerades as his twin brother while hastily composing posthumous works.
Directed by Serge Nadejdine, L'Herueuse Mort was adapted for the screen by Rimsky, whose portrayal of the lovable half-wit Larue is priceless. Of particular note are scenes describing alternate versions of the "storm," and Larue's moronic rapture when he is simultaneously immortalized and nearly revealed. An animated segment added to lengthen run time is the film's only flaw.
Sunday July 18, 7:30pm, The Castro, San Francisco
When a failed playwright is lost at sea and presumed dead, he is eulogized as a cultural hero. Theodore Larue (Nicolas Rimsky) sheepishly watches through a hole in the backdrop as his latest effort opens and closes on the same night. His wife Suzanne (Suzanne Bianchetti) suggests a vacation, "Titi! Let's go to the sea!" He falls overboard, she returns heartbroken to Paris and the shallow literati shower Larue with accolades. The surviving author unexpectedly slinks home unnoticed and, with Suzanne's help masquerades as his twin brother while hastily composing posthumous works.
Directed by Serge Nadejdine, L'Herueuse Mort was adapted for the screen by Rimsky, whose portrayal of the lovable half-wit Larue is priceless. Of particular note are scenes describing alternate versions of the "storm," and Larue's moronic rapture when he is simultaneously immortalized and nearly revealed. An animated segment added to lengthen run time is the film's only flaw.