Buffet froid
Encyclopedia
Buffet froid is a 1979 French film written and directed by Bertrand Blier
, starring Gérard Depardieu
, Carole Bouquet
, Bernard Blier
and Jean Carmet
. The film is a crime thriller but displays a high degree of black humour as contemporary urban life is depicted as alienating and having a dehumanizing effect on city dwellers. It won a César Award for Best Writing
, and was nominated for Best Cinematography, Editing and Production Design.
) , to the police inspector that it was his own knife that killed the accountant: the police inspector, irate at having to consider a complex case while off-duty pushes Tram out of his apartment saying he has a bellyfull of murders all day and doesn't want another to deal with. This sparks off a series of bizarre occurrences around the city as Alphonse's wife is killed, and the perpetrator (Jean Carmet) who confesses to the murder is seemingly taken light heartedly by the police officer and Alphonse himself.
.
Bertrand Blier
Bertrand Blier is a French screenwriter and film director.Born in Boulogne-Billancourt, France. He is the son of Bernard Blier....
, starring Gérard Depardieu
Gérard Depardieu
Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu is a French actor and filmmaker. He is a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur, Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite and has twice won the César Award for Best Actor...
, Carole Bouquet
Carole Bouquet
Carole Bouquet is a French actress and fashion model, who has appeared in more than 40 films since 1977. Bouquet was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France....
, Bernard Blier
Bernard Blier
Bernard Blier was a French character actor. His rotund features and premature baldness allowed him to often play cuckolded husbands in his early career. He proved to be one of France's most versatile and sought-after character actors, performing interchangeably in comedies and dramas...
and Jean Carmet
Jean Carmet
Jean Carmet, born July 25, 1920 in Bourgueil, Indre-et-Loire, France; died April 20, 1994 in Sèvres, Hauts-de-Seine, was a French actor.-Biography:...
. The film is a crime thriller but displays a high degree of black humour as contemporary urban life is depicted as alienating and having a dehumanizing effect on city dwellers. It won a César Award for Best Writing
César Award for Best Writing
This is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Writing .-1975–1979:*1975: Bertrand Tavernier, Jean Aurenche: Que la fête commence...
, and was nominated for Best Cinematography, Editing and Production Design.
Plot
The film begins with Alphonse Tram (Gérard Depardieu), a less than gregarious character, idly chatting to an accountant who is travelling home very late (they appear to be the only ones on the La Défense metro station platform, but look closely...). The accountant, a man of orthodox social outlook and standing is disturbed by and fearful of this rambling loner, more so when Tram attempts to give him his bloodstained knife (in order to reduce the chances of him "doing something silly..."). They argue and the accountant puts the knife on a seat a few feet away behind them. They argue some more and then notice the knife has disappeared. Later that night Tram discovers the same man in a subway leading from another metro station lying down with the knife stabbed into his stomach: he has no explanation to the police inspector Bernard (Blier) he reports it to as to how it happened. He speculates, perhaps unwisely but without caring for the potential consequences (as in Camus' L'ÉtrangerThe Stranger (novel)
The Stranger or The Outsider is a novel by Albert Camus published in 1942. Its theme and outlook are often cited as examples of existentialism, though Camus did not consider himself an existentialist; in fact, its content explores various philosophical schools of thought, including absurdism, as...
) , to the police inspector that it was his own knife that killed the accountant: the police inspector, irate at having to consider a complex case while off-duty pushes Tram out of his apartment saying he has a bellyfull of murders all day and doesn't want another to deal with. This sparks off a series of bizarre occurrences around the city as Alphonse's wife is killed, and the perpetrator (Jean Carmet) who confesses to the murder is seemingly taken light heartedly by the police officer and Alphonse himself.
Cast
- Gérard DepardieuGérard DepardieuGérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu is a French actor and filmmaker. He is a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur, Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite and has twice won the César Award for Best Actor...
as Alphonse Tram - Bernard BlierBernard BlierBernard Blier was a French character actor. His rotund features and premature baldness allowed him to often play cuckolded husbands in his early career. He proved to be one of France's most versatile and sought-after character actors, performing interchangeably in comedies and dramas...
as Insp. Morvandieu - Jean CarmetJean CarmetJean Carmet, born July 25, 1920 in Bourgueil, Indre-et-Loire, France; died April 20, 1994 in Sèvres, Hauts-de-Seine, was a French actor.-Biography:...
as The murderer - Carole BouquetCarole BouquetCarole Bouquet is a French actress and fashion model, who has appeared in more than 40 films since 1977. Bouquet was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France....
as The young woman at the end - Denise Gence as The hostess
- Marco Perrin as The man in undershirt
- Jean BenguiguiJean BenguiguiJean Benguigui is a French actor of the screen, stage and on television, he born April 8 1944 in Oran. He is of Jewish descent. In 2006 and 2007 he played the role of impresario Cartoni in a new adaptation of the operetta Le Chanteur de Mexico at the Theatre du Chatelet.-Filmography:* La croisière...
as The hired killer - Jean Rougerie as Eugène Léonard, le témoin
- Liliane Rovère as Josyane
- Bernard Crombey as The doctor
- Michel Fortin as L'escogriffe
- Roger Riffard as Le garde de la tour
- Maurice Travail as Le garde du terrain vague
- Nicole Desailly as La femme divorcée
- Pierre Frag as L'homme divorcé
- Eric Wasberg as Inspector Cavana
- Geneviève PageGeneviève PageGeneviève Page is a leading French actress with a film career spanning fifty years. She is the daughter of Jacques Paul Bonjean , a well known French art-collector.-Career:...
as The widow, Geneviève Léonard - Michel SerraultMichel SerraultMichel Serrault was a celebrated French actor who appeared in over 150 films.-Biography :...
as The accountant in the opening scenes (uncredited)
Reception
The film had 777,127 admissions in France which was considered a failure. It has however since gained cult statusCult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
.