THE CRY OF THE OWL
**1/2 out of *****

Genres
Thriller

1987
Directed by
Claude Chabrol
Written by
Odile Barski
Claude Chabrol
Patricia Highsmith (novel)
Cast
Christophe Malavoy .... Robert
Mathilda May .... Juliette
Jacques Penot .... Patrick
Jean-Pierre Kalfon .... Le commissaire/Police commisionneer
Virginie Thévenet .... Véronique
Patrice Kerbrat .... Marcello
Jean-Claude Lecas .... Jacques
Agnès Denèfle .... Suzie

Claude Chabrol is widely considered 'the master of the mystery genre'. In The Cry of the Owl he filmed the writing of a gifted thriller author, Patricia Highsmith. The resulting film should had the makings of a fantastic edge-of-your seat ride. However, the film does has a few holes that causes it to sink a little. The largest deals with the film's main character, Robert (Christophe Malavoy), who finds himself in a situation where he is believed to have committed a murder; yet this could have been disproved had the police followed Robert's tip. A tip that leads them right to the person he is accused of killing, who just happens to be very much alive. Chabrol does his best to guide us through not knowing what will happen next; his sense of timing and pace is well executed for this piece and it adds a certain dread which hangs over the viewer.

Robert is a troubled young draftsman, who has a past of emotional instability; hit with depression he takes up a pastime that involves peeping on a young couple. Watching the happy young girl, Juliette (Mathilda May), makes him forget his woes. One day he makes the mistake of meeting Juliette, who becomes accustomed to him and eventually falls in love with her peeping tom. She decides to call off her wedding to fiancé Patrick (Jacques Penot). Intensely jealous, Patrick goes after Robert, threatening to kill him if he continues to see Juliette. Juliette refuses to part with Robert, despite his efforts to stop seeing her. After an altercation with Robert, Patrick disappears and is feared dead. The police think Robert is behind it, from here on in Robert's problems only get worse.

As I stated above the story has a few holes, the biggest of which is why the police didn't investigate Patrick's whereabouts. If that was done the film would need not to continue. Had there been some sort explanation, for example the police checked up but were too late and Patrick moved, it would have been enough to continue without any questions. I also found that the police didn't investigate Robert's ex-wife; they knew she was in contact with Patrick, yet they didn’t think she could be involved? Additionally, I felt that Juliette's abrupt suicide came out of nowhere, there was no built up to it, or any hint that she would do something so out of character. Had a lead up been established it would have felt right, in this case it's a shock but it makes no sense to me why her character would do such a thing.

Chabrol's new wave influence is all over this film. It’s filled with striking imagery that is evidence of a cinematic eye; one most notable scene is Robert's first introduction to Juliette, coming from the darkness of the woods and into a fire that blazes directly in front. Could the raging fire be a metaphor for this own personal turmoil? Chabrol certainly likes to engage his audience, dropping little clues about these characters along the way. The film's pace is, as expected, a slow boil, Chabrol allows the time for us to get to know the characters and this helps develop a connection with the viewer allowing him to spring moments of tension onto us that we would otherwise have ignored had we not identified with the characters. This all leads to a rather ambiguous ending that almost makes up for the flaws in the story logic.

I was also impressed with the understated performances from the film's three leads, Christophe Malavoy is perfectly cast as Robert, his performance is realistic and dialogue flows naturally. Mathilda May plays Juliette with a complex naivety and fragility that is convincing and Jacques Penot is equally perfect as the jealous fiancé.

Overall The Cry of the Owl wasn't a masterpiece as expected, but rather a mediocre effort laced with fine performances and memorable imagery. Chabrol fans might like to check this film out if they haven't already, however I think the film's slow pace would likely turn some viewers away.

Finger_Of_DOOM's reviews also appear on DVD Compare, where they include details of the DVD release. For this review click here.

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