Le cri du hibou (1987)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Odile Barski (writer)
Claude Chabrol (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

28 October 1987 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

After separation from his wife Robert moves to Vichy where he observes beautiful Juliette. Her fiance Patrick becomes jealous and attacks Robert. When Patrick disappears Robert is suspected to have killed him.

Plot Keywords:

Vichy | Foreign Language Adaptation | Missing Person | Farce | Small Town

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

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
Victor Garrivier	...	Le médecin
Jacques Brunet	...	Le père
Charles Millot	...	Le directeur
Yvette Petit	...	La voisine
Dominique Zardi	...	Le voisin
Henri Attal	...	Un flic
Albert Dray	...	Un flic
Nadine Hoffmann	...	Josette
Gérard Croce	...	Un flic
Isabelle Charraix	...	Mme Tessier
Laurent Picaudon	...	Un garçon
Christian Bouvier	...	Le maître d'hôtel
Gilles Dreu	...	M. Tessier

Directed by
Claude Chabrol

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Odile Barski		writer
Claude Chabrol		writer
Patricia Highsmith		novel

Produced by
Antonio Passalia	....	producer (as Anthony Pass)

Original Music by
Matthieu Chabrol

Cinematography by
Jean Rabier

Film Editing by
Monique Fardoulis

Production Design by
Jacques Leguillon

Costume Design by
Magali Fustier-Dray
Dominique Morlotti

Music Department
Dominique Zardi	....	composer: songs "Il faudra bien", "L'ami des chiens"

Production Companies

• Civite Casa Films
• Italfrance Films
• TF1

Distributors

• Image Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• R5/S8 (1991) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)

Also Known As:

Il grido del gufo (Italy)
The Cry of the Owl
El grito de la lechuza (Argentina) (cable TV title) (Spain) [es]
A bagoly kiáltása (Hungary) [hu]
Der Schrei der Eule (West Germany) [de]
O Grito do Mocho (Portugal) [pt]

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 | West Germany:12 | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Vichy, Allier, France

Company:

Civite Casa Films

Movie Connections:

Remade as Cry of the Owl (2009)

very interesting to watch but far from perfect

In general, I liked this movie. In particular, I liked the first half of it. The story also had lots of twists and turns that made it very interesting until somewhere towards the end. By that point, I felt there were so many plot twists that I just wanted a final resolution. Plus, when the end came, it just didn't satisfy me all that much.

Instead, this is actually a film that might have been better had it stayed on target with the direction the plot ORIGINALLY headed. The idea of a stalker being discovered and then stalked by the victim is really interesting and the way this strange woman fell head over heels with the stalker was very interesting. BUT, then, inexplicably, she hates him and then kills herself. This is one too many plot twists--and, of course, there were more to follow.

In conclusion, there were MANY MANY wonderful elements in the movie and a lot to like BUT the movie desperately could have used an editing.