Customer Reviews

Brotherhood of the Wolf (3 Disc Collectors Edition)

5 star:		(196)
4 star:		(89)
3 star:		(42)
2 star:		(26)
1 star:		(36)

 

 

Apparently based on a true story (or at least a true myth) Brotherhood of The Wolf is a wonderful movie full of surprises. Part pre-revolutionary French period drama (complete with scantily clad peasant maidens with heaving bosoms and creepy aristocrats), part political allegory, part martial arts movie, and complete with gothic trimmings (a la Hammer House of Horror - secret societies, castles and candle-lit cellars etc.). Brotherhood of The Wolf is no euro art-house movie but it really is a must see.

I'm not generally a fan of foreign movies but that's probably because this is only the third foreign movie I've seen on the big screen (the other two were `Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' And `Amelie'). This movie received such universal high praise that I just felt compelled to go and see it and I must admit that although I initially struggled with the subtitles during the more conversation filled early scenes, after only twenty minutes I had completely forgotten that I was watching a foreign movie with subtitles, so immersed was I in the movie.

I don't want to give too much of the plot away, particularly as part of the joy of this movie is its surprise element - just when you think you have the movie sussed it moves in a different direction. Set in France, in 1776, and entirely told in flashback, an unknown and rarely seen beast is terrorising the French rural district of Gevaudan, by killing its women and children. So, King Louis XV dispatches young scientist Gregoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) accompanied his Iroquoi native American companion, Mani (Mark Dacascos) to find the uber wolf. On arriving in Gevaudon they find that the soldiers previously sent to catch the beast are more adept at terrorising the locals than they are at hunting, and that region is in a state of complete panic.

Director Christophe Gans serves up a stylish period thriller and exhilarating ride, perfectly capturing the period, beautifully photographing the landscapes, seamlessly combined with action scenes of great style and surreal originality. When we are first introduced to de Fronsac and Mani masked and on horseback in the driving rain (a la Dangerous Liasons), they happen across an old man and his whorish daughter being beaten and bullied by brutish soldiers. Cue a change of direction from period drama to action kick ass action movie as Mani delivers a very sound and stylish beating to the thugs, seamlessly directed with the combination of slo-mo and real time action.

This is the movie that Tim Burton's `Sleepy Hollow' could have been and should have been. Although the beast special effects (from Jim Henson's workshop( are not the best and perhaps slightly overlong, this is an excellent and very gripping movie, beautifully filmed and directed with superb action and superb acting. Monica Bellucci sizzles as a rather shapely and very attractive high class prostitute. The handsome (in a chunky Gallic way) Samuel Le Bihan makes an great leading man and he is ably supported by the excellent Vincent Cassell (as a menacing one armed aristocrat) and the radiant Emilie Dequenne, as the virtuous Marianne. However, it is Mark Dacascos (Driven) who steals the show as de Fronsacs blood brother Mani. With striking good looks, charisma, and a great deal of both physical presence and martial arts skills, coupled with his acting ability, he lights up the screen and given the opportunity he will go on from here to be an international star.

Personally I can't wait until the movie is available on DVD. Apparently Ang Lee described `Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon as Bruce Lee meets Jane Austen', this is much more than Dangerous Liasons meets John Woo meets Hammer House of Horror. This is a real gem of a movie that I am so glad I `discovered'. Stunningly original in its combination of styles and genres and a great example to Hollywood of what they should be producing. Very entertaining!!!

(See it now before they make a horrible English language remake).

As an American I was apalled at the cheap DVD release they did of this film in the states, especially after hearing about the French release. Imagine my delight to see that Canada also had a 3 disc set that I could buy.
I've studied French since I was young and while not conversant in it I still have some basic understanding of this beautiful language. I enjoyed all the extras and only wished my French was much better so I could listen to the commentaries. But the good news is that most of the extras have subtitles so if you do not speak French do not worry!
I also much prefered the English subtitles to the English dubbing. The dubbing sounded phoney, and it chops the dialogue up much worse than subtitles do. When are people going to actually hire voice actors who sound convincing as the charcters of the film? Anyway...
This is one of the most facinating films I have ever seen, not since Neil Jordan's "The Company of Wolves" has a film so captured the spirt of the fairy tales and legends of old, not the sanitized versions we now see today. The cast is brilliant especially Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel both were just riveting. The plot was intriquing to the very end. If I have to criticize anything I think the sword fight at the end felt too forced and a bit artificial due to the special effects of the blade not being convincing enough. Other than that I will always consider this one of the best films I have ever seen!

3 DISC SPECIAL EDITION

Special Features
(all special features are in French WITH English subtitles unless otherwise noted)

:: Two Commentaries (in French with NO English subs)
:by actors Samuel Le Bihan and Vincent Cassel
:by director Christophe Gans
:: Deleted Scenes
:: "The Guts of the Beast" Documentary - 78 min.
:: "Behind the Scenes" Documentary - 78 min.
:: Filmographies
:: Trailer
:: "The Legend" Documentary
:: Storyboards
:: Photo Gallery
:: Production Notes Booklet

Don't get me wrong, I love the movie. Brotherhood of the Wolf ( Le Pacte Des Loups ) is an entertaining stew that mixes period costume drama, monster movie, martial arts action and political thriller. Every frame is beautiful to look at and it's a lot of fun.

In fact, if you haven't seen it, or only have the single disc domestic edition, I would definitely recommend picking this up. However ...

Some time ago, I picked up the canadian TVA films 3 disc collector's edition, which comes with a booklet and DTS sound - good stuff.

This "director's cut" version released by universal has most of the same features as the 3 disc collector's edition from TVA ... but ultimately lacks what is necessary to be called an improvement. The only reason to buy this is : as a step up from the single disc domestic edition.

The problems

1. There is no collectable booklet and no DTS sound.
2. The subtitles are poorly translated - enough to distract me.
3. No significant improvement in picture quality.
4. It is not properly formated for the current 16:9 screen aspect standard ( second line of subtitles cut off ).

I would think, in this day and age, that any dvd release of a widescreen foreign movie would take advantage of the widescreen TV format and still have both lines of subtitles viewable. Nope. Formated to be viewed in 4:3 ( unless you want to watch it dubbed in english ). Sure, you can use some alternate picture mode on your 16:9 TV - but then you have to trade off having the picture distorted in order to use the full width and have both lines of subtitles visible at the same time. They had a chance to fix that issue for this edition and blew it.

If you love this movie like I do, buy a used copy of the 3 - disc collector's edition instead of this "director's cut" - same features as this edition + DTS + better subtitle translation + collectable booklet. 'Nuff said.

We (Husband Steve and myself) had expected a 'normal' werewolf story, but we were in for a pleasant surprise!
Steve did not mind reading the subtitles and I am lucky enough to understand French, so we both left the cinema very happy indeed. The plot centres around a mystical beast said to be roaming the forest and killing women and children and is based on a true story in late 18th century France. It is said that still today local historians do not know what exactly the beast was, but the killings stopped all of a sudden, so the beast must have somehow been hunted down and killed. The makers of the film made sure their research was solid enough to make the story plausible, and as for the setting, the costumes,the atmospere, the colours, the language and the portrayal of French aristocracy and life in that period of time just before the French Revolution is lively and full of suspense. The main characters of the story are the noble Grégoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) and his taciturn Native American companion and blood brother Mani (Mark Dacascos) who have been asked by the French king to investigate the story of the Beast in the French region of Gévaudan. There they meet an amazing assembly of nobles who in spite of the killings do not seem altogether interested in uncovering the truth, but more in getting rid of the investigators and going back to leading their normal lives - the reason for which becomes apparent later on in the plot. Even the love interest between de Fronsac and Marianne de Morangias (Emilie Dequenne) does not slow things down as so often happens in films of that nature, and the witty dialogues are a pleasure to follow.
There is a lot of mysticism involved, be it through the character of J.François Morangias (brother of Marianne, Vincent Cassel) whose travels had led him to Africa where he lost one of his arms while hunting and who will do anything to keep his sister from harm - or men like de Fronsac, or the amazingly impressing representation of a Native American's way of looking at life, nature and people, and as an extra bonus the action scenes are superbly done.
So, it goes almost without saying that the character that impressed us most was the taciturn Mohawk Indian and the way Mark Dacascos managed to portray him as an almost supernatural being linked to nature and animals and seemingly removed and existing on a totally different spiritual level.
We wholeheartedly recommend this film, it is full of action, suspense, drama, a must!!

Wow, they certainly tossed just about everything into the pot in making this one, including the French Revolution. "Le Pacte des Loups" starts off as a exquisitely photographed costume drama/horror flick set in 18th century France with a poor peasant girl being hunted down by an unseen beast. My first thought that this was a beautiful film, more reminiscent of a Jane Austen period piece than a horror flick from Hammer Studio. But then our hero, Grégoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan) and his faithful Indian companion, Mani (Mark Dacasos), show up and we suddenly discover the film is also a cross between "The Last of the Mohicans" and "Couching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." However, since this is movie based on a legend regarding a huge wolf ravaging the French countryside, this hardly seems the time to insist upon a standard of realism.

The collaboration between director Christophe Gans and cinematographer Dan Laustsen results in some beautiful and memorable camera shots (most notably, as the camera tracks up a woman's nude body it morphs into snow covered terrain), often playing with time and movement to great effect. In the deleted scenes Gans provides a sort of mini-commentary on the film that is quite interesting in terms of setting up the film's dynamic, especially regarding the opening sequence originally conceived for the film and the scene that replace it. Laustsen is the cinematographer on upcoming "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," and my assumption is that when I see that film I will have a better sense of who contributed the most to "Brotherhood of the Wolf."

The film was edited Xavier Loutreuil and Sébastien Prangère, with David Wu doing the Hong Kong kung fu fight sequences, which are impresive because they do not, for the most part, violate the realism of the time, which is a way of saying the wire work is extremely limited and understated. I also like the way Fronsac's love triangle is color coded: Marianne de Morangias (Émilie Dequenne) is a redhead often dressed in a red uniform while the raven haired Sylvia (Monica Bellucci) always wears black. The rouge/noir opposition works well in contrast to the blues, browns and yellows which serve as the palatte for most of the film.

My only real complaint is actually the traditional complaint one has after watching a Hammer horror film: the beast, when we finally get to see it, is something of a disappointment. However, I will allow that this is probably due as much to my heightened expectations given the quality level of the rest of the film more than to the limitations of CIG technology. The second time I watched the film this aspects was less bothersome to me, but still something of a disappointment. An action/horror/fantasy/thriller/romance like "Brotherhood of the Wolf" is not going to be embraced by everyone, but certainly fans of those genres will admire the ambition of this film, the most beautiful of its type we have ever seen.

This movie could change your view on french cinematography. First of all great camera work. Christophe Gans, director, makes realy great mixture of ganres - historical drama with martial arts...Landscapes are so fantastic. Best movie for Mark Dacascos. For his fans a must see. Monica Bellucci is breathtaking in her femme role. What I realy liked was that there was not ending like most Hollywood has. Some of main characters die and get hurt so it becomes more realistic and believable. Fight scenes are truly superb. The plot is based on the true story of the Beast of the Gevaudan that terrorised France in the mid-XVIIIth century. The Beast has been attacking women and children for months and nobody has quite been able to harm it or even take a good look at it. I recomment it stongly.

First, I don't think too many Native Americans (or the French for that matter) of the 18th century were quite so skilled in the martial arts as has been depicted in this film. Nonetheless, my mouth was gaped wide open for the entirety of Le Pacte Des Loops. It was that good. From the opening scene, I was completely drawn in and held emotionally captive (and at times terrified) by astonishing sound and camera work. In fact, the audio/visual is surpassed by very, very few films I have seen in my life. It was that good. Viewers in the theater jumped in their seats. A few even moaned in terror. Some will be chased away by the prospect of having to read subtitles. Those people will be depriving themselves of a film that one day may be remembered as landmark film-making. It was that good. The storyline is completely original and oddly unusual. The sexual content is faithful to the storyline. The violence may be slightly gratuitous, but that is overshadowed by the existence of a deep enough underlying message. As I observed the looks on the faces of the audience exiting the theater, I decided I need to see this movie again.

I had the great luck of screening the US release of this film recently.

Before I list the good, I'll list my one and only complaint:

It is quite gory. If you have difficulty with gore, bring someone with you to the theater who can tell you when you can look up again. On video or DVD, there's always fast-forward.

Now on to everything else:

This movie is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. The cinematography is inventive, unique, and truly gorgeous. The use of odd camera angles and slowing of time (more subtle than The Matrix) make the simplest shots (i.e. feet landing in a puddle of mud) a thrill to watch.

Some of the most incredible fight sequences grace this movie, most starring cult-favorite Mark Dacascos. This is probably some of his most beautiful work, giving us a broad spectrum of his great skills. It's also quite obvious that the cuts used during his fight sequences are only there cinematic effect, and not for lack of ability or stamina. Some of his moves (all without wire-work) will leave you breathless.

See it in the theaters, and buy it when it comes out on video. You won't regret it.

Largely based on actual events taking place during the reign of King Louis XV, Brotherhood of the Wolf is an 18th-century-era tale of the mysterious "Beast of Gevaudan" that left a trail of mutilated victims (mostly women and children) and spread wholesale terror amongst the peasants in southeast France before its eradication under somewhat mysterious circumstances.
In the film, King Louis XV assigns a young detective Gregoire de Fronsac (Le Bihan) and his partner Mani (Mark Dacascos), a Mohawk Indian to investigate the mysterious creature.

The incredibly lavish, numbered limited edition 3-disk French DVD release included:
1. Production Notes
2. Audio commentary by Director Christophe Gans, actors Samuel Le Bihan and Vincent Cassel
3. An 80-minute "Making of... " featurette
4. A 36-minute editing featurette of Cut scenes
5. Clips of plans not used
6. Interview of Historian Michel Louis
7. Theatrical trailers
8. A 24-page booklet
9. a 90-minute documentary on 'Turning'
10. Deleted scenes, trailers, storyboards, stills, posters, production notes, a press kit and DVD-Rom content.

Chances are slim that purchasers of the Region 1 US version will be treated to the same fine accompaniments.