It may be a niche category, but Delicatessen is easily the best, most whimsical, charming post-apocalyptic, cannibal comedy ever made. And now – thanks to a superb 4K restoration by Studio Canal – it looks and sounds more stunning than ever.
Delicatessen was the feature debut of both Jean-Pierre Jeunet (who would go on to make City Of Lost Children, Amélie, A Very Long Engagement, and his one American movie, the divisive Alien Resurrection) and his co-director and frequent collaborator Marc Caro.
Set in a dystopian future in France where society has broken down and food is scarce (how we got here is never explained), the film takes place largely in a run-down apartment block above the titular delicatessen. Here, a butcher – Caplet (Jean-Claude Dreyfus) – overcomes food supply problems by luring unsuspecting innocents to his apartment block with the promise of work and accommodation, only for them to end up on the menu for the building’s eccentric collection of tenants.
The latest potential victim is Louison (Jeunet’s frequent collaborator Dominique Pinon), a down-on-his-luck circus clown – his former partner, a chimpanzee having been eaten by an unappreciative audience – who, besides charming the residents, further complicates matters by romancing Caplet’s daughter, Julie (Marie-Laure Dougnac). Pinon – a well-known film and theatre actor in France and best-known over here as Alien Resurrection’s wheelchair-bound Vriess – gives an extraordinary physical performance, with his clowning reminiscent of the silent-era greats (check him out leaning off a ladder to paint a ceiling by attaching his braces to a wall; a scene worthy of Chaplin). But he’s surrounded by a great cast, from the charming Dougnac to the menacing Dreyfus to an entire building’s worth of eccentrics (including a woman continually trying and failing to kill herself, a man who overcomes food shortages by cultivating frogs and snails in his flooded apartment, and a homicidal postman).
The direction by Jeunet and Caro (who would later co-direct City Of Lost Children) is equally memorable and as offbeat as you’d expect. As oft noted, their style is somewhat reminiscent of Terry Gilliam but with a unique, Gallic twist. (Check out the subterranean-dwelling Troglodytes – a vegetarian rebel group loosely based on the WW2 French resistance.) It marked the pair – and Jeunet, in particular – as an exciting original voice in French cinema. And while it may not be his masterpiece (that’d be Amélie), it’s a superb debut. And although there’s a streak of darkness running through it, it’s still bizarre to think his sensibilities were well-suited to an Alien movie. (It’s not his fault. If you don’t want an offbeat black comedy, don’t hire Jean-Pierre Jeunet in the first place.)
As befits the cult classic, the new release gets the deluxe treatment. A stunning restoration from the original negative means Delicatessen looks more stunning than ever. Considering it takes place in a dilapidated apartment block, it’s a beautiful-looking film. There’s a new commentary by Jeunet (Caro is apparently not a fan of audio commentaries) and a wealth of new and contemporary special features, the centrepiece of which is a new one-hour retrospective documentary.
While the subject matter is bleak (neither ‘post-apocalyptic’ nor ‘cannibalism’ screams whimsical comedy), Delicatessen is a charming, unique movie and a truly unique piece of cinema. Funny, eccentric, and with an oddball sense of whimsy that Wes Anderson can only dream of, it’s truly one of a kind. If you’re a fan, this is the edition you want. If you’re a newcomer, now’s the perfect time to tuck in.
DELICATESSEN is available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD from October 16th.
