Delicatessen [Special Edition]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

A post-apocalyptic future becomes the setting for pitch black humor in this visually intricate French comedy. The action takes place within a single apartment complex, which is owned by the same man that operates the downstairs butcher shop. It's a particularly popular place to live, thanks to the butcher's uncanny ability to find excellent cuts of meat despite the horrible living conditions outside. The newest building superintendent, a former circus clown, thinks he has found an ideal living situation. All that changes, however, when he discovers the true source of the butcher's meat, and that he may be the next main course. This dark tale is played out in a brilliantly designed, glorious surreal alternate world reminiscent of the works of director Terry Gilliam, who co-presented the film's American release. Like Gilliam, co-directors Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro hail from an animation background, and have a fondness for extravagant visuals, absurdist plot twists, and a sense of humor that combines sharp satire with broad slapstick and gross-out imagery. This mixture may displease the weak of stomach, but those attuned to the film's sensibility will be delighted by the obvious technical virtuosity and wicked sense of humor. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 (Alternate Wide Screen)
• Features:
  • Fine cooked meats: The Making of Delicatessen
  • The archives of Jean-Pierre Jeunet
  • Audio commentary with Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Teaser
  • Photo gallery
  • French 5.1 Dolby Digital audio
  • 16X9 widescreen
  • English and Spanish subtitles

AWARDS

• British Academy of Film and Television Arts

•     Nominated Best Foreign Language Film - 1993 (Marc Caro)
•     Nominated Best Foreign Language Film - 1992

• European Film Academy

•     Won Best Production Design - 1991 (Miljen "Kreka" Kljakovic, Valerie Pozzo di Borgo)

• French Academy of Cinema

•     Won Best Editing - 1991 (Herve Schneid)
•     Won Best First Film - 1991 (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Marc Caro)
•     Won Best Original Screenplay - 1991 (Gilles Adrien, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Marc Caro)
•     Won Best Production Design - 1991 (Jean-Philippe Carp, Miljen "Kreka" Kljakovic)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Dominique Pinon - Louison
       Marie - Laure Dougnac - Julie Clapet
       Jean - Claude Dreyfus - Clapet
       Karin Viard - Miss Plusse
       Ticky Holgado - Mr. Tapioca
       Pascal Benezech - Tried to Escape
       Anne Marie Pisani - Madame Tapioca
       Rufus - Robert Kube
       Dominique Zardi - Taxi Driver
       Chick Ortega - Postman
       Bernard Flavien - Breland

• Director:

  Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet

• Producer:

  Claudie Ossard

• Screenwriter:

  Marc Caro, Gilles Adrien, Jean-Pierre Jeunet

• Cinematographer:

  Darius Khondji

• Composer (Music Score):

  Carlos D'Alessio

• Editor:

  Herve Schneid

• Production Designer:

  Jean-Philippe Carp, Miljen "Kreka" Kljakovic

• Set Designer:

  Aline Bonetto

• Costume Designer:

  Valerie Pozzo di Borgo

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Jerome Thiault, Vincent Arnardi

• Production Manager:

  Michèle Arnould

REVIEW:

• From its gloriously loopy opening sequence to its hilariously rhythmic love scene to its climactic showdown in the bowels of city sewers, Delicatessen is a bizarrely inspired, darkly comic fantasy. Not merely weird for weirdness' sake, the film is a surprisingly tender tale revolving around Louison (Dominique Pinon), a good man trapped in a bad world, forever pining for his lost soul-mate. Pinion's Louison is heroic, innocent and comic all at the same time. What makes Delicatessen most memorable, however, is its dream-like, post-apocalyptic look. Directors Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet devised the film with writer Gilles Adrien, primarily an author of comic books; given its unique visuals, it makes sense that the similarly inventive Terry Gilliam (Brazil) championed the film's worldwide release. ~ Matthew Doberman, Rovi