106 Coup de torchon

[Martha]

Coup de torchon



An inspired rendering of Jim Thompson's pulp novel Pop. 1280, Bertrand Tavernier's Coup de torchon (Clean Slate) deftly transplants the story of an inept police chief- turned-heartless killer and his scrappy mistress from the American South to French West Africa. Featuring pitch-perfect performances by Philippe Noiret and Isabelle Huppert, this striking neo-noir straddles the line between violence and lyricism with dark humor and visual elegance, perfectly captured by Criterion's glorious new anamorphic transfer.

Special Features

• Luminous new 16x9-enhanced digital transfer, approved by director Bertrand Tavernier
• Exclusive video interview with Bertrand Tavernier
• An alternate ending
• U.S. theatrical trailer
• New and improved English subtitle translation
• Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

Criterionforum.org user rating averages

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[jorencain]

So, what can anyone tell me about this? I've always been curious about picking it up, but is it worth it?

[Keaton]

Hi,

I think this one is one of the best of the 80's and definitely one of my favorite movies in the collection. It's an impressive and daring study of the effect of power on every human being. I would recommend it to everyone.

Regards,

Dennis

[BWilson]

It's definitely a Criterion dark horse, that's my term for a film I had heard absolutely nothing about before Criterion announced it. Of all their dark horse titles it might be my favorite. Funny and brutal and political. You can't go wrong!

[Napier]

I remember the first time I saw this film!A blind Criterion buy,me being a completist and all. And it stands up just as well the 10th time as the first time around. And the novel is a great read by the way. Here's a Beaver review.

[alandau]

Just received my copy. Will watch tonight and comment. Have been told the cinematography and film are stunning.

[French completist]

Philippe Noiret died yesterday.

[jbeall]

Finally watched this tonight. It's an interesting mixture of dark, dark noir (I know that sounds redundant, but man...) and French colonialism with the specter of WWII looming just over the horizon. And I thought it carried it all off brilliantly.

Noiret and Huppert are great. The former's character gravitates between complete pushover, sociopath, and martyr all in the space of just over two hours.

There are occasional typos in the subtitles, but it's not distracting, and there's a 45-minute interview with Tavernier on the disc that's quite informative. Incidentally, it'd be nice to see more Tavernier in the collection. Kino has put out a number of his titles (and I really like Let Joy Reign Supreme), but they're usually pretty bare-bones editions.

I think it'd be cool to watch this along with Ace in the Hole. There are some similar tropes and generic parallels, but both films take the noir sense of environmental anomie and put it out in the boondocks, creating provocative social commentary in both cases.

[colinr0380]

DVD Times comparison between the Criterion and the latest UK Optimum disc.

[dad1153]

Going Out of Print by the End of March.

[domino harvey]

We're probably gonna get some kind of Tavernier box set, so this OOPer doesn't make me as sad as others

[HistoryProf]

We're probably gonna get some kind of Tavernier box set, so this OOPer doesn't make me as sad as others

can you elaborate on this? Coup is one of my favorite discs...it's an amazing film...but are you saying other Tavernier flicks in a box will ease the pain of losing this one, or that this will come back somehow?

[Napier]

I think Domino means a Lionsgate box will be forthcoming.

[domino harvey]

Yeah, that was my speculation

[Minkin]

Criterion Contraption

[karmajuice]

In honor of this thread's resurrection, I'd just like to say how much I adored this film, and how (knowing nothing of Tavernier or the film) it came as a complete surprise. I watched it several months ago, but it's left an imprint like few films do. I still find myself thinking about it from time to time, and I'm eager to revisit it. Everything about the film is pitch-perfect. It's got me interested in checking out Thompson, too. I haven't gotten around to reading him yet, but reading that Contraption essay makes me realize how grave that oversight is.

I'd have to watch the film again before talking about it in-depth, but one shot from the film caught my attention from the moment I saw it and has resurfaced from time to time since. It's one of the few shots (maybe the only) which isn't tied directly to the narrative in any concrete sense (disregarding the film's bookends, which at least include Noiret). I think that its place in the film suggests a dream, but only vaguely, and it's been a while so I could be wrong.

It's a sustained shot of a Steadicam racing forward over the beach at night. A light is shining in front of the camera and crabs scuttle away as it swoops toward them and through them. It's a haunting shot, a bit surreal, and has perhaps a metaphorical dimension. Anyway, the shot stood out because it was so unique, so distinct from the rest of the film. One suspects its a shot they happened upon while filming at night, and in that sense it's a brilliant directorial flourish. It lends an abstract edge to the mood of the film; it suggests a sinister force, something predatory.

[domino harvey]

The UK Studio Canal edition of Coup de torchon opens with a non-skippable warning that the film contains racist language… I understand this kind of thing for a WWII period cartoon that some kid might ostensibly click on and need context for, but what adult making a decision to watch a film needs this beforehand?

[soundchaser]

Tavernier’s a big hit with the ex-Tumblr crowd, obviously.

[JSC]

It seems as if all of StudioCanal's vintage classic discs have this trigger warning. At first I thought it was
just for a specific film (in this case it was Kind Hearts and Coronets), but I've seen it for a good chunk
of their vintage classic releases, more recently for Contempt. It appears that StudioCanal seems to
think the audience is of below-average intelligence and unable to make critical distinctions about the films
that they watch.

[tenia]

They probably don't over-generalise like this about their audience, but you only need a few vocal people who watch stuff without understanding it and getting vocal about it. I've read US viewees feedback for the recent OSS117 movies on IMDB that managed not to realise it's a pastiche. I'm quite certain they're in the minority, but if a trigger warning text is what manages that, it's the most harmless thing I can think of.
Because yeah, such viewers do exist.

[FrauBlucher]

I do hope Criterion re-releases this, but who knows...

[domino harvey]

I've seen it for a good chunk
of their vintage classic releases, more recently for Contempt.

Wow. What is there to even warn against in the Godard film?

[mizo]

Maybe it's a warning for any Hollywood producers watching

"Jack Palance's performance is a function of the prejudices of the time. It does not reflect the views of StudioCanal, its parent company, or its subsidiaries about the fine people who produce motion pictures."

[colinr0380]

Well Bardot does commit some unconscionable acts in that film by both smoking and flagrantly sunbathing nude without the proper amount of UV protecting sunblock having been applied. Just think of the audience members who could go on to copy her shocking behaviour!

(All this prudishness suggests that L'eclisse ain't going to be coming along any time soon!)

[barbarella satyricon]

Wow. What is there to even warn against in the Godard film?

SpoilerShow

My guess would be the slap in the apartment scene, and possibly also the uninvited pat on the ass in the country chateau. Absurd, yes, but also tenable in the current cultural moment, it would seem.