59-61 The Agitator: Three Provocations from the Wild World of Jean-Pierre Mocky

[Finch]

The Agitator: Three Provocations from the Wild World of Jean-Pierre Mocky

Jean-Pierre Mocky was a prolific icon in French cinema. Actor, director, novelist, and in-demand raconteur, Mocky made mainstream films with an independent spirit, even owning a cinema to help the distribution of his films. Yet those films had a specific style, unmistakably his, often with controversial and outlandish themes, and he came to be known as a wild and untameable force, acting as an uncompromising agitator within the French film industry for over six decades. Three of his wild cinematic adventures from the 1980s are collected in this new boxset. Cult horror sensation Litan, hooligan horror Kill the Referee and Hitchcockian mystery Agent Trouble are presented from new 4K restorations on Blu-ray for the first time outside of France.

Worried by a disturbing dream, Nora wakes to find her husband missing during a trip to Litan. She goes out to find him but encounters one bizarre event after another taking place at the village festival, including uncanny acts and a masked marching band. As Nora and Jock attempt to escape the village, a series of strange murders take place against the backdrop of a mad doctor performing experiments on the recently deceased. Jean-Pierre Mocky’s Litan is a classic cult Euro-horror and a Kafkaesque fever dream of surrealist imagery, arrestingly shot by Edmond Richard (The Trial, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie).

When a referee calls a penalty that causes a French football team to crash out of the championship, their ultra-dedicated hooligan fans vow to track him down and murder him by the end of the evening, as Inspector Granowski (played by director Jean-Pierre Mocky) attempts to stem the carnage. With an unrelenting one-night narrative recalling After Hours and Green Room, Kill the Referee mixes black humour with horror as its escalating sense of dread builds toward a shattering climax.

A bus of fifty French tourists lay dead. While the driver makes a call, a wanderer, Victorien (Tom Novembre, Denti), boards the bus and robs all the passengers. Returning home he visits his aunt Amanda (Catherine Deneuve, The Hunger), and lets her in on his secret, unwittingly bringing her to the attention of icy hitman Alex (Richard Bohringer, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover). A conspiracy thriller reminiscent of Hitchcock, Jean-Pierre Mocky’s wonderfully eccentric mystery has a light comic touch that carefully balances its grotesque flourishes. Featuring a wonderful cast including César-nominated Dominique Lavant, Pierre Arditi and Kristin Scott Thomas in only her second screen appearance.

LIMITED EDITION BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES:

New 4K restorations of each film presented on three discs, made available on Blu-ray (1080p) for the first time outside of France
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
Archival interview with Jean-Pierre Mocky about his relationship to the fantastic (1982, 12 mins)
Archival ‘Making of Litan’ documentary from French television (1982, 26 mins)
Newly filmed interview with journalist and broadcaster Philippe Auclair on Kill the Referee (2024)
Interview with Mocky’s assistant Eric Leroy on Kill the Referee (2022, 13 mins)
Television reportage from the set of Kill the Referee (1983, 5 mins)
Archival French TV interview with Jean-Pierre Mocky (1987, 18 mins)
Archival interview with Catherine Deneuve on Agent Trouble (1987, 5 mins)
Archival interview with Richard Bohringer on Agent Trouble (1987, 5 mins)
Interview with Eric Leroy on Agent Trouble (2022, 13 mins)
Interview with Olivia Mokiejewski on Agent Trouble (2022, 4 mins)
New and improved optional English subtitles
Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition 80-page book featuring new writing by Roberto Curti, Nathaniel Thompson and Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and newly translated archival interviews including Serge Toubiana on Jean-Pierre Mocky, and Oliver Assayas on Michel Serrault, as well as an on-set report of Kill the Referee
Limited Edition of 3000 copies, presented in a rigid box with full-height Scanavo cases and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
More to be confirmed and extras subject to change

trailer

[domino harvey]

I haven’t seen these but the title of the box set is quite in line with the other Mockys I have seen. Surprised they didn’t go after Le témoin, which seems 1000% up their alley (Imagine making a Chabrol film but casting Alberto Sordi in the lead and not telling him it’s not a comedy) but that film also contains one of the most misguided provocations imaginable, so maybe I’m not that surprised after all

[ryannichols7]

I'm curious to read your thoughts on these whenever you get to them. either way I like the cover art a lot and the extras seem pretty expansive...it'll be on my shelf since I subscribed!

[Finch]

Stephen Horne confirmed on the Radiance BR.com thread that they're color-correcting Litan.

[tenia]

Very good to read, though I do seem to remember all three movies would require a color correction.

[What A Disgrace]

With the Severin mystery release, and under assumption that the other films in this box are secured with either a different label or later separate US releases by Radiance, I think this is the first Radiance release I may skip. That's a pretty good run, I'd say. The only one I've purchased so far and regretted, has been The Iron Prefect. If it weren't for the big mystery Severin box, I would almost certainly have bought this.

[domino harvey]

I'm curious to read your thoughts on these whenever you get to them.

Ask and ye shall receive:

Here are the plus sides of the three films included here:
+ All three are mercifully short
+ You will be able to participate in Zardi Spotting during each one

And so let's move on to the non-pluses, shall we? These will likely not only be the first English territory home video release for Mocky, but also the last, because I find it hard to believe 3000 people will want what is being served here, much less ask for seconds. I understand from the vantage of not having seen these or other Mocky films why these might be the three you choose to release, but having now seen these plus other Mockys, a fatal error has occurred because these are not the ones to bet on, chef. For instance, I hated Snobs! but if I ran a boutique label I'd license and release it in a heartbeat because I know that a lot of people would be shocked by how astonishingly vulgar a film it is (for 1962, yes, but really for anytime) and word of mouth would carry it to more receptive audiences than me. What is the takeaway from the films Radiance is releasing in this set, other than that Mocky mostly makes movies for himself and not many share his taste?

Litan was, admittedly, doomed from the get go for me as a viewer because this is by far my least favorite kind of horror movie: the "Wacky shit happens for no reason" film. Just because Mocky ramps the nonsense up to onze doesn't mean it will overcome the fatal flaw of absolutely nothing here making sense and there being no reason to try to make meaning from so much merde.

À mort l'arbitre! is an aggressively unpleasant film, with Michel Serrault (Ironically, Mocky loves popular comic figures like Serrault, Bourvil, Francis Blanche, &c, even though his films never seem like they'd appeal to those who'd most enjoy these actors) given an extraordinarily disgusting role as the misogynistic soccer hooligan who tries to pin a murder he committed on Eddy Mitchell's ref. This film actually resembles a horror film more than Litan, but it's of the Italian garbage variety, and like many of those films, this ends with a typically pointless nihilism. Physically painful to sit through in its leaps of logic and cutesy miserablism masked as irony.

The "best" of the trio here is obviously Agent trouble, in which Mocky is given a little more money thanks to his cast (Deneuve, Bohringer, Arditi) and is thus on slightly better behavior (though even here he still can't resist an eye-rolling non-punchline like letting the nude erect penis of a rentboy pass across the frame of the screen for no reason other than to get pearls clutched-- honestly, putting Deneuve in that wig was a better provocation). The conspiracy here, miraculously, does sort of make sense in the end, but like the other films, there's a pointless fatalism to it that doesn't land on the earned hopelessness of many great noirs. This is from the period when Deneuve wasn't exactly picking winners (Frequence meurtre, &c), but you'd think she could still do a better job vetting her projects than this.

And so we'll probably never see an English-friendly release of a Mocky film worth rescuing like Un drôle de paroissien, which manages to successfully marry Mocky's desire to be a provocateur with a premise that is both offensive and, crucially, actually funny (a sincerely religious man misinterprets God's will as giving him permission to rob the collection boxes of churches for his own gain), because I've given Mocky a dozen chances at this point-- how many opportunities do you think the average English-speaking consumer who has to go to great lengths to even come close is willing to give after the trio presented here?

[therewillbeblus]

That's a bummer, especially since Mocky has several films that'd be more safely marketable. Of the four I've seen, les vierges, les dragueurs and le témoin all feel like they could be strong sellers

[domino harvey]

Yes, I'd cosign all of those as being worthier releases than the films in this set. But because there's something wrong with me, I just watched yet another Mocky movie even after being so underenthused by these, and, unexpectedly, it was a masterpiece! Les Compagnons de la marguerite (1967) is proof that being a provocateur doesn't mean you can't still hit your targets with accuracy. Mocky takes on bureaucracy in this comic tale of Claude Rich's master forger who longs for someone to trade wives with him. Through a series of increasingly insane contrivances, Mocky pisses all over the modern human tendency to value a recorded fact over all else as he also mocks identity, spousal affections (never have I seen a smarter and funnier approach to the "ball and chain" attitude towards marriage), and the notions of social norms themselves. Here is a film that feels as fresh and relevant as when it was made (replace Rich's first wife-- played by his real wife! -- and her love of television with a love of smart phones and you basically have the same movie) that puckishly says that water finds its own level no matter what weight we give to our desire to follow official channels. And more disturbingly, it says we will acclimate to our situation regardless-- which is to say, the circumstances of who we are and who we are with are essentially superfluous. It's an unexpectedly utopian vision that out-libertarians any Ron Swanson's maddest fantasies of government irrelevancy, and the ideas of this film are legitimately unsettling while also being, most crucially, hilarious. If a boutique label can't restore and market a film this smart and ripe for rediscovery, it doesn't deserve to be in business

[ikms]

If it weren't for the big mystery Severin box, I would almost certainly have bought this.

Folk Horror #2, and by the time the contents are properly announced I suspect I might own half due to recommendations in the Woodlands documentary. #-o

[kekid]

With the Severin mystery release, and under assumption that the other films in this box are secured with either a different label or later separate US releases by Radiance, I think this is the first Radiance release I may skip. That's a pretty good run, I'd say. The only one I've purchased so far and regretted, has been The Iron Prefect. If it weren't for the big mystery Severin box, I would almost certainly have bought this.

Can someone please tell us or give a link to what "Severin Mystery Release" is? thanks!

[willoneill]

I'm pretty sure it's still a mystery.

[nicolas]

Very good to read, though I do seem to remember all three movies would require a color correction.

I’ve received my set today and Litan looks exceptional after the re-grade. I expected a more problematic presentation similar to the KL Leone rescue project but this is much more convincing, likely as the base grade wasn’t as aggressively messed with. The other two films are from TF1 and they probably didn’t allow Radiance to perform further work on them. They’re far from terrible but the look closely matches the way they graded the 4K-restored Claude Chabrol films that were released by Arrow. I know you’re no big fan of these grades as they’re consistently similar-looking but hopefully you’ll find them watchable nonetheless.

[Aunt Peg]

My set arrived today and to be honest I only purchased it for the film that Catherine Deneuve starred in but will naturally watch all the films.

Whatever I have no desire to revisit I'll add onto my pile of discs to be sold.

[Aunt Peg]

Finished watching the Mocky films the weekend before last.

Angel Trouble with Catherine Denenuve appeared in what would have to be one of the worst wigs every worn by an actress in a feature film is actually a hoot in this very silly scenario. Regardless that the film does get incredibly silly it is highly entertaining and Deneuve gives it her best shot taking the whole thing deadly serious. I see she got a Best Actress Caesar nomination for her efforts bravo. She film is a keeper.

Can't say the same about the two efforts. Litan was ridiculous beyond words. Completely plotless that appears to be borrowing from everything in particular The Wicker Man and Hammer Horror to zero effectiveness.

À mort l'arbitre! is nothing more than a time filler. The premise is a good idea but the film simply goes too far and becomes unnecessarily brutal. A bit more thought into the film could have pulled if it off as a tight thriller and not a idiotic display of men with marbles between the ears.

I also stumbled across a much older film from Mocky known as Heaven Sent (1963). A gentle small comedy which has some charms. Worlds away from the three films released by Radiance.

Anyway, I would be very open to more films from Mocky.

[domino harvey]

I also stumbled across a much older film from Mocky known as Heaven Sent (1963). A gentle small comedy which has some charms. Worlds away from the three films released by Radiance.

This is Un drôle de paroissien, which I mentioned upthread, and yes, it’s a much different and better film than those included here

[therewillbeblus]

Les Compagnons de la marguerite (1967) is proof that being a provocateur doesn't mean you can't still hit your targets with accuracy.

Just in case it helps birth this into physical release (a second Mocky box...?), I'll throw my hat behind it as well. I'm not sure I've been so consistently kept on my toes through clever turns of humor circling around a central conceit since L'apprenti salaud. domino hit on some strong thematic concerns underneath what is foremost an anarchic comedy provoking just about every institution one can think of (marriage, police, the courts), and I appreciated how Mocky takes special aim at the idea of 'imprisonment' - what constitutes it, and why we run from it in all its forms. The winners are those who are happy by shaking things up and breathing life into some of these very institutions, as well as escaping their own imprisonments, but the imprisonment felt by the officials is pitched as far more absurd if relatable. That there is no good 'reason' offered by these nemeses to be seeking equilibrium, beyond desperation to right the impotence of losing it, is a brilliant touch. It's also noteworthy that while Rich is very funny in a deadpan sort of way, the film is much more interested at leaning into the buffoonery of those more relatable yet absurdist characters being emasculated - a provocative twist in spotlighting the characters we are rooting against for both hilarity and base screen time, just to let the discomfort seep in a bit more.

[domino harvey]

Glad you liked it! Fun tidbit that I’ve been meaning to share (and it’s still true): this film has nearly 300 logged viewers on Letterboxd, and not a single one rated it below two stars (and only two of those viewers rated it that low). I don’t know that I’ve ever seen any film with more than a hundred viewers with zero haters, but thought it was a nice external confirmation that people who can actually see this film will almost surely also like it

[therewillbeblus]

I think I'm done with Mocky for a bit (at least outside of his 60s works, which seems to be the only somewhat-consistent period of his career). Litan is exhaustingly nonsensical, while Agent Trouble sets itself up to have decent pacing and narrative promise, only to sloppily fail to grasp onto any holds it establishes early on. Deneuve's complete disappearance from the film for about half of it doesn't help earn the expectation that we link up with her, but the film does get better once she's back in the picture. Still, I found next to nothing to like about it other than watching Deneuve relax around her apartment in cozy sweaters, which was probably the most exciting thing present - not exactly what you want to get out of a thriller! The last act is decent enough to rise above a one-star pic, but just barely.

I doubt I'll even bother with Kill the Referee after these experiences and domino's writeup - it sounds too tiring, which is something I've been feeling early on in a lot of Mockys lately. I started another comedy of his, Is There a Frenchman in the House?, but just couldn't continue at a certain point when all the miserable dick and fart jokes failed to land (and I'm not above enjoying a movie filled with good ones) but I'll probably return to it eventually since I hate leaving films unfinished. Still - woof.

[Never Cursed]

Glad you liked it! Fun tidbit that I’ve been meaning to share (and it’s still true): this film has nearly 300 logged viewers on Letterboxd, and not a single one rated it below two stars (and only two of those viewers rated it that low)

And for what it's worth, one of them is the Cahiers aggregation account, so not only is that a very old opinion, but who knows who it belonged to, and why

EDIT: I think the rating's from the Feb 1967 Conseil.

[domino harvey]

Good catch! I couldn't resist looking it up. The three Cahiers critics rated it, respectively, two stars, one star, and a bullet (which, using Letterboxd ratings, is really three stars, two stars, one star). Three (ie four) stars from Jean-Louis Bory of Le Nouvel Observateur, and a mix between two stars and bullets from the remainder of the Conseil.

The brief writeup by Michel Caen (not polled in the Conseil) is more positive:

Mocky is, whether we like it or not, a bit of an inglorious sniper of French cinema. The first forgotten from the New Wave, he was nevertheless one of the first to systematically shoot down the institutions in place. This time, it is marriage that serves as his target and gives him the opportunity to succeed in one of the most sympathetic and aggressive films of French cinema. His very personal humor where the ridiculous competes with rage is remarkably served by an exemplary sense of casting.

[Peacock]

Currently only £14.99 on Amazon.co.uk

[Aunt Peg]

I thought this would be an appropriate thread to post about a film a watched a couple of weeks ago on Amazon Prime Gli Sbandati (aka Abandoned) (1955) directed by Francesco Maselli.

Excellent film about a group of rich bourgeois Italian youths towards the end of WW2. The print showing on Amazon is a restoration and it looks gorgeous and the film is available on DVD in Italy with English subtitles (I received my copy today). The film was shown at the 1955 Venice Film Festival where it received a special mention.

Would be a great fit for Radiance though the screening time for the film on Amazon Prime and the DVD are 75 minutes. The original running time was 102 minutes but apparently the Italian censors trimmed the film (or rather butchered it) and it has only been available in the 75 minute cut ever since.

I did some research and apparently is it believed that the cut footage may be in an archive in Italy. Would be great to see the 102 minute cut but regardless I found the 75 minute cut riveting.

And the reason I posted about the film in this thread is because Jean-Pierre Mocky is the male lead star of the film, which I didn't realise until the end credits (or when I looked the film up online after viewing it).

[domino harvey]

Yep, Mocky was an actor first. Prob best known for playing the lead in Franju’s La Tête contre les murs