Docteur Popaul (1972)

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Paul Gégauff (writer)
Hubert Monteilhet (novel)

Release Date:

29 September 1972 (France)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Doctor Popaul doesn't trust beautiful women: he says he prefers "moral beauty". Among colleagues he...

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Bordeaux | Ugly Woman | Poker | Clinic

Cast

Jean-Paul Belmondo	...	Dr. Paul Simay
Mia Farrow	...	Christine Dupont
Laura Antonelli	...	Martine Dupont
Daniel Lecourtois	...	Prof. Dupont
Marlène Appelt	...	L'Infirmière Carole
Carlo Bartolotta
Michel Peyrelon	...	Joseph
Patrick Préjean	...	Arthur Rignard
Henri Attal	...	La sourde
Louis Duranton
Monique Fardoulis
Christophe Merle
Madame Steeg
Catherine Ohotnikoff
Maja Wodecka		(as Maya Wodecka)

Also Known As:

Dr. Popaul
High Heels (USA)
Play Now, Pay Later (USA) (dubbed version)
Scoundrel in White (UK)
Trappola per un lupo (Italy)

Runtime:

France:95 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

France:-12 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Bordeaux, Gironde, France

Company:

Cerito Films

Trivia:

At the time, the biggest success of Claude Chabrol's career in France.

Quotes:

Dr. Paul Simay: She's my sister and we're Russian.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Munich (2005)

Soundtrack:

Les filles de Camaret

Pure waste of time

I've watched this film about thirty years ago and it stuck in my mind until now. When I came across it on DVD, I didn't hesitate too long, even more, because I have a predilection for early Belmondo flicks. But what a bad surprise! Some movies should be allowed to resign from public exposure, to preserve a certain memory, and not to shock audiences.

Widely hailed as one of Chabrol's rare cynic works, the only lasting impression I got from re- watching it is... boredom. Some movies really do not age in style. But what about movies which didn't have any sense of style at all?

The flaws in the script, uninspired acting - presumably due to the lack of direction -, a sort of production design, which doesn't deserve its name, less than mediocre photography and, last but not least, the worst editing job I've seen in ages, make this one truly hard to stand.

My impression was, that there was a bunch of people with too much money and equipment but obviously, no idea or any skills at all. It really comes as a surprise, that this one didn't abruptly end Chabrol's career. Don't blame it on the overall bad taste of the 70s, this one is crap in its own right and a worthy contender for the most useless waste of celluloid ever.