La grande bouffe (1973)

Director:

Marco Ferreri

Writers:

Marco Ferreri (scenario & adaptation) and
Rafael Azcona (scenario & adaptation) ...

Release Date:

1 September 1973 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A group of men hire some prostitutes and go to a villa in the countryside. There, they engage in group sex and resolve to eat themselves to death.

Plot Keywords:

Villa | Death | Prostitute | Chef | Food

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Marcello Mastroianni	...	Marcello
Michel Piccoli	...	Michel
Philippe Noiret	...	Philippe
Ugo Tognazzi	...	Ugo
Andréa Ferréol	...	Andrea (as Andréa Ferreol)
Solange Blondeau	...	Danielle
Florence Giorgetti	...	Anne
Michèle Alexandre	...	Nicole
Monique Chaumette	...	Madeleine
Henri Piccoli	...	Hector
Maurice Dorléac
Simon Tchao
Louis Navarre	...	Braguti
Bernard Menez	...	Pierre
Cordelia Piccoli	...	Barbara

Also Known As:

Blow Out (UK) (DVD title)
Blow-Out (UK)
La grande abbuffata (Italy) (dubbed version)
The Grande Bouffe (USA)
The Great Feed (Europe: English title)

MPAA:

Rated NC-17 for some explicit sexuality.

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French | Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:16 (re-rating) | Germany:18 (original rating) | New Zealand:(Banned) (original rating) | New Zealand:R18 (re-rating) | Australia:MA (TV rating) | Spain:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Norway:18 | Portugal:(Banned) (1973-1974) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:NC-17 (re-rating) (1998) | USA:X | France:-12 (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Rue Boileau, Paris, France

Company:

Films 66

Trivia:

In the final scene in the garden - where Philipe is sitting on the bench, there is a poem by Dorothy Frances Gurney written on the bench. Many garden lovers have this poem written in their gardens. It says: "Kiss of the sun for pardon. Song of the birds for mirth. You're closer to God's heart in a garden than any place else on earth."

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Les clefs de bagnole (2003)

A Disturbing, Impressive and Unforgettable Movie

The aircraft pilot Marcello, the chef Ugo, the TV choreographer Michel and the judge Phillipe decide to terminate their lives with a great pleasure, eating and having sex with three prostitutes and one school teacher invited to participate in their orgy.

I watched this unforgettable film in the 70's and I was very disturbed with this impressive metaphoric movie. In Brazil, it remained unreleased on video until a couple of months ago, when fortunately it was 'rescued' and released on DVD by the Brazilian distributor 'Versátil', specialized in masterpieces such as Fellini, Rosselini and Visconti. Now I have just had the chance to watch again this weird and daring movie about the decay of the society of consumption, empty and compulsive, searching for "sex and food" (material goods) much more than they need. The main characters use their Christian names. This movie is also a great black humor comedy. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "A Comilança" ("The Binge")