Delicatessen (1991)

Directors:

Marc Caro
Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Writers:

Jean-Pierre Jeunet (screenplay)
Marc Caro (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

3 April 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy

Tagline:

A futuristic comic feast

Plot:

Post-apocalyptic surrealist black comedy about the landlord of an apartment building who occasionally prepares a delicacy for his odd tenants.

Plot Keywords:

Butcher | Food | Apartment Building | Clown | Underground

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 13 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Pascal Benezech	...	Tried to Escape
Dominique Pinon	...	Louison
Marie-Laure Dougnac	...	Julie Clapet
Jean-Claude Dreyfus	...	Clapet
Karin Viard	...	Mademoiselle Plusse
Ticky Holgado	...	Marcel Tapioca
Anne-Marie Pisani	...	Madame Tapioca
Boban Janevski	...	Young Rascal
Mikael Todde	...	Young Rascal (as Mikaël Todde)
Edith Ker	...	Grandmother
Rufus	...	Robert Kube
Jacques Mathou	...	Roger
Howard Vernon	...	Frog Man
Chick Ortega	...	Postman
Silvie Laguna	...	Aurore Interligator
Jean-François Perrier	...	Georges Interligator
Dominique Zardi	...	Taxi Driver
Patrick Paroux	...	Puk
Maurice Lamy	...	Pank
Marc Caro	...	Fox
Eric Averlant	...	Tourneur
Dominique Bettenfeld	...	Les Troglodistes (as Dominique)
Jean-Luc Caron	...	Les Troglodistes
Bernard Flavien	...	Les Troglodistes
David Defever	...	Les Troglodistes
Raymond Forestier	...	Les Troglodistes
Robert Baud	...	Les Troglodistes
Clara	...	Mr. Livingstone the Chimp

Directed by
Marc Caro
Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Gilles Adrien		dialogue
Gilles Adrien		screenplay
Marc Caro		screenplay
Jean-Pierre Jeunet		screenplay

Produced by
Claudie Ossard	....	producer

Original Music by
Carlos D'Alessio

Cinematography by
Darius Khondji

Film Editing by
Hervé Schneid

Casting by
Pierre-Jacques Bénichou

Production Design by
Marc Caro

Art Direction by
Miljen Kreka Kljakovic		(chief art director)

Set Decoration by
Aline Bonetto

Costume Design by
Valérie Pozzo di Borgo

Makeup Department
Myriam Coulet	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Michèle Arnould	....	production manager
Nadine Chaussonnière	....	apprentice unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jean-Christophe Spadaccini	....	second assistant director
Jean-Marc Tostivint	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Gilles Baillot	....	constructor
Valérie Berthoux	....	model maker
Bernard Boivin	....	chief constructor
Jean-Michel Boivin	....	constructor
Marc Caro	....	artistic director
Marc Caro	....	storyboard artist
Jean-Philippe Carp	....	set dresser (as Jean Philippe Carp)
Simon Carp	....	second assistant art director
Simon Carp	....	second assistant decorator
Marie Desforge	....	model maker
Yves Domenjoud	....	props
Nicolás Díaz	....	sculptor
Gilles Faraldo	....	constructor
Eric Frion	....	constructor
Richard Gerardin	....	constructor
Noël Guillot	....	painter decorator
Jean-François Juvanon	....	constructor
Vincent Lebrinon	....	constructor
Loïc Lemoigne	....	second assistant art director
Lotte Lemorgne	....	second assistant decorator
Andréa Llinaeres	....	model maker
Fabrice Maux	....	constructor
Jacques Mery	....	constructor
Igor Mollet	....	constructor
Jean Rabasse	....	model conceptionist
Claude Sanzey	....	constructor
Valérie Sebast	....	model maker
Silvia Sella	....	constructor
Yann Sibiril	....	constructor
Jérôme Signori	....	model maker
Bertrand Terreyre	....	constructor
Denis Vassal	....	constructor
Serge Vassal	....	constructor
Tom Wiggins	....	constructor

Sound Department
Vincent Arnardi	....	sound mixer
Marc Caro	....	sound effects
Laurent Dreyer	....	assistant sound mixer
Gérard Hardy	....	sound editor
Jean-Pierre Lelong	....	foley artist
Mario Melchiorri	....	assistant foley artist
Muriel Moreau	....	dialogue editor
Jérôme Thiault	....	sound effects
Jérôme Thiault	....	sound engineer
Jérôme Thiault	....	sound supervisor
Laurent Zeilig	....	assistant sound engineer
Laurent Zeilig	....	boom operator

Special Effects by
Jean-Baptiste Bonetto	....	special effects
Yves Domenjoud	....	special effects
Olivier Gleyze	....	special effects
Lionel Mathis	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Baptiste Magnien	....	optical effects: Acme
Pitof	....	digital visual effects director
Antoine Simkine	....	visual effects executive producer: Duboi
Jean-Marie Vives	....	digital matte painter
Rip Hampton O'Neil	....	director of reseach and development (uncredited)

Stunts
William Cagnard	....	stunts
Rémi Canaple	....	stunts
Patrick Cauderlier	....	stunt coordinator
Arlette Spetebroot	....	stunts (as Arlette Spetelbroot)

Camera and Electrical Department
Franck Barreau	....	electrician
Eric Caro	....	set photographer
Rémy Chevrin	....	first assistant camera
Bruno Dubet	....	key grip
Bernard Gemähling	....	chief electrician
Nicolas Juge	....	additional electrician
Olivier Lancelle	....	additional electrician
Philippe Le Sourd	....	second assistant camera (as Philippe Lesourd)
Philippe Lesard	....	second assistant camera
Lionel Perrin	....	additional electrician
Ferencz Radnai	....	additional electrician
Michel Sabourdy	....	electrician
Stéphane Vidal	....	additional grip
Yorgo Voyagis	....	key grip (as Yorgo Voyatzis)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Véronique Degy	....	assistant costumer
Valérie Pozzo di Borgo	....	chief costumer
Marianne Vally	....	assistant costumer

Editorial Department
Yvan Lucas	....	color timer

Music Department
Jean-Michel Bergounboux	....	music arranger
Isabele Pinadel	....	musician: violoncello
Lev Sipolos	....	musical saw
René Taquet	....	musical consultant
Herbert Varron	....	musician: violoncello
Hubert Varron	....	musician: cello

Other crew
Marc Bruckert	....	titles: Le Village
Yves Domenjoud	....	accessories
Pierre Dufour	....	location scout
Emmanuel Jaffre	....	caterer
Marie-Christine Malbert	....	publicist
Arlette Mas	....	production administrator
Gérard Sionneau	....	groupman
Aruna Villiers	....	script supervisor

Thanks
Thérèse Chevalier	....	thanks
Olivier Chiavassa	....	thanks
Jean Villiers	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Constellation
• Union Générale Cinématographique (UGC) (as U.G.C.)
• Hachette Première
• Sofinergie Films (in association with) (as Sofienergie)
• Sofinergie 2
• Investimage 2
• Investimage 3
• Fondation GAN pour le Cinéma (with the support of)
• Victoires Productions

Distributors

• Sonet Film (1991) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (1992) (USA) (subtitled)
• Universal Music Group (DVD)
• Concorde Filmverleih (1992) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Contemporary Films (1992) (UK) (theatrical)
• Cor Koppies Filmverhuur (I) (1991) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Electric Pictures Ltd. (1992) (UK) (theatrical)
• Penta Distribuzione (199?) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Sadfi Films (199?) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Union Générale Cinématographique (UGC) (1991) (France) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (video)
• Concorde Video (199?) (Germany) (VHS)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2008) (United Arab Emirates) (DVD) (Middle East)
• Globo Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (North America)
• Lionsgate Home Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Malofilm Home Video (1992) (Canada) (video)
• Miramax Home Entertainment (video)
• Panorama Distributions (2010) (Hong Kong) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Paramount Home Video (laserdisc)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2007) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2010) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)

Special Effects

• ACME Films
• Duran
• Duboi

Other Companies

• Actions Movies  stunt equipment
• London Records  soundtrack

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for violence

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

France

Company:

Constellation

Trivia:

Many elements of cause/consequence make the film ever more interesting to watch again and again. One such example is a couple always using the same prophylactic (a condom), of which the husband (Ticky Olgado) takes great care: it has been patched twice. Hence, the couple has two kids.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Every time Julie plays the cello, the audio is behind what she plays. This is most visible in the first playing session when she is practising by playing C major up and down; the lag is several notes.

Quotes:

Louison:Dr Livingstone... He was my partner.
Julie Clapet:Where is he now?
Louison:He disappeared one night, after a show. We only found his remains... They ate him! Can you believe that? They ate him!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Stand" (1994)

A sublime fusion of sickening grotesquerie and sentimental clowning.

Jeunet and Caro, with the help of their familiar repertory of actors, create a deeply disturbing and violent world where only a few shreds of conventional social mores remain. These scraps of morality only serve to delineate more clearly the overall decline and collapse of their dystopia. We see a butcher's shop; the proprietor, played by Jean-Claude Dreyfus, is evil almost to the point of caricature. He only manages to survive by killing his lodgers when they get behind with the rent and selling them as meat. However, the situation is given an added twist when we learn that all the lodgers are aware of this; a woman who is sold a joint of mother sheds a couple of stifled tears and mutters she would have liked to have said goodbye. Similarly, the butcher is most apologetic when he accidentally chops off the foot of one of his clients who has paid his rent in full.

Into this hellish world is placed someone with his moral values relatively intact. In this case, it is a circus performer played by the marvellously rubber-faced Dominique Pinon. A less engaging actor might have made this character seem two-dimensional, as he appears to have no faults whatsoever (except a set of over-mobile lips). He enthrals the lodgers' children with his games, is immensely chivalrous to the butcher's daughter and plays the musical saw. Finally, an old edition of his act is broadcast on the flickering black-and-white television, and even the most bloodthirsty lodgers are amazed and delighted. The butcher's jealousy is roused; Good and Innocence is forced to fight Evil and Hatred.

As such, the plot is relatively straightforward. It is the sheer surrealistic imagination that Jeunet and Caro bring to their films that prevent them being unremittingly bleak or simple morality tales. They display a brilliant sense of musical timing- the whole building frequently becomes an orchestra of creaking bed-springs, croaking frogs, and crackling radios; above all this soars a love-duet of a cello and a musical saw. The faded `look' of the film complements this. With the exception of a single television remote control, nothing here would be out of place in in a exhibition of 40s and 50s design. In `The City of Lost Children' the exuberance of the design threatens to swamp the slender storyline on occasions; here, the more `grown-up' themes and less fantastic design go hand in hand.

(A word of warning about the video release- the subtitles appear to have been written be a couple of Frenchmen who really ought to have concentrated harder in their English classes at school. Apart from that, I wholeheartedly recommend this joyously grotesque film.)