Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
"Le pacte des loups" (original title)

In 18th century France, the Chevalier de Fronsac and his native American friend Mani are sent by the King to the Gevaudan province to investigate the killings of hundreds by a mysterious beast.

Director:

Christophe Gans

Writers:

Stéphane Cabel (original scenario), Stéphane Cabel (adaptation),

Stars:

Samuel Le Bihan, Vincent Cassel, Émilie Dequenne

7 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Samuel Le Bihan	...	Grégoire de Fronsac
Vincent Cassel	...	Jean-François
Émilie Dequenne	...	Marianne
Monica Bellucci	...	Sylvia
Jérémie Renier	...	Thomas d'Apcher
Mark Dacascos	...	Mani
Jean Yanne	...	Comte de Morangias
Jean-François Stévenin	...	Sardis
Jacques Perrin	...	Thomas Agé
Johan Leysen	...	Beauterne
Bernard Farcy	...	Laffont
Edith Scob	...	Mme de Morangias
Hans Meyer	...	Marquis d'Apcher
Virginie Darmon	...	La Bavarde
Philippe Nahon	...	Jean Chastel

Storyline

In 1765 something was stalking the mountains of central France. A 'beast' that pounced on humans and animals with terrible ferocity. Indeed they beast became so notorious that the King of France dispatched envoys to find out what was happening and to kill the creature. By the end, the Beast of Gevaudan had killed over 100 people, to this day, no one is entirely sure what it was, wolf? hyena? or something supernatural? Whatever it was, shepherds had the same life-expectancy as the red-suited guys in 'Star Trek'. The Beast is a popular myth in France, albeit one rooted firmly in reality; somewhat surprisingly it is little known to the outside world, and perhaps incredibly it has never been made into a movie. Until now... Based on the true story of the Beast of the Gevaudan that terrorized France in the mid-XVIIIth century, the movie aims to tell first and explain afterwards. In the first part, a special envoy of the King of France, altogether biologist, explorer and philosopher, arrives...

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Plot Keywords:

beast | conspiracy | native american | wolf | 18th century | 

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Genres:

Action | History | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and gore, and sexuality/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Universal [us]

Country:

France

Language:

French German Italian

Release Date:

31 January 2001 (France)

Also Known As:

Brotherhood of the Wolf

Filming Locations:

Château de Roquetaillade, Mazères, Gironde, France

Box Office

Budget:

FRF 200,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$48,624 (Australia) (29 November 2002)

Gross:

$48,624 (Australia) (29 November 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, Davis-Films, Eskwad

Technical Specs

Runtime:

142 min 152 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Universal Pictures paid $2 million for the rights to distribute this movie in the United States, and this movie went on grossing $11.2 million in limited theatrical release in the United States, making it the second-highest-grossing French-language movie in the United States since 1980 (this movie also did brisk video and DVD sales in the United States).

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Goofs

The body of the young woman which is used as bait for the wolf is that of the shepherdess (the lady with the goat), who isn't killed until about an hour later in the movie. (The shepherdess scene was originally shot to take place much earlier in the film and when it was switched to later, they just hoped no one would notice the body was identical.)

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Quotes

Sylvia: Do you know how Florentine women ensure their husbands come home? Every morning they slip him a slow poison, and every evening the antidote. That way, when the husband spends the night away, he has a very bad night.
Gregoire De Fronsac: You needn't resort to that.

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Connections

References Marianne of My Youth (1955)

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Soundtracks

"Once"
by Felicia Sorenson

User Reviews

This film is excellent.

I am very pleased to see French cinema depart from the "if you don't understand my movie, then you are not an intellectual" approach to film making. More often then not, French films have been explorations of relationships or psychological dramas. And they have generally been very difficult to sit through. Take "Place Vendome" for instance. It won all sorts of awards at Cannes, but is basically a very boring, unwatchable arthouse movie. This film is nothing like that. It is exceptionally well-made, it is exciting, horrifying, and will keep you glued to your seat. I have rarely been so impressed with a film. The plot is a little far-fetched, but it is based on a folkloric creature that stalked people in the 18th century in southern France. Therefore, if the movie gets a little bit super-natural, than I can accept it. After all, the "real" wolf was supposed to have killed over 100 people during it's reign of terror 200 years ago, and there must have been something odd about a wolf capable of such carnage.

Christophe Gans is the same person who directed "Crying Freeman", still one of the best action movies of all time (in my humble opinion). Mark Dacascos of "Crying Freeman" is equally in "Le Pacte des Loups", playing an Iroquois warrior, a traveling companion to the French protagonist. Where an Iroquois learned to fight like that, I will never know, but then again, I wasn't around during the French-Indian wars to verify how they fought:) Suffice it to say that the action sequences are terrific, the beast is terrifying, and the story is engrossing. This movie cannot be simply branded a horror film, nor an action film. It is a fantastic escape into pre-French Revolution France with a very large wolf thrown in. I loved it when I saw it in France in French. I bought the DVD as soon as it was out and watched it again. I am very pleased to say that it did not disappoint the second time around. I would highly recommend this film to anyone, providing they understand that : a) it is an action movie b) it has elements of a horror movie c) there are some supernatural elements to it d) it is set in 1780 in France e) it was originally filmed in French

If you can handle all of these points, you will love this film. Truly superb film-making. This is the only film I have rated to which I have accorded a ranking of 10.