Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)

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, Mark Dacascos, Jérémie Renier

4 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Samuel Le Bihan	...	Grégoire de Fronsac
Mark Dacascos	...	Mani
Jérémie Renier	...	Thomas d'Apcher (as Jérémie Rénier)
Vincent Cassel	...	Jean-François
Émilie Dequenne	...	Marianne
Jacques Perrin	...	Thomas d'Apcher (old)
Christian Marc	...	Serviteur Thomas Agé
Karin Kriström	...	Bergère du Rocher
Philippe Nahon	...	Jean Chastel
Virginie Darmon	...	La Bavarde
Vincent Cespedes	...	Soldat
Hans Meyer	...	Marquis d'Apcher
Jean-Paul Farré	...	Père Georges
Pierre Lavit	...	Jacques
Eric Prat	...	Capitaine Duhamel (as Éric Prat)

Storyline

In 1764 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, a wolf? a hyena? or something supernatural? 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 eighteenth 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 in the Gevaudan region, in the mountainous central part of France. The Beast has been ...

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Plot Keywords:

beast | conspiracy | fortuneteller | card game | animal abuse | 

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Taglines:

The year is 1766... The hunt for a killer has begun

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Universal [United States]

Country:

France

Language:

French German Italian

Release Date:

1 February 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Brotherhood of the Wolf

Filming Locations:

Château de Roquetaillade, Mazères, Gironde, France

Box Office

Budget:

€30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$475,181, 13 January 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$11,260,096

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$70,752,904

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

All the primary characters, except the Native American Mani, actually existed and lived during reign of King Louis XV.

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Goofs

When de Fronsac gets out of bed after the nightmare and walks to the window, while hearing the band, he lacks the scars on his chest. Both the bear and arrow scars.

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Quotes

[Sylvia stabs Jean-Francois's dead body]
Capitaine Duhamel: He was dead.
Sylvia: Now it's certain.

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Alternate Versions

The DVD version of the film contains five deleted scenes, commented on by director Christophe Gans, that were cut from the movie for reasons of pacing or character continuity:

• An extended version of the fight sequence the opens the film between Mani (Mark Decascos) and the highwaymen. In the extended version, Fronsac (Samuel le Bihan) ends up assisting Mani in defeating them. In the film version, Mani fights alone.
• A raven assists Mani in finding the body of a shepherdhess, the beast's most recent victim. In the film, the body is found much later on than when this scene would have led the audience to believe.
• Sardis (Jean-Francois Stevenin) warns Fronsac about continuing his affair with Marianne (Emilie Dequenne), saying that he doubts Fronsac has the moral character required to be with such a woman.
• A tender scene between Fronsac and Marianne on a frozen pond covered in fog.
• A scene set in La Teissier's where Sylvia (Monica Bellucci) reveals to Fronsac that the rooms in the bordello are equipped with two-way mirrors. She shows him a room where a friend of the Morangais family is involved in a bizarre sadomasochistic encounter.

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Connections

References The New One-Armed Swordsman (1971)

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Soundtracks

Once
(uncredited)
by Felicia Sorensen

User Reviews

A Rainy Day Extravaganzza

When it is cold and wet and foreboding outside, leaving one to fend for a good escape into fantasy and a time gone by, then this movie DELIVERS. Say whatever you want about miniscule "holes" in the story, or the tedium applied to the cinematography or the excessive use of slow camera effects in the fight sequences, THIS IS ENTERTAINMENT.

This movie carries the viewer into a whole new world- not like the one inhabited by Hobbits and Elves, and other creatures that obviously DO NOT exist- but rather a world of old France where the people are stranger than fiction and the times are changing. Fables meet their demise AND their verification in this film.

It's not a movie I would call a "favorite", but it IS a movie that I consider a "guilty pleasure" on a day that affords me three hours to slip out of my existence and follow a satisfying and well-presented fantasy. Every millimeter of every frame is a work of art, and that alone is worth getting lost in.