Violette Movie Review
The trial of Violette Noziere was among the most notorious in French legal history. On August 23, 1934, 19-year-old Violette poisoned her father's coffee with 20 tablets of Veronal. After she gave her mother six tablets, she took a nap until two the following morning, turned on the gas stove, stole 1,000 francs from her mother and yelled for help, adding that the pipe attached to the stove must have burst. As she had intended, her father died and her mother survived. The police soon discovered what had actually occurred and issued a warrant for Violette. By October 13, less than six weeks later, Violette was condemned to death by guillotine. The story of the homicidal teen intrigued Claude Chabrol, who immortalized her in his 1978 film starring Isabelle Huppert as Violette and Stephane Audran as Madame Noziere, both of whom received well-deserved awards for their performances; each interprets her real-life character with rich detail and a full range of emotion. Because of the notoriety of the case, we know what's going to happen—what we don't know is why. Violette lives with her strict parents in a small bourgeoisie apartment. It is so tiny that we wonder why they didn't rub each other's nerves raw many years before. Violette has evolved into a subtle manipulator, with the coolest lying technique you'll ever see. Monsieur Noziere (Jean Carmet) appears to be a harmless, ineffectual man and quite fond of both Violette and his wife. As we watch them go through their domestic routines, we wonder why a 19-year-old woman is still so involved with her parents. We've seen her turning tricks by day—why doesn't she move out? Although the motive for Violette's crime is suggested in broad brush strokes, Chabrol reveals the facts in flashes. The most significant of all the facts is revealed in one raised veil and a single line exchange, so pay attention and stick with this one until the very end. It's worth it! AKA: Violette Noziere.
1978 (R) 122m/C FR Isabelle Huppert, Stephane Audran, Jean Carmet, Jean-Francoise Garreaud, Bernadette LaFont; D: Claude Chabrol; W: Odile Barski, Frederic Grendel; C: Jean Rabier; M: Pierre Jansen. Cannes Film Festival ‘78: Best Actress (Huppert); Cesar Awards ‘79: Best Supporting Actress (Audran). VHS