#benoitpoelvoorde

[doomonfilm]

Thoughts : Man Bites Dog (1992)

As long as there has been film, there have been filmmakers that eschew traditional format, choosing to blur the lines of genre and style to great effect.  One of the most unique forms of genre-bending cinema is the mockumentary, where the content is presented as fact, despite the generally outrageous nature of what we are presented.  In 1992, a group of French filmmakers blew the minds of those in attendance at the Cannes Film Festival with a film as hilarious as it was controversial : Man Bites Dog. 

Filmmakers Andre (Andre Bonzei) and Remy (Remy Belvaux), in their search for a documentary subject, discover Ben (Benoit Poelvoorde), a sociopath with a penchant for murder.  The crew follows Ben around as he kills indiscriminately, all the while professing his philosophy, protocol and procedure on how he hunts and dispatches his victims.  As the crew continues to document over time, Ben becomes less and less discreet with his killings, and all the while, Andre, Remy and the crew find themselves transitioning from witnesses to participants.  At first, the crew helps with dispatching bodies, but over time, they eventually find themselves taking part in the crimes.  Ben’s practices, however, come back to haunt him, turning him from killer to a public enemy, and putting himself and the crew in the line of fire.

This film is a bold, brash and at times downright depressing sign of the times.  In a world that was just discovering the tenants of reality television, unknowing that the format would eventually come to dominate entertainment, Man Bites Dog was well ahead of the curve in terms of not sugarcoating the presentation of its subject (albeit this presentation was an extreme one).  The public has come to thrive off of the conflict (and possibilities of subjects presenting the worst of themselves) that seems to fuel modern day entertainment, very similar to the way that Andre and Remy find themselves captivated by Ben to the point that they become active participants in the madness.  Ultimately, Ben becomes the director of his own show, and the presence of the film crew becomes a form of instant validation for his actions, as he justifies his actions under the guise of entertainment.

Where the film really works, as previously mentioned, is the slow and subtle way that the crew morphs into killers at the hands of Ben and his actions.  The transition from shocked witnesses to willing participants happens when one of the crew is killed by an eventual victim of Ben’s, but once they get the taste for blood, their descent into depravity is is as shocking as it is quick.  At a point where the normal person would distance themselves from the walking, talking danger that is Ben, his magnetic personality manages to embolden them, lifting them out of their sorrow and ‘helping’ them feel larger than life, all the while never shedding their true role as documentarians as they capture the entire series of events.

The purposely amateur, realistic presentation works extremely well, instantly engaging us as viewers into a world that mirrors our own in all aspects except for Ben’s actions.  The handheld nature of the majority of the film mirrors that of Cops, helping to push that immersive nature to its limits.  The crew attempts the traditional manner of capture at first, trying to stay out of the way and impartial to the subject, but many aspects of the production become key to the film itself : Ben constantly complains about the lights blowing his cover, many moments occur where the sound separates from the subject, and at one point the zoom lens is used to aid Ben in his capture of a victim.  The black and white choice removes glamour from the film, instead making it as gritty and dangerous as the world presented to us.

Andre Bonzel and Remy Belvaux do a good job of portraying innocent witnesses that find themselves eventually corrupted by the mix of charm and terror they are presented with, and their cult member-esque devotion to Ben is captured pitch perfectly.  Benoit Poelvoorde, hands down, is the heart and soul of the film, and the majority factor in whether or not the film works.  His joy presented in the presence of others is infectious, and the way that he carries himself and uses his personality to capture a room is hard to deny.  This is paralleled, however, with a truly callous, heartless and selfish manner that he switches to with little to no warning, embodying many of the factors that define the most sociopathic killers and criminals in history.  Not only is he bloodthirsty, but his general lack of caring for humanity is peppered with touches of racism, misogyny and pedophilia, usually presented as offhand comments. 

While serial killers are nothing new to the world of cinema, Man Bites Dog managed to serve as a both a transitional style bridge, and a warning of what was to come in the world of entertainment if left unchecked and unregulated.  Human nature has always been to push the limits, and the commentary provided on what could possibly occur if the limits of entertainment were pushed is stark, shocking and wholly impactful. 

[thaddeus-s-de-bradley]

#benoitpoelvoorde #podium #asterix #asterixauxjeuxolympiques #monsieurmanatane #cestarrivepresdechezvous #lesconvoyeursattendent #lesportesdelagloire #lessnuls #welcomelesamericains https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw3xhnzFjzu/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=d96rt62plscj

[spacelordmf]

C’est arrivé près de chez vous

[loveparfum]

COLORS OF FIRE 🔥 COULEURS DE l’INCENDIE 🎥 Clovis Cornillac ✨ Clovis Cornillac French actor and director A wonderful movie ! 📸@jeanlucbattini @visualgrams Starring #cloviscornillac @leadrucker @benoitpoelvoorde @fannyardant @aliceisaaz @olivier_gourmet @jameswilby @orabourdin @___jeremy_lopez___ @nilsotheningirard @johanheldenbergh 🎞 curated #visualcinefilms Founder #jeanlucbattini Follow for more 📸 For his fourth film behind the camera, Clovis Cornillac tackles a beautiful subject, the adaptation of a novel by Pierre Lemaitre. Colors of Fire narrates the destiny of a woman, Madeleine Péricourt (Léa Drucker), heiress to a financial empire and in struggle with all the high society of the 1930s. History quickly becomes involved in the trajectory of this character, with the rise of Nazism and the march to war… Colors of Fire is a Franco-Belgian film directed by Clovis Cornillac, released in 2022. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Pierre Lemaitre. Pour son quatrième film derrière la caméra, Clovis Cornillac s’attaque à un beau sujet, l’adaptation d’un roman de Pierre Lemaitre. Couleurs de l’incendie narre le destin d’une femme, Madeleine Péricourt, (Léa Drucker), héritière d’un empire financier et en lutte avec toute la haute société des années 1930. L’Histoire se mêle rapidement de la trajectoire de ce personnage, avec la montée du nazisme et la marche à la guerre… #couleursdelincendie #colorsoffire #cornillac #cornillacclovis #cinema #leadrucker #film #movie #benoitpoelvoorde #fannyardant #oliviergourmet #comediedramatique #love #visuallovephoto #battini #visualgrams #masterofvisuals #frenchfilm #bestfilm #france #paris 📽 (à France) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck6PtuWsq-n/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[lady----m]

[moddsblog]

#benoitpoelvoorde by @rudywaks @parismatch_magazine #professiondupère @advitamdistribution https://www.instagram.com/p/CSGXaNTK9MU/?utm_medium=tumblr

[photos75]

Je suis allé voir ce #film #professiondupere #mk2bibliotheque @mk2 Il y a 3 ou 4 ans l'agence @agencebmrp nous avait offert le #livre lors des #pressdays Nous avions été peu à le lire. J'avais beaucoup aimé et je n'ai pas été déçu par le film. #benoitpoelvoorde est vraiment exceptionnel. (à mk2 Bibliothèque) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSB4gl2tkEs/?utm_medium=tumblr

[bavulumdafilmler]

“Tüm bunları unutmak ve rahatlamak için bir şeye ihtiyacı vardı. İnsanlık fikri işte o zaman aklına geldi. Tüm eğlencesi çekilen acıları ve verilen mücadeleleri izlemekti. Bir sürü sıkıntı ve biraz mutluluk, yanlış yönde umut vermek. Bunu yapmak sekiz yılını aldı; fakat tüm bunlardan sonra gayet iyi işlemeye başladı. Babam ustalıkta derece atladı. O zamandan bu yana günlerini fazlasıyla sinir bozucu yeni Evrensel Istırap Kanunları'nı icat ederek geçirdi. Bunu doğru bir şekilde formüle etmeliyim: Kanun 2127: Gereken uyku miktarı, her zaman 10 dakika daha fazla olacak. Kanun 2129: Tam küvete girildiğinde telefon çalacak. Kanun 2125: Bir dilim ekmek hep reçelli tarafının üstüne düşecek, aksi halde reçel yanlış taraftad��r. Kanun 2126: Tabaklar yıkanıp temizlenene kadar düşüp kırılmayacak. Kanun 2218: Yandaki sıra her zaman daha hızlı ilerleyecek.” Le tout nouveau testament (2015) #letoutnouveautestament #thebrandnewtestament #jacovandormael #piligroyne #benoitpoelvoorde #catherinedeneuve #bavulumdafilmler https://www.instagram.com/p/CLMr6wlAJ5o/?igshid=vbp1yw6wjwj

[desmondag]

Petit tour #auposte pour voir le dernier film de #quentindupieux avec #benoitpoelvoorde et #gregoireludig en tête d'affiche ! Un #film perché au possible que j'ai bien aimé mais avec une fin complètement cramé. #cinema #cinemaddict #asadpictureofaredskyuniverse #asadpictureofaredsky #desmondandrewgreen #humour #marcfraize #anaisdemoustier #orelsan #philippeduquesne #alainchabat #movieworship #movieaddict #filmfrancais https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm-98KZjotj/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=d8lmfnzvci0r

[futur-z]

AU POSTE ! (2018) Written & Directed by Quentin Dupieux Absolutely Crazy ! #movie #film #cinema #frenchcinema #frenchmovie #screenplay #screenwriter #scenario #scenariste #director #realisateur #quentindupieux #actor #benoitpoelvoorde #gregoireludig #producer #mathieuverhaeghe #thomasverhaeghe #atelierdeproduction #cinefrance #umedia #nexusfactory (à Pau, France)

[meetingheathcliff]

Repost from @mroizo : Quentin Dupieux is back! For all of those who've been waiting for his comeback, here we go: "Au Poste" is not only the best French movie you will see this year, but also a hymn on the absurdity of life. Featuring the most hilarious investigation team you'll ever see in a movie. With the impeccable @benoitpoelvoorde at his best. @mroizo proves that he is a great artist with a unique mind. Run and see the movie, in theatres from today on!!! #quentindupieux #auposte #frenchcinema #mroizo #benoitpoelvoorde #orelsan #police #absurd #talent #mustsee #cinema #paris #gotothemovies #blackcomedy #fun

[jodrawseveryday]

Nouveaux stickers colorés dispos le 3 décembre sur le petit marché Sapins & Cotillons, à Jupille! Plus d'info sur Facebook, le lien est dans ma bio ✍💫 #claudyfocan #audreyhepburn #jacquesbrel #benoitpoelvoorde #xavierdolan #stickers #illu #draw #drawing #art #artist #print #cool #sapins #noel #cotillons #jo #liege #liège #Luik (à Liège, Belgium)

[elviscomica]

Lviscomica.art© #punkrock #punk #elvis #elviscomica #theanaloguebook #art#digitalart #benoitpoelvoorde (à Château-Thierry)

[mydodel]

#bluray #movie #asterixauxjeuxolympiques #asterixbeidenolympischenspielen #gerarddepardieu #cloviscornillac #benoitpoelvoorde #alaindelon #vanessahessler #michaelherbig #bullyherbig #michaelschuhmacher #andsomereallyniceextras (hier: Solothurn, Switzerland)

[djmistermagic]

3 mecs que j'adore : Benoît POELVOORDE, Grégoire LUDIG (palmashow), Quentin Dupieux (Mr Oizo) dans une émission que j'adore @0yann0 😉 @benoitpoelvoorde @gregoireludig @quentindupieux

[lauratornado]

#xfactor #humor #humour #salute @benoitpoelvoorde la classe mec ! Tu m’as tuée dans clique ! MERCI 🙏🏻