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Superb black comedy and a tour-de-force of the absurd. This is about morbid fears, murder and cliches, an absurd world where people break out in compulsive violence as if they were being controlled, a place where everyone is sad and afraid but when death comes along, they shrug it off. A man finds his knife in a man's stomach who claims he killed him. A police inspector is morbidly afraid of string orchestras, murdering or jailing violinists, and arguing that murderers are OK because if you put them away, you'd be contaminating the innocents in jail. And thus, the movie is endlessly surprising, moving from one absurd hilarious scene to another, including a doctor who charges money for raping a patient, a man who sets up his own murder, and high-class torture by chamber orchestra.

The best way to enjoy this very, very strange film is to let it transport you to the Wonderland where its kooky characters reside and then get comfortable in their company. If you question its intentions from the get-go or try to discover the logic that explains the madness that will unfold before your eyes, you will kill a lot of precious brain cells and grow incredibly frustrated.

Director: Bertrand Blier
Cast: Gerard Depardieu, Bernard Blier, Jean Carmet
Country: France
Genre: Comedy, Crime

BD50, DVD9 | 1080p AVC, NTSC | 01:33:20 | 35.1 Gb + 7.33 Gb + 3% rec
Language: Francais
Subtitles: English

Extras:

-- Commentary - critic Nick Pinkerton offers his thoughts on Buffet Froid, its reception and success, and the career of its creator. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Kino Lorber.

-- Interview with Bertrand Blier - in this vintage interview, Bertrand Blier explains how the idea for Buffet Froid materialized, how the different parts of the film grew, and how it was shot. Also, there are some good comments about the relationship between the main characters and the film's tone. In French, printed English subtitles. (25 min, 1080p).

-- Trailers