Désiré Landru

The story of Paris's "Bluebeard," Désiré Landru, was one of the biggest criminal cases of the first half of the 20th century, engaging journalists not only from France but all over Europe, and was a topic of conversation in cafés and pubs even in the most remote corners. Mothers used his story to scare their adolescent daughters, and the entire saga was forgotten with the onset of World War II. It's excellent dramatic material that could have been significantly leveraged, even within a television format. It's somewhat of an art how Pierre Boutron managed to create such a perfectly mediocre and forgettable film. The actors lack charisma almost without exception, the direction is desperately unimaginative, and the screenplay is dull. Add to that a clearly limited budget, and the disaster is complete. Overall impression: 35%. (23.01.2008)