Docteur Popaul

While drinking and playing cards with his friends, the medical student Paul Simay (Jean-Paul Belmondo) bets an amount who among them will conquest more ugly women in one year. When he travels to Tunisia on vacation, he meets the unattractive and weird Christine Dupont (Mia Farrow), who has one crippled leg, and seduces her. They go to bed; Christine loses her virginity with Paul, and he wins the bet. Some time later, Paul meets Christine in Bordeaux, and she introduces her father to Paul. He was a medical student of Professor Dupont (Daniel Lecourtois), who owns a clinic, and he offers a partnership to Paul if he marries Christine. At the wedding, he meets the sexy Martine Dupont (Laura Antonelli), who came from London, and soon Paul gives sleeping pills to Christine to have a love affair with her. Meanwhile, all her suitors die, and she get pregnant with Paul. When the girl Claudine is born, Paul is happy with his dysfunctional family. Until the day he has a mysterious car crash and becomes crippled and emasculated, despite the treatment of the old Dr. Berthier (Daniel Ivernel).

"Docteur Popaul", a.k.a "High Heels" (1972), is a movie of dark comedy directed by Claude Chabrol with a story of revenge. The proverbial phrase "revenge is a dish best served cold" was never more adequate than the plot of Christine and Dr. Berthier against the misogynist Paul. The conclusion is corny and commercial, maybe to satisfy conservative audiences, with Dr. Berthier pumping out Paul and saving his life. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Armadilha para Um Lobo" ("Trap for a Wolf")

At the time ,Chabrol was at the height of his powers ;the 1967-71 is now generally considered his heyday ; but there was a critical backlash circa 1971: what's the point of depicting the bourgeois life in "la femme infidèle" or "juste avant la nuit" , what's the point of making his characters fight this privileged class in such works as "que la bête meure" or "la rupture" ?.....when you are a bourgeois yourself; the director never denied it anyway. And who ,with the staggering exception of Bunuel , gave a better picture of the French bourgeois milieu in those years?

There was another "rupture" (breach) in 1971: Chabrol had always wanted to adapt Ellery Queen's murder mystery "ten day s wonder" ; bourgeois life was still here,but it took a back seat to the plot , a riddle based on the Bible no less; "la décade prodigieuse " ;one of Chabrol's own biggest disappointments ,it is better than its bad reputation,though.

"Docteur Popaul " aka " Doctor Casanova" continued in that vein, the murder mystery,but it took it to peaks of crudeness and bad taste;Hubert Monteilhet , whose novel was adapted, is closer to Rabelais than to Ellery Queen's finesse and dandiesque elegance .

With hindsight, "docteur Popaul " has not aged that much bad ; Chabrol wanted to dismantle the classic thriller plot , the set up , the final unexpected twist (which is so trendy today) is present ; black humor makes up for bad taste and Belmondo overplays with delight :he had just founded his own film company ,"Cerito". Dominique Zardi ,a Chabrol habitué , was cast as the bishop and wrote the awful ditties -he had already written the lilting "Capri Petite Ile" in "le boucher ",probably the director's masterpiece -.

Two thirds of the movie is a flashback (it was the first time the director had used this technique),the last third is some kind of "set up ,explanation and deus ex machina ",in the shape of a cleaning lady played by another habitué ,Henri Attal , Zardi's pal)

A wholesale slaughter ,in which Claude Chabrol destroys the world he created in the precedent years;lambasted by an unanimous press, it was nevertheless ,probably because of "Bebel" , the director's biggest commercial success in his whole career.

I generally can't understand what people see in Chabrol. His films are boring and predictable. Take The Butcher. One suspect, he did it and the clue is in the title. The film is very cynical, it's not even dark humour. For me it wasn't homour at all. The overall concept is deeply mysoginist. I can't really laugh about women being degraded. And all that bourgeoisie bashing in the late 60s / early seventies is hardly original. Most of all the film is very boring because there are no characters the viewer can relate to and the narrative doesn't really get going. Apart from some sexy scenes with Laura Antonelli this is a total waste of time.

At the time ,Chabrol was producing movies at an alarming speed .And that period is still looked upon as his very best:"la femme infidèle" "le boucher" "que la bête meure" "la rupture" and "les noces rouges" are unqualified musts for any Chabrol fan.Two works took a divergent road in this golden era: "la decade prodigieuse " was a failed (but not completely wretched) attempt at transferring one of Ellery Queen's absorbing books to the screen .And then "Docteur Popaul" which is from Hubert Monteilhet's "meurtres à loisirs" .Monteilhet writes thrillers which sometimes recall Boileau-Narcejac ("Diabolique" "Vertigo" )but he introduces a sense of humor and a certain bad taste not present in the works of the writers I mention above.Chabrol has given a totally true rendering of Monteilhet atmosphere:the set up,the grotesque characters (particularly a made look ugly Mia Farrow :why her anyway?The director had to dub her in French ).The conclusion ,like in any Monteilhet's book, is immoral to a fault.But deliciously immoral.

Claude Chabrol's "Docteur Popaul" aka. "High Heels" of 1972 is a fun little black comedy starring Jean Paul Belmondo, Mia Farrow and Laura Antonelli, and although it is certainly no masterpiece, the movie is well worth seeing. As far as I am considered Belmondo is always worth the time, and "Docteur Popaul" has enough black humor to remain entertaining throughout its 100 minutes.

Paul Simay (Belmondo), a student of medicine and player who prefers ugly women since he doesn't trust the beautiful, makes a bet with his drinking buddies: They are to meet again after a year, and the guy who has managed to sleep with the ugliest woman in the meantime is the winner. Paul wins the bet, and decides to go on a journey. In Tunisia he runs into shy Christine (Mia Farrow, with 'ugly'-make up), who has a handicap - she limps, and seduces her. When they run into each other again in France, and Paul finds out that her father is the head of a local clinic, he proposes to her. But Christine has a sister, the gorgeous Martine (Laura Antonelli), and Martine has a bunch of idiotic adorers...

If you like dark humor, you should give "Docteur Popaul" a try. The movie remains entertaining from the beginning to the end and has some hilarious moments. Belmondo is cool as always, and beautiful Laura Antonelli is a treat for the eyes. A quite original little black comedy, "Docteur Popaul" is an amusing film with a fine portion of black humor, that should not leave its viewers bored. Recommended. 6/10