Le Refroidisseur de dames

I turned this gem of a film on one afternoon having no idea what it was about. The opening scenes with Rod Steiger as an Irish priest calling on unsuspecting, soon-to-be victim Marline Bartlett was truly startling in its viciousness. Why have I never heard of this movie before and why has it been shelved all these years? This movie is definitely a cut above the rest in the genre of thrillers featuring serial killers. Rod Steiger is brilliant in a tour-de-force as he assumes various identities-- i.e., an Irish Priest, plumber and effeminate hair stylist--as a psycho on the loose who targets middle aged women and whose calling card is to draw a pair of lips in red lipstick on each victim's forehead. Steiger is pitted against underdog detective George Segal, who plays an overworked cop who gets no recognition for his work. Lee Remick plays the love interest who adds spice to the movie and supporting actress Eileen Heckart plays detective Segal's overbearing mother who bureates him for being a cop (and Jewish) every opportunity she gets. Heckart as the overbearing stereotypical Jewish mama is annoying, to say the least. Remick's character is a free spirit who gives museum tours and she is HIP! In fact, her dialogue suffers in part from an effort to be *too hip* and contemporary: in one scene she tells Segal, "I swinged, and I swang until I swung", in explaining a previous relationship. The most interesting victim plays a drag queen in a bar who is scorned by the other bar patrons and met with homophobic comments, but this was, after all 1968. All the acting is good, though the best scenes are those involving Steiger and his unsuspecting victims. One slight flaw is that the idea that the police department could control what the media prints and use it to manipulate the killer is a little too contrived, and the movie's ending is mediocre, doesn't satisfy and wraps it up too quickly. The scene involving Remick and Steiger is also contrived, and it's a little inconsistent with Remick's character that she would let a total stranger into her apartment, especially since she's dating a cop.

In spite of the mediocre ending, this is an excellent movie.

This is an odd film. Rod Steiger plays a failed actor who tries to live up to the memory of his theatrical mother by 'performing' a series of stranglings in Manhattan. The murders, while hardly graphic, are nonetheless troubling to watch. Meanwhile, George Segal (the policeman in charge of the murder investigation) and Lee Remick are engaged in a frothy romance typical of 60s cinema. Taken as a whole, it's hard to say what this film is, or who it would appeal to. While a reasonable entertainment, it's uncertain balancing act between urban grit and uptown romance leaves one with a strange queasy feeling after the credits role.

There have been many serial killer films over the years but this was one of the earliest and one of the best. It manages to be witty, suspenseful, funny and shocking in separate portions. Rod Steiger is very good in a role made for him but George Segal takes the acting honours because it's a much harder role and he does it so well. Lee Remick is fine also.

The best scene is the opening pre-credit sequence. It may look rather mundane at first but.....

Rod Steiger is excellent as Christopher Gill, a hammy theater manager and psychotic master of disguise. Gill stalks and kills various women all due to his love/hate relationship with his dead mother, who was a respected stage actress. He uses his talents of disguise as a plumber; a priest; and policeman to gain the confidence of his victims. He starts a cat-and-mouse game with a NYPD detective Morris Brummel(George Segal),who himself is quite the "mama's boy" still living with his mother. At every chance she tries to shame him for being a Jewish cop. Gill begins calling in tips of his crimes to Brummel, who is slowly putting together the clues to the serial killings; and on the back burner trying to figure out his feelings for his new girlfriend(Lee Remick). The Segal/Remick relationship seems no more than a silly teen-aged romance. Steiger is perfect for the role. Segal's character needs a backbone. Remick works effortlessly and is so easy to look at. In supporting roles are:Murray Hamilton and Eileen Heckart. Very interesting to say the least.

Watching serial killer Christopher Gill (Rod Steiger) trying to enlist the trust of his prospective victims is what makes this film really interesting. Once these babes in the Manhattan woods let down their guard, then ... pounce. And like some deep-sea predator that changes its color or its shape to suit the needs of its prey, Gill changes his disguise from Irish priest to plumber to eccentric hair stylist to waiter, to suit the needs and desires of his selected middle aged female targets.

Gill is a loner, but he still needs human contact. So, between killings, he engages in a phone dialogue with detective Morris Brummel (played well by George Segal). Gill also checks the newspapers frequently, to verify that his killings get noticed by the police and by society in general. The film is thus a character study of a fictional psychopath. But the characterization is consistent with expert profiling of the generalized needs and motivations of real life serial killers.

Indeed, some researchers have speculated that the infamous Zodiac killer "may" have studied this film. In some ways, Gill's modus operandi is similar to that of the Zodiac who was known to be a movie buff. Further, the killings in the San Francisco Bay Area premiered just a couple of years after this film came out.

Quite aside from its possible historical significance, the film is very well made. It conveys a well-written script, good cinematography, attention to detail in costumes and production design, effective pacing and editing. The background music at the film's beginning and end is beautifully haunting, and lends a tone of sadness, and therefore emotional depth, to the story. And, of course, Steiger's performance is so good that it alone makes the film worth watching. The only downside is Morris Brummel's nagging mother who quickly becomes grating and irritating.

That this film has been largely forgotten is unfortunate. But it is available on DVD, and therefore can be seen by anyone who appreciates good movies.