“Delicatessen” Rhythmically plays the despair of the future⁉︎ Genius Genet’s masterpiece black comedy

Synopsis of "Delicatessen"

In the future, the world has been devastated, and people are starving due to daily food shortages. The landlord of an apartment on the outskirts of Paris runs a butcher shop on the first floor. He has successfully lured new tenants into traps, butchering them and sharing the meat with them. One day, a street performer named Louison applies for a live-in job...

Index

• The first feature film that made Genet famous
• Inspired by a life lived above a butcher shop
• A world depicted with sound and rhythm
• What is the origin of the legendary bathroom scene?

The first feature film that made Genet famous

When I face the work of the genius Jean-Pierre Jeunet, I prepare myself for a vivid surprise, as if I were stepping into a circus show tent. He doesn't care about common sense drawn by others. Jeunet's creativity always glides diagonally above it, filling his kingdom of work with the most bizarre and lovable things.

"Delicatessen" (1991) is a memorable work that first made these characteristics of Jeunet known to the world. It was greeted with surprise and praise not only in his native France but all over the world, and when Miramax was chosen to distribute it in the United States, the infamous Harvey Weinstein presented a number of corrections, but Jeunet resolutely defended the work by saying, "I have a great idea. Remove our names from the credits." (*1) He is not just an unconventional genius, but an artist full of spirit.

Incidentally, both "Delicatessen" and his second feature film " The Lost Children " (1995) were not directed by Jeunet alone, but were co-directed with Marc Caro, a collaborator he met at the end of the 1970s and hit it off with. The two of them had a division of labor between them, with Jeunet handling the overall story, scriptwriting, and direction, and Caro overseeing the various art-related elements, including sets, props, character design, hairstyles, and costumes, but they would always discuss the important details thoroughly and make decisions only after reaching a mutual agreement.

"Delicatessen" (c)Photofest / Getty Images

Inspired by a life lived above a butcher shop

Originally, the two had been working on their first feature-length project, " Lost Children ." However, as you can see from watching the film, which was produced in 1995, this film has a grand worldview and a complex story. The art sets are also quite elaborate. In other words, it was essential to raise a considerable budget to make it a reality.

Although they had already made a name for themselves with their short films, the world is not so easy that they can suddenly invest a huge amount of money in their first feature film. Therefore, they came to the conclusion that it would be better to first produce a work that was low-budget but still condensed with their unique characteristics. This is how "Delicatessen" was born.

The story is set in a future society where the world has been devastated by a nuclear war or something, and people suffer from hunger due to daily food shortages. However, the story does not depict even a moment of a big city or a global situation, and the main focus is an apartment on the outskirts of town. The landlord is a man who runs a butcher shop on the first floor. Until now, he has successfully lured new tenants into traps, butchered them, and shared the delicious food with everyone. Then one day, a street performer named Louison successfully applies for a live-in job... This dark plot unfolds freely as a wild comedy, not a horror.

Where on earth did this crazy idea come from? The DVD's audio commentary reveals Genet's memories of the apartment where he once lived with his girlfriend. The first floor of the apartment was also a butcher's shop, and they would wake up every morning to the sound of meat cleavers ringing out. One day, his girlfriend made a joke, saying, "I wonder if those knives are turning the residents here into meat..." and later, in an unexpected way, it grew into the seed of the project.

A world depicted with sound and rhythm