Jean and Ferdinand Rezeau lived an idyllic life in her grandmother's large estate in Brittany. The children's parents, Paule and Jacques, had gone to Indochine. Jacques, a fly collector, was easily manipulated by the domineering Paule. The children spent years without physical contact with their parents. After the death of the matriarch, the Rezeaus must return to France to assume their parental duties.A big change is in store for everyone in the estate. When the parents arrive, Jean and Ferdinand get a big surprise as the parents introduce their brother, Marcel, someone the siblings knew nothing about. Paule, ridiculous stingy woman begins making changes in the household. She even confiscate Jean and Ferdinad's personal possessions. Jean, who is a rebel, clashes with his mother. Paule, in turn, focuses all her energies into making Jean's life impossible. Jean made a discovery about his new brother which was to be a dark secret of her mother's life in Saigon.Philippe De Broca, the director of this film, based on a novel by Herve Bazin, also adapted it for the screen with Olga Vincent. It was supposed to have been the first part of a trilogy, which alas, never took place as the director died without getting his wish. The book was adapted for French television in what was supposed to be a much better adaptation. One has seen terrible mothers on the screen before, but Paule Rezeau is one of the meanest woman ever shown in films.Catherine Frot, a wonderful actress played her to the point that runs into almost a caricature of the horrible character she was asked to play. Perhaps M. De Broca wanted to go for that larger than life rendition for Paule. Jacques Villaret, who is seen as Jacques, on the other hand, has a much better time playing second fiddle to his domineering wife. Child actor Jules Sitruk does a marvelous job as Jean.

This is an appallingly inept film made by a production team who did not respect or even understand the source novel. It is a book about hate and poverty and pain. The whole point of the novel is that the mother corrupts the boy into being as slyly evil as she is. The director plays this as comedy! complete with dropped trouser gags, crass blue lighting, and ubiquitous crashes of thunder to complete the farce. The whole is completely miscast by a team of poor players who have the subtlety of sledgehammers. The film is full of crass moments which aren't in the book, such as the dreadful wink-wink wraparound. The ending has been changed! and made happy! Watch instead the 1971 version, which is true to the spirit and the themes of the original novel, with perfect settings and a magnificent cast, playing with the right amount of seething resentment and ripening rage. The only flaw with the 1971 film is that it is too short.

A good (but not great) adaptation of André Bazin's autobiographic novel which I urge all the users who saw the movie to read.Philippe de Broca does not feel at home in this gloomy story ,he who shines in comedies or adventures yarn ("Cartouche" "L'homme de Rio" ).And the made-for-TV version is imprinted in my memory as it must be in any French's.It had the definitive Folcoche (Folcoche= Folle Cochonne= Mad Swine):Alice Sapricht was so terrifying that any actress who would take on the part would be fatally compared to her.Catherine Frot does an okay job,but Folcoche was ,is and will always be Alice Sapricht whose ugliness worked wonders.On the other hand,I'm pleased to see that one of the late Villeret's last parts was worthwhile, a thousand miles from the obnoxious "Iznogood" .Good performances also come from English Cherie Lunghi ,Pszoniak and Paul Le Person.In the French literature ,"Vipère au Poing" recalls "Poil de Carotte".These two books feature the most terrifying mothers who ever were.And they were not invented.Both Bazin's and Jules Renard' moms were respectively Folcoche and Madame Lepic !

... or Every Home Should Have One, with apologies to John Steinbeck whose short story had nothing whatsoever to do with the autobiography of Herve Bazin which is the basis for this fine film. Catherine Frot is cast against type as the mother from hell and at times, especially when shot in extreme close up she actually contrives to LOOK like a snake. If, as I did, you see Frot in Les Soeurs Fachees, within twenty four hours you can't help marveling at her range but more of that when I get to The Angry Sisters. In his formative years Bazin lived with his grandmother because his parents were in Indo China and the film kicks off as the grandmother does and the parents return to France to take care of their two sons. Frot's complete lack of maternal instinct has to be seen to be believed as do her Draconian measures - no heat in the boy's bedroom in winter is only the beginning. It's tempting and easy to think that Frot based her characterization on Margaret Thatcher, there is the same coldness, the same aloof autocracy and it was Thatcher, of course, in her role as Minister for Education who famously discontinued the free school milk that children had enjoyed for years, earning her the well-deserved sobriquet Thatcher The Milk Snatcher. Jacques Villeret, also cast against type offers sterling support as the milquetoast husband but it is young Jules Sitruk, so good in Monsieur Batignole, who weighs in with a wonderfully assured performance as the rebellious son. It's difficult to find fault with anything from the acting to the attention to detail in the period setting. One to see again.