Blood Relatives (1978)

Movie
German title	Blood relatives
Original title	Les liens de sang
Country of production	Canada , France
original language	English
Publishing year	1978
length	101 minutes Shortened: 95 minutes
Age rating	FSK 16
Rod
Director	Claude Chabrol
script	Sydney Banks Claude Chabrol
production	Denis Héroux Eugène Lépicier
music	Pierre Jansen Howard Blake
camera	Jean Rabier
cut	Yves Langlois
occupation
Donald Sutherland : Carella Aude Landry : Patricia Lisa Langlois : Muriel Laurent Malet : Andrew Stéphane Audran : Mrs. Lowery Walter Massey : Mr. Lowery Micheline Lanctôt : Mrs. Carella Donald Pleasence : James Doniac David Hemmings : Armstrong Ian Ireland : Klinger Guy Hoffman : Priest Marguerite Lemir : Helene Beck Gregory Giannis : Sully Jan Rooney : grandmother Tim Henry : Captain Marriott

Blood relatives (original title: Les liens de sang ) is a Canadian - French thriller from 1978 . It was directed by Claude Chabrol , who, together with Sydney Banks, wrote the script based on a novel by Ed McBain .

action

Patricia reports the murder of her 17-year-old cousin Muriel at a police station in Montreal . She testifies that while Muriel was on her way home from a party, she was attacked, sexually abused and killed by a man. When he tried to kill her himself, she was able to flee.

At the funeral, Patricia's brother Andrew has a nervous breakdown and shortly thereafter Patricia accuses him of attacking them both. You don't believe Inspector Carella, who is in charge of the investigation. He reads Muriel's very open diary and learns all the details from her life. Muriel was adopted, lived in the family of her parents' siblings, and had a relationship with Andrew. When an older colleague became interested in her, she ended the relationship with Andrew, which she considered forbidden and which had no perspective for her.

Carella has the impression that Muriel's diary was opened by someone shortly before she died. The inspector suspects Patricia and confronts her with his suspicion and with the fact that her statements have recently contradicted each other. Patricia then breaks down nervously and confesses that she killed her cousin out of jealousy. She was of the opinion that her brother should love her more than her cousin. That's why she couldn't stand it that he showed his love at the grave even after Muriel's death, and therefore accused him.

Reviews

The lexicon of international films judges the film to be “skilful and fluidly staged” and “lively and believable in terms of the presentation”. Chabrol once again represented "the abysses behind the facade of bourgeois decency".

Cinema magazine wrote that the "dark, enigmatic crime thriller about cryptic obsessions" was "excitingly told". He puts “the usual sarcasms of Chabrol against bourgeois lies in life” in the background and puts “greater emphasis on the representation of the characters and their secret and suppressed passions”.

backgrounds

The film was shot in Montreal , where the New York plot of the novel was relocated because Chabrol believed that New York was too "hectic" and made "intimate character portrayal" impossible. The cost of production was approximately 1.45 million Canadian dollars . The world premiere took place on February 1, 1978 in France. In the USA , the film did not appear until 1981, three years later. The German premiere was on September 4, 1982 on ARD .

Web links

• Blood relatives in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Blood relatives at rotten tomatoes (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} blood relatives. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed July 12, 2020 .  
2. ↑ ^{a b} Cinema , accessed October 14, 2008
3. ^ Filming locations for Les Liens de sang , accessed October 14, 2008
4. ↑ blood relatives in the Internet Movie Database (English) , Section Box Office, accessed on July 12, 2020
5. ↑ Les Liens de Sang. In: Allociné. Retrieved July 12, 2020 (French). 
6. ↑ Hal Erickson : Blood Relatives (1978). In: Allmovie . Retrieved July 12, 2020 .