The early films of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro hold a special place for me as I bonded over them with a friend, Jay. Although we had mutual friends but didn’t know each other, a brief conversation in a restaurant turned to film, and he mentioned wanting to see The City of Lost Children (1995). He had loved Jeunet and Caro’s first feature, Delicatessen (1991).
I had a copy, and he had Delicatessen, so we watched them together. We continued to watch Jeunet and Caro’s films together until Jay’s passing in 2008. After he died, I never revisited them, partly because his loss affected me pretty deeply. Severin Films has brought Delicatessen to 4K UHD for the first time, and the final result is nothing short of stunning.
In a lawless, post-apocalyptic France where food has become scarce and is now used as currency, the residents of an isolated apartment building have found an unusual solution to their hunger. Their landlord, the butcher Clapet (Jean-Claude Dreyfus), periodically kills the building’s handyman to feed the eccentric group of tenants.
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However, complications arise when a former clown, Louison (Dominique Pinon), arrives and takes on the handyman role. Clapet’s daughter, Julie (Marie-Laure Dougnac), falls in love with Louison and is determined to put an end to the gruesome practice at the delicatessen.
Delicatessen is truly a marvel of a film. The story is unique and bizarre, but the filmmakers have such a distinctive style that visually, it’s unlike anything you may have seen at that time. I’m fascinated by the sequences in which rhythm is used to move it along, which happens several times, always involving the bed springs.
The acting is top-notch, led by Dominique Pinon, the ex-clown with a heart of gold. He’s very charming, and his chemistry with Marie-Laure Dougnac helps to ground the film with a realistic courtship.
Studio Canal, under the supervision of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, supervised the transfer from the original camera negative. It’s so sharp that it almost feels like watching it again for the first time. I just wish I could share it with a friend who I know would have lost his mind over this release.
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Over three hours of bonus features are spread out over two discs (UHD, Blu-ray), including a commentary with Jeunet, an interview with Jeunet and Caro, the making of Delicatessen, a solo interview with Caro, and an interview with the legendary Terry Gilliam.
Delicatessen is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that hasn’t lost a beat in the thirty-three years since its release. This version is exactly what the film deserves. I can’t recommend the film enough, so rush out and find yourself a copy of the Severin Films release of Delicatessen.
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