The Judge and the Assassin

Bertrand Tavernier's ('Round Midnight) third film is an interesting, if ultimately confusing, parable about evil-both petty and grand. Set at the close of the 19th century, the story--apparently based on a true incident--introduces Sgt. Joseph Bouvier (Michael Galabru) who, after being repeatedly turned down by the woman he is courting, shoots both her and himself. Neither dies, though Bouvier, roaming the countryside with two bullets lodged in his skull, is frequently thrown into fits of madness during which he sexually attacks and brutally kills young shepherds and shepherdesses. When he is finally apprehended, Judge Rousseau (Phillipe Noiret)-who has been following the case with extreme interest-sets out to prove that Bouvier is sane and deserves the death sentence rather than medical treatment. The resulting cat and mouse game between the two principals provides the suspense in this intriguing psychological drama. But the ending, which takes a strange political turn, is likely to confuse many. After two hours of straightforward drama, Tavernier makes the point that Bouvier only killed 12 children, while oppressive conditions in the silk factories resulted in the deaths of some 1500 children-the connection is somewhat cloudy, to say the least. Also, it should be mentioned that the film is letterboxed, and in this case, severely so. The picture takes up only one-half of the screen, with large black bands above and below. On a small TV set, this would be practically unwatchable. Recommended for larger foreign collections, with the above reservations. (R. Pitman)