Man Bites Dog (film)
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| Man Bites Dog | |
|---|---|
 Criterion Collection DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Rémy Belvaux |
| Produced by | Rémy Belvaux André Bonzel Benoît Poelvoorde |
| Written by | Rémy Belvaux André Bonzel Benoît Poelvoorde Vincent Tavier |
| Starring | Benoît Poelvoorde |
| Cinematography | André Bonzel |
| Editing by | Rémy Belvaux Eric Dardill |
| Release date(s) |  May, 1992 September 12, 1992 January 15, 1993 |
| Running time | 95 min |
| Country | Belgium |
| Language | French |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Man Bites Dog is a satirical 1992 Belgian French language black comedy mockumentary starring Benoît Poelvoorde. Its original French title is C'est arrivé près de chez vous (It Happened Close to You), which derives from the former title of the local daily news report in Belgian newspaper Le Soir.[citation needed] In the film, a crew of filmmakers follow a serial killer recording his crimes and grotesquely candid commentary for a documentary they are producing. At first dispassionate observers, they find themselves caught up in the increasingly chaotic violence. The film is shot in black and white.
The film was produced on a shoe-string budget by four student filmmakers. The genesis of the idea came from shooting a documentary without any money. As the filming went on, the students (Remy Belvaux and company) were able to garner more support and ultimately find a distributor.
[edit] Plot
Benoit is a charming and charismatic young man, he maintains a healthy relationship with his parents, plays the piano and discusses in length whatever comes to mind, be it architecture, philosophy, or classical music (such as the chamber group his girlfriend plays flute in). He also happens to be a complete psychopath, going on murderous rampages simply for his own enjoyment and ego. A film crew made up of three men join Benoit on his sadistic adventures, recording the sickening actions as part of their own documentary about him. Benoit takes them to meet family and friends, while in the meantime explaining in length the "craft" of his work. Eventually, the filmmakers take part in the killings, helping him to dispose of the bodies. However, one by one, the crew are killed off through different means, such as being shot by a soon to be victim of Benoit who also happens to be a local Mafioso. At one point, Benoit and his documentarians run across another group of filmmakers making a documentary about another serial killer. They also take part in a drunken gang rape of a woman who they catch having sex with her husband after breaking into an apartment. Eventually, the Mafia find that Benoit has killed one of their own and send skewered rats to him and those he cares for as warnings. Benoit is also caught by the authorities and sent to prison. He escapes, nonetheless, and calls his friends from the film crew to drive him back home. There, Benoit is horrified to learn that the Mafia has violently murdered his girlfriend. Returning to his hideout, Benoit begins to recite his poem 'Pigeon'. Just as he is reciting, he and the rest of the film crew are shot and killed on camera by the vengeful gangsters.
[edit] Censorship
For foreign release (not including the Region 4/Australian release), the baby's pacifier was changed to a pair of human teeth on the poster.
