Man Bites Dog

Overview

Remy Belvaux's controversial mockumentary Man Bites Dog comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.66:1. The French soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Mono. English subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include the original theatrical trailer, an essay from producer Andre Bonzel about the making of the film, a still photo gallery, interviews with the crew, and a short film from the filmmakers. This cult favorite has never looked better on home video, making this disc worthwhile for anyone with adventurous taste.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/24/2002
UPC:	0037429172223
Original Release:	1991
Rating:	NR
Source:	Criterion
Presentation:	[B&W, Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Time:	1:36:00
Sales rank:	8,521

Special Features

1993 video interview with the filmmakers; "No C4 For Daniel-Daniel" short; Stills gallery; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Benoît Poelvoorde	Ben
Remy Belvaux	Remy (Reporter)
André Bonzel	Cameraman
Jean-Marc Chenut	Patrick (Sound Man #1)
Alain Oppezzi	Franco (Sound Man #2)
Vincent Tavier	Vincent (Sound Man #3)
Nelly Pappaert	Ben's Grandmother
Hector Pappaert	Ben's Grandfather
Jenny Drye	Jenny
Jacqueline Poelvoorde-Pappaert	Ben's Mother
Malou Madou	Malou
Willy Vandenbroeck	Boby
Rachel Deman	Mamie Tromblon
André Laime	Bed-ridden Old Man
Edith Le Merdy	Nurse
Sylviane Godé	Rape Victim (Martine)
Zoltan Tobolik	Rape Victim's Husband
Valérie Parent	Valerie
Alexandra Fandango	Kalifa
Olivier Cotica	Benichou
Gina Cotica	Mother
Ricardo Cotica	Child
Pierre Vanbraekel	Father
Marcel Engels	Cameraman
Franco Piscopo	Sound Recordist
Venelin Poikov	First Postman
Alain François	Video Reporter
Fernaud Dubois	Postman
Antoine Chapelot	Wine Waiter
Hughes Tavier	Buffet Waiter
Pol Vanderwarren	Ben's Lawyer
Anne LaGrange	Journalist
Paul Bottemanne	Taxi Driver
Vincent Merveille	Boxer
Irene Gilissen	Lady on Train
Sabine Tavier	Madame Pipi
Annamaria Szomolanyiova	Violinist
Carlos Miranda	Night Watchman
Pascal Lebrun	Featured Victim
Stephanie Aubier	Featured Victim
Alain Hologne	Featured Victim
Micheline Hologne	Featured Victim
Philippe Blasband	Featured Victim
Aldo Fostier	Featured Victim
Jean-Pol Cavillot	Featured Victim
Anny Hologne	Featured Victim
Elaine Leonard	Featured Victim
Marie Travier	Featured Victim
Bruno Belvaux	Featured Victim
Lucien Belvaux	Featured Victim
Jean-Claude Maschetti	Featured Victim
Laurence D'Hondt	Journalist
Daniel Tursh	Journalist
Benoit Mariage	Journalist
Emmanuelle Bada	Journalist
Stéphane Aubier	Journalist
Jean-Paul Geets	Malou's Customer
Clotilde Francois	Victim in Montage
Steven Artels	Victim in Montage
Bertrand Tavier	Victim in Montage
Bob Lens	Victim in Montage
Josephs Craeynest	Victim in Montage
Willy Van De Waele	Victim in Montage
Andre Kuys	Victim in Montage
Patrick Goisse	Victim in Montage

Technical Credits

Remy Belvaux	Director,Editor,Producer,Screenwriter
André Bonzel	Director,Cinematographer,Producer,Screenwriter
Benoît Poelvoorde	Director,Producer,Screenwriter
Jean-Marc Chenut	Score Composer
Eric Dardill	Editor
Laurence Dufrene	Score Composer
Vincent Tavier	Screenwriter

Scene Index

Side #1 --
1. A Killer by Trade [:17]
2. L'Amour fou [6:00]
3. Jenny [2:13]
4. The Night Watchman [4:25]
5. Aesthetics & Function [2:13]
6. Bad Mussels [6:15]
7. Artistic Circles [5:12]
8. Pursuit/Personal Losses [3:17]
9. Drowning Sorrows [8:03]
10. The Suburban Family [4:01]
11. The Nightingale & Crew [7:06]
12. Grandpa/Kalifa [4:07]
13. Dead Baby Boy [5:39]
14. "Cinema!" [4:30]
15. The Tide Turns [4:24]
16. Happy Birthday [5:41]
17. Coverage [5:38]
18. A Halt in Production [1:16]
19. Payback [5:17]
20. Tail Flash [3:42]
21. Color Bars [6:50]

Menu

Side #1 --
   Play the Movie
   Chapters
   Subtitles
      On
      Off
   Making Cinema
   Interview With the Filmmakers
      Play
   No C4 for Daniel-Daniel
      Play
   Happening in You Neighborhood

Editorial Reviews

Kitted out with the shoestring realism of a black-and-white mockumentary and a lot of over-the-top media satire, C'est Arrive Pres de Chez Vous manages to invert serial-killer clichés by focusing on the banality of murder itself. Instead of the picturesque boogeymen of Silence of the Lambs or Seven, we get Benoit Poelvoorde's loquacious, charming, and workmanlike Ben, who treats killing like any other enjoyable, but difficult job and dispatches kids, grannies, and young lovers equally matter-of-factly. Poelvoorde and his fellow writer/director/actors, Remy Belvaux and Andre Bonzel, invest their film with a bleached-out squalor that's partially a function of camcorder cinema and partially the result of their wittily depraved script. With a face and demeanor that recalls James Woods at his cold-blooded best and a character so blasé about his chosen profession that he's almost likable in a sick, twisted way, Poelvoorde is the only one of the filmmaker/performers who really registers onscreen. Like the real-life media functionaries who daily chew up reality into tabloid gruel, the others exist on the periphery, omnipresent shadows flickering across the colorful depravities they serve up as entertainment. C'est Arrive Pres de Chez Vous is a distinctly unpleasant film to watch, but its quotidian monstrosity is eerily accurate.

All Movie Guide - Brian J. Dillard