Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)

Coming Out at 31 January 2001 in theaters.

“Le pacte des loups”

Action, Adventure, Drama

Brotherhood of the Wolf is period action horror film directed by Christophe Gans, co-written by Gans and Stéphane Cabel, and starring Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Émilie Dequenne, Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel. The story takes place in 18th-century France, where the Chevalier de Fronsac and Mani of the Iroquois tribe are sent to investigate the mysterious slaughter of hundreds by an unknown creature in the province of Gévaudan.

The plot is loosely based on a real-life series of killings that took place in France in the 18th century and the famous legend of the beast of Gévaudan; parts of the film were shot at Château de Roquetaillade. The film has several extended swashbuckling fight scenes, with martial arts performances by the cast mixed in, making it unusual for a historical drama. The special effects for the creature are a combination of computer generated imagery, as well as puppetry and animatronics designed by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.

The film received generally positive critical reviews, highlighting its high production values, cinematography, performances and Gans’ atmospheric direction. At a $29 million budget, it was an international box office success, grossing over $70 million in worldwide theatrical release. The film also enjoyed commercial success in the United States; Universal Pictures paid $2 million to acquire the film’s North American distribution rights and went on to gross $11.3 million in limited theatrical release, making it the second-highest-grossing French-language film in the United States since 1980. The film also did brisk video and DVD sales in the United States.

Director: Christophe Gans

Writers: Stéphane Cabel, Christophe Gans

Stars: Samuel Le Bihan, Mark Dacascos, Jérémie Renier, Émilie Dequenne, Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel

Cast:

Samuel Le Bihan	…	Grégoire de Fronsac
Mark Dacascos	…	Mani
Jérémie Renier	…	Thomas d’Apcher
Vincent Cassel	…	Jean-François
Émilie Dequenne	…	Marianne
Jacques Perrin	…	Thomas d’Apcher (old)
Christian Marc	…	Serviteur Thomas Agé
Karin Kriström	…	Bergère du Rocher
Philippe Nahon	…	Jean Chastel
Virginie Darmon	…	La Bavarde
Vincent Cespedes	…	Soldat
Hans Meyer	…	Marquis d’Apcher
Jean-Paul Farré	…	Père Georges
Pierre Lavit	…	Jacques
Eric Prat	…	Capitaine Duhamel
Bernard Farcy	…	Laffont
Edith Scob	…	Mme de Morangias
Michel Puterflam	…	Evèque de Mende
Jean Yanne	…	Comte de Morangias
Jean-Loup Wolff	…	Duc de Moncan
Jean-François Stévenin	…	Sardis
Nicolas Vaude	…	Maxime des Forêts
Max Delor	…	Noble Agé
Christian Adam	…	Noble Agé
Jean-Pierre Jackson	…	Noble Diner
Nicky Naudé	…	La Fêlure
Daniel Herroin	…	Blondin
Gaëlle Cohen	…	La Loutre
Virginie Arnaud	…	La Pintade
Charles Maquignon	…	Valet Maison Teissier
Frankie Pain	…	La Tessier
Isabelle Le Nouvel	…	La Prostituée Brunette
Albane Fioretti	…	Prostituée Teissier
Monica Bellucci	…	Sylvia
Clarice Plasteig dit Caffou	…	Prostituée Teissier
Delphine Hivernet	…	Valentine
Juliette Lamboley	…	Cécile
Gaspard Ulliel	…	Louis
Pierre Castagne	…	Père de Cécile
Stéphane Pioffet	…	Paysan
Eric Laffitte	…	Un Villageois
Johan Leysen	…	Beauterne
Eric Delcourt	…	Aide de Camp Beauterne
André Penvern	…	Buffon
Bernard Fresson	…	Mercier
Christelle Droy	…	Bergère Dollines
Andres Fuentes	…	Paysan Chaumière
Nadine Marcovici	…	Jeanne
Jean-Claude Braquet	…	Pierre
David Bogino	…	Lanceur de Couteaux
Emanuel Booz	…	Officier Bucher
François Hadji-Lazaro	…	Machemort
Pascal Laugier	…	Assistant de Machemort
Olivier Colat-Parros	…	Hands Fronsac – taxidermy sequence