Le Pacte Des Loups

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This article is about a French film. For the book by David Farland, see Brotherhood of the Wolf (novel).
Le Pacte des Loups

original movie poster
Directed by Christophe Gans
Produced by Richard Grandpierre
Samuel Hadida
Written by Christophe Gans
Stéphane Cabel.
Starring Samuel Le Bihan
Vincent Cassel
Émilie Dequenne
Monica Bellucci
Jérémie Renier
Mark Dacascos
Music by Joseph LoDuca
Cinematography Dan Laustsen
Editing by David Wu
Sébastien Prangère
Xavier Loutreuil
Distributed by Metropolitan Filmexport
Release date(s) 31 January 2001
Running time 152 mins
Country France
Language French
German (a few words)
Italian (a few words)
Budget FRF 200,000,000 (estimated)
Official website
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Le Pacte des Loups (titled Brotherhood of the Wolf in English, but literal translation The Pact of the Wolves) is a 2001 movie directed by Christophe Gans, starring Samuel Le Bihan, Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci and Mark Dacascos, and written by Gans and Stéphane Cabel.

The film is loosely based on a real-life series of killings that took place in France in the 18th century.

Stylistically, the movie is an extreme pastiche. In addition to being a historical/drama/horror movie, it has anachronistic martial arts fight sequences; it also contains elements of erotica and humour. Many critics consider some of these elements being used inflationary and with a disappointing lack of innovative and/or original ideas, especially in the latter half of the movie[citation needed].

The film had been called the highest grossing French movie ever, grossing over $70 million USD worldwide. Despite many enthusiactic reviews it was not a commercial success in the United States, grossing only $10 million USD.

The film has garnered a respectful following among horror fans and was also one of the sources of inspiration for the Dungeons and Dragons Eberron campaign setting.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Sometime in the 18th Century, Grégoire de Fronsac, the royal taxidermist of the French King Louis XV, and his Native American companion Mani, an Iroquois, arrive at Gévaudan province to capture a mysterious beast which has been terrorizing the country side. The young Thomas, Marquis d'Apcher, befriends them and assists their investigation.

Fronsac is initially skeptical about the beast’s existence, since survivors describe it as much larger than any wolf he has ever seen. However, by studying the bite size on an unfortunate victim of the beast, he deduces that it must weigh roughly 500 pounds. Captain Duhamel, an army officer leading the hunt for the beast, has killed dozens of ordinary wolves, but never comes close to the actual killer.

While staying in Gévaudan, Fronsac romances Marianne de Morangias, the daughter of a local count, whose brother, Jean-François, was also an avid hunter and a world traveler, before losing one arm to a lion in Africa. Fronsac is also intrigued by Sylvia, a courtesan at the local brothel.

While investigating another victim, Fronsac finds a fang made of steel, and his doubts of the Beast's existence thin. Another witness swears that the Beast is controlled by a human master. Fronsac studies the patterns of the attacks and victims, trying to find a common thread and reveal a murderer. As the investigation proves to be unfruitful, the king's weapons master, Lord Beauterne, arrives to put an end to the Beast. But instead of doing so, Beauterne kills an ordinary wolf and tells Fronsac to alter the corpse so it resembles the monster accordingly. Fronsac does so, and the bogus wolf is sent back to Paris, where it is put on display, much to the pleasure of the King and the French aristocracy.

The Beast and its Master
The Beast and its Master

In Paris, the King’s advisor shows Fronsac a copy of a book titled "L'Édifiante" [translated: The Edifying] with treasonous theories, stating the Beast has come to punish the King of France for his indulgence of the philosophers, and that the modern embracement of science over religion is heresy. Fronsac realizes that the Beast is an instrument of a secret society, The Brotherhood of the Wolf, working to undermine public confidence in the King and ultimately take over the country.

Fronsac is told that “officially” the Beast is dead, warned to keep his mouth shut, and bribed with an appointment to travel to Senegal. But back in Gévaudan, the attacks by the real Beast continue.

Ignoring his orders, Fronsac returns to Gévaudan, determined to put an end to the Beast's killings, and also to take Marianne away. Upon his return, the monster attacks and he sees it with his own eyes. It kills a man, but mysteriously refrains from attacking Marianne.

Fronsac, Mani, and the Marquis set out into the forest and set up an array of traps to capture the Beast, but it proves to be too powerful and intelligent to be captured by anything they can set up. After a violent encounter, Mani sets off solo in pursuit, where he finds a catacomb used as the Beast's holding pen, inhabited by the Brotherhood and a band of Gypsies working with them. These include, ironically, an elderly veterinarian, the Beast’s tender, and his daughter, whom Mani saved from a beating when he and Fronsac first arrived in Gévaudan. Outnumbered, Mani is shot in the back, overwhelmed and killed.

Fronsac is broken when he discovers his best friend has been murdered. Performing an autopsy, he finds a silver bullet, the signature weapon of Marianne's brother, Jean-François. In a fit of rage he goes to the catacombs and seeks revenge, finding a pile of copies of "L'Édifiante." He kills many of the Gypsies, and discovers the Beast’s lair. But then he is overpowered by the local authorities and imprisoned.

Monica Bellucci as the courtesan Sylvia
Monica Bellucci as the courtesan Sylvia

Sylvia visits him in jail and reveals to him that she is a spy for the Vatican. The local priest, Henri Sardis, is the leader of the Brotherhood, believing that he is restoring worship of God to France. The Pope has decided that Sardis is insane, and sent her to eliminate him. She then poisons Fronsac, telling him he knows too much.

Fronsac is presumed dead, and buried, when in fact Sylvia’s poison has only put him into a temporary coma. Marianne realizes that Jean-François is the Beast’s master; it recognized his scent when it came near her, which is why it didn’t attack. Jean-François, who has harbored an incestuous lust for his sister, rapes and nearly kills Marianne.

Sylvia’s agents exhume Fronsac and he appears at one of the Brotherhood’s secret sermons. In the climactic battle, he kills several Gypsies, and duels Jean-François to the death. The other members of the Brotherhood attempt to flee, but are rounded up and arrested by Captain Duhamel and his men. Sardis escapes into the mountains, but is mauled to death by a pack of wolves, in an example of poetic justice.

Fronsac attempts to heal Marianne with a potion carried by Mani. He and the Marquis go to the Beast’s lair, where it lies grievously wounded after the fight in the forest. It turns out the Beast was an offspring of a lion Jean-François brought back from Africa. It was tortured into becoming vicious, trained to attack humans, and dressed in metal armor along with metal implants in its jaw to make it more formidable and frightening. Fronsac performs a mercy killing on the Beast.

The Marquis, now an old man, finishes writing his account of the killings, just before he is led to his execution by a revolutionary mob.

In the final scene, the Marquis has a flashback, in which he narrates that he does not know what happened to Fronsac and Marianne but he hopes that somewhere, they are happy together. Fronsac is shown traveling to Senegal with Marianne to start a new life together, scattering Mani’s ashes at sea. It is left ambigous whether the two are alive and happy or, whether this is indeed the Marquis' dream.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Cast

Samuel Le Bihan as Grégoire de Fronsac
Samuel Le Bihan as Grégoire de Fronsac

[edit] Titles Around The World

  • Argentina: Pacto de Lobos (Pact of Wolves)
  • Brazil: O Pacto dos Lobos (The Pact of the Wolves)
  • Denmark: Pagten
  • Estonia: Hundi Vennaskond
  • Finland: Susien Klaani
  • Germany: Der Pakt der Wölfe (The Pact of the Wolves)
  • Greece: H Aδελφότητα Των Λύκων
  • Israel "Akhvat Ha-Ze'evim" "אחוות הזאבים" (Brotherhood of the Wolves)
  • Italy: Il Patto dei Lupi (The Pact of the Wolves)
  • Mexico: Pacto con Lobos (Pact with Wolves)
  • Norway: Ulvenes Klan
  • Poland: Braterstwo Wilków
  • Russia: Братство волка
  • Serbia: Pakt Sa Vukovima
  • Spain: El Pacto de los Lobos (The Pact of the Wolves)
  • Sweden: Vargarnas Pakt
  • UK: Brotherhood of the Wolf
  • USA: Brotherhood of the Wolf

[edit] External links

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