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Published: 15 July 2010
by DAN CARRIER

DIRECTOR Catherine Breillat used to love reading the ogre-tastic tale of Bluebeard to her slightly older sibling when they were tiny, enjoying the thrill of scaring the living daylights out of her, and loving the fact she could use her own imagination to create such a monster. 

This memory has ­provided a starting point for this slow moving, thoughtful and nicely presented French film, based on the the three-page story by Charles Perrault. 

It is split into two ­sections: we meet two young girls who enjoy freaking each other out as bedtime approaches with the terrible story of Bluebeard, the aristo­cratic monster who kills women and eats children. It is the 1950s and little Catherine likes torturing her older sister Anne-Marie by reading the tale until she starts to cry. 

Then we cut to action in a vaguely Rennaissance-looking, semi-mystical time, created by the younger sister’s imagination. Catherine becomes part of the fairytale, taking on the role of Princess Marie-Catherine, Bluebeard’s last wife, who discovers his terrible habit of ­slaying his other halves – and attempts to avoid a similar fate.

The scenes feel like the production team have borrowed heavily from the abandoned sets and costume wardrobe of the French 1970s children’s serial The Flashing Blade. It means at times it is a little off kilter and loses it ways somewhat. 

This film was a big festival hit, but whether it will be anything more than a quaint indie offering is open to question, despite its obvious class. 

It’s all very beautifully laid out but moves at a snail’s pace. If you want scenes to flit by in a whirling frenzy, then it’s definitely not for you, but if you like to ­meditate on shots, then flip down a cinema chair and kick back.