Italian filmmaker Marco Ferreri was regarded throughout his career as a troublemaker and provocateur. A man who routinely challenged the status quo with a cinematic consciousness that refused to offer the human condition pat solutions to the increasingly difficult questions his films offered. With an all-star cast of European heavyweights (Marcello Mastroianni, Ugo Tognazzi, Michel Piccoli and Phillipe Noiret) La Grande Bouffe is recognized as Ferreri’s crowning achievement; a film about the physicality of existence as framed within the existential riddle of “why?”.  The four European heavyweights in question are successful pillars of society who depart from their families and routine to gather within a gothic mansion in downtown Paris, where they slowly and successfully annihilate themselves through gluttony and explosive sex with beautiful prostitutes. As the film unravels, the audience begins to gather strategic information and understanding of each character’s motives but are never afforded the opportunity to investigate the fundamental question these actions pose by the filmmaker himself. A troubling dilemma for those who crave easy answers to surface questions.

The film is presented in a linear fashion. There are no plot points.  What sounds like a second rate exploitation scenario (Porky’s as if remade by Eric Rohmer) is masterfully subverted by Ferreri’s insistence to dig deep within the obvious to explore the poison that wealth and privilege affords. There are no profound philosophical questions that these men are asking. They dutifully go about their daily routine, indulging in the five-star meals, one-upping each other in their flatulence contests, and savouring the unity that an orgy can bring to such good friends. By challenging the audience to look within themselves for the answers, the viewer becomes an unwitting accomplice to the actions portrayed onscreen. Naturally, uneasiness arises in the unsuspecting viewer, thinking they were wandering into a naughty Italian sex farce.  Why would a happy-go-lucky scenario be such a troubling and mysterious experience? Ferreri’s esthetic is grounded in the here and now; favouring simple compositions, extended conversational dialogue and straight cuts. The brilliance that a master brings to anonymity in direction. It soon becomes easy to forget that you’re watching a movie. Perhaps that’s the reason why. One begins to feel like an unseen character (a butler, or mechanic) hovering in the background, tempted to become part of the action but unable to due to class differences. You begin to ask the questions posed by the filmmaker within your own life as soon as the film is completed. What does wealth and privilege bring to society?  La Grande Bouffe is a brilliant film about questions that remain unanswered. It’s troubling and entertaining, rewarding and off-putting. Everything that great art should be.