Brotherhood of the Wolf 4K 2001 FRENCH DC Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

France, second half of the 18th century. In a place called Gevaudan, a terrible creature, nicknamed the Beast by the inhabitants, appears, killing women and children mercilessly. The Beast seems elusive, evading numerous raids, it does not take bullets, it disappears as suddenly as it appears, and only a few survivors are able to describe its appearance.

King Louis XV himself decides to look into what is happening and entrusts the investigation of the brutal murders to the scholar Gregor de Fronsac. Another hero appears in Gévodan with Gregor - the Indian Manny - he once saved de Fronsac's life, and now they are blood brothers.

There is as much mystery surrounding the silent Indian as there is around the Beast. Mani resorts to mysterious rituals, and relies on the instincts and customs of his people to fight the monster.

Review 4K Movie

In my eyes, the adventure genre is the most difficult one, and if you think about it, there are fewer outstanding films of this kind. There are historical, mystical, detective films, but pure adventure films are very few. Thrilling, fast-paced stories, inside which is a detective, with the clothes of action and historical entourage thrown over his shoulders carelessly. At first glance, these clothes unassuming, but what a quality and tightly sewn! What dialogue, folds of mystery and smooth, numerous lines of plot! The darker "Sleepy Hollow" and "Brotherhood of the Wolf" come to mind, and the slightly more colorful "The Mummy" and "Turecik Gambit." Perfect adventure films that I treasure enough to save them first in a fire.

The historical chronicles as well as the history books mention the Beast of Zivod in passing, so I can't say whether the events of the film are based on any real basis; the plot itself is re-cut and sewn in fashion, but that some animal, to which uneducated villagers attributed mystical origins, was spilling French soil, must be a fact. Is that where Conan Doyle got the idea for his The Hound of the Baskervilles? Or did The Hound of the Baskervilles, in turn, influence the creators of The Brotherhood of the Wolf as they pondered how best to tell the story of the Beast of the Animals?

Grégoire de Fronsac, a soldier and scholar of the King, comes to a remote province to describe a mysterious Beast that has been killing women and children for over a year, keeping the villagers in fear. The rumor of him spread throughout France, enriched with fictions and legends, because, as they say, the monster is impossible not to catch, not to kill. The peasants are terrified of locking their doors at night, forbidding their children to go far from home, in the homes of the local nobility court poets compose poems about the Beast, and somewhere in the picturesque and gloomy emerald forests one hears a howl, which even wolves run away into the thicket. Grégoire de Fronsac and his named brother Mani, an Indian who speaks to the spirits of the forest, do not believe in monsters, but they understand that the Beast exists, and it is man, or perhaps even men, behind whose backs is a more powerful enemy - God, the Devil or the Church...

Everyone is silent, but someone knows more than he is saying. A priest? One of the nobles? The bunch of nobles is quite interesting in its diversity - the unpredictable one-armed Jean-François de Moronge, the humble Father Sardis, the snooty Duke, the Countess, the young, benevolent Marquis, the beautiful, self-assured Marianne... though she is, of course, curious for another reason. Perhaps the only angel among demons and devils - I am not as free as your morals - a bright angel. And in the brothel, among the purple tapestries, candles, and Tarot cards of Fronsac, awaits a dragon-like creature of Paradise whose hair, eyes, and heart are darker than night-a Florentine who happened to be passing through those parts. Was it an accident? And why does Gregoire keep being hindered by an invisible hand? The King orders an end to the investigation, to stage the capture of the Beast, to silence everyone, while the murders continue...

The great roundup is splendid, as is the amateur tournament that precedes it, as is Fronsac's subsequent independent raid, as is Mani's actions--is there any point in listing the episodes if they are all magnificent, tense and spiritual? How splendid is Fronsac, how beautiful is his red-skinned, silent friend, how noble are the old nobleman and his grandson, how delightful are the wolves - almost completely exterminated, but ready to help and point out the trail of the Beast?

The white wolf, standing on the ruins of the burned Templar monastery looks straight into the soul and with a turn of his head points in the direction - there, there is the lair of the beast, there are people who knew about it from the beginning. An old Jewish healer, an old man with smart, tired eyes glimpses into the crowd, his promiscuous daughter meets Mani's gaze, blurring vague, unclear feelings, Fronsac marks on a map the location of the beast's attack, bringing all the lines together into one point. What is located here? And Marianne is trapped at home, where she is now more dangerous than in the wilds of the forest...

It is impossible not to love the main characters - all without exception evoke poignant feelings, Samuel Le Bian as Fronsac is inexcusably good, he is a light angel, Vincent Cassel is dark, and no less exciting. Marc Docascas is dear to the point of pain - from the first scene to the last, to the cross and the dripping paint. Monica Bellucci is beautiful and dangerous - "You're in love" - "I'm not sure" - "I'm sure..." You're late...

This is a gorgeous, entertaining and very intelligent film. The bleakness of the French woods, the people, the secrets, the hunting, the danger, the smell of woods and gunpowder, the dirt underfoot, the thirst for revenge and truth are seen, heard and tasted. If you haven't seen "Brotherhood of the Wolf" - I envy you, you have a unique two hours ahead of you.