As its opening credits inform us, this 77 minute animated feature is “Meant for adults only.” Completed in 1967, it was a two-and-a-half year labor of love by the late Polish born, France based Walerian Borowczyk, who at the time was known for his numerous animated shorts, many of which (such as LES ASTRONAUTES and LES YEUX DES ANGES) are considered classics of the form. In subsequent years Borowczyk became a highly distinctive director of live action features, starting with GOTO, ISLAND OF LOVE/GOTO L’ILE D’AMOUR (1969) and concluding with LOVE RITES/CEREMONIE D’AMOUR (1987), and THE THEATRE OF MR. AND MRS. KABAL/THEATRE DE MONSIEUR & MADAME KABAL served as the bridge between them and the earlier shorts.
…this 77 minute animated feature is “Meant for adults only.”
Mr. and Mrs. Kabal were first introduced by Borowczyk in LE CONCERT DE M. ET MME. KABAL, a 7 minute short made in 1962. Rendered in primitive, detail-free black and white drawings with characters seen mostly in profile, it depicted the misadventures of Mr. Kabal, a short and stumpy little fellow, and Mrs. Kabal, a robotic personage with a bullet-shaped head and downward pointed beak-nose who existed, it seems, to make her husband’s life miserable on a stage during a piano concert.
For THE THEATRE OF MR. AND MRS. KABAL Borowczyk upgraded his animation style. The title characters look exactly the same as they did in the earlier film, but the brush strokes are thicker (the result, apparently, of a specially made felt pen). Further enhancements include splashes of color and snippets of live action, although in most other respects—the bare bones soundtrack in particular, which despite some pointed music cues (such as a sarcastically utilized rendition of “Silent Night”) is comprised largely of over-modulated sound effects amid an eerie silence—the film is even starker and more contained than its predecessor.
The title characters look exactly the same as they did in the earlier film, but the brush strokes are thicker (the result, apparently, of a specially made felt pen).
Here the Kabals are first seen interacting with Borowczyk himself, establishing an anything-goes atmosphere. The couple reside in a house packed with bizarre mechanical contraptions and massive hooks that dangle from the ceiling. There’s also a large green frog stationed outside the residence (green being a pertinent color in this film) and ever-present butterflies that circle the place and periodically emerge from the body of Mrs. Cabal. The latter is every bit as callous and sadistic as she was in the short, speaking in a nonsensical robotic babble (with multi-lingual subtitles provided as translation). Mr. Kabal is a runty wimp who, on those rare occasions when he’s not running errands for the Mrs. (at one point entering into her body), spends his time spying on scantily clad live action women through binoculars, only to be stymied by a leering old man who invariably appears alongside the ladies, and always seems aware of Mr. Kabal’s presence.
There’s also a large green frog stationed outside the residence (green being a pertinent color in this film) and ever-present butterflies that circle the place and periodically emerge from the body of Mrs. Cabal.
There’s no narrative to speak of. This, combined with the repetitiveness of the action, makes for a viewing experience that takes patience on the part of the viewer (something that’s true of most Borowczyk films, animated and otherwise). Yet I feel viewing the film is a worthwhile investment, as its stylistic assurance and sense of surreal ingenuity are undeniable.
As a corrosive view of marriage THE THEATRE OF MR. AND MRS. KABAL is in a class of its own, being funny at times (in Mrs. Kabal’s climactic battle with her own mirror image) and oppressive and grotesque at others (in live action footage of exposed human organs), in which manner the film foreshadows Borowczyk’s controversial live action features. Hence the abovementioned “mature audiences” disclaimer, which should be heeded by all potential viewers.
Vital Statistics
THE THEATRE OF MR. AND MRS. KABAL (THEATRE DE MONSIEUR & MADAME KABAL)
Les Cinéastes Associés
Director: Walerian Borowczyk
Producer: Jacques Forgeot
Screenplay: Walerian Borowczyk
Cinematography: Guy Durban, Francis Pronier
Editing: Claude Blondel
Cast: Louisette Rousseau, Pierre Collet, Louis Jojot, Renata Austruc, Jacqueline Boivin, Edith Catry, Yvonne Landry, Kathy Luc, Maîthé Mansoura, Mei-Chen, Walerian Borowczyk