High Quality La Poison (Criterion Collection)

Middle-aged gardener Paul Braconnier (Michel Simon) went to the offices of high-profile criminal defense lawyer Maître Aubanel (Jean Debucourt) for a consult-as he claimed to have just done away with his alcoholic, abusive wife Blandine (Germaine Reuver). Actually, he hadn’t… but armed with the advice from the misguided mouthpiece on how to beat the system, he’ll now attend to that little detail. Pitch-black social satire from writer-director Sacha Guitry also stars Jean Duvaleix, Marcelle Arnold. 87 min. Standard; Soundtrack: French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; bonus documentary “On Life On-Screen: Miseries and Splendor of a Monarch” (2010); featurette. In French with English subtitles. Two-disc set.