Stéphane Audran
In 1970 Chabrol made "The Butcher" ("Le boucher") starring Jean Yanne and Stéphane Audran. Yanne plays Popaul, a former war hero known for his violent behavior, much like that depicted in the prehistoric cave drawings that the characters look at in their Périgord community. The French newspaper "Le Figaro" called it "the best French film since the liberation." After another examination of bourgeois life in "The Breach" ("La Rupture") in 1970, Chabrol made "Just Before Nightfall" ("Juste avant la nuit") in 1971. The film stars Michel Bouquet as an ad executive named Charles who kills his mistress but cannot handle the guilt, so he confesses his crime to her husband (François Périer) and his wife (Stéphane Audran), expecting their condemnation. To his surprise they are only compassionate and forgiving to his crime and Charles cannot find relief from the guilt of what he has done. Later in 1971 Chabrol made "Ten Days' Wonder" ("La Décade prodigieuse"), based on a novel by Ellery Queen. The film was shot in English and starred Michel Piccoli, Anthony Perkins and Orson Welles. It received poor critical reviews. He followed this with the equally disliked "Dr. Popaul", starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Mia Farrow. Critics compared the film unfavorably with Chabrol's earlier film that centered on a "Landru-like" theme. Critic Jacques Siclier said that "the "novelty" of "Docteur Popaul" comes from the offhandedness with which the criminal history is treated."