Ten Days’ Wonder

La décade prodigieuse

Orson Welles and Anthony Perkins play a toxic father and son in this modern-day Greek tragedy, in which crime reveals itself as the logical extension of an unchecked patriarchal appetite.

  • Director

    Claude Chabrol

  • With

    Michel Piccoli, Anthony Perkins, Orson Welles

  • France 1971. 110min

  • Digital

  • Certificate

    15

Chabrol’s adaptation of Ellery Queen’s novel, featuring Orson Welles and Anthony Perkins as a toxic father and son, is a glorious, deranged melodrama. A young man, prone to blackouts and disturbing visions, enlists a friend to help uncover what he does during his lost hours. The consequences spiral into something resembling Greek tragedy, in which crime reveals itself, finally, as the logical extension of unchecked patriarchal appetite.

Contains scenes of graphic violence or injury, drug use and sexist attitudes and language.

The screening of Ten Days’ Wonder on Thursday 10 September will be introduced by season curator Catherine Wheatley.