Catalogue information
Dobbs chooses this time the seventeenth volume of the Rougon-Macquart of Émile Zola, the darkest. Due to the lack of context integrating this story into the larger whole of the saga, a reminder of the main character's past and his relationships would have been relevant to better understand his troubled personality and his shadowy side. Moreover, the story does not contain only one hero, each protagonist, as well as the railroad environment, constitutes a cog in the mechanics of the scenario. Despite this, their development is uneven. The reader then feels little empathy for them because they do not appear particularly likeable. The screenwriter has chosen to highlight the thriller side: if he does it in a completely satisfactory way, it is nevertheless to the detriment of the psychological dimension and the social criticism of the novel. Human faults such as envy, jealousy, baseness and manipulation are certainly addressed, however, they appear a bit sluggish because of this lack of depth. Germano Giorgiani has a rather nervous and raw drawing which, associated with the faded colors of Isabelle Lebeau, restores a feverish and heavy atmosphere. The expressiveness that distorts the faces, as well as the coldness of the industrial decors, are well transcribed. Monochromy combined with tight cutting reinforces the feeling of oppression and latent violence. As a whole, the original plot is respected so those who have read “The Human Beast” will not be lost. For the béotiens, it is better to take the time to situate the setting with some research, otherwise, they will appreciate a well-constructed suspense story in an interesting time and environment, although having lost the critical power of Zola.
This text has been translated automatically from French
Click here for the original text