Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Beecham was Maximilian Van Devere's devoted assistant who fell deeply in love with him. She discovered that Max's health was failing because of his extreme eating habits, constantly tasting the rich dishes featured in his magazine. Believing Max would be exposed as a murderer if more chefs died (since he had publicly praised their dishes), Beecham killed the chefs herself to protect his reputation and prevent him from becoming remembered as a murderer. She also hoped that by eliminating the chefs, Max would stop consuming the rich food that was killing him.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, Max's failing health is noted as he indulges in the very delicacies he publishes, establishing his vulnerability.

• beecham
• love
• motive
• protect max
• assistant
• killer identity

The killings directly followed the order of dishes featured in Max Van Devere's magazine article titled "the world's most fabulous meal." Each chef was killed using the method required to prepare their signature dish: Louis Kohner died in a 450-degree oven (his baked pigeon), Fausto Zoppi was drowned in a lobster tank (his lobster dish), and Jean-Claude Moulineau was pressed in a duck press (his pressed duck). The killer was following the magazine's feature as a killing menu.

Foreshadowing: Max proudly shows off his magazine issue featuring the signature dishes of his favorite chefs before the murders begin.

• magazine
• menu
• signature dish
• killing method
• order

While Natasha was appearing on the TV show "A Moveable Feast," Robby was watching from elsewhere. He realized there was a bomb hidden inside a cake that Natasha was about to light on air. He immediately raced to the TV studio and arrived just in time to grab Natasha and push her away from the cake before it exploded during the live broadcast.

• bomb
• live tv
• rescue
• cake
• studio
• robby

Max Van Devere was suspected because he had the most to gain from eliminating the chefs. His magazine had featured their signature dishes, and their deaths would generate even more publicity for his publication. Additionally, his failing health and obsessive focus on food made him appear unstable. The police and many characters believed Max was staging the murders to create sensational content for his magazine.

• max
• suspicion
• magazine
• frame
• police

Yes, Max survived. During Beecham's confession, she prepared to kill herself and Max, but at the critical moment, Max showed signs of life, a cry of life, as if revived by some bizarre twist of fate. The film leaves the exact medical explanation ambiguous but makes clear that Max survived the ordeal.

• max
• survival
• ending
• revived
• alive

Throughout the investigation, Natasha and Robby were thrown back into each other's lives while fleeing danger across London, Venice, and Paris. Working together to solve the murders and survive the killer's threats rekindled their connection. Robby's heroic act of saving Natasha from the bomb on live television demonstrated his commitment to her, leading them to reconcile and remarry by the film's end.

• reconciliation
• romance
• marriage
• robby
• natasha
• love

Louis Kohner was the first chef killed. After a brief romantic encounter with Natasha at Buckingham Palace, his baked pigeon in crust (which was featured in Max's magazine) became his undoing. He was found dead the next morning in a blazing 450-degree oven, killed in a way that mirrored how his signature dish would be cooked.

Foreshadowing: Natasha's one-night stand with Kohner occurs right before his murder, making her a person of interest.

• louis kohner
• first murder
• oven
• baked pigeon

Auguste Grandvilliers, a French chef who was supposed to be the next victim, was found alive but bound and suspended on a meat hook in his restaurant's freezer. This was a deliberate scare tactic by the killer to throw off the investigation and create panic within the culinary community. Grandvilliers was later falsely confessed to the murders, throwing suspicion away from the real killer.

• grandvilliers
• freezer
• meat hook
• scare tactic
• hostage

The killer orchestrated a plan to frame Auguste Grandvilliers to redirect suspicion away from themselves and create confusion in the investigation. By making Grandvilliers appear guilty and having him confess (even though he was innocent), the real killer could continue their killing spree without being caught. This false confession also prompted Robby to travel to Brussels, moving him away from Natasha and allowing the killer's final plan to unfold.

• frame
• grandvilliers
• confession
• false accusation
• mislead

The killer was Beecham, Maximilian Van Devere's devoted assistant. Despite appearing loyal and helpful throughout the investigation, she was secretly the mastermind behind all the chef killings. She confessed to the murders in the final confrontation, explaining that she acted out of love for Max and a desperate attempt to protect him from both his failing health and the scandal of being exposed as a murderer.

Foreshadowing: Beecham's unusual devotion to Max and her access to information about the magazine's featured chefs made her the unseen orchestrator.

• beecham
• killer
• identity
• confession
• assistant