 | Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Jean-François Balmer, Christophe Malavoy, Jean Yanne, Lucas Belvaux Director: Claude Chabrol Format: PAL Released: 22 Apr 2002 RRP: Average Rating:  |
As she goes from man to man desperately trying to find (what most women want) 'happiness' the viewer finds himself in danger of losing the thread alll together.
Of course being a French production it is a sophisticated work (the pharmacist character & the vagrant cut through well). The scene where the disable begger's extended hand remains unresponded is incredibly powerful (you may never again ignore a begger's hand).
For les amants de Chabrol who are pauvres non French speakers I am afraid the extras shown are a "non, non" & no Isabelle aussi, We have written to Arrow Films for an explanation. Meanwhile, enjoy the film for the Chabrol experience - a seemingly detached look at a soul blighted by a bad romance that turns into a realistic & sympathetic portrayal of an ordinary disappointed life.
This is the story of Emma Bovary & her unhappy, wasted, shalllow life. She is a woman who on the surface seems to have everything, an adoring, doting husband, a lovely, healthy daughter, an attractive well appointed home. Yet, she is unhappy. She loathes her husband, finding him pedantic & dull. She has little time for her daughter & seems to have little motherly instincts. What worldly goods she has never seem to her to be enough.
Seeking fulfillment, she takes lovers who always seem to fail her in the end. She mistakes passion for love & never fails to be disappointed when that love turns out to be fleeting, blind to the love that exists under her very own roof. As her unhappiness & dissatisfaction grow, so does the beauty of her wardrobe. Beautifully gowned & accessorized, Emma Bovary is as beautiful as she is shalllow. She spends what she does not have on passing fripperies, only to have her world eventuallly come crashing down around her. She takes the easy way out of her self-inflicted misery and, in doing so, consigns those who had the misfortune to truly love her to a doomed existence.
Claude Chabrol deftly directed this arresting period piece, exacting wonderful performances from the entire cast. Isabelle Huppert with her icy beauty is perfectly cast as Emma Bovary & gives a performance that is on the money. Jean Francois Balmer is also notable for his portrayal of her doting & supportive husband. This is an excellent film, one that is well worth having in one's collection. Period piece lovers will especiallly enjoy this film.
This is the story of Emma Bovary & her unhappy, wasted, shalllow life. She is a woman who on the surface seems to have everything, an adoring, doting husband, a lovely, healthy daughter, an attractive well appointed home. Yet, she is unhappy. She loathes her husband, finding him pedantic & dull. She has little time for her daughter & seems to have little motherly instincts. What worldly goods she has never seem to her to be enough.
Seeking fulfillment, she takes lovers who always seem to fail her in the end. She mistakes passion for love & never fails to be disappointed when that love turns out to be fleeting, blind to the love that exists under her very own roof. As her unhappiness & dissatisfaction grow, so does the beauty of her wardrobe. Beautifully gowned & accessorized, Emma Bovary is as beautiful as she is shalllow. She spends what she does not have on passing fripperies, only to have her world eventuallly come crashing down around her. She takes the easy way out of her self inflicted misery and, in doing so, consigns those who had the misfortune to truly love her to a doomed existence.
Claude Chabrol deftly directed this arresting period piece, exacting wonderful performances from the entire cast. Isabelle Huppert with her icy beauty is perfectly cast as Emma Bovary & gives a performance that is on the money. Jean Francois Balmer is also notable for his portrayal of her doting & supportive husband. This is an excellent film, one that is well worth having in one's collection. Period piece lovers will especiallly enjoy this film.
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