| |
8 Femmes (2002)
DIRECTOR: François Ozon
CAST: Catherine Deneuve; Fanny Ardant; Danielle Darrieux; Emmanuelle Béart; Virginie Ledoyen; Ludivine Sagnier; Firmine Richard
SYNOPSIS
In the middle
of France in 50s, in a house of the middle-class, a night before Christmas
Eve, the only man is murdered, preceding 8 women: wives, mothers, sisters
and maids. One of them must be the murderer. Which one is?......suspense-musical-comedy.
A full female cast.
*8 Femmes, 8 Songs*
NOTE
When I first heard Isabelle interpreting
Françoise Hardy's Message
Personnel for 8 Femmes,
I was instantly struck by how well the song reflects on those
characters that Isabelle ever
played
throughout her entire career. After getting to know Françoise
Hardy better, I feel each of their images is simply
reflected on each other's like a mirror - To sing, Françoise is
more like herself; to play, Isabelle looks
for her otherness. I finally get this smart sense of the
idea on letting Isabelle sing Françoise
Hardy's Message Personnel in
8 Femmes! (added
on April 10, 2005)
Something I feel
touched is Françoise Ozon once
admitted that Isabelle is the one he knows best (comparing to the other
7 women). As a teenage, he read all the articles
about her, and is fascinated by her Lacemaker.
He really made a suitable role for her. - (Added
on April 14, 2002)
8 Femmes generally is sold to over 70 countries
and the official France's selection in the race for 2002 Oscar Best Foreign
Film Award. - FORUM
QUOTE
François
Ozon
Post-Intelligencer, Sept.30,
2002, Seatle, USA
For Isabelle Huppert, who has the intellectual image of the French actress, very
cerebral, with a face like a mask and without emotion, I wanted to give her a
very extravagant part. She would be more funny and more positive for the audience
because I think people love her role (as the prim, hysterical spinster aunt,
Augustine). Usually people don't like Isabelle. They admire her but she's not
popular in France. She's respected but she's not a moving actress like Catherine
Deneuve, who is very popular
François
Ozon
Telerama, N°2717, Feb. 2002
Isabelle Huppert is the one of eight actresses that I knew best. I've
seen most of her films. She has, for public, the image of an intellectual,
who suffers from interior behind a closed face, in dramtic, nevrotic films,
whose La Pianite is a little apotheose. That amused me to propose her
a role which would not be built on reserve, where she would have tons to do
on the contrary, becoming a sort of a female Louis de Funes. And where her
character would also have the possiblity to rebounding in a positive way instead
of dying of sorrow, anti-lacemaker, all things considered, since the character
of Claude Goretta is the quintessence of this walled suffering which so often
characterized her roles.
François
Ozon
CinnEuropa, Feb. 17 2002
Gérer de grandes actrices du cinéma
français réunies sur le même plateau ne doit pas être
facile…
Pas aussi difficile que l’on pourrait le croire. Moins de ce que moi-même
j’aurais pu imaginer. Même si je ne cache pas qu’il a été nécessaire
de s’adapter aux actrices et à leurs différentes façons
de travailler en arrangeant ma direction. Catherine Deneuve par exemple a besoin
de connaître chaque élément de la mise en scène
tandis que Isabelle Huppert veut être suivie de près. Emmanuelle
Béart au contraire est très instinctive».
Pas de rivalité entre
elles?
Non, aucune. Elles avaient toutes envie de travailler avec
d’autres actrices en acceptant le fait de ne pas être
la seule protagoniste. Au contraire elles ont été très
solidaires entre elles pendant le tournage.
AWARD
- Outstanding
Artistic Achievement, for the
individual artistic contribution to the ensemble of actresses and the Audience
Award, at 2002 Berlin International Film Festival, Feb. 6 to 18.
- 2002
Best European Actress, Euroupean
Film Academy, December 7, 2002
- Best
Actress Nomination for Cesar, February 23, 2003
TRIVIA
When Ozon first
time proposed the spinster role to Isabelle, she actually wasn't very
happy and asked: "Will I be beautiful too?" This inspired Ozon and
rewrote
the script for her.
During the shooting, Isabelle was always hungry around 5 o'clock and had to eat
the bread. This made Danielle Darrieux feel hungry too. So everyday 5 o'clcok,
they would share a piece of bread together.
When she came back from Cannes with the Prix of Female Interprtation, everyone
held
champaign waiting for her, as accepting her Prix for the second time
Catherine Deneuve was
paid 457,000 Euros + 9% share, Isabelle was
343,000 Euros, and Emmauelle
Beart was 274, 408 Euros. Each of later two received 124,290
Euros bonus based the success of the film box-office. (from Le Point, "Le salaire des acteurs; Gerard, Juliette, Jean, Alain, Benoit, Jose et les autress..." February 19, 2004)
REVIEW
Femmes
Sous Influences, Telerama, Feb,2002
Celebrating
the Artificial: Ozon fills the screen with "8 femmes", IndieWIRE, Feb 11, 2002
"Sharp than Pisol Balls"Sunday Newspaper, April 21, 2002
Zickenfest with stood star: interview with Catherine Deneuve
Facts, April 1, 2002
Diverted murders and manipulating
Daily Indicator, April 23, 2002
" 8
Women", by Stephanie Zacharek@Salon.com, Sept. 25, 2002
Movie
Review Query Engine |
