Le Divorce
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| Le Divorce | |
 theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | James Ivory |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Ismail Merchant Michael Schiffer |
| Written by | Ruth Prawer Jhabvala James Ivory (based on the novel by Diane Johnson) |
| Starring | Kate Hudson Naomi Watts Glenn Close Matthew Modine |
| Music by | Richard Robbins |
| Cinematography | Pierre Lhomme |
| Distributed by | Fox Searchlight |
| Release date(s) | August 8, 2003 |
| Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English French |
| Gross revenue | $12,991,996 |
Le Divorce is a 2003 Merchant Ivory Productions' film directed by James Ivory and the screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and Ivory, based on Diane Johnson's bestselling novel.
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[edit] Plot
The film tells the story of a young American woman Isabel Walker (Kate Hudson) who travels to Paris to visit her pregnant sister Roxy (Naomi Watts). Roxy's husband Charles-Henri left her for his lover Magda Tellman. Later on, Isabel secretly falls in love with her French uncle-in-law Edgar Cosset and becomes his mistress. Because of this, she becomes somewhat "popular" and because of being his mistress is showered with many gifts. Later, Roxy finds out that her husband has been murdered. The madness continues and it only goes downhill.
[edit] Cast
- Kate Hudson - Isabel Walker
- Naomi Watts - Roxeanne de Persand
- Glenn Close - Olivia Pace
- Melvil Poupaud - Charles-Henri de Persand
- Matthew Modine - Tellman
- Sam Waterston - Chester Walker
- Stockard Channing - Margeeve Walker
- Thomas Lennon - Roger Walker
- Jean-Marc Barr - Maitre Bertram
- Romain Duris - Yves
- Esmée Buchet-Deàk - Gennie de Persand
- Samuel Labarthe - Antoine de Persand
- Leslie Caron - Suzanne de Persand
- Nathalie Richard - Charlotte de Persand
- Bebe Neuwirth - Julia Manchevering
- Rona Hartner - Magda Tellman
- Stephen Fry - Piers Janely
[edit] Locations
Le Divorce was filmed in Paris at locations including Café de Flore, Tour Eiffel, Musée du Louvre and Salle Gaveau.
[edit] Music
Opening title music was Paul Misraki's "Qu'est-ce qu'on attend pour être heureux", sung by Patrick Bruel & Johnny Hallyday from Bruel's CD "Entre deux". End title music was Serge Gainsbourg's "L'Anamour", sung by Jane Birkin from her CD "Version Jane". But the film's Hermès's handbag was a Kelly Bag, not a Birkin.
[edit] Reaction
Le Divorce was given an initial limited release on August 8, 2003 in 34 theaters where it grossed $516,834 on its opening weekend. It went into wide release on August 29, 2003 in 701 theaters where it grossed $1.5 million on its opening weekend. The film went on to make $9 million in North America and $3.9 in the rest of the world for a worldwide total of $12.9 million.[1]
Le Divorce received largely mixed to negative reviews. It has a 38% rating on a Rotten Tomatoes and a 51 metascore on Metacritic. Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars and felt that it did not "work on its intended level, because we don't care enough about the interactions of the enormous cast. But it works in another way, as a sophisticated and knowledgeable portrait of values in collision".[2] In his review for the New York Times, A.O. Scott wrote, "As it is, Le Divorce is tasteful, but almost entirely without flavor. It is tough work to sit through a comedy made by filmmakers with so little sense of timing and no evident sense of humor".[3] Entertainment Weekly gave the film a "C" rating and Owen Gleiberman wrote, "I'm disappointed to report that Hudson and Watts have no chemistry as sisters, perhaps because Watts never seems like the expatriate artiste she's supposed to be playing".[4] In his review for the Village Voice, David Ng wrote, "Indeed, featuring a boatload of intercontinental stars who have little to do, Le Divorce uncannily embodies its privileged bilingual milieu. At worst, it suggests a documentary of its own lavish wrap party".[5] Premiere magazine's Glenn Kenny gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "the picture is a nice return to form for Ivory and company, as well as a welcome stretch for Kate Hudson, whose luminous talents, I fear, are going to be hidden under bushels of stupid Hollywood romantic comedies for the foreseeable future".[6] In his review for The New York Observer, Andrew Sarris wrote, "The film's greatest achievement, however, is in keeping a dizzying variety of characters at odds with each other without any breach of good manners, and without descending to facile stereotypes and caricatures".[7]
[edit] References
- ^ "Le Divorce". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=ledivorce.htm. Retrieved on 2009-03-03.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (August 8, 2003). "Le Divorce". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030808/REVIEWS/308080302/1023. Retrieved on 2009-03-03.
- ^ Scott, A.O (August 8, 2003). "Paris in the Summer, When It Sits There". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9407EFD71731F93BA3575BC0A9659C8B63. Retrieved on 2009-03-03.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (August 5, 2003). "Le Divorce". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,472427,00.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-03.
- ^ Ng, David (August 5, 2003). "To Have And To Mold". Village Voice. http://www.villagevoice.com/2003-08-05/film/to-have-and-to-mold/1. Retrieved on 2009-03-03.
- ^ Kenny, Glenn (August 7, 2003). "Le Divorce". Premiere. http://www.premiere.com/Review/Movies/Le-Divorce. Retrieved on 2009-03-03.
- ^ Sarris, Andrew (August 3, 2003). "Two Americans in Paris, Merchant-Ivory Style". The New York Observer. http://www.observer.com/node/47865. Retrieved on 2009-03-03.
[edit] External links
- Le Divorce at the Internet Movie Database
- Le Divorce at Allmovie
- Le Divorce at Rotten Tomatoes
- Le Divorce at Metacritic
- Le Divorce at Box Office Mojo
- Official Site
