Le Temps Retrouve or Time Regained (1999): Starring Marcello Mazarella, Vincent Perez, Catherine Deneuve, Emmanuelle Beart, John Malkovitch, Pascal Gregory, Marie-France Pisier, Chiara Mastriani, Arielle Dombasle, Edith Scob, Elsa Zyberstein, Christian Vadim, Dominique Labourier, Phillip Genoud, Melvil Poupad, Mathilde Seigner, Jacques Pieler, Hele Surgere, Andre Engel, Georges Du Fresne, Lucien Pascal, Jerome Prieur, Bernard Paitrat, Jean Claude Jay, Director Raoul Ruiz "In this book is written your life and the life of all men" said the Angel of Death, " to review it would take an eternity"...........
Based on Marcel Proust's "Au Recherche Du Temps Perdu " or "Remembrance Of Things Past", largely considered not only a classic of French literature but possibly the world's longest literary work, this is director Raoul Ruiz' stunning film adaptation, released in 1999. This film received numerous awards, and the Cannes Film Festival ate it up, much like one long French banquet, complete with French wine. True to the novels (Swann's Way, Guermantez, Swann In Love), we follow the life of Marcel Proust, beginning with the end, that is, his death. Wracked with consumption, he is on his deathbed and his mind drifts from memory to memory, reliving his life and encountering all the people in it. Veteran French actress Catherine Deneuve stars as the brazen courtesan Odette. While perhaps Deneuve is too old for the part of a lively woman of leisure and lady of the night, she manages to capture the spirit of the character without a single flaw, being the terrific actress she is. John Malkovich turns his back on America momentarily to become French in the role of the Baron Du Charlus, who talks a big deal but is essentially a licentious and unsympathetic character. Vincent Perez is Morel, who engages in one affair after another (unlike Proust who appears to love only Odette and Gilberte (the beautiful and talented Emmanuelle Beart), his childhood sweetheart. Child actor Georges Du Fresne gets a lot of screen time as Marcel when he was a young boy. The most attractive aspects of the film, as everyone generally concurs, is the cinematography and art direction, which, while admittedly dreamy and glamorous, is quite frankly, Proustian. The camera moves freely, floating ghost-like between characters, giving us access to their conversations and private moments. There's a mix of intense natural sunlight and "evening" blue colors in the nightlife scenes. I can't describe how magical the movie's look truly is. The costumes are authentic to the Edwardian Era and World War I period (1900-1918). Though this film doesn't cover the historic aspects in too much detail (the various aristocratic characters i.e. the Guermantes, princes, dukes and princesses- speak of World War I, the German enemy and the aftermath of the Great War including the Spanish Flu Epidemic), the film manages to believably encompass a time and place, though perhaps the film "1900" does a better job of this. Fans of Marcel Proust will delighted, even if some portions are omitted but truthfully a film adaptation of the Proust "Time" cycle would take over 6 hours. Some people seem to miss some of the more shocking portions of the film. Proust was a bisexual writer who attempted to document the Belle Epoque as he lived it. In this film, we are presented with gay and lesbian characters - Albert and Albertine. There are two scenes which, subtle as they were, were quite powerful such as the scene in which Proust peeks in to Albert's bedroom door and discovers he has a sadomasichistic/erotic relationship with a male lover. Also, even while Proust is dying, he pays Odette money to perform oral sex on him. These little things are overlooked in the course of a long and beautiful film, with actors who truly live their role and give them nuance and color. One character in particular, Morel's American girlfriend, interjects the English words "It's absolutely disgusting!" during gossip of the Duchess and the Duke. This film is an enjoyable historic film, with a late 90's European film gloss and a feeling of respect and reverence for Marcel Proust. Wonderful and haunting, full of poignant moments and mesmerizing, at times magic realist moments. This film is sure to delight all Francophiles everywhere. Enjoy!
Based on Marcel Proust's "Au Recherche Du Temps Perdu " or "Remembrance Of Things Past", largely considered not only a classic of French literature but possibly the world's longest literary work, this is director Raoul Ruiz' stunning film adaptation, released in 1999. This film received numerous awards, and the Cannes Film Festival ate it up, much like one long French banquet, complete with French wine. True to the novels (Swann's Way, Guermantez, Swann In Love), we follow the life of Marcel Proust, beginning with the end, that is, his death. Wracked with consumption, he is on his deathbed and his mind drifts from memory to memory, reliving his life and encountering all the people in it. Veteran French actress Catherine Deneuve stars as the brazen courtesan Odette. While perhaps Deneuve is too old for the part of a lively woman of leisure and lady of the night, she manages to capture the spirit of the character without a single flaw, being the terrific actress she is. John Malkovich turns his back on America momentarily to become French in the role of the Baron Du Charlus, who talks a big deal but is essentially a licentious and unsympathetic character. Vincent Perez is Morel, who engages in one affair after another (unlike Proust who appears to love only Odette and Gilberte (the beautiful and talented Emmanuelle Beart), his childhood sweetheart. Child actor Georges Du Fresne gets a lot of screen time as Marcel when he was a young boy. The most attractive aspects of the film, as everyone generally concurs, is the cinematography and art direction, which, while admittedly dreamy and glamorous, is quite frankly, Proustian. The camera moves freely, floating ghost-like between characters, giving us access to their conversations and private moments. There's a mix of intense natural sunlight and "evening" blue colors in the nightlife scenes. I can't describe how magical the movie's look truly is. The costumes are authentic to the Edwardian Era and World War I period (1900-1918). Though this film doesn't cover the historic aspects in too much detail (the various aristocratic characters i.e. the Guermantes, princes, dukes and princesses- speak of World War I, the German enemy and the aftermath of the Great War including the Spanish Flu Epidemic), the film manages to believably encompass a time and place, though perhaps the film "1900" does a better job of this. Fans of Marcel Proust will delighted, even if some portions are omitted but truthfully a film adaptation of the Proust "Time" cycle would take over 6 hours. Some people seem to miss some of the more shocking portions of the film. Proust was a bisexual writer who attempted to document the Belle Epoque as he lived it. In this film, we are presented with gay and lesbian characters - Albert and Albertine. There are two scenes which, subtle as they were, were quite powerful such as the scene in which Proust peeks in to Albert's bedroom door and discovers he has a sadomasichistic/erotic relationship with a male lover. Also, even while Proust is dying, he pays Odette money to perform oral sex on him. These little things are overlooked in the course of a long and beautiful film, with actors who truly live their role and give them nuance and color. One character in particular, Morel's American girlfriend, interjects the English words "It's absolutely disgusting!" during gossip of the Duchess and the Duke. This film is an enjoyable historic film, with a late 90's European film gloss and a feeling of respect and reverence for Marcel Proust. Wonderful and haunting, full of poignant moments and mesmerizing, at times magic realist moments. This film is sure to delight all Francophiles everywhere. Enjoy!