L'amant (1992)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Jean-Jacques Annaud

Writers:

Jean-Jacques Annaud (writer)
Gérard Brach (writer)

Release Date:

30 October 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

She gave her innocence, her passion, her body. The one thing she couldn't give was her love.

Plot:

In 1929 French Indochina, a French teenage girl embarks on a reckless and forbidden romance with a wealthy, older Chinese man, each knowing that knowledge of their affair will bring drastic consequences to each other.

Plot Keywords:

Chinese | Indochina | Vietnam | Sexual Desire | Limousine

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Jane March	...	The Young Girl
Tony Leung Ka Fai	...	The Chinaman
Frédérique Meininger	...	The Mother
Arnaud Giovaninetti	...	The Elder Brother
Melvil Poupaud	...	The Younger Brother
Lisa Faulkner	...	Helene Lagonelle
Xiem Mang	...	The Chinaman's Father
Philippe Le Dem	...	The French Teacher
Ann Schaufuss	...	Anne-Marie Stretter
Quach Van An	...	The Driver
Tania Torrens	...	The Principal
Raymonde Heudeline	...	The Writer (end)
Yvonne Wingerter	...	The Writer (beginning)
Do Minh Vien	...	The Young Boy
Hélène Patarot	...	The Assistant Mistress

Also Known As:

The Lover (UK)

MPAA:

Rated R on appeal for graphic and explicit sexuality.

Runtime:

115 min | USA:103 min (R-rated version) | USA:115 min (unrated version) | Germany:111 min (25 fps)

Country:

France | UK | Vietnam

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | LC-Concept Digital Sound

Certification:

Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Germany:12 | Italy:T | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Hong Kong:III | Portugal:M/18 | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | Singapore:R21 (re-rating) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | USA:R (re-rating on appeal)

Filming Locations:

Ho Chi Min (Saigon), Vietnam

Company:

Films A2

Trivia:

Duras' real Chinese lover was called Lee.

Quotes:

The Chinaman: My body no longer wants the one who does not love.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Une américaine à Paris (2005) (TV)

sex blinds you and you do not see the film

L'Amant is a very beautiful, haunting and sensual film. The characters are perfect and acted in a minimalist way that's refreshing.

I see here that the main objections to this film are: 1 .. Not enough character development 2 .. The film does not have a clear direction to where it's going 3 .. Too slow 4 .. Too much sex (for some people if a film has explicit sex it can't be good)

All these objections are pointless:

1 .. The characters here are ordinary people, not that interesting by themselves. It's the love story that's interesting. Both of them know they have no future and try to pretend it's not love. I am sick of films in which the characters are sure they love each other after 30 minutes of "character development".

2 .. The fact that this film does not follow a clear path it's one of it's qualities. It adds more drama and the characters themselves are confused and don't know where they're going. The whole film plays like a dream of love and to request "clear direction" it's pointless.

3 .. Ahh! The "too slow" argument. There are films in this world that make you think about you, your life and the world that's around you. Surely you need some TIME to reflect on that. Short attention-span is a bad thing :).

4 .. This film is about love. The fact that they are shown having sex makes them real persons, with real bodies not some film characters. Sex is an escape from the world around them and I don't think it's too much, too explicit or some nonsense like that. It's so hard to have a film with sex it it that's not trivial! This is a masterpiece by this fact alone.

The persons who "though up" these arguments took the main strengths of the film and complained about them. This for me it's proof enough that they didn't understand this film or that the film didn't struck a single chord in their soul. Short attention span is the main plague of films now and the lack of it is the reason the french make such great films! Please try to see it again and not in a hurry. It's not light cinema! It's great cinema!