La Belle Époque (film)
{{Short description|2019 film by Nicolas Bedos}}
{{about|the 2019 film|the 1992 film|Belle Époque (film)}}
{{Infobox film
| name = La Belle Époque
| image = La Belle Époque (film).jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Nicolas Bedos
| writer = Nicolas Bedos
| producer = {{Plainlist|
- François Kraus
- Denis Pineau-Valencienne
}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
}}
| cinematography = Nicolas Bolduc
| editing = Anny Danché
| music = {{Plainlist|
- Nicolas Bedos
- Anne-Sophie Versnaeyen
}}
| production_companies = {{Plainlist|
- Les Films du Kiosque
- Pathé Films
- Orange Studio
- France 2 Cinéma
- Hugar Prod
- Fils
- Umedia
}}
| distributor = Pathé Distribution
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2019|5|20|Cannes|2019|11|6|France}}
| runtime = 115 minutes
| country = France
| language = French
| budget = $10.6 million {{cite web | url=https://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=19407 | title=La Belle époque (2019) - JP Box-Office }}
| gross = $14.4 million{{cite web |title=La belle époque (2019) |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Belle-epoque-La-(France)#cast-and-crew |website=The Numbers |access-date=9 November 2022}} {{cite web | url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt9172422/?ref_=bo_se_r_1 | title=La belle époque }}
}}
La Belle Époque is a 2019 French romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Nicolas Bedos.{{cite web |last=Hunter |first=Allan |url=https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/la-belle-epoque-cannes-review/5139706.article |title='La Belle Epoque': Cannes Review |website=Screen Daily |date=21 May 2019}}
The film stars Daniel Auteuil as Victor, a man in his 60s whose long marriage to Marianne (Fanny Ardant) is on the rocks. When Victor meets Antoine (Guillaume Canet), the owner of a company which allows people to perform a version of "time travel" by visiting a stage where the company acts out a staged historical reenactment, he takes the opportunity to revisit the moment when he first met Marianne, in hopes of rekindling his love for her.
The film premiered out of competition at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.{{cite news |title= Cannes festival 2019: full list of films |url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/apr/18/cannes-festival-2019-full-list-of-films |newspaper= The Guardian |access-date= 30 April 2019 |date= 23 April 2019}}
Plot
A former draftsman, Victor is now disillusioned. His marriage to Marianne is floundering and he is uninterested and overwhelmed by this overly technological modern world. To cheer him up, his son Maxime pays him for an evening organized by his friend Antoine's company Les Voyageurs du temps. This company offers its customers the opportunity to relive the era of their choice, by mixing theatrical artifices and historical reconstruction. Some wealthy clients choose to spend an evening with William Faulkner, Adolf Hitler or with 17th century aristocrats. At first reluctant, Victor accepts after Marianne throws him out. He opts to dive back into the most significant week of his life, the one where he met his great love, on May 16, 1974, in the La Belle Époque café in Lyon. In this "staging", Marianne is played by Margot, an actress who lives a complicated and tumultuous relationship with Antoine. The latter, a former screenwriter, is very picky and does not support any approximation on the part of his collaborators. Gradually, Victor will lend himself to the game, until he loses himself in these “reconstituted” memories.
Cast
- Daniel Auteuil as Victor Drumond
- Guillaume Canet as Antoine
- Doria Tillier as Margot
- Fanny Ardant as Marianne Drumond
- Pierre Arditi as Pierre
- Denis Podalydès as François
- Michaël Cohen as Maxime Drumond{{cite web |last=Sheehan |first=Peter W. |title=2020 Film Reviews: La Belle Epoque |url=https://www.catholic.org.au/film-reviews-2020/la-belle-epoque |publisher=Catholic Church in Australia |access-date=22 August 2020 |date=13 August 2020}}
- Jeanne Arènes as Amélie{{cite web |title=Jeanne Arènes dans La Belle Epoque |url=https://www.courspeyranlacroix.fr/jeanne-arenes-dans-la-belle-epoque |publisher=Cours Peyran Lacroix |access-date=22 August 2020 |language=fr-FR |date=19 November 2019}}{{cite web |title=La Belle Époque Press Kit |url=https://medias.unifrance.org/medias/134/73/215430/presse/la-belle-epoque-presskit-english.pdf |publisher=UniFrance |access-date=22 August 2020 |date=20 May 2019}}
- Bertrand Poncet as Adrien{{cite news |last=McDonald |first=John |title=La Belle Epoque brings a desire to recapture the past |url=https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/arts-and-culture/la-belle-epoque-brings-a-desire-to-recapture-the-past-20200807-p55jmy |access-date=22 August 2020 |work=Australian Financial Review |date=22 August 2020}}
- Bruno Raffaelli as Maurice/Yvon/Hemingway
- Lizzie Brocheré as Gisèle / Margot’s friend
- Thomas Scimeca as Freddy/Hans Axel von Fersen{{cite web |title=La Belle Epoque (2019) |url=https://en.unifrance.org/movie/46739/la-belle-epoque |publisher=UniFrance |access-date=22 August 2020}}
- Urbain Cancelier as Villemain
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of {{RT data|score}} based on reviews from {{RT data|count}} critics, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}.{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/la_belle_epoque|title=La belle époque (2019)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date={{RT data|access date|df=dmy}}}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".{{cite web |title= La Belle Époque Reviews |url= https://www.metacritic.com/movie/la-belle-poque |website= Metacritic |access-date= 27 April 2020}}
Peter Debruge of Variety wrote: "Where so many high-concept romantic comedies squander their one big idea, 'La Belle Époque' leverages its own to remind us how and why we fall in love in the first place..." and Debruge praises the writing, saying it has "a script that's as ambitiously imagined as a Charlie Kaufman movie."{{cite web |date= 3 June 2019 |last= Debruge |first= Peter |title= Film Review: 'La Belle Époque' |url= https://variety.com/2019/film/festivals/cannes-film-review-la-belle-epoque-1203231203/ |work= Variety}} Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review calling it a "witty, sexy and original romantic comedy that touches many points of satisfaction."{{cite web |date= 22 May 2019 |first= Todd |last=McCarthy |author-link= Todd McCarthy |title= 'La Belle Epoque': Film Review {{!}} Cannes 2019 |url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/la-belle-epoque-review-1212894 |work= The Hollywood Reporter}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|9172422}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Belle Époque, La}}
Category:2019 romantic comedy-drama films
Category:2010s French-language films
Category:Films directed by Nicolas Bedos
Category:French romantic comedy-drama films
Category:Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress César Award–winning performance