La cérémonie (1995)

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Ruth Rendell (novel)
Claude Chabrol (writer) ...

Release Date:

20 December 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Sophie, a quiet and shy maid working for the upper-class family Lelievre, hides her illiteracy under the cloak of a perfect household and obedience...

Plot Keywords:

Maid | Friend | Shame | Illiteracy | Post Office

Awards:

7 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Isabelle Huppert	...	Jeanne
Sandrine Bonnaire	...	Sophie
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Georges Lelievre
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Catherine Lelievre
Virginie Ledoyen	...	Melinda
Valentin Merlet	...	Gilles
Julien Rochefort	...	Jeremie
Dominique Frot	...	Madame Lantier
Jean-François Perrier	...	Priest
Ludovic Brillant
Claire Chiron
Claire-Marie Dentraygues
Jean-Pierre Descheix
Penny Fairclough
Alain Françoise

Also Known As:

A Judgement in Stone
Biester (Germany)
Blutiger Engel (Germany)

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

France | Germany

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Saint-Coulomb, Ille-et-Vilaine, France

Company:

France 3 Cinéma

Trivia:

The film Jaqueline Bisset and Valentin Merlet watching is Les noces rouges (1973).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Chacun son cinéma ou Ce petit coup au coeur quand la lumière s'éteint et que le film commence (2007)

Sandrine Bonnaire Is Perfect

I love Sandrine Bonnaire. Not love her in the "sell my possessions and move to Paris" love her, but love her in movies. In this movie especially. Every second she is on the screen, I was riveted to her. Her somewhat jerky and stiff physical mannerisms, her plain but beautiful face. And even though from the start we sense that her character is odd, creepy even, we can also feel her almost childlike panic and pain early on when we learn she can't read. It's enormously moving, and it creates a sympathetic bond with her that complicates how we view the events that follow. I just love her, and that probably clouded my overall estimation of the film. That's not to say the film is otherwise weak. It's not. The exploration into the class conflict between the rich and their help was excellent. And so was the portrayal of the sociopathic personality, shifting from sweet smiles to cold-bloodedness in a process devoid of emotion. Chilling, especially so when the sociopath is a waifish beauty. It's a very good movie made great by Sandrine Bonnaire's performance.