Rien ne va plus (1997)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writer:

Claude Chabrol (writer)

Release Date:

24 October 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

Plot:

Betty and Victor are a pair of scam artists. One day Betty brings in Maurice, a treasurer of a multinational company...

Plot Keywords:

Criminal Gang | Older Man Younger Woman | Briefcase | Airplane | Scam

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Isabelle Huppert	...	Elizabeth / Betty
Michel Serrault	...	Victor
François Cluzet	...	Maurice Biagini
Jean-François Balmer	...	Monsieur K
Jackie Berroyer	...	Robert Chatillon
Jean Benguigui	...	Guadeloupe Gangster
Mony Dalmès	...	Signora Trotti (as Mony Dalmes)
Thomas Chabrol	...	Swiss Desk Clerk
Greg Germain	...	Chatty Man
Nathalie Kousnetzoff	...	Blond Woman
Pierre Martot	...	Conventioneer
Eric Bonicatto	...	Conventioneer
Pierre-François Dumeniaud	...	Conventioneer
Yves Verhoeven	...	Pickpocket
Henri Attal	...	Greek Vendor
Gunther Germain	...	Chatty Man's Friend
Maurice Debranche	...	Guadeloupe Taxi Driver
Stefan Witschi	...	Swiss Maitre d'
Rodolphe Ittig	...	Belgian Dentist
Dodo Deer	...	Hungarian Dentist
Barbara M. Ahren	...	Wife of Hungarian Dentist (as Barbara-Magdalena Ahren)
Alexander Seibt	...	Chair-Lift Worker
James Hauduroy	...	Barman at Hotel Waldhaus
Elie Axas	...	Flight Attendant
Emmanuel Guttierez	...	Barman at the Park Hotel
Gilbert Laumord	...	Tall Black Man
Yvon Crenn	...	Mafioso
Marie Dubois	...	Dedette
Brygida Ochaim	...	Dancer
Philippe Dana	...	Conventioneer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Claude Chabrol	...	Le croupier (uncredited)
Gianfranco L'Amore	...	Eccentric Swiss Hotelier (uncredited)

Directed by
Claude Chabrol

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Claude Chabrol		writer

Produced by
Marin Karmitz	....	producer
Jean-Louis Porchet	....	associate producer
Gérard Ruey	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Matthieu Chabrol

Cinematography by
Eduardo Serra		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Monique Fardoulis

Art Direction by
Françoise Benoît-Fresco

Costume Design by
Corinne Jorry

Makeup Department
Jean-Charles Bachelier	....	key makeup artist: France
Sonia Geneux	....	makeup artist: Switzerland
Thi-Loan Nguyen	....	key makeup artist: France
Thi Thanh Tu Nguyen	....	makeup artist: France (as Thi-Thanh-Tu Nguyen)
John Nollet	....	key hair stylist: France
Catherine Zingg	....	hair stylist: Switzerland

Production Management
Philippe Baisadouli	....	assistant unit manager: France
Yvon Crenn	....	production manager
Xavier Grin	....	unit manager: Switzerland
Nathalie Kreuther	....	post-production supervisor: France
Catherine Pierrat	....	unit manager: France

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Cyrille Bray	....	second assistant director
Cécile Maistre	....	assistant director
Thierry Mouquin	....	second assistant director: Switzerland
Alexandra Roussel	....	second assistant director: Guadeloupe

Art Department
Stefan Bachmann	....	constructor: Switzerland
Sabine Delouvrier	....	prop buyer
Pierre Galliard	....	property master: France
Ivan Niclass	....	set decorator: Switzerland
Jean-Paul Trincat	....	construction manager: Switzerland

Sound Department
Edouard d'Heucqueville	....	sound mix technician
Christian Fontaine	....	sound assistant: France
Xavier Griette	....	sound assistant: France
André Naudin	....	foley artist: France (as Andre Naudin)
Gadou Naudin	....	foley artist: France
Julien Naudin	....	foley artist: France
Jean-Bernard Thomasson	....	sound
Claude Villand	....	sound

Special Effects by
Dominique Colladant	....	special effects: France

Camera and Electrical Department
Claude Atanassian	....	chief electrician: France
Jean Atanassian	....	electrician: France
Blaise Bauquis	....	electrician: Switzerland
Jean-Baptiste Dutreix	....	key grip: France
Sydney Gimenez	....	electrician: Guadeloupe
Nicolas Herdt	....	first assistant camera: France
Moune Jamet	....	still photographer: France
Dominique Robert	....	co-key grip
Eric Stitzel	....	second assistant camera: Switzerland
Charles Von Sury	....	electrician: Switzerland

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Anne-Marie Castaño-Padovan	....	wardrober: France
Valérie De Buck	....	dresser: Switzerland
Paule Mangenot	....	chief costumer: France
Hélène Robin	....	wardrober: France (as Helene Robin)

Editorial Department
Florence Poulain	....	assistant editor: France
Olivier Rossignol	....	assistant editor: France

Other crew
Aurore Chabrol	....	script supervisor
Aline Corneille	....	production secretary: France
Monica Donati	....	assistant press agent
Harvey Drouelle	....	production assistant
Helene Platel	....	administrator: Switzerland
Florence Ruffetta	....	production assistant: Switzerland
Eva Simonet	....	press agent
Milenko Sofranac	....	groupman: Switzerland
Richard Verganzonez	....	caterer: Guadeloupe
Gisèle Vuillaume	....	administrator: France

Production Companies

• CAB
• MK2 Productions
• TF1 Films Productions

Distributors

• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (video)
• Artificial Eye
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Distribution Company (Argentina)
• Filmes Lusomundo (Portugal)
• JMM Invest S.L. (Spain)
• New Yorker Films (1998) (USA) (subtitled)
• Prima Film (USA)

Other Companies

• Action Light  electrical equipment
• Microfilms  titles

Also Known As:

The Swindle (USA)

Runtime:

Argentina:105 min | France:104 min | USA:101 min

Country:

France | Switzerland

Language:

French | Hungarian

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | Germany:16 (bw) | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Hotel Waldhaus, Sils-Maria, Kanton Graubünden, Switzerland

Company:

CAB

Soundtrack:

Tosca act 3

An interesting and restrained thriller

Although Betty (Isabelle Huppert, who was 43-years-old when the film was released) calls Victor (Michel Serrault, who was 69) "Papa" on occasion in this smooth and restrained thriller from Claude Chabrol, he is not her father by any means. The term is merely one of ironic affection. What they are are modern "gypsies" living on the fringes of society plying their ancient trade. Perhaps they were lovers in the past. Clearly they are a team, dependent upon one another. In particular what these small time con artists do is go to conventions, medical, dental, farm equipment salesman conventions, find a target and con the poor dupe out of some of his money.

Some. The film begins at a roulette table on the French Riviera with Betty stringing along a not entirely bright lawnmower salesman whom she invites for a drink. She slips some knockout drops into his drink and quickly invites him up to his room where, after he is out cold, Victor follows. They take some of his money. Victor insists on always playing it safe and using a rather strange but plausible psychology (which will figure later in the movie) of making the man think that perhaps he wasn't robbed, since if she had intended to rob him, would she have only taken part of the money out of his wallet? They do forge his signature on a check, but he will only find out about that later, and indeed might not be sure about how that happened.

So this is a small time con. Trouble begins for our vagabond thieves when Betty meets the CFO of a big corporation who is transferring five million Swiss francs in cash out of the country. She senses the chance for a big score, and after the mark falls in love with her (she thinks) she brings Victor into the scheme. With some tricky exchanges of the metal suitcase containing the money Betty and Victor end up over their heads in some very hot water.

The plot is a little on the unlikely side, as thriller plots tend to be, but the thing to keep in mind is the idea of taking only PART of the money. This is what fools the bad bad guys (as opposed to the good bad guys who are our vagabond duo, Betty and Victor).

Any movie starring the incomparable Isabelle Huppert (La Pianiste 2001; Merci pour le chocolat 2000; La dentelliere 1977, and many more ) is worth seeing and any movie directed by Claude Chabrol (Une affair de femmes 1988; Betty 1992; La ceremonie 1995, etc.) will have something of interest in it. Add a fine performance by Serrault, one of the great veterans of the French cinema, and "Rien ne va plus" is definitely worth seeing. However the role played by Huppert does not challenge her and Chabrol's more famous films (some of them also starring Huppert) are decidedly more interesting.

But see this for the lighthearted chemistry between Huppert who is sublimely fetching and Serrault who is clearly past the age of any pretension. Such a quasi-Platonic union based on the love that still warms the embers in a dying fire has become almost a staple of directors past their prime. See Claude Sautet's Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud (1995) which also featured Serrault for another example.