Esther Kahn (2000)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Arnaud Desplechin

Writers:

Emmanuel Bourdieu (writer)
Arnaud Desplechin (writer)

Release Date:

4 October 2000 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A Jewish girl in 19th century London dreams of becoming a stage actress. |

Plot Keywords:

Actress | 19th Century | Theater | Independent Film | Character Name In Title

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Summer Phoenix	...	Esther Kahn
Ian Holm	...	Nathan Quellen
Fabrice Desplechin	...	Philippe Haygard
Akbar Kurtha	...	Samuel Kahn
Frances Barber	...	Rivka Kahn
László Szabó	...	Ytzhok Kahn
Hilary Sesta	...	Buba
Claudia Solti	...	Mina Kahn
Berna Raif	...	Becky Kahn
Paul Regan	...	Joel
Arnold Brown	...	Rabbi
Leon Lissek	...	Theatre manager
Ian Bartholomew	...	Norton
Samantha Lavelle	...	Christel
Paul Ritter	...	Alman, the photographer

Also Known As:

eSTheR KaHN (France) (poster title)

Runtime:

USA:142 min

Country:

France | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | France:U | Portugal:M/12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Arts Council of England

Trivia:

Chosen by "Les Cahiers du cinéma" (France) as one of the 10 best pictures of 2000 (#01)

watching this film "IS" like watching a novel unfold

This is an extremely dense, somber, and complicated film that unravels quite slowly, revealing excruciating detail, like the attention paid in a novel, and watching this film "IS" like watching a novel unfold. While I didn't care for the narrator, as I felt he was out of balance with the rest of the performances, this film features some of the best ensemble acting I have ever seen, and the lead, Summer Phoenix, is fabulous. Her innocence and naivete some might find implausible, sort of a cross between Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland. I can buy that critique, but she's still fabulous, partially because she's unlike anything I've ever seen before.

This film is unbelievably beautiful, filmed by Eric Gautier, and part of what is so unique about this film is how it doesn't ever show what you'd expect. It's always surprising, and despite it's length, the film never reveals more than it needs to. At 163 minutes, it's extremely concise, to a fault, I'd say, which is one of the wonders of this film. It's filled with brief moments which are simply stunning, some of the best you're likely to see all year, and all these moments add up in the end to an extraordinary film experience. The family moments are unique, Ian Holm is brilliant, and what this film has to say about the theater hasn't been seen in films since Cassavetes' "Opening Night," or perhaps Chaplin's "Limelight." But, believe it or not, this film is much "less" conventional. I never knew where this film was going, and now, having seen it, it still has multiple possibilities. This is a powerful, incredibly provocative film.