8 femmes (2002)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

François Ozon

Writers:

François Ozon (writer)
Robert Thomas (play)

Release Date:

20 September 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Comedy | Crime | Mystery

Tagline:

Living in a house full of women can be murder.

Plot:

One murdered man, eight women, each seeming to be more eager than the others to know the truth. Gimme, gimme, gimme some clues to make up my mind. And eventually enter the truth. Oh, thou cruel woman!

Plot Keywords:

Maid | Murder | Seduction | Pregnancy | Digit In Title

Awards:

8 wins & 25 nominations

Cast

Danielle Darrieux	...	Mamy
Catherine Deneuve	...	Gaby
Isabelle Huppert	...	Augustine
Emmanuelle Béart	...	Louise
Fanny Ardant	...	Pierrette
Virginie Ledoyen	...	Suzon
Ludivine Sagnier	...	Catherine
Firmine Richard	...	Madame Chanel
Dominique Lamure	...	Marcel, the husband

Also Known As:

8 Women (International: English title)
8 donne e un mistero (Italy)
Huit femmes (France) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexual content.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Malaysia:18PL | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R

Company:

BIM

Trivia:

When Louise shows a photo of her former employer, it is a picture of Romy Schneider.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): On two occasions the ladies refer to the gun as a revolver but it is clearly a semi-automatic pistol.

Quotes:

Louise: She
[Pierrette]
Louise: asked me to keep quiet and gave me 10,000 francs.
Pierrette: Which I regret, you hussy.
Louise: What?
Pierrette: Everyone knows you sleep around.
Louise: You know, since we sleep with the same ones, let me explain the bribe. I overheard you say to Monsieur, "Give me the money or you'll die."
Pierrette: No I said, "I'll die."
Louise: No, "You'll die."
Pierrette: My poor Louise! Your word is no good, you're just a maid.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Progulka (2003)

Soundtrack:

Toi jamais

To be seen on multiple levels - the more, the better

Beneath the plot, the acting and the singing, the movie is even more enjoyable with some references. (1) While combinations of actresses of that caliber are almost unheard of anywhere, the older actresses have intersected before - and mock their prior common roles. In particular, Darrieux played Deneuve's mother twice before; Darrieux' role as the mother in Demoiselles de Rochefort, Les (1967) parallels that played by Deneuve here. (2) The actresses each mock one of their own mannerisms and/or that of one of the other actresses. For instance, Ledoyen imitates the hand movements typical of Deneuve in the 1960s and 1970s. Look also for the pairs matched in the back-to-back dance near the end - more clues! (3) Each actress also imitates one famous star or style of American cinema of the era (that is, the 1940s-1960s). Most obviously, Béart imitates Jeanne Moreau in Journal d'une femme de chambre, Le (1964) and Ardant imitates Rita Hayworth (e.g., Gilda (1946)). (4) The linchpin between these actresses, via various directors, is Romy Schneider. The picture that Deneuve picks up from Béart's apron is Schneider's. Basically, you may enjoy the film (or not) on the first degree, but for better or for worse, it is full of references. The good news, for cinephiles, is that the references are a lot broader and a fair bit more subtle than the typical Hollywood-to-Hollywood, Cinecita-to-Cinecita or Hong Kong-to-Hong Kong navel gazing.