La fleur du mal (2003)

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Claude Chabrol (writer)
Caroline Eliacheff (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

14 February 2003 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Three generations of a wealthy Bordeaux family are caught in the crossfire when Anne decides to run for mayor, thanks to a political pamphlet that revives an old murder scandal.

Plot Keywords:

Election | Mayor | Full Moon | Dysfunctional Family | Female To Male Foot In Crotch

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Benoît Magimel	...	François Vasseur
Nathalie Baye	...	Anne Charpin-Vasseur
Mélanie Doutey	...	Michèle Charpin-Vasseur
Suzanne Flon	...	Aunt Line
Bernard Le Coq	...	Gérard Vasseur
Thomas Chabrol	...	Matthieu Lartigue
Henri Attal	...	Fanny's Father-in-law
Kevin Ahyi	...	First Kid
Jérôme Bertin	...	Volunteer
Françoise Bertin	...	Thérèse
Caroline Baehr	...	Fanny
Didier Bénureau	...	Brissot
Yvon Crenn	...	Yves Pouët
Jean-Marc Druet	...	Lab Assistant
Michel Herbault	...	Mayor
Edmond Kastelnik	...	First Election Official
Marius de Laage	...	Second Kid
Isabelle Mamère	...	Journalist
Juliette Meyniac	...	Hélène
François Maistre	...	Jules
Jean-Pierre Marin	...	Second Election Official
Michèle Dascain	...	Marthe
Dominique Pivain	...	Dominique
Léa Pellepaut	...	Drugstore Saleswoman
Valérie Rojan	...	Gérard's Secretary
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nicolas Girard Deltruc	...	Laboratory Assistant
Yves Pignot

Directed by
Claude Chabrol

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Claude Chabrol		writer
Caroline Eliacheff		writer
Louise L. Lambrichs		writer

Produced by
Yvon Crenn	....	executive producer
Marin Karmitz	....	producer

Original Music by
Matthieu Chabrol

Cinematography by
Eduardo Serra		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Monique Fardoulis

Production Design by
Françoise Benoît-Fresco

Set Decoration by
Fabien Belinguier
Michel Mourgues
Catherine Pierrat

Costume Design by
Sandrine Bernard
Mic Cheminal

Makeup Department
Françoise Andrejka	....	key makeup artist
Jean-Charles Bachelier	....	key hair stylist
Valérie Cancalon	....	makeup artist
Franck Mendoche	....	hair stylist

Production Management
David Crenn	....	unit manager
Nicolas Girard Deltruc	....	assistant production manager
Patrice Lhuillier	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dominique Frizat	....	second assistant director
Cécile Maistre	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Pierre Coudeneau	....	construction manager
Pierrot Galliard	....	property master
Julien Grisot	....	props
Thierry Lautout	....	tapestry
Clémentine Léger	....	painter
Catherine Pierrat	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Denis Carquin	....	sound assistant
Stéphane De Rocquigny	....	assistant sound mixer
Michel Filippi	....	adr supervisor
Thierry Lebon	....	sound
Lionel Le Bras	....	boom operator
Pierre Lenoir	....	sound
André Naudin	....	foley artist
Julien Naudin	....	foley artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Claude Atanassian	....	gaffer
Jean Atanassian	....	electrician
Michel Atanassian	....	electrician
Florent Bazin	....	first assistant camera
Eric Bonnaire	....	grip (as Erik Bonnaire)
Mathieu Caudroy	....	Steadicam operator
Jean-Marie Delorme	....	assistant camera
Claire Duguet	....	camera trainee
Muriel Mayret	....	second assistant camera (as Muriel Mairet)
Jérémie Nassif	....	still photographer
Dominique Robert	....	key grip
Michel Thiriet	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Laurence Glentzin	....	costumer
Sandrine Kerner	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Patrick Delamotte	....	color timer
Pauline Flamand	....	trainee assistant editor
Stanislas Moreau	....	assistant editor
Olivier Rossignol	....	assistant editor
Patrick Thauvin	....	negative cutter

Other crew
Marie-Odile Arnoux	....	production secretary
Aurore Chabrol	....	script supervisor
Monica Donati	....	press attache
Nicolas Girard Deltruc	....	production assistant
Joseph Lasserre	....	group man
Gisèle Vuillaume	....	production administrator

Production Companies

• Canal+
• Conseil Régional d'Aquitaine
• France 3 Cinéma
• MK2 Productions
• Procirep

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Monopole-Pathé (2003) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (200?) (Netherlands) (video)
• Alfa Films (Argentina)
• Concorde Filmverleih (Germany)
• MK2 Diffusion (France)
• Mikado
• Palm Pictures (USA) (subtitled)

Other Companies

• CICAR  grip equipment
• Copra Films  sound equipment
• Eclair  film lab
• Les Audis de Boulogne  sound studio
• Panavision Alga  camera equipment
• TEST  titles and opticals

Also Known As:

The Flower of Evil (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for brief language.

Runtime:

104 min | Canada:101 min (DVD)

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:PG | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | France:U | Germany:12 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R

Company:

Canal+

Quotes:

Aunt Line: Are you all right?
[repeating the line, louder]
Aunt Line: Are you all right? Do you feel like crying?
Michèle Charpin-Vasseur: I can't.
Aunt Line: That's good. You must control yourself and help me. Listen to me. You didn't do anything, you hear? You didn't do anything! We're going to carry Gérard to his room. Can you manage that?
Michèle Charpin-Vasseur: I don't know...
Aunt Line: Please, you must help me! I can't carry him alone. Do you trust me?
Michèle Charpin-Vasseur: Of course, Aunt Line.
Aunt Line: Help me then. I'll explain later.

Movie Connections:

Features Vollmond (1998)

Good French Family Drama

This is a 100% French movie possibly not ever intended for American viewers. However, being the francophile that I am, I dug up "Flower of Evil" at my local library and proceeded to view it with much anticipation. Nathalie Baye is one of my favorite French actresses.

The story moves along a little slow but the mood of the film is enticing and it leads you to believe that something dark is lurking just beneath the surface.

That dark stuff emerges later on in various subplots while the entire plot does thicken up a bit with good tension. I felt a bit let down when it came time for a climax but I wouldn't dismiss this film because of that, I really enjoyed the superb acting, fine character development, and otherwise gripping story, a characteristic of many French dramas. Maybe some of the subtlety was just lost on me, but I liked the fact that you're never sure who's good or bad, but you end up feeling for each character.

"La Fleur du Mal" is a film for serious film watchers and/or students of acting or drama, and not for mindless entertainment.