Place Vendome (1998)

Catherine Deneuve delivers an award-winning performance as Marianne, the alcoholic wife of a famous diamond jeweler who must pick up the pieces of her broken life when her husband suddenly commits suicide.

Cuban rhythms in the diamond district

This is a complex and ambiguous film that definitely does not achieve these effects by shadows, dim lighting, and murky dialog. This film glitters! If there were no story, no moral ambiguity, no Catherine Deneuve at the mature height of her powers, no dialog at all...even without these things it would be a visual joyride simply to watch the film and visit the Ritz Hotel, the showrooms and backrooms of the high-end jewelry trade, fashionable Paris interiors, the baroque elegance of Le Train Bleu restaurant (This restaurant has a gorgeous website.), etc.

But my main purpose for this review is to point out a wonderful bit of obscure Cuban music from the artist Hanny. Two pieces from his album "Voice of Cuba" ("Tu Me Quieres Pa Bien" and "Uncastillo A Tu Magia") are used to great effect. (As of now, there are a few used copies of the CD available from Amazon as well as a downloadable MP3. If you want to try before you buy, I also found these tunes can be heard on one of the major, subscription online music services.) All of the music in this film is excellent, although all the rest of it is rather refined and elegant rather than contemporary.

You will not find a more stylish film than this. And it even has a scene on a train! April 15, 2008

A superior and majuscule dramatis personae!

An alcoholic woman with a visible depth of character, is trapped in a loveless marriage. Eventually her husband will commit suicide, and suddenly she will realize there are five stolen diamonds will force her to get as soon as she can, the reentry in order to reinsert herself into the minimum required normality.

Superior drama that shows us the fabulous Caterine Denenuve in ether of her radiant performances. You will fall in love with this engaging script as well the marvelous nocturnal shots around the most famous place in the world in what concerns avant-garde fashion and exuberant visual details.

Until this date the masterwork of Nicole Garcia.
November 16, 2007

Diamonds and Memories

Catherine Deneuve gives one of her finest performances in this elegantly crafted film from director Nicole Garcia. It is beautifully shot in the diamond district of France, even the rain glistening on the sidewalks like fine jewels. This is a complex film of intrigue and personal demons in a world where people love each other a little and use each other a lot, cutting the heart like a diamond, in a swift, irreversible stroke.

Marianne (Catherine Deneuve) is the alcoholic wife of a respected jeweler who is only brought out on special occasions, spending most of her life in a rehab for the wealthy which is her primary home. She is forced to pull herself together when her husband Vincent Malivert kills himself, leaving behind a fortune in diamonds that have a questionable history. When she attempts to find a buyer for them she discovers the cache was stolen in its uncut form from the Russian Mafia. As the intrigue escalates, Marianne's own past in the world of diamond dealers is revealed, including the betrayel which blacklisted her as a jewel dealer and drove her to the bottle.

She will be forced to confront the demons in her past when her betrayer and his new protege come into the picture. Stunning beauty Emmanuelle Seigner has a pivotal role as the mirror image of Marianne 20 years before, unaware that history may be repeating itself. Marianne will have to choose between revenge and redemption to discover if love really does mean getting lied to and betrayed.

Deneuve, one of the world's finest actersses and greatest beauties, lets her hair down and imbues her character with a subtle vulnerability that won her Best Actress honors at the Venice Film Festival. Had the film been a little less foreign and a bit more flashy, she could easily have garnered an Oscar as well.

If you like foreign films, or Catherine Deneuve, or both, this is definitely one you'll want to add to your collection. June 24, 2005

It's Catherine Deneuve's Film, And She's Excellent

Marianne Malivert (Catherine Deneuve) has been married for 18 loveless years to the owner of a famous, stylish Parisian jewelry store. He saved her from jail when she was betrayed by a lover and was caught with stolen jewels that belonged to Malivert. At one time, Marianne knew diamonds and the diamond trade. Now, she's an alcoholic who spends much time in clinics and occasionally time with her husband at his dinner parties for clients. Then one day her husband shows her five perfectly cut diamonds and tells them they are his, not the store's, and he puts them away. Then later he deliberately drives his car into a truck and kills himself. Marianne. barely sober, discovers the store is close to bankruptcy, that the diamonds may be stolen, that her brother-in-law wants the diamonds and her out, that a beautiful assistant in the shop (who also was her husband's mistress) has an agenda of her own that includes the jewel thief who betrayed Marianne years ago. As Marianne gradually focuses on the diamonds, her interest in life begins to revive. She was good in the trade at one time, and sets out to find a buyer. She learns the word has spread that the diamonds may be stolen, that the Russian mafia may be involved, and that her old lover has re-entered her world.

This movie starts as a strong, character-driven study of Marianne Malivert. It gradually moves toward becoming a thriller, but has the good sense not to move too far in that direction. The pleasure in the movie is the world weary sophistication of the characters, the look into the workings of the diamond business, the intertwined relationships of the main characters, and the struggle of Marianne to reassert herself. This is Catherine Deneuve's film and she is excellent. At the time this movie was made she was 56 and had been a major star for 34 years. She really is a world class actress. The two male leads, Jean-Pierre Bactri, as the boyfriend of the shop assistant who is dropped by her but finds himself drawn to Marianne, and Jacques Dutronc, as the former lover who now is still a thief and con artist but is weary to his bones, are excellent, too.

This movie may not be for everyone. It takes a steady, thoughtful pace. It's all about the characters, especially Marianne. The look of the film often is dark. The conclusion is not exactly happy and not exactly sad. It's a film, in my opinion, which is well worth watching. The DVD picture is just fine and the yellow subtitles are very easy to read. May 30, 2005

ODDLY GOOD

Like some have pointed out, this isn't much of a thriller and there is just a bit of mystery(the cause of her alcoholism). Oddly, the movie is engaging. Oddly, the movie doesn't drag. Oddly, this movie works.

November 13, 2004

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