Le Divorce
Encyclopedia
Le Divorce is a 2003
Merchant Ivory Productions
' film directed by James Ivory
and the screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
and Ivory, based on Diane Johnson
's bestselling novel.
) travels to Paris
to visit her pregnant sister Roxy (Naomi Watts
). Roxy's husband Charles-Henri left her for his married Russian lover, Magda Tellman. As Isabel secretly begins two affairs with French men from different social classes and Magda's husband begins harassing Roxy, the two families fight over the ownership rights of a long-lost masterpiece. Also in the film is Roxy's friend and Isabel's employer, Olivia Pace (Glenn Close
), an American author who secretly had an affair with Isabel's lover in her youth.
Arriving, Charles-Henri makes an excuse to leave when Paris-based American
author
Olivia Pace (Close), a friend of Roxy's, arrives. Olivia offers Isabel a job which she takes. Later, the sisters go to the country to visit Charles-Henri's family for Sunday brunch
. It is there that Isabel meets Charles-Henri's mother (Leslie Caron
), along with Charles-Henri's uncle, Edgar.
Later, while helping Olivia, Isabel meets Yves, another one of Olivia's workers. The two have sex, and afterwards while watching television Isabel sees Edgar giving a speech and admits she is attracted to him. The two have lunch and begin an affair, but Isabel still strings Yves along. Edgar sends a Hermes Paris Kelly bag to Isabel, which is an expensive item Roxy knows Isabel can't afford, and Isabel tells Roxy of their affair.
Meanwhile, Roxy meets Charles-Henri's own mistress, Magda Tellman. Magda's husband, an American, begins to stalk Isabel's apartment complex. One afternoon, Roxy meets Charles-Henri at a park where Gennie rides a carousel
. The two talk and Roxy says she doesn't want a divorce, but Charles-Henri does. Roxy admits she's been thinking about names and likes Henri-Luc. Charles-Henri is still not entertained and leaves. Later that evening, Isabel finds a bloody, unconscious Roxy on the sofa and calls an ambulance. Roxy lives and apologizes for her attempt at suicide and is aided by her lawyer.
Isabel calls the family to Paris to help with Roxy. This only further complicates things, especially when Edgar's wife, Amelie, discovers the affair through Edgar's sister and Roxy's mother-in-law. Along with this, Olivia's own long-gone affair with Edgar is exploited, and Charles-Henri is found dead, murdered by Magda Tellman's husband in a crime of passion
. Mr. Tellman follows the Walkers up the Eiffel Tower
where he corners them and pulls a gun, demanding to have an opportunity to explain to an absentee Roxy why he killed her husband. After some persuasion, Tellman slides the gun over to Isabel who puts it in her Kelly bag before throwing it off the Eiffel Tower.
Subsequently, Edgar ends his affair with Isabel with a Chanel
scarf and a blunt, brief lunch. Charles-Henri's mother still stays involved with her new grandson, presumably named Henri-Luc or Luc's, life. Roxy marries her lawyer, Isabel begins a real relationship with Yves and the family painting by La Tour
of Saint Ursula
sells for almost USD 4 million. This prompts the family to begin a foundation for Saint Ursula based in Paris.
, Tour Eiffel, Musée du Louvre and Salle Gaveau.
's "Qu'est-ce qu'on attend pour être heureux", sung by Patrick Bruel
& Johnny Hallyday
from Bruel's CD "Entre deux". End title music was Serge Gainsbourg
's "L'Anamour", sung by Jane Birkin
from her CD "Version Jane".
Le Divorce received largely mixed to negative reviews. It has a 38% rating on a Rotten Tomatoes
and a 51 metascore on Metacritic
. Film critic Roger Ebert
gave the film three out of four stars and felt that it did not "work on its intended level, because we don't care enough about the interactions of the enormous cast. But it works in another way, as a sophisticated and knowledgeable portrait of values in collision". In his review for the New York Times, A.O. Scott wrote, "As it is, Le Divorce is tasteful, but almost entirely without flavor. It is tough work to sit through a comedy made by filmmakers with so little sense of timing and no evident sense of humor". Entertainment Weekly
gave the film a "C" rating and Owen Gleiberman
wrote, "I'm disappointed to report that Hudson and Watts have no chemistry as sisters, perhaps because Watts never seems like the expatriate artiste she's supposed to be playing". In his review for the Village Voice, David Ng wrote, "Indeed, featuring a boatload of intercontinental stars who have little to do, Le Divorce uncannily embodies its privileged bilingual milieu. At worst, it suggests a documentary of its own lavish wrap party". Premiere
magazine's Glenn Kenny gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "the picture is a nice return to form for Ivory and company, as well as a welcome stretch for Kate Hudson, whose luminous talents, I fear, are going to be hidden under bushels of stupid Hollywood romantic comedies for the foreseeable future". In his review for The New York Observer, Andrew Sarris
wrote, "The film's greatest achievement, however, is in keeping a dizzying variety of characters at odds with each other without any breach of good manners, and without descending to facile stereotypes and caricatures".
2003 in film
The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
Merchant Ivory Productions
Merchant Ivory Productions
Merchant Ivory Productions is a film company founded in 1961 by producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory. Their films were for the most part produced by the former, directed by the latter, and scripted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, with the noted exception of a few films. The films were often...
' film directed by James Ivory
James Ivory (director)
James Francis Ivory is an American film director, best known for the results of his long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, which included both Indian-born film producer Ismail Merchant, and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala...
and the screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, CBE is a Booker prize-winning novelist, short story writer, and two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter. She is perhaps best known for her long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, made up of director James Ivory and the late producer Ismail Merchant...
and Ivory, based on Diane Johnson
Diane Johnson
Diane Johnson is an American-born novelist and essayist whose satirical novels often feature American heroines living abroad in contemporary France....
's bestselling novel.
Summary
A young American woman called Isabel Walker (Kate HudsonKate Hudson
Kate Garry Hudson is an American actress. She came to prominence in 2001 after winning a Golden Globe and receiving several nominations, including a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in Almost Famous. She then starred in the hit film How to Lose a Guy in 10...
) travels to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to visit her pregnant sister Roxy (Naomi Watts
Naomi Watts
Naomi Ellen Watts is a British actress. Watts began her career in Australian television, where she appeared in series such as Hey Dad..! , Brides of Christ , and Home and Away . Her film debut was the 1986 drama For Love Alone...
). Roxy's husband Charles-Henri left her for his married Russian lover, Magda Tellman. As Isabel secretly begins two affairs with French men from different social classes and Magda's husband begins harassing Roxy, the two families fight over the ownership rights of a long-lost masterpiece. Also in the film is Roxy's friend and Isabel's employer, Olivia Pace (Glenn Close
Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
), an American author who secretly had an affair with Isabel's lover in her youth.
Plot
Isabel (Hudson) visits her sister, Roxeanne (Watts), a poet who is living in Paris with her husband, Charles-Henri, and her young daughter, Gennie. Roxy is pregnant, but her husband has just walked out on her. She holds the lie that he is "in the country" selling a painting. Isabel discovers the truth and agrees to go see Charles-Henri with Roxy to give him his contacts which he left behind.Arriving, Charles-Henri makes an excuse to leave when Paris-based American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Olivia Pace (Close), a friend of Roxy's, arrives. Olivia offers Isabel a job which she takes. Later, the sisters go to the country to visit Charles-Henri's family for Sunday brunch
Brunch
Brunch is a meal eaten between breakfast and lunch. The word is a portmanteau of breakfast and lunch.-Origin of the word:The 1896 supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary cites Punch magazine which wrote that the term was coined in Britain in 1895 to describe a Sunday meal for "Saturday-night...
. It is there that Isabel meets Charles-Henri's mother (Leslie Caron
Leslie Caron
Leslie Claire Margaret Caron is a French film actress and dancer, who appeared in 45 films between 1951 and 2003. In 2006, her performance in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit won her an Emmy for guest actress in a drama series...
), along with Charles-Henri's uncle, Edgar.
Later, while helping Olivia, Isabel meets Yves, another one of Olivia's workers. The two have sex, and afterwards while watching television Isabel sees Edgar giving a speech and admits she is attracted to him. The two have lunch and begin an affair, but Isabel still strings Yves along. Edgar sends a Hermes Paris Kelly bag to Isabel, which is an expensive item Roxy knows Isabel can't afford, and Isabel tells Roxy of their affair.
Meanwhile, Roxy meets Charles-Henri's own mistress, Magda Tellman. Magda's husband, an American, begins to stalk Isabel's apartment complex. One afternoon, Roxy meets Charles-Henri at a park where Gennie rides a carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
. The two talk and Roxy says she doesn't want a divorce, but Charles-Henri does. Roxy admits she's been thinking about names and likes Henri-Luc. Charles-Henri is still not entertained and leaves. Later that evening, Isabel finds a bloody, unconscious Roxy on the sofa and calls an ambulance. Roxy lives and apologizes for her attempt at suicide and is aided by her lawyer.
Isabel calls the family to Paris to help with Roxy. This only further complicates things, especially when Edgar's wife, Amelie, discovers the affair through Edgar's sister and Roxy's mother-in-law. Along with this, Olivia's own long-gone affair with Edgar is exploited, and Charles-Henri is found dead, murdered by Magda Tellman's husband in a crime of passion
Crime of passion
A crime of passion, or crime passionnel, in popular usage, refers to a crime in which the perpetrator commits a crime, especially assault or murder, against someone because of sudden strong impulse such as sudden rage or heartbreak rather than as a premeditated crime...
. Mr. Tellman follows the Walkers up the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
where he corners them and pulls a gun, demanding to have an opportunity to explain to an absentee Roxy why he killed her husband. After some persuasion, Tellman slides the gun over to Isabel who puts it in her Kelly bag before throwing it off the Eiffel Tower.
Subsequently, Edgar ends his affair with Isabel with a Chanel
Chanel
Chanel S.A. is a French fashion house founded by the couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, well established in haute couture, specializing in luxury goods . She gained the name "Coco" while maintaining a career as a singer at a café in France...
scarf and a blunt, brief lunch. Charles-Henri's mother still stays involved with her new grandson, presumably named Henri-Luc or Luc's, life. Roxy marries her lawyer, Isabel begins a real relationship with Yves and the family painting by La Tour
Georges de La Tour
Georges de La Tour was a French Baroque painter, who spent most of his working life in the Duchy of Lorraine, which was temporarily absorbed into France between 1641 and 1648...
of Saint Ursula
Saint Ursula
Saint Ursula is a British Christian saint. Her feast day in the extraordinary form calendar of the Catholic Church is October 21...
sells for almost USD 4 million. This prompts the family to begin a foundation for Saint Ursula based in Paris.
Cast
- Kate HudsonKate HudsonKate Garry Hudson is an American actress. She came to prominence in 2001 after winning a Golden Globe and receiving several nominations, including a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in Almost Famous. She then starred in the hit film How to Lose a Guy in 10...
- Isabel Walker - Naomi WattsNaomi WattsNaomi Ellen Watts is a British actress. Watts began her career in Australian television, where she appeared in series such as Hey Dad..! , Brides of Christ , and Home and Away . Her film debut was the 1986 drama For Love Alone...
- Roxeanne de Persand - Glenn CloseGlenn CloseGlenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
- Olivia Pace - Thierry LhermitteThierry LhermitteThierry Lhermitte is a French actor, known for his comedic roles. He was one of the founders of the comedy troupe Le Splendid in the 1970s, along with, among others, his high-school friends Christian Clavier, Gérard Jugnot, and Michel Blanc...
- Edgar Cosset - Melvil PoupaudMelvil PoupaudMelvil Poupaud is a French actor.He was named after Herman Melville by his screenwriter mother. At the age of ten, he launched into acting with a role in La Ville des Pirates , directed by Raul Ruiz. At the age of 15, he was nominated for a César...
- Charles-Henri de Persand - Matthew ModineMatthew ModineMatthew Avery Modine is an award-winning American actor. His film roles include Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, the title character in Alan Parker's Birdy, high school wrestler Louden Swain in Vision Quest, football star turned spy Alec McCall in Funky Monkey and the...
- Tellman - Sam WaterstonSam WaterstonSamuel Atkinson "Sam" Waterston is an American actor and occasional producer and director. Among other roles, he is noted for his Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Sydney Schanberg in 1984's The Killing Fields, and his Golden Globe- and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning portrayal of Jack McCoy...
- Chester Walker - Stockard ChanningStockard ChanningStockard Channing is an American stage, film and television actress. She is known for her portrayal of First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the NBC television series The West Wing; for playing Betty Rizzo in the film Grease; and for her role as Ouisa Kittredge in the play Six Degrees of Separation and its...
- Margeeve Walker - Thomas Lennon - Roger Walker
- Jean-Marc BarrJean-Marc BarrJean-Marc Barr is a French-American film actor and director. His mother is French. His American father was in the US Air Force and served in the Second World War. Jean-Marc Barr is primarily known as an actor, but is also a film director, screenwriter and producer...
- Maitre Bertram - Romain DurisRomain Duris-Life:Born on 28 May 1974 in Paris, son of an engineer-architect father, Duris studied arts at university. He was noticed in the street by a casting director whilst waiting in a queue in 1993 and offered a part in the 1994 Cédric Klapisch film Le péril jeune...
- Yves - Esmée Buchet-Deàk - Gennie de Persand
- Samuel Labarthe - Antoine de Persand
- Leslie CaronLeslie CaronLeslie Claire Margaret Caron is a French film actress and dancer, who appeared in 45 films between 1951 and 2003. In 2006, her performance in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit won her an Emmy for guest actress in a drama series...
- Suzanne de Persand - Nathalie RichardNathalie RichardNathalie Richard is a French actress.Richard was born in Paris, France. She received the Prix Michel Simon film prize for most promising actress/actor for her role in the 1988 Jacques Rivette film Gang of Four.-Filmography:...
- Charlotte de Persand - Bebe NeuwirthBebe NeuwirthBeatrice "Bebe" Neuwirth is an American actress, singer and dancer. She has worked in television and is known for her portrayal of Dr. Lilith Sternin, Dr. Frasier Crane's wife , on both the TV sitcom Cheers , and its spin-off Frasier...
- Julia Manchevering - Rona HartnerRona HartnerRona Hartner is a Romanian actress and singer.-External links:...
- Magda Tellman - Stephen FryStephen FryStephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
- Piers Janely
Locations
Le Divorce was filmed in Paris at locations including Café de FloreCafé de Flore
The Café de Flore, at the corner of the Boulevard Saint-Germain and the Rue St. Benoit, in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, has long been celebrated for its intellectual clientele....
, Tour Eiffel, Musée du Louvre and Salle Gaveau.
Music
Opening title music was Paul MisrakiPaul Misraki
Paul Misraki was a French composer of popular music and film scores. Over the course of over 60 years, Misraki wrote the music to 130 films, scoring works by directors like Jean Renoir, Claude Chabrol, Jacques Becker, Jean-Pierre Melville, Jean-Luc Godard, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Orson Welles, Luis...
's "Qu'est-ce qu'on attend pour être heureux", sung by Patrick Bruel
Patrick Bruel
Patrick Bruel is a French singer, actor, and professional poker player of Algerian Jewish descent.-Biography:...
& Johnny Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday is a French singer and actor. An icon in the French-speaking world since the beginning of his career, he was considered by some to have been the French Elvis Presley. He was married for 15 years to one of the most popular French female singers: Sylvie Vartan...
from Bruel's CD "Entre deux". End title music was Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize...
's "L'Anamour", sung by Jane Birkin
Jane Birkin
Jane Mallory Birkin, OBE is an English-born actress and singer who lives in France. In recent years she has written her own album, directed a film and become an outspoken proponent of democracy in Burma.- Early life :...
from her CD "Version Jane".
Reaction
Le Divorce was given an initial limited release on August 8, 2003 in 34 theaters where it grossed $516,834 on its opening weekend. It went into wide release on August 29, 2003 in 701 theaters where it grossed $1.5 million on its opening weekend. The film went on to make $9 million in North America and $3.9 in the rest of the world for a worldwide total of $12.9 million.Le Divorce received largely mixed to negative reviews. It has a 38% rating on a Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
and a 51 metascore on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Film critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave the film three out of four stars and felt that it did not "work on its intended level, because we don't care enough about the interactions of the enormous cast. But it works in another way, as a sophisticated and knowledgeable portrait of values in collision". In his review for the New York Times, A.O. Scott wrote, "As it is, Le Divorce is tasteful, but almost entirely without flavor. It is tough work to sit through a comedy made by filmmakers with so little sense of timing and no evident sense of humor". Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the film a "C" rating and Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman is an American film critic for Entertainment Weekly, a position he has held since the magazine's launch in 1990. From 1981–89, he worked at the Boston Phoenix....
wrote, "I'm disappointed to report that Hudson and Watts have no chemistry as sisters, perhaps because Watts never seems like the expatriate artiste she's supposed to be playing". In his review for the Village Voice, David Ng wrote, "Indeed, featuring a boatload of intercontinental stars who have little to do, Le Divorce uncannily embodies its privileged bilingual milieu. At worst, it suggests a documentary of its own lavish wrap party". Premiere
Premiere (magazine)
Premiere was an American and New York City-based film magazine published by Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., published between the years 1987 and 2007. The original version of the magazine, Première , was started in France in 1976 and is still being published there.-History:The magazine originally...
magazine's Glenn Kenny gave the film three out of four stars and wrote, "the picture is a nice return to form for Ivory and company, as well as a welcome stretch for Kate Hudson, whose luminous talents, I fear, are going to be hidden under bushels of stupid Hollywood romantic comedies for the foreseeable future". In his review for The New York Observer, Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris is an American film critic and a leading proponent of the auteur theory of criticism.-Career:Sarris is generally credited with popularizing the auteur theory in the U.S...
wrote, "The film's greatest achievement, however, is in keeping a dizzying variety of characters at odds with each other without any breach of good manners, and without descending to facile stereotypes and caricatures".