| Sophie
Marceau, Pascal Greggory, Guillaume Canet , Magali Noël , Michel
Subor , Edith Scob , Guy Tréjan.
Maverick auteur Andrzej Zulawski directs
this flamboyant adaptation of classic French novel La Princesse
de Cleves, complete with dirt bike races, hot sex, and naked hockey
players. Talented Canadian photographer Clelia (Sophie Marceau)
lands a financially lucrative job in Paris at a rumor-mongering
tabloid called La Verite run by Rupert MacRoi (Michel Subor). Though
she finds most of her coworkers to be disillusioned and perverse,
she happens upon Cleve (Pascal Greggory), a bumbling middle-aged
children's book publisher. Cleve is days away from marrying MacRoi's
daughter to bolster his flagging publishing house. Nonetheless,
Clelia and Cleve retire to his office to make love almost immediately
upon meeting. Though MacRoi has already bought his company, Cleve
breaks off his wedding plans and proposes to Clelia. Enter Nemo
(Guillaume Canet), a sexy young photographer who promptly propositions
her upon their first encounter. In spite of her ferocious sexual
attract to Nemo, Clelia marries Cleve and resolutely keeps to her
wedding vows in the face of her suitor's continued advances. Madame
de la Fayette's novel, from which this film draws inspiration, has
already been adapted twice: the 1961 version was directed by Jean
Delannoy and starred Marina Vlady, and the 1999 take, entitled The
Letter was directed by Manoel de Oliveira and featured Chiara Mastroianni. |