Hotel America (1981)
"Hôtel des Amériques" (original title)

Hélène, a distracted pill-popping anesthetist, almost runs down Gilles one evening on a Biarritz street. She is still numb from the drowning death earlier that year of her lover, a ... See full summary »

Director:

André Téchiné

Writers:

Gilles Taurand, André Téchiné

Stars:

Catherine Deneuve, Patrick Dewaere, Etienne Chicot

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Catherine Deneuve	...	Hélène
Patrick Dewaere	...	Gilles Tisserand
Etienne Chicot	...	Bernard
Sabine Haudepin	...	Elise Tisserand
Dominique Lavanant	...	Jacqueline
Josiane Balasko	...	Colette
François Perrot	...	Rudel
Jean-Louis Vitrac	...	Luc
Frédérique Ruchaud	...	La mère
Michèle Ban de Loménie	...	La mère de colette
Pascal Bernuchon
Catherine Carrée
Gérard Deleris
Jacques Dichamp	...	Le client de l'hôtel
Rosemary Linousy	...	La clientèle inconnue

Storyline

Hélène, a distracted pill-popping anesthetist, almost runs down Gilles one evening on a Biarritz street. She is still numb from the drowning death earlier that year of her lover, a visionary architect. Gilles presses for a relationship, then backs away, deciding she could never love someone of lower class and limited prospects. But she does fall in love with him and gradually her depression eases. As she heals, he becomes obsessed with her lover's talents and his own limitations, behaving bizarrely and pushing her away. How these conflicts play out becomes the movie's story.

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Plot Keywords:

love | pill popping | architect | biarritz | hotel room | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

2 December 1981 (France)

Also Known As:

Begegnung in Biarritz

Filming Locations:

Anglet, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sara Films, Films A2

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Frühlingsstimmen"
Written by Johann Strauß (as Johann Strauss)

User Reviews

Sleepwalking through their roles...

Wow, did I have a bad night. I usually love French films and was excited to watch a DVD with two of Catherine Deneuve's films ("Le Sauvage" and "Hôtel des Amériques"). Amazingly, both of the films were among the least interesting films I have seen in some time--mostly because of the terrible writing. This is sad because one of the big reasons I usually prefer French films to recent Hollywood films is the writing, but in these two films they simply created characters that were hard to care about or understand.

Deneuve plays Hélène, a lady who obviously is in mourning for a dead lover. She can't get on with her life. However, when she meets Gilles (Patrick Dewaere), they become lovers--even though there really is absolutely no chemistry between them...none!

As for Gilles, he seems very moody and is good friends with a guy who loves to steal and beat up gay people. Now this could have been interesting, as this gay protest could have been an indication that Gilles and his male friend were lovers or harbored sexual feelings for each other. This may have turned off some viewers, but it really would have seemed plausible and interesting. Instead, however, you just assume that since Gilles likes such an evil man that he, too, is a jerk. And, through the course of the film, he does nothing to change that opinion. In fact, as the film progresses he gets moodier and moodier--until you are ready to shout at the screen for him to get over it and stop sulking and be a man!

Deneuve's character is rather interesting at first. The idea of her having all this emotional baggage and being constricted when it came to love was interesting. However, she is so distant and so moody that you wonder why Gilles puts up with her. Sure, he's pretty but this is the only thing he could see in her. Heck, their sex lives weren't even good...so why does he stay? And, why doesn't she either grow or simply reject him completely because she refuses to give in to love? Instead, she and the audience are stuck in limbo. While the movie is only 93 minutes long, it seems like a lifetime, as these two just exist and the relationship is stuck in neutral--and there is absolutely no coherent reason for them to be together in the first place or remain together.

Overall, impossible to believe and dull. I can think of many, many films Ms. Deneuve made that are better...and none, off the top of my head, that were worse.