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IMDb > La vie est un roman (1983)

La vie est un roman (1983) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   277 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 17% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Jean Gruault (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Life Is a Bed of Roses on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 April 1983 (France) more
Genre:
Plot:
Three intertwined tales. On the eve of the First World War, Count Forbek starts to build a fantastic castle in the Ardennes forest... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
2 nominations more
User Comments:
Another difficult but worthwhile Resnais film more (6 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Vittorio Gassman ... Walter Guarini
Ruggero Raimondi ... Comte Michel Forbek / Count Michel Forbek
Geraldine Chaplin ... Nora Winkle
Fanny Ardant ... Livia Cerasquier
Pierre Arditi ... Robert Dufresne
Sabine Azéma ... Élisabeth Rousseau
Robert Manuel ... Georges Leroux
Martine Kelly ... Claudine Obertin
Samson Fainsilber ... Zoltán Forbek
Véronique Silver ... Nathalie Holberg
André Dussollier ... Raoul Vandamme
Guillaume Boisseau ... Frédéric
Sabine Thomas ... Marie
Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu ... School Teacher
Rodolphe Schacher ... Pierre
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Life Is a Bed of Roses (USA)
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Runtime:
110 min | Argentina:111 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Company:

FAQ

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6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful.
Another difficult but worthwhile Resnais film, 4 March 2008
7/10
Author: timmy_501 from United States

First off, the commonly accepted translation of the title seems to be bad-It should more properly be called Life is a Fairy Tale. This film explores two main themes. The first theme involves the idea that people never really grow up-they continue to be self centered children with unrealistic views of the world. The other theme is that no individual can be happy unless some other individual is miserable. These themes are explored in typical Resnais fashion-which is to say, in a way that is in turns brilliant and confusing. Naturally, the narrative is not straightforward, rather, it is broken into two main threads and a third crucial but brief one.

The most bizarre (and off putting) thing about this film is the singing-occasionally, a character will suddenly begin singing instead of talking. The other characters tend to respond with normal dialogue as if nothing unusual was going on. This lends a sort of surreal feeling to the already odd mood of the film. According to the special features of the DVD of this, Resnais feels that it is easier to move the story along if his characters sing instead of conversing.

I've only seen this film once, but I feel that I should see it again soon. Resnais films always reward multiple viewings and I doubt this is the exception.

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