Le déclin de l'empire américain (1986)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Denys Arcand

Writer:

Denys Arcand (writer)

Release Date:

November 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Four university teachers gather to prepare a dinner. Remy - married, Claude - homosexual, Pierre - girlfriend and Alain - a bachelor discuss sex...

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Discussion | Affair | Penis | Sadomasochism

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 13 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Dominique Michel	...	Dominique
Dorothée Berryman	...	Louise
Louise Portal	...	Diane
Pierre Curzi	...	Pierre
Rémy Girard	...	Rémy
Yves Jacques	...	Claude
Geneviève Rioux	...	Danielle
Daniel Brière	...	Alain
Gabriel Arcand	...	Mario
Évelyn Regimbald
Lisette Guertin
Alexandre Remy
Ariane Frédérique
Jean-Paul Bongo

Directed by
Denys Arcand

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Denys Arcand		writer

Produced by
Roger Frappier	....	producer
Pierre Gendron	....	delegate producer
René Malo	....	producer

Original Music by
François Dompierre

Cinematography by
Guy Dufaux

Film Editing by
Monique Fortier

Production Design by
Gaudeline Sauriol

Art Direction by
Gaudeline Sauriol

Costume Design by
Denis Sperdouklis

Makeup Department
Gaétan Noiseux	....	hair stylist
Cécile Rigault	....	makeup artist
Micheline Trépanier	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Lyse Lafontaine	....	production manager
Estelle Lemieux	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jacques W. Benoit	....	assistant director
Monique Maranda	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Charles Bernier	....	property master
Louis Gascon	....	assistant property master
Claude Lafond	....	carpenter
Alain Singher	....	property master

Sound Department
Yvon Benoît	....	boom operator
Richard Besse	....	sound
Diane Boucher	....	dialogue editor
Adrian Croll	....	sound mixer
Paul Dion	....	sound editor
Marie-Claude Gagné	....	assistant sound editor
Carole Gagnon	....	assistant sound editor
Louis Hone	....	foley mixer
Jean-Pierre Joutel	....	sound mixer
Andy Malcolm	....	foley artist
Paul Pagé	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Louis Craig	....	special effects supervisor

Camera and Electrical Department
Yvon Boudrias	....	key grip
Bertrand Carrière	....	still photographer
Sylvaine Dufaux	....	second assistant camera
Claude Fortier	....	electrician
Jean-Pierre Lamarche	....	grip
Roger Martin	....	gaffer
Nathalie Moliavko-Visotzky	....	first assistant camera
Nathalie Moliavko-Visotzky	....	focus puller
Normand Viau	....	electrician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mario Davignon	....	key dresser
Pierre Perrault	....	costume assistant
Brunhilde Pradier	....	wardrobe seamstress

Editorial Department
Diane Boucher	....	assistant editor
Suzanne Dussault	....	post-production assistant

Other crew
Sylvain Arseneault	....	production assistant
Micheline Bonin	....	production accountant
Serge Bouthillier	....	title designer
Louise Cousineau	....	assistant production administrator
François Fauteux	....	production assistant
Jean-Pierre Fauteux	....	production assistant
Serge Gaudreau	....	title designer
Jean Guérin	....	production coordinator
Jean-Pierre Joly	....	title designer
Ken Korrall	....	location manager
Frédéric Lefebvre	....	production assistant
Monique Létourneau	....	production administrator
Louise Overy	....	title designer
Johanne Pelletier	....	production secretary
Johanne Prégent	....	scripte assistante
Val Teodori	....	title designer

Production Companies

• Cineplex-Odeon Films
• Corporation Image M & M
• Malofilm
• National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
• Societe Radio Cinema
• Société Général du Cinéma du Québec
• Téléfilm Canada

Distributors

• Artificial Eye (UK)
• Cineplex-Odeon Films (USA) (subtitled)
• Distribuidora Internacional de Filmes (DIF) (Brazil) (VHS)
• MCA Home Video (1987) (USA) (video)

Special Effects

• Intrigue (special effects)

Also Known As:

The Decline of the American Empire (USA)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Hungary:16 | Portugal:M/16 | West Germany:18 | Australia:M | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-16 | Peru:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Brazil:14

Filming Locations:

Eastern Townships, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Cineplex-Odeon Films

Trivia:

The house in which the majority of the events take place, in Magog, burned down in 1989, was later rebuilt. The scene in which one of the women characters is having sex, seen through a window from outside, was actually shot through a garage window. The actress was sitting on the snow tires which the owner of the house stored in the garage. She told him that, thanks to the tires, it was one of the most comfortable scenes she had ever done.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Speaking Parts (1989)

Cinema at its best!

Each time I see this film, I know how truly wonderful cinema can be at its best. This film, which amazingly is 16 years old (don't know where the time went - frightening!!) is still as fresh, witty and engrossing as it ever was. The story revolves about a group of academics, getting ready to attend a dinner party, the men and women separately(prior to the dinner) discussing with each other their lives loves hopes and fears - sounds dull doesn't it? Well dont you believe it!! Considering its such a dialogue based film, the time flies by due to the superb performances by all involved. Yves Jacques is outstanding as the gay character, whose facial expressions and body language in the film convey what only an actor of the finest calibre could. Louise Portal as the unattached woman longing for a meaningful relationship is also worth a mention amongst the cast. I enjoyed this film so much, that I turned my rusty 'o' level French into fluency so that I could appreciate other French language movies fully, prompted my first visit of several to Montreal where once I actually, believe it or not, bumped into Remy Girard (one of the actors) in the street and started a lasting love of non-English speaking /and or art house movies when previously I had only watched popular box office. I can't guarantee you will love this movie as much as I do, but if you approach it with an open mind, I am sure that you will thoroughly enjoy it. By the way, its about time this movie was released on DVD, especially when you consider some of the junk which has!!!