La mort mystérieuse de Nina Chéreau (1988) (TV)

Director:

Dennis Berry

Writers:

Claude Harz (story) &
Steven Bawol (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

24 August 1988 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

A young psychiatrist tries to help a young woman in an asylum who has been accused of having killed a teenage girl...

Plot Keywords:

Psychiatrist | Murder | Off Screen Murder | Blood | Mother Daughter Relationship

Cast

Maud Adams	...	Ariel Dubois
Scott Renderer	...	Martin
Alexandra Stewart	...	Suzanne
László Szabó	...	Marais
Charles Millot	...	Mathias
Françoise Brion	...	Mme Dumont
Dominique Pinon	...	Albert
Charles Frank	...	Gregor
Beatrice Conrad	...	Nurse
Guy Di Rigo	...	Guard
Isabelle Kloucowski	...	Marie
Marine Goy	...	Girl on Bike
Gilles Fisseau	...	Reverdy
Luce Bekistan	...	Prostitute
Isabelle Marloz	...	Prostitute
Henri Bruzorio	...	Musician
Roger Raymond	...	Musician
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Louis Beyler	...	Inspector
André Chaumeau	...	Attendant

Directed by
Dennis Berry

Writing credits
Claude Harz		(story) &
Steven Bawol		(story)
Claude Harz		(written by)

Produced by
Boudjemaa Dahmane	....	executive producer
Patrick Deschamps	....	executive producer
Robert Halmi Jr.	....	executive producer
Steven North	....	producer
Richard Schlesinger	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Stéphane Vilar		(as Stephane Vilar)

Cinematography by
Roland Dantigny

Film Editing by
Annie Goirand		(as Anny Goirand)

Casting by
Gérard Moulévrier

Art Direction by
Martine Chaboud

Costume Design by
Brigitte Faur-Perdigou

Makeup Department
Marie-Thérèse Chambard	....	hair stylist
Christine Martinez	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Elisabeth Deviosse	....	production manager
Jean Marquie	....	unit manager
Willy Vinck	....	executive in charge of production
Rene Marc Zucchi	....	assistant unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Olivier Coussemacq	....	first assistant director
Marie-Jeanne Pascal	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Jean-Pierre Billet	....	set dresser
Claude Devillard	....	prop man
J. Marc Doucet	....	set dresser (as Marc Doucet)

Sound Department
Pierre Bect	....	sound engineer
Sophie Fauville	....	sound effects editor
Michel Lacaille-Desse	....	sound assistant
Jean-Baptiste Marizy	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jacques Tassel	....	sound effects editor

Stunts
Philippe Guégan	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Eric Aupetit	....	grip
Didier Baverel	....	still photographer
Robert Brun	....	gaffer
Philippe Gaudet	....	gaffer
Pierre Grisonnet	....	head grip
François Guillaume	....	assistant camera
Gerard Labry	....	head gaffer
Pierre Millou	....	camera operator

Casting Department
Maggie Aime	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ginette Dalla-Mura	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Claire Manissole	....	assistant film editor
Elizabeth Rodeno	....	post-production assistant
John M. Vasseur	....	executive in charge of post-production

Other crew
Dana Belcastro	....	assistant to producer
Catherine Beynet	....	stand-in
Philippe Boury	....	production assistant
Jean-Claude Charrat	....	location manager
Marina De Azcarate	....	assistant production coordinator
Laurence Dutel	....	stand-in
Jeanne Frangin	....	production coordinator
Gérard Gomez	....	production assistant
Lucie Leduc	....	script supervisor
Pierre Mace	....	production assistant
Eric McGinty	....	production coordinator
Eric Paulin	....	production assistant
Gerard Pelisson	....	location manager
Justine Shapiro	....	dialogue coach
Alexandre Thon	....	production assistant
Selma Weitz	....	production executive
David Wilks	....	story editor

Production Companies

• Atlantique Productions
• France Regions 3 (FR3)
• Robert Halmi

Distributors

• Hal Roach Studios

Also Known As:

"The Mysterious Death of Nina Chereau" - USA (TV title)

Country:

France | USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:M

Company:

Atlantique Productions

Odd film, fantastic Maud...

I was very pleased to see a Maud Adams film that was new to me, I'm a fan of hers. And this certainly is a very odd film!

I did enjoy the it and it held my interest. I do have a complaint about the plot, it's structure could have been improved upon. There were no real hints of it having a supernatural twist at the end. With some films it works, a complete surprise ending. 'From Dusk Till Dawn' springs to mind, changing from a thriller to a vampire film, with success. You can connect Ariel and her mothers dislike of each other to the films outcome but that was only a slight hint. Was there was more there than a simple disfunctional mother/daughter relationship? Ariel also picked up a book while hiding in a shop after having escaped the mental home. This was a completely random situation, the book describes the woman Ariel is eventually revealed to be, someone who needs to bathe in the blood of virgins to remain forever young. The book store's owner is later found dead.

While watching this film I didn't make any connection to the book, but it had some purpose, with only a little success.

Maud is excellent in this film as Ariel Dubois. There is little glamour in this, a mental home and the streets of a french town, as the settings. But Maud looks as beautiful as ever, even with less than great costumes. Realism is created via the wardrobe but they should have been slightly improved. Maud's red dress when Ariel is revealed is very much like a temptress' dress.

Scott Renderer acts well in this movie, as Ariel's doctor. I'd never heard of him before. There is a slight casting error in the fact that he is the only obvious American actor. There is no problem, in my eyes, with the France setting and the cast being all English speaking, it's common sense for a mass audience but the rest of the cast sound European, especially exotic Maud, and so Scott Renderer stands out as American.

Françoise Brion, as Ariel's moth, is good casting. She performs her purpose well, especially near the ending, when she is walking around the house with a knife, tension mounts. The scene where she 'lashes out' at Ariel in the cafe seems a little over-the-top but perhaps it would be, given the circumstances.

The supporting cast (head doctor at the mental home, shop owner and the detective) all function well, good casting again.

The directing is okay, nothing particualrly smart or new is done. Editing is fine, apart for moments where it apparently cuts for ad breaks and there weren't any on my recording.

This is certainly an excellent film Maud has made, one of my favourites of hers.