Les portes tournantes (1988)

A quiet painter, separated from his wife for a year, receives a suitcase in the mail from his mother, whom he hasn't seen since infancy. He believes she abandoned him to his wealthy, ... See full summary »

Director:

Francis Mankiewicz

Writers:

Francis Mankiewicz, Jacques Savoie (novel),

Stars:

Monique Spaziani, Gabriel Arcand, Miou-Miou

3 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Monique Spaziani	...	Céleste Beaumont
Gabriel Arcand	...	Madrigal Blaudelle
Miou-Miou	...	Lauda
François Méthé	...	Antoine
Jacques Penot	...	Pierre Blaudelle
Françoise Faucher	...	Simone Blaudelle
Jean-Louis Roux	...	Monsieur Blaudelle
Rémy Girard	...	Monsieur Litwin
Rita Lafontaine	...	Madame Beaumont
Hubert Loiselle	...	Monsieur Beaumont
Papa John Creach	...	John Devil
Charles Reiner	...	Gunther
Marcel Sabourin	...	Homme du Train
Charlotte Laurier	...	Bonne
Martin Faucher	...	Enfant Beaumont

Storyline

A quiet painter, separated from his wife for a year, receives a suitcase in the mail from his mother, whom he hasn't seen since infancy. He believes she abandoned him to his wealthy, paternal grandparents. The suitcase contains mementos and a diary, a long letter to him, written over the years, with details of her youth, her first job as a pianist at a cinema, the coming of talkies, her marriage, and how he came to live with his grandparents. As he reads through the materials and her story comes to life, his son Antoine, who's about 10 or 12, tries to break through his father's silence and sorrow by taking matters into his own hands.

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Plot Keywords:

diary | pianist | marriage | piano | mother son relationship | 

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Details

Country:

Canada France

Language:

French

Release Date:

30 June 1989 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

The Revolving Doors

Filming Locations:

Almonte, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Association Coopérative des Productions Audio-Visuelles (ACPAV), Canal+, Malofilm Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References Tess of the Storm Country (1922)

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Soundtracks

"TOO LATE"
Performed by Tchukon
Courtesy of Disques Aquarius Records Ltd.

User Reviews

one of my all time favourite films

I saw this when it came out in 87.. I found it brilliant. Monique Spaziani gives an inspired performance as a woman imprisioned by her times. There is a sense of melancholy that pervades the film. The cinematography is beautiful. As usual, Gabriel Arcand's gorgeous face shows the emotions of a man confused by his mothers abandonment. I think it may be a difficult film for those used to Hollywood standards fo filmmaking...but it is wholely and unashamedly Canadian, strangly enough, it concerns someone who has to interpret Hollywood to Canadian people, I think Francis Mankiewicz purposely used a non-traditional way to tell the story to offset this plot device.