Impromptu (1991)

In 1830s France, pianist/composer Frédéric Chopin is pursued romantically by the determined, individualistic woman who uses the name George Sand.

Director:

James Lapine

Writer:

Sarah Kernochan

Stars:

Judy Davis, Hugh Grant, Mandy Patinkin

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Judy Davis	...	George Sand / Aurora
Hugh Grant	...	Frederic Chopin
Mandy Patinkin	...	Alfred De Musset
Bernadette Peters	...	Marie D'Agoult
Julian Sands	...	Franz Liszt
Ralph Brown	...	Eugene Delacroix
Georges Corraface	...	Felicien Mallefille
Anton Rodgers	...	Duke D'Antan
Emma Thompson	...	Duchess D'Antan
Anna Massey	...	George Sand's Mother
David Birkin	...	Maurice
Nimer Rashed	...	Didier
Fiona Vincente	...	Solange
John Savident	...	Buloz
Lucy Speed	...	Young Aurora

Storyline

Novelist George Sand ('Judy Davis' ) falls in love with composer Frédéric Chopin (Hugh Grant). She tries to profess her love for him at a weekend hosted by a pretentious, artistically minded duchess for famous musicians, artists, and writers of the day. The gentle and sickly Chopin is wary of the outspoken Sand, but finds himself strangely drawn to her, as well.

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Plot Keywords:

george sand | frédéric chopin | composer | 1830s | illness | 

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

UK France

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Chopin - min elskede

Filming Locations:

Château des Briottières, Champigné, Maine-et-Loire, France

Box Office

Gross:

$4,076,211 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

C.L.G. Films, Governor Productions, Les Films Ariane

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Alfred De Musset: [taking a section of manuscript] Her memoirs? Am I in it?
Editor: No! It's, it's about her childhood. I expect you come in later, after she chews up her husband, and about a hundred other fellows.
Alfred De Musset: It's true, she's a cannibal. She would drink the blood of her children from the skull of her lover, and not feel so much as a stomach-ache.
Editor: Alfred, go home - put it into verse - I'll publish it - and then and only then will you get paid.

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Connections

Version of The Children of the Century (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Etude Op. 25 In E Minor"
Music by Frédéric Chopin

User Reviews

An underrated treat...thank you, PBS!

I first saw this film courtesy of "Masterpiece Theater", a weekly program presented by PBS -- had it not been for the good taste of one PBS program manager out there, I might never have seen this charming and provocative film.

Yes, it's a period piece. Yes, there are flounces and top hats and castles and duels. But the core of "Impromptu" explores love, jealousy, and the process of artistic creation in ways that keep the film captivating for the most jaded modern viewer.

Judy Davis capably assumes the mantle of convention-bucking authoress George Sand, providing a fiery counterpart to Hugh Grant's self-deprecating (and effective) Chopin. Mandy Patinkin shines as one of Sand's many jilted ex-lovers, and Bernadette Peters is maliciously admirable as Sand's "friend" who wants Chopin for herself. Emma Thompson's hilarious cameo as a dense provincial duchess itself provides almost enough reason to watch the film.

"Impromptu" boasts a great ensemble cast, witty dialogue, balanced humor and pathos, luscious period costumes and scenery, and the music of Chopin playing all the while -- what more could one want? "Impromptu" unfolds like a 19th-century soap opera, with arresting characters and meditations on art saving it from the banality of a typical romance...or a typical period piece.

This one's worth the flounces.