Bitter Moon (1992)

British couple Fiona and Nigel Dobson are sailing to Istanbul en route to India. They encounter a beautiful French woman, and that night Nigel meets her while dancing alone in the ship's ... See full summary »

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Gérard Brach (screenplay), John Brownjohn (screenplay),

Stars:

Peter Coyote, Emmanuelle Seigner, Hugh Grant

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Coyote	...	Oscar
Emmanuelle Seigner	...	Mimi
Hugh Grant	...	Nigel
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Fiona
Victor Banerjee	...	Mr. Singh
Sophie Patel	...	Amrita Singh
Patrick Albenque	...	Steward
Smilja Mihailovitch	...	Bridge Player
Leo Eckmann	...	Bridge Player
Luca Vellani	...	Dado
Richard Dieux	...	Partygoer
Danny Wuyts	...	Bandleader (as Danny Garcy)
Daniel Dhubert	...	Bus Inspector
Nathalie Galán	...	Girl in Boutique (as Nathalie Galan)
Eric Gonzales	...	Cook

Storyline

British couple Fiona and Nigel Dobson are sailing to Istanbul en route to India. They encounter a beautiful French woman, and that night Nigel meets her while dancing alone in the ship's bar. Later he meets her crippled American husband Oscar, who tells him their story. While living in Paris for several years trying to be a writer, he becomes obsessed with a woman he met by chance on a bus. He tracks her down and they start a steamy love affair. Soon Oscar finds himself enslaved body and soul by her love, and continues to tell Nigel the details of this relationship in various stages over a number of visits to Oscar's cabin.

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Plot Keywords:

abuse | wheelchair | love | accident | sex | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for the strong depiction of a perverse sexual relationship

Details

Country:

France UK USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

11 March 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bitter måne

Filming Locations:

Paris Studios Cinéma, Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$1,862,805 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, Columbia Pictures Corporation, Les Films Alain Sarde

Technical Specs

Runtime:

139 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie is based upon Pascal Bruckner's 1981 novel "Lune de fiel" - a pun on "Lune de miel", the French word for "honeymoon". "Lune de fiel" literally means "poison moon".

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Goofs

In the scene when Mimi cuts her hair for the first time and bakes a Turkey for Oscar, he is wearing the same turtle necked blue sweater that was ripped off with a razor blade during a previous sex game.

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Quotes

Oscar: Nothing ever surpass the rapture of that first awakening. I might have been Adam with the taste of apple fresh in my mouth. I was looking at all the beauty in the world embodied in a single female form and I knew, with sudden blinding certainty, this was IT!

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Connections

References Andy Warhol's Dracula (1974)

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Soundtracks

"Faith"
Written by George Michael
Performed by George Michael
Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment (France) S.A. /Epic

User Reviews

Compelling, delightful film!

This film is utterly compelling - it will have you glued to the screen. It's about 2 hours and 15 minutes long, yet it never loses its grip. Although there are a few "funny" moments, you can never be sure whether they were intentional or not. The pacing is slow but wonderfully methodical. But what really makes this picture delightful is the level of the acting of the male stars. While the female leads are a bit stiff (the film's major flaw), the cynical Coyote and, especially, the charmingly shy Grant (his performance here is underrated) provide two different ways for the viewer to enter the story and their interplay is offbeat and endlessly entertaining. This is methodical, first-rate filmmaking by Polanski.