Smoking/No Smoking (1993)

Director:

Alain Resnais

Writers:

Alan Ayckbourn (play)
Jean-Pierre Bacri (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

15 December 1993 (France)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Actress Playing Multiple Roles | Garden | Alternative Reality | Cult Director | Crisis Of Conscience

Awards:

11 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Sabine Azéma	...	Celia Teasdale / Sylvie Bell / Irene Pridworthy / Rowena Coombes / Josephine Hamilton
Pierre Arditi	...	Toby Teasdale / Miles Coombes / Lionel Hepplewick / Joe Hepplewick
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peter Hudson	...	Narrator

Directed by
Alain Resnais

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Alan Ayckbourn		play "Intimate Exchanges"
Jean-Pierre Bacri		writer
Anne Dutter		translation
Georges Dutter		translation
Agnès Jaoui		writer

Produced by
Bruno Pésery	....	executive producer
Michel Seydoux	....	associate producer

Original Music by
John Pattison

Cinematography by
Renato Berta

Film Editing by
Albert Jurgenson

Production Design by
Jacques Saulnier

Costume Design by
Jackie Budin

Makeup Department
Jacky Reynal	....	hair stylist (as Jackie Reynal)
Jacky Reynal	....	makeup artist (as Jackie Reynal)
Patrick Villain	....	hair stylist
Patrick Villain	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Pascal Ralite	....	unit manager
Dominique Toussaint	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Daniel Deleforges	....	assistant director
Bruno Resnais	....	second assistant director
Olivier Trémolet	....	assistant director

Art Department
Roger Conil	....	chief set construction
Marc Pinquier	....	prop man

Sound Department
Bernard Bats	....	sound
Pierre-Yves Bruneel	....	sound assistant
Gérard Lamps	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Philippe Hubin	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Frederic Moreau	....	optical effects supervisor

Camera and Electrical Department
André Bouladoux	....	key grip
Jeanne Delaporte	....	still photographer
Eric Finoelst	....	electrician
Franck Fiquet	....	electrician
Eric Gies	....	electrician
Jean-Pierre Lacroix	....	gaffer
Alexandre Monnier	....	second assistant camera
Jean-Paul Toraille	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marie-Christine Budelberger	....	seamstress
Ann Dunsford	....	wardrobe mistress (as Anne Varenne)

Editorial Department
Jean-Pierre Bernard	....	associate editor
Hélène Sicard	....	associate editor

Music Department
Paul Baleman	....	musical director
Paul Baleman	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Sylvette Baudrot	....	script supervisor
Marine Delattre	....	production assistant
Floc'h	....	drawing
Christophe Lebreton	....	production administrator
Françoise Marion	....	production secretary
Béatrice Mauduit	....	production assistant
Jacques Quinternet	....	location unit manager
Anne Serrié	....	production administrator

Thanks
Laurence Picollec	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Arena Films
• Caméra One
• France 2 Cinéma
• Alia Film (co-production)
• Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica (co-production)
• Vega Film (associate production)
• Canal+ (participation)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) (support)
• Procirep (support)
• Eurimages (support) (as Fond Eurimages du Conseil d'Europe)

Distributors

• Pyramide Distribution (1993) (France) (theatrical)
• Fox Pathé Europa (2004) (France) (DVD)
• Equinoxe Films (1994) (Canada) (theatrical) (Québec)
• Filmcooperative (1994) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Films de l'Elysée, Les (1994) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Mainline Pictures (1994) (UK) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Cinésyl  grip and lighting equipment
• Microfilms  titles and opticals
• Studio Copra  sound re-recording (as Copra)
• Studio Guillaume Tell  music recording
• Studios de Billancourt  auditorium

Also Known As:

Runtime:

298 min (2 parts)

Country:

France | Italy | Switzerland

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | Dolby SR

Certification:

UK:PG | France:U | Hong Kong:I | Iceland:L | Italy:T | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade)

Filming Locations:

Studios 91 Arpajon, Saint-Germain-les-Arpajon, Essonne, France

Company:

Arena Films

Trivia:

There are actually 8 versions of the play "Intimate Exchanges", but the director cut two of the possible outcomes in order to streamline the process. Also, the material in them was thought to be 'too British' for easy translation.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Empreintes: Pierre Arditi, un acteur au présent (#6.1)" (2012)

French film, English style

Though I don't like Alain Resnais' films (boooooring!), this(these) one(s) is(are) quite (an) exception(s)...The reasons are: the ever witty actors (Popular Sabine Azema and Pierre Arditi), the talented writers (Jean-Pierre Bacri and wife Agnes Jaoui)-very good actors too in other films-, the realistic sets (all shot in studio but with done-on-purpose "studio-like", strange and beautiful), the atmosphere and dialogs (sooo British and likable to my opinion). Though the plot is not that much important (stories and destinies of different characters in a small English village), the interesting points are: 2 separate movies with the same beginning until Sabine Azema (Mrs Tinsdale)decides to smoke a cig' (1st movie) or not (2nd movie), actually just a bait that will change the destinies of the characters though. In both movies you have a wonderful tour de force from start to end, as the 2 actors (only 2 all the time!) play ALL the characters in different disguises (more than 10)going in and out of the screen alternatively without any flaw. I never got bored, the acting is always good and keeping.

I wonder how English-speaking audiences appreciated this unusual French actor's challenge "a la britannic" (hope the 2 movies were just subtitled and not dubbed or you miss everything) and am curious to read further comments from them here in the future.