Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud (1995)

When Nelly, a woman being just divorced, meets by chance M. Arnaud, a mature salesman just retired, begins a strange and special relationship between the two personalities.

Director:

Claude Sautet

Writers:

Jacques Fieschi, Claude Sautet,

Stars:

Emmanuelle Béart, Michel Serrault, Jean-Hugues Anglade

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 6 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Emmanuelle Béart	...	Nelly
Michel Serrault	...	M. Pierre Arnaud
Jean-Hugues Anglade	...	Vincent Granec
Claire Nadeau	...	Jacqueline
Françoise Brion	...	Lucie
Michèle Laroque	...	Isabelle
Michael Lonsdale	...	Dolabella
Charles Berling	...	Jerôme
Jean-Pierre Lorit	...	Christophe
Michel Albertini	...	Djamel
Coraly Zahonero	...	Marianne
Graziella Delerm	...	Laurence
Olivier Pajot	...	Jean-Marc
Alexandre Chappuis	...	Luc
Karine Foviau	...	Sandrine

Storyline

When Nelly, a woman being just divorced, meets by chance M. Arnaud, a mature salesman just retired, begins a strange and special relationship between the two personalities.

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Plot Keywords:

friendship | divorce | publishing | writing | character name in title

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France Italy Germany

Language:

French

Release Date:

21 June 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nelly and Mr. Arnaud

Filming Locations:

Chantilly, Oise, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$937,000 (USA) (12 July 1996)

Gross:

$858,345 (USA) (23 August 1996)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica, Les Films Alain Sarde, Prokino Filmproduktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Arnaud: [Speaking of his computer] "I wanted to use it once and erased everything."
Nelly: It's easy. You want to see? It's a typewriter with memory.
Arnaud: That's what's scary. A memory without memories.

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Connections

Featured in Claude Sautet ou La magie invisible (2003)

User Reviews

An adult film in the best sense of the term

I came across this film, purely by chance, when it was shown on terrestrial TV a couple of years ago. It's a beautiful study of a complex relationship between an older man - the urbane, world-weary Monsieur Arnaud (Michel Serrault) - and the beautiful young woman (Emmanuelle Béart) he hires to assist him in the writing of his memoirs. Initially, they are dependent on each other for different reasons - Nelly financially and Arnaud on the direction Nelly brings to his work - but as the film progresses they become more emotionally attached and the implications of this is the film's main theme. The depth of feeling that develops between the two characters comes across very strongly, thanks mainly to the quality of the two lead performances, while the sexual aspect is merely hinted at and is all the more erotic for it. If subtlety and suggestion are what you look for in a film, "Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud" should be high on your list of 'must see' movies.