Love, etc. (1996)

Director:

Marion Vernoux

Writers:

Dodine Herry (adaptation) and
Marion Vernoux (adaptation) ...
(more)

Release Date:

27 November 1996 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

A triangle: love, obsession, and choice. Pierre, a ladies' man who has little cash and no fixed residence...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Personal Ad | Obsession | Painting | Best Friend

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Charlotte Gainsbourg	...	Marie
Yvan Attal	...	Benoît
Charles Berling	...	Pierre
Thibault de Montalembert	...	Bernard
Élodie Navarre	...	Eléonore
Marie Adam	...	La femme de Bernard
Charlotte Maury-Sentier	...	Catherine
Valérie Bonneton	...	Florist
Susan Moncur	...	Susan
Andrée Tainsy	...	Mireille
Dodine Herry	...	Alice (voice)
Dominique Reymond	...	La mère de Marie
Daniel Duval	...	Yvon
Wu Dazhi	...	Travesti chinois
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Aurélie Bonlieu
Eloi Casals
Jimmy Jean-Louis
Ivan Martin
Sylvie Testud

Directed by
Marion Vernoux

Writing credits
Dodine Herry		(adaptation and dialogue) and
Marion Vernoux		(adaptation and dialogue)
Julian Barnes		novel "Talking It Over"

Produced by
Françoise Galfré	....	executive producer: PCC (as françoise galfrè)
Patrick Godeau	....	producer

Original Music by
Alexandre Desplat

Cinematography by
Eric Gautier		(as éric gautier)

Film Editing by
Jennifer Augé

Casting by
Françoise Combadière

Production Design by
François Emmanuelli

Costume Design by
Pierre-Yves Gayraud

Makeup Department
Dominique Galichet	....	makeup artist
Beya Gasmi	....	hair stylist
Karina Gruais	....	makeup artist
Stéphane Malheu	....	key hair stylist
Nathalie Tissier	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Serge Boutleroff	....	production manager
Ivan Desrue	....	unit manager
Eric Grandjean	....	unit manager
Serge Klinger	....	unit manager
Thierry Magniez	....	unit manager
Stéphanie Mary	....	unit manager
Valérie Menguy	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Florence Botel	....	assistant director
Florence Illouz	....	assistant director

Art Department
Philippe Auclaire	....	construction manager
Manuel Mougin	....	property master
Bertrand Seitz	....	assistant set decorator
Philippe Senie	....	set dresser
Christophe Thiollier	....	assistant set decorator

Sound Department
Jocelyne Cartier-Stern	....	post-synchronisation (as Jocelyne Cartier-Sterin)
Philippe Escanecrabe	....	assistant sound mixer
Dominique Gaborieau	....	sound mixer
Vincent Goujon	....	boom operator
Philippe Heissler	....	sound editor
Jean-Louis Lebras	....	post-synchronisation
Jacques Lévy	....	post-synchronisation
Françoise Maulny	....	post-synchronisation (as françoise maulny-levy)
Philippe Penot	....	foley artist
Hubert Persat	....	assistant sound editor
Didier Saïn	....	sound

Special Effects by
Grégoire Delage	....	special effects
Pascal Fauvelle	....	special effects
Pierre Foury	....	special effects
Olivier Zenenski	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
François Berroir	....	gaffer
Jean-Luc Bezeau	....	key grip
Eric Bonnaire	....	grip
Xavier Cholet	....	best boy
Patrick de Ranter	....	Steadicam operator
Stéphane Fontaine	....	assistant camera
Catherine Georges	....	Steadicam operator
Sophie Lemaire	....	second assistant camera
Jean-Marie Leroy	....	still photographer: Sigma
Luc Roux	....	still photographer: Studio Magazine

Casting Department
Geneviève Acien	....	extras casting
Joan de Camaret	....	extras casting
Catherine Deserbais	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Chantal Glasman	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Corinne Lesage	....	assistant editor
Morganne Spacagna	....	assistant editor
Cyrille Zoukhotine	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Alexandre Desplat	....	conductor
Alexandre Desplat	....	orchestrator
Eugenio Fernandi	....	musician
Valérie Lindon	....	music supervisor
John Timperley	....	music recordist

Other crew
Olivier Coutard	....	assistant to director
Nora Salhi	....	administrator
Aruna Villiers	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Alicéléo
• France 3 Cinéma
• Studio Canal (as le studio canal +)
• Cofimage 7 (in association with)
• Studio Images 3 (in association with)
• Canal+ (participation)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) (support)
• Procirep (support)
• European Script Fund (support)
• Programme MEDIA de la Communauté Européenne (as programme media de l'union européenne)

Distributors

• UGC International (1996) (worldwide) (all media) (rights) (as UGC D.A. International)
• AFMD (1996) (France) (theatrical)
• Studio Canal (2005) (France) (DVD)
• Filmcooperative (1996) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Films de l'Elysée, Les (1996) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Istituto Luce (1997) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Les Films Séville (1997) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Pathé! (1998) (UK) (theatrical)
• Phaedra Cinema (1999) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Prokino Filmverleih (1997) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Vértigo Films (1998) (Spain) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Cerruti 1881  costumes: for Yvan Attal
• Cinefood  catering (as Cinéfood)
• Studio Davout  music recording studio
• Virgin France  soundtrack (as Virgin)

Also Known As:

"Love, etc..." - USA (alternative title)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Germany:12 | UK:15

Company:

Alicéléo

Soundtrack:

c'est la fille

Tedium, etc.

A French adaptation of a Julian Barnes novel, this is a pretty basic and very tedious romantic triangle: when shy loser Yvan Attal hooks up with Charlotte Gainsbourg, his luck changes while his best friend Charles Berling's fortunes suffer reverses as he falls for her and bores passing strangers by telling them his hopes of how to win her. Unfortunately this seems to be by going for the Anakin Skywalker route of whining her into submission, as his tiresome self-pity gradually and inexplicably wins her over.

There are a few nice moments: a wedding photo in which all three reveal their innermost thoughts, one of Berling's captive confessors asking him "Don't you ever get tired of your bulls**t?" and Berling following his comparison of an affair being as unsatisfactory as a holiday in Marbella by his nervous rambling that "Actually, Marbella can be nice at this time of year. I went there once. It's best to go off season." Similarly, his dismissal of Leonard Cohen's genius by admitting he finds a lack of imagination in rhyming 'ay' with 'ay ay ay' neatly punctures Attal's tendency to play Cohen's waltz at every opportunity. Unfortunately they are few and far between, and Berling is astonishingly annoying here. You keep on waiting for someone to hit him, repeatedly (now there's an idea for a movie!), but it never happens. There is one great final confrontation when Attal confronts the two: his performance has real power here and the writing mirrors the ebb and flow and awkwardness of such moments. But it's not enough.