Alice et Martin (1998)

Director:

André Téchiné

Writers:

Olivier Assayas (writer)
Gilles Taurand (writer)

Release Date:

4 November 1998 (Belgium)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

If life is a trap, love is the escape.

Plot:

At the age of 20, Martin leaves his home town and comes to Paris, where he fortunately becomes a model by chance...

Plot Keywords:

Adopted Son | Nervous Breakdown | Male Model | Gay Character | Father Son Relationship

Cast

Juliette Binoche	...	Alice
Alexis Loret	...	Martin Sauvagnac
Mathieu Amalric	...	Benjamin Sauvagnac
Carmen Maura	...	Jeanine Sauvagnac
Jean-Pierre Lorit	...	Frederic Sauvagnac
Marthe Villalonga	...	Lucie
Roschdy Zem	...	Saïd
Pierre Maguelon	...	Victor Sauvagnac
Eric Kreikenmayer	...	Francois Sauvagnac
Jeremy Kreikenmayer	...	Martin - Child
Kevin Goffette	...	Christophe
Christiane Ludot	...	Laurence
Véronique Rioux	...	Musician 1
Corinne Hache	...	Musician 2
Mauricio Angarita	...	Musician 3

Also Known As:

Alice and Martin (USA) (literal English title)
Alice y Martin (Spain)

MPAA:

Rated R for a scene of sexuality and language.

Runtime:

France:120 min | Japan:124 min | Spain:127 min | UK:124 min

Country:

France | Spain

Language:

French | Spanish | German | English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Singapore:M18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Grenada

Company:

Les Films Alain Sarde

Quotes:

Alice: Absence is the best way to distinguish real love from a flash in a pan.
Martin Sauvagnac: But I still prefer presence.

Soundtrack:

Enti rahti

The sum of all the parts do not add up to an especially good picture

This was a very frustrating picture to watch--partially because it seemed as if those who created it didn't consider how difficult it would be for the audience to follow the strange non-linear plot and partially because the characters are so poorly developed. Instead of the normal style of film making, ALICE ET MARTIN is told in a way that hops about from the past to the present again and again and sometimes with no apparent transition. While changing this perspective might have worked, the choppiness in connecting these segments was frustrating and at first I thought the reels had been mixed up in the wrong order! Also, many of the characters seem as if important parts of their development had been unfortunately omitted. For example, Julia Ormond ('Alice') initially dislikes Martin. Then, when they start to have a torrid affair, it almost seemed to come from no where. Then, only a short time later in the film, Martin is falling apart emotionally and treats Alice rather coldly and cruelly. You'd expect a normal person to leave, but then Alice invests her entire being in unfolding the mystery of Martin's life--at great trouble and expense to herself! Plus, how did she get from living in Spain with Martin with not even a Euro in the bank and then a scene later she's in France and no mention is made of how she got there or how much time had elapsed? Often, by the way, scenes jumped as much as a year but it was hard to know this was happening.

This choppiness is a real shame, because if the film had been well edited, the characters more fully defined and the story told in a more comprehensible fashion, then it would have been a wonderful film. The basic plot involving the cold father and Martin was brilliant but got lost in the mess that was the film. The bottom line is that all the parts of the film never really worked together and the film should have been significantly better. I would love a remake--one that explores the relationship between the father and son as well as how the rest of the family is really part of the problem because they live in denial about the father--he was an evil and overbearing ogre, not the "great man" they claim he was.