Les eaux dormantes (1992)

Director:

Jacques Tréfouel

Writers:

Pierre Boileau, Yves Ellena,

Stars:

Philippe Caroit, Ludmila Mikaël, Danièle Delorme

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Philippe Caroit	...	Denis de Lespinière
Ludmila Mikaël	...	Eva
Danièle Delorme	...	Mme de Lespinière
Michel Galabru	...	Fouchard
Marie Adam	...	Claire
Tsilla Chelton	...	La tante
Jacques Perrin	...	Daviot
Daniel Gélin	...	Le docteur Nedelec
Cécile Ricard	...	Eugénie
Espérance Pham Thai Lan	...	La fiancée asiatique / La prostituée
Maryline Even	...	La femme de ménage
Xavier Maly	...	François
Jean-Luc Billon	...	Le père
Bernard Chanteux	...	Le préposé de la morgue
José Richaud	...	Le chauffeur de l'autocar

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

saint nazaire | family relationships | naoned | prostitute | nantes brittany | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

France Portugal

Language:

French

Release Date:

18 November 1992 (France)

Also Known As:

Sleeping Waters

Company Credits

Production Co:

Animatógrafo, Canal+, Chevereau

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

User Reviews

The decline of a fabulous team.

Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac have been the best writers France had to offer as a contribution to the "suspense " genre.Without them,no HItchcock's "Vertigo' ,no Clouzot's "diabolique".

"Les eaux dormantes " finds the team back in familiar territory:a mysterious disappearance,the father's hero:whodunit?The mother,who did not love him anymore?The auntie,jealous of her sister?The retarded sister who seems to love her brother in a very particular way?The devoted domestic Galabru?This mysterious brunette who seems to be a long lost hero's lover?

This does not make a great movie for all that.During the second third of the story,we lose sight of the essential,with uninteresting developments (the Asian prostitute,Jacques Perrin and Daniel Gelin's characters).When finally,the director gets back to basics,we do not really care about the hero's family problems.Trying to get his spectator back,he intertwines present and black and white (and fragmented à la "hiroshima mon amour") shots from the past.But it's too little too late.

"Les eaux dormantes",on the paper ,although it's far from the two works mentioned above,was a relatively absorbing book.A faceless director and the fact that this kind of suspense is now over the hill led to public and critical indifference.