8 Women (2002) 8 femmes (original title)

Director:

François Ozon

Writers:

François Ozon
Robert Thomas (play)
(more)

Release Date:

20 September 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Comedy | Crime | Mystery

Tagline:

Living in a house full of women can be murder.

Plot:

One murdered man, eight women, each seeming to be more eager than the others to know the truth. Gimme, gimme, gimme some clues to make up my mind. And eventually enter the truth. Oh, thou cruel woman!

Plot Keywords:

Secret | Industrialist | Suspect | Murder | Cook

Awards:

10 wins & 25 nominations

Cast

Danielle Darrieux	...	Mamy
Catherine Deneuve	...	Gaby
Isabelle Huppert	...	Augustine
Emmanuelle Béart	...	Louise
Fanny Ardant	...	Pierrette
Virginie Ledoyen	...	Suzon
Ludivine Sagnier	...	Catherine
Firmine Richard	...	Madame Chanel
Dominique Lamure	...	Marcel, the husband

Directed by
François Ozon

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Marina de Van
François Ozon
Robert Thomas		play

Produced by
Stéphane Célérier	....	associate producer
Olivier Delbosc	....	producer
Marc Missonnier	....	producer

Original Music by
Krishna Levy

Cinematography by
Jeanne Lapoirie

Film Editing by
Laurence Bawedin

Casting by
Antoinette Boulat

Production Design by
Arnaud de Moleron

Set Decoration by
Marie-Claire Quin

Costume Design by
Pascaline Chavanne

Makeup Department
Jean-Charles Bachelier	....	key hair stylist
Fabienne Bressan	....	key hair stylist
Agathe Dupuis	....	key hair stylist
Cédric Gérard	....	key makeup artist
Thi Thanh Tu Nguyen	....	key makeup artist
John Nollet	....	key hair stylist
Gill Robillard	....	key makeup artist
Myriam Roger	....	key hair stylist
Hervé Soulié	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Christine De Jekel	....	production manager
Marie-Eve Graviou-Dural	....	unit manager
Mélanie Karlin	....	post-production supervisor
Gilles Monnier	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hubert Barbin	....	first assistant director
Cyril Duval	....	second assistant director
Guillaume Huin	....	trainee assistant director
Nicolas Ronchi	....	third assistant director

Art Department
François Aïssa	....	carpenter
Céline Barray	....	set dresser
Philippe Boutillier	....	sculptor
Bernard Chenevier	....	carpenter
Henri Demonio	....	carpenter
Christophe Doubliez	....	carpenter
Nicolas Doyon	....	construction coordinator
Pierre Duboisberranger	....	first assistant art director
Jean-Baptiste Gallou	....	head painter
François Hennequin	....	painter
Christophe Hervé	....	painter
Antoine Hoog	....	painter
Emmanuel Jaffre	....	carpenter
Jean-Louis Lalet	....	property master
Mick Lanaro	....	music art director
Loïc Le Moigne	....	painter
Norbert Luchessi	....	head carpenter
Christelle Maisonneuve	....	assistant set decorator
Elodie Martin	....	assistant art director
Franck Miniconi	....	painter
Laurent Moizo	....	painter
Louis Morand	....	carpenter
Bruno Peschard	....	props
Santiago Isidro Pin	....	painter
Marie-Claire Quin	....	set dresser
Serge Royo	....	carpenter
Carole Récamier	....	upholsterer
Marjorie Thomas	....	painter

Sound Department
Charles Autrand	....	assistant sound editor
Christophe Bourreau	....	foley artist
Vincent Breau	....	sound assistant
Frédéric Cattoni	....	stereo sound consultant: DTS
Bernard Chaumeil	....	sound assistant
Samuel Dequidt	....	assistant sound editor
Philippe Dongé	....	sound recordist
Pierre Gamet	....	sound
Benoît Hillebrant	....	sound editor
Jean-Pierre Laforce	....	sound mixer
Lionel Le Bras	....	boom operator
Stéphan Lucas	....	sound recordist
Pedro Marques	....	synchronization sound engineer
Michel Monier	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Julien Perez	....	sound recordist
Pascal Vonhatten	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Christophe Messaoudi	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Nicolas Kermel	....	digital artist
Christopher Grandel	....	trailer digital effects, Howard Anderson Company (uncredited)

Stunts
Pascaline Girardot	....	stunts
Pascal Guégan	....	stunt coordinator
Pascal Guégan	....	stunts
Crystal Samani	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Nicolas Dixmier	....	gaffer
Mickael Georgeault	....	electrician
Alexandre Gotkovski	....	electrician
Yorick Le Saux	....	camera operator
Jean-Claude Moireau	....	still photographer
Carlos Ribeiro	....	grip
Benoît Rizzoti	....	assistant camera
Didier Rollot	....	electrician
Hervé Rousset	....	key grip
Ludovic Simeon	....	second assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Hélène Cassard	....	costumer
Isabelle Guérin	....	costumer
Emma Lebail	....	costumer (as Emma le Bail)
Hélène Robin	....	costumer
Monique Tourret	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Christian Dutac	....	color timer
Delphine Illouz	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Amélie de Chassey	....	music supervisor
Daniel Fauré	....	composer: song "Pour ne pas vivre seul"
Bruno Fontaine	....	musician: piano
Bruno Fontaine	....	orchestrator
Jil	....	composer: song "Papa t'es plus dans l'coup"
Gene Kelly	....	composer: song "Pour ne pas vivre seule"
Didier Lizé	....	score mixer
Delphine Mathieu	....	music supervisor
Edouard Dubois	....	music consultant (uncredited)

Other crew
Thierry Chapat	....	administrator
Sébastien Charles	....	choreographer
Marylène Dastugue	....	production secretary
Marina de Van	....	collaborator
Agathe Grau	....	script supervisor
Amélia Guyader	....	production assistant

Thanks
Dominique Besnehard	....	thanks

Production Companies

• BIM
• Canal+
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC)
• Fidélité Productions
• France 2 Cinéma
• Gimages 5
• Local Films
• Mars Distribution

Distributors

• Celluloid Dreams (2002) (worldwide) (all media) (sales)
• BIM Distribuzione (2002) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Cinemien (2002) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Constantin Film (2002) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Filmcoopi Zürich (2002) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Focus Features (2002) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Mars Distribution (2002) (France) (theatrical)
• Seville Pictures (2002) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (VHS)
• CinemaFilm (Argentina)
• GAGA
• Homescreen (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Homescreen (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Imagem Filmes (Brazil) (DVD)
• Imagem Filmes (Brazil) (VHS)
• Impuls Home Entertainment (2002) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Seville Pictures (200?) (Canada) (DVD)
• Shoval Communications (Israel)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2011) (Argentina) (DVD)
• UGC Films
• USA Films (USA)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2003) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Iris Camera  camera equipment
• Locaflash  lighting equipment
• SIF309 Film & Music Productions  film score recording
• Telegrip  grip equipment

Also Known As:

"8 femmes" - France (original title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexual content

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Malaysia:18PL | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R

Company:

BIM

Trivia:

Virginie Ledoyen played Suzon who was pregnant, actually was pregnant in real life. Danielle Darrieux made a joke about that saying "Actually it was 'neuf femmes' and not huit".

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): On two occasions the ladies refer to the gun as a revolver but it is clearly a semi-automatic pistol.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[in French, using English subtitles]
Suzon:I'm going in, Mom.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Stroll (2003)

Soundtrack:

Papa t'es plus dans le coup

Gosford Parc

How do you update the Agatha Christie-style country-house murder mystery? One approach was seen in the movie 'Gosford Park', which kept the British period setting but added a note of social realism, as well as the talents of just about every leading contemporary British actor. Francois Ozon's 'Eight Women' features a similarly rich cast of French acting talent, updates the setting to the present day, but in contrast to Robert Altman's movie, keeps more of the contrived conventions of the Agatha Christie novel. Specifically, this means a ludicrous plot, characters who act for paper thin (or indiscernible) motivations, an absence of believable dialogue or emotions and a continual round of unprovoked revelations that serve to make everyone a suspect. Ozon doesn't play this dead straight, at times he has fun with the absurdities of the genre, but not really enough fun to make up for the fundamental ridiculousness of the whole construction; and in merging the mystery with another genre, the musical, he creates a more distinctive film although it has to be said that the musical elements never really feel wholly integrated into the rest of the movie. Overall, it's a bit of a waste of the distinguished cast: they all enjoy hamming it up, but frankly, this is not a film where an ability to act is actually that important.