Le divorce (2003)

Director:

James Ivory

Writers (WGA):

Diane Johnson (novel)
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

29 August 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Comedy

Tagline:

Everything sounds sexier in French.

Plot:

French vs. American social customs and behaviors are observed in a story about an American visiting her Frenchman-wed sister in Paris. |

Plot Keywords:

American | French | Painting | Puppy | Murder

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Kate Hudson	...	Isabel Walker
Jean-Marie Lhomme	...	Immigration Officer
Naomi Watts	...	Roxeanne de Persand
Esmée Buchet-Deàk	...	Gennie de Persand
Jean-Jacques Pivert	...	Talkative Shopkeeper
Melvil Poupaud	...	Charles-Henri de Persand
Catherine Samie	...	Madame Florian
Samuel Labarthe	...	Antoine de Persand
Leslie Caron	...	Suzanne de Persand
Thierry Lhermitte	...	Edgar Cosset
Nathalie Richard	...	Charlotte de Persand
Samuel Gruen	...	de Persand Child
Peter Wyckoff	...	de Persand Child
Sandrel Lonnoy	...	Maid
Glenn Close	...	Olivia Pace
Marianne Borgo	...	Ballet Mistress
Sam Waterston	...	Chester Walker
Stockard Channing	...	Margeeve Walker
Thomas Lennon	...	Roger Walker
Romain Duris	...	Yves
Elie Axas	...	Television Interviewer
Humbert Balsan	...	Maitre Doisneau
Bebe Neuwirth	...	Julia Manchevering
Arnaud Borrel	...	Photographer
Jean-Marc Barr	...	Maitre Bertram
Rona Hartner	...	Magda Tellman
Matthew Modine	...	Tellman
Sébastien Pascaud	...	Television Talking Head
Gérard Couchet	...	Television Talking Head
Micky Sébastian	...	Television Moderator
Hélène Surgère	...	Lingerie Saleswoman
Fannie Brett	...	Lingerie Saleswoman (as Fanny Brett)
Marie-Louise Sellman	...	Bookstore Fan
Joseph Chanet	...	Bookstore Fan
Cherif Ezzeldin	...	Bookstore Fan
Kiran Stordalen	...	Bookstore Fan
Françoise Brion	...	Bookstore Owner
Philip Tabor	...	Bouncer
Alan Ewing	...	Singer
Daniel Mesguich	...	Louvre Expert
Pierre Aussedat	...	Appraiser
Anne Canovas	...	Appraiser
Emilie Bavart	...	Children's Shop Assistant
Marc Tissot	...	Medic
Christian Erickson	...	Museum Curator
Judith Burnett	...	Museum Curator
David Applefield	...	Museum Curator
Matthew Gonder	...	Museum Curator
Stephen Fry	...	Piers Janely
Marie-Christine Adam	...	Amélie Cosset
Joaquina Belaunde	...	Chanel Assistant
Jeanne Antebi	...	Action Alert Helper
Claire Rochelle	...	Action Alert Helper
Dominique Pivain	...	Action Alert Helper
Valérie Lang	...	Policewoman
Pierre-Olivier Brändli	...	Young Policeman
Christophe Vienne	...	Eiffel Tower Security
Emmanuel Broche	...	Eiffel Tower Security
Graziella Delerm	...	Eiffel Tower Security
Keiko Yoshiyama	...	Japanese Tour Guide
Jean-Pierre Bouvier	...	Police Inspector
Georges Delettrez	...	Auctioneer
Frédérick Chanoit	...	Drouot Expert
Jean-Pierre Raymond	...	Salesroom 'Crieur'
Nelson	...	Mathieu
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Floriane Murphy Borel	...	de Persand Child
André Crudo	...	Man at Fund-Raising Party (uncredited)
Hissa de Urkiola	...	The Model (uncredited)
Sandrine Degraef	...	(uncredited)
Victor Loukianenko	...	Himself / Lui-même (uncredited)
Eric Moreau	...	Man in Eiffel Tower (uncredited)
Laurent Schwaar	...	Doctor (uncredited)

Directed by
James Ivory

Writing credits (WGA)
Diane Johnson		(novel)
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala		(screenplay) &
James Ivory		(screenplay)

Produced by
Rahila Bootwala	....	line producer
Paul Bradley	....	co-producer
Ted Field	....	executive producer
Richard Hawley	....	co-producer
Erica Huggins	....	executive producer
Scott Kroopf	....	executive producer
Ismail Merchant	....	producer
Michael Schiffer	....	producer

Original Music by
Richard Robbins

Cinematography by
Pierre Lhomme

Film Editing by
John David Allen

Casting by
Annette Trumel

Production Design by
Frédéric Bénard

Set Decoration by
Sabine Delouvrier

Costume Design by
Carol Ramsey

Makeup Department
Maya Benamer	....	makeup artist
Anne Bourdiol	....	key makeup artist
Martial Corneville	....	hairdresser: Glenn Close
Jean-Max Guérin	....	key hair stylist
Didier Lavergne	....	key makeup artist
Kay Philips	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Stéphanie Delbos	....	assistant unit manager
Cyril Pavaux	....	assistant production manager
Pierre Proner	....	post-production supervisor: New York

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ali Cherkaoui	....	first assistant director: retakes
Emilie Cherpitel	....	second assistant director
George Every	....	first assistant director
Eliot Mathews	....	third assistant director
Moritz von Blücher	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Philippe Boucherot	....	assistant art director
Marie-Pierre Bourboulon	....	assistant set dresser
Thomas Broyon	....	swing gang
Antonio Nogueira	....	set dresser
Roland Toupet	....	set decorator trainee

Sound Department
Nicolas Becker	....	foley artist
Katia Boutin	....	sound editor
Jérôme Chenevoy	....	sound
Rémy Crouzet	....	assistant sound
Nicolas d'Halluin	....	sound recordist
Michel Filippi	....	adr editor
Alain Féat	....	dialogue editor
Alek Goosse	....	sound re-recording mixer
Nina Hartstone	....	adr editor
Robert Hein	....	adr editor (as Bob Hein)
Dean Humphreys	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ludovic Hénault	....	sound
Nikolas Javelle	....	adr editor
Jean-Luc Laborde	....	boom operator
Chris Navarro	....	adr recordist
Leslie Shatz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Eric Thompson	....	adr mixer
Jean-Alexandre Villemer	....	sound recordist
John Soukup	....	sound transfer (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Luc Augereau	....	visual effects producer
Kevin Berger	....	digital compositor
Laurent Borenstein	....	digital artist: Mikros Image team
David François	....	digital compositor
Gilles Gaillard	....	digital grading
Mathilde Germi	....	visual effects coordinator
Benoit Holl	....	animator
Sergeï Lourié	....	digital compositor
Nicolas Rey	....	digital effects supervisor
Agnès Sébenne	....	visual effects supervisor
François Vagnon	....	visual effects supervisor

Camera and Electrical Department
Stéphane Afchain	....	additional best boy grip
Néwine Behi	....	assistant camera
Arnaud Borrel	....	still photographer
André Bouladoux	....	key grip
Emmanuel de Fleury	....	second assistant camera
Jean-Claude Le Bras	....	gaffer
Jean-Philippe Marier	....	grip
Vincent Muller	....	first assistant camera
Stéphane Paillard	....	camera operator
Benoît Pain	....	camera loader
Yves Vandermeeren	....	camera operator
Paco Wiser	....	camera operator: second unit
Hugues Espinasse	....	focus puller (uncredited)

Casting Department
Michelle Figlarz	....	extras casting (as Michelle Guetta)
Muriel Habert	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marisa Aboitiz	....	costume supervisor
Catharine Fletcher Incaprera	....	costumer: Kate Hudson
Annie Périer	....	associate costume designer

Editorial Department
Giles Gardner	....	first assistant editor
Hosh Kane	....	post-production coordinator (as Hosh Ibrahim)
Emilie Monod	....	assistant editor
Stéphanie Pedelacq	....	assistant editor
Gerard Savary	....	color grader
Ben Spencer	....	post-production coordinator
Mike Stanwick	....	color timer
Frederique Veillard	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Geoff Alexander	....	orchestrator (as Geoffrey Alexander)
David Bahanovich	....	conductor: Charpentier
Harry Rabinowitz	....	conductor

Other crew
Alberto Abraham Amar	....	organization: exteriors
Emilie Barbault	....	assistant script supervisor
Sarah Barbault	....	assistant: Kate Hudson/Glenn Close
Tanya Blumstein	....	dialect coach
Françoise Bouillon-Pommerolle	....	chief accountant
Andrea F. Cannistraci	....	legal services
Nadine Chaussonnière	....	location manager
Melissa Chung	....	production coordinator
Alison S. Cohen	....	production counsel
Gail de Courcy-Ireland	....	dialect coach: Thierry Lhermitte
Sophie Denize	....	production coordinator
Jacqueline Gamard	....	script supervisor
Bruno Ghariani	....	location manager
Nayeem Hafizka	....	electronic press kit
Guillaume Jamet	....	product placement
Sunil Kirparam	....	accountant: UK
Andrew Litvack	....	english subtitler: English
Basile Maffone	....	in/out technician
Abel Monem	....	production controller
Christine Musset	....	stand-in: Naomi Watts and Kate Hudson
Ayca Sadikoglu	....	office production assistant
Albert Setton	....	financial advisor
Louis-Charles Sirjacq	....	writer: French dialogue
Chris Terrio	....	electronic press kit (as Christopher Terrio)
Kirsty Whalley	....	engineer
Kai Wong	....	assistant: New York
Steven W. Carbajal	....	office production assistant: New York (uncredited)
William Rabbe	....	office production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Merchant Ivory Productions
• Radar Pictures

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (worldwide)
• Fox Searchlight Pictures (2003) (USA) (theatrical)
• UGC-Fox Distribution (UFD) (2003) (France) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Italia (2003) (Italy) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Netherlands (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (Japan) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox de Argentina (2003) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Fox-Warner (2003) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Gemini Film (2003) (Russia) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• FS Film Oy (2004) (Finland) (DVD) (VHS)
• Gativideo (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2004) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (2007) (Finland) (TV)

Special Effects

• L'Etude et la Supervision des Trucages (L'E.S.T.) (visual effects)
• Mikros Image (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Cinésyl  grip and lighting equipment
• DCA Audiovisual  sound transfers
• Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein  legal services
• Film Finances  completion guarantor
• Goldcrest Post Production New York  on-line editing
• Hermès  thanks: for Kelly Bag (as Hermès)
• Menstreet Service  production services
• Phoenix Studios  music recorded and mixed at
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services
• Transpalux  grip and lighting equipment

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements and sexual content

Runtime:

USA:117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 (bw) | Mexico:B | Netherlands:MG6 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 | Iceland:LH | Malaysia:(Banned) | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Café de Flore - 172 boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris 6, Paris, France

Company:

Merchant Ivory Productions

Trivia:

The film was originally set to star Winona Ryder and Natalie Portman, but both had to bow out before filming began.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Isabel and Roxy are walking towards the la Flore to meet Roxy's husband, Isabel's scarf is hanging from her pocket. When they walk into la Flore she is wearing it around her neck.

Quotes:

Olivia Pace:Today, they are victms, tomorrow, who knows? Because the world is ruled by hawks and arms dealers and minority phobias.

Movie Connections:

Features "The Simpsons" (1989)

Soundtrack:

Money Makes the World Go Round

Better than the general opinion allows

I keep trying to figure out why this movie is rated so low. I thought it was very good, and that was before I started reading the book -- well more than halfway through, I think it's a faithful adaptation that delivers the storyline and the theme of the novel very well. I tend now to read the novel a movie is based on after I've seen the film, since my experience has taught me that doing the reverse always leads to disappointment in the movie. This was not an error with this title. I think all the casting, all the acting, and especially the direction, were well done.

It seems to me that somehow viewers were expecting too much from the movie. My philosophy is that expectations are arranged disappointments, and I try not to expect anything going in. I do admit that I had some doubts when it seemed that Merchant-Ivory were doing what looked like a light comedy, but there is much more to the book and film than that, first of all, and secondly, why should accomplished filmmakers not move around the genres? Look at Kubrick and The Archers, just to name two, who did so and did it successfully. I wonder how many people went in expecting "Howards End" and thus were disappointed, not in the film but by their own expectations. It's not fair to the filmmakers. Expecting "Le Divorce" to be on par with "Howards End" was like expecting "Howards End" to have the same effect as "Shakespeare Wallah" -- two completely different experiences. It's entirely possible, in fact, that Merchant-Ivory might not have done as good a job on "Le Divorce" had they not made "Howards End" first. It's a matter of process. My point being, that each film must be judged on its own merits.

I've read a couple of comments and message board posts that complain about how the movie makes French people look -- arrogant, garrulous, etc. I think that's overstating a generalization. The movie makes THESE PARTICULAR French people look arrogant and garrulous, because they are -- and devious and self-centered and boorish. But to leap to the conclusion that the movie is making a statement about all French people is patently ridiculous. "The views expressed by the characters in this movie are entirely their own".

On the other hand, one has to remember that Diane Johnson, who wrote the book and a number of books about the culture since, spends half her time in France. She does't take her subjects lightly; she's an intelligent, thoughtful, and though-provoking writer, and I would urge the people who find the movie too subjective to go to its source and read the book. They will find that the book is written from the point of view of one person, and is about the relations between two families -- not two complete cultures. Just because people say something about a culture does't make it true. Perception itself is subjective. In the book (I can't recall if this occurs in the film, I'll have to see it again) Uncle Edgar, perhaps the most sensible character, himself speaks those words that send a shiver of annoyance up my spine: "You Americans. You think..." As if we all think the same thing (and we all know THAT isn't true!). It shows that subjectivity is a common human trait, that we look at the world with our own particular set of blinders, filter our thought through our cultural stance, although I think that perhaps French thought is more synthesized and common than American thought which is, by nature of the population, more diverse.

In the end I think that the book and the film are VERY objective, and let us look at our own judgmental selves and see how the judgmental and subjective nature of our thought and attitude can be damaging and inhibiting. I think that's the theme, and it comes across very well.