La fleur du mal (2003)

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Claude Chabrol (writer)
Caroline Eliacheff (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

14 February 2003 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Three generations of a wealthy Bordeaux family are caught in the crossfire when Anne decides to run for mayor, thanks to a political pamphlet that revives an old murder scandal.

Plot Keywords:

Election | Mayor | Nazi Collaborator | Female To Male Footsie Playing | Oyster

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Benoît Magimel	...	François Vasseur
Nathalie Baye	...	Anne Charpin-Vasseur
Mélanie Doutey	...	Michèle Charpin-Vasseur
Suzanne Flon	...	Aunt Line
Bernard Le Coq	...	Gérard Vasseur
Thomas Chabrol	...	Matthieu Lartigue
Henri Attal	...	Fanny's Father-in-law
Kevin Ahyi	...	First Kid
Jérôme Bertin	...	Volunteer
Françoise Bertin	...	Thérèse
Caroline Baehr	...	Fanny
Didier Bénureau	...	Brissot
Yvon Crenn	...	Yves Pouët
Jean-Marc Druet	...	Lab Assistant
Michel Herbault	...	Mayor
Edmond Kastelnik	...	First Election Official
Marius de Laage	...	Second Kid
Isabelle Mamère	...	Journalist
Juliette Meyniac	...	Hélène
François Maistre	...	Jules
Jean-Pierre Marin	...	Second Election Official
Michèle Dascain	...	Marthe
Dominique Pivain	...	Dominique
Léa Pellepaut	...	Drugstore Saleswoman
Valérie Rojan	...	Gérard's Secretary
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nicolas Girard Deltruc	...	Laboratory Assistant
Yves Pignot

Directed by
Claude Chabrol

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Claude Chabrol		writer
Caroline Eliacheff		writer
Louise L. Lambrichs		writer

Produced by
Yvon Crenn	....	executive producer
Marin Karmitz	....	producer

Original Music by
Matthieu Chabrol

Cinematography by
Eduardo Serra		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Monique Fardoulis

Production Design by
Françoise Benoît-Fresco

Set Decoration by
Fabien Belinguier
Michel Mourgues
Catherine Pierrat

Costume Design by
Sandrine Bernard
Mic Cheminal

Makeup Department
Françoise Andrejka	....	key makeup artist
Jean-Charles Bachelier	....	key hair stylist
Valérie Cancalon	....	makeup artist
Franck Mendoche	....	hair stylist

Production Management
David Crenn	....	unit manager
Nicolas Girard Deltruc	....	assistant production manager
Patrice Lhuillier	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dominique Frizat	....	second assistant director
Cécile Maistre	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Pierre Coudeneau	....	construction manager
Pierrot Galliard	....	property master
Julien Grisot	....	props
Thierry Lautout	....	tapestry
Clémentine Léger	....	painter
Catherine Pierrat	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Denis Carquin	....	sound assistant
Stéphane De Rocquigny	....	assistant sound mixer
Michel Filippi	....	adr supervisor
Thierry Lebon	....	sound
Lionel Le Bras	....	boom operator
Pierre Lenoir	....	sound
André Naudin	....	foley artist
Julien Naudin	....	foley artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Claude Atanassian	....	gaffer
Jean Atanassian	....	electrician
Michel Atanassian	....	electrician
Florent Bazin	....	first assistant camera
Eric Bonnaire	....	grip (as Erik Bonnaire)
Mathieu Caudroy	....	Steadicam operator
Jean-Marie Delorme	....	assistant camera
Claire Duguet	....	camera trainee
Muriel Mayret	....	second assistant camera (as Muriel Mairet)
Jérémie Nassif	....	still photographer
Dominique Robert	....	key grip
Michel Thiriet	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Laurence Glentzin	....	costumer
Sandrine Kerner	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Patrick Delamotte	....	color timer
Pauline Flamand	....	trainee assistant editor
Stanislas Moreau	....	assistant editor
Olivier Rossignol	....	assistant editor
Patrick Thauvin	....	negative cutter

Other crew
Marie-Odile Arnoux	....	production secretary
Aurore Chabrol	....	script supervisor
Monica Donati	....	press attache
Nicolas Girard Deltruc	....	production assistant
Joseph Lasserre	....	group man
Gisèle Vuillaume	....	production administrator

Production Companies

• Canal+
• Conseil Régional d'Aquitaine
• France 3 Cinéma
• MK2 Productions
• Procirep

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Monopole-Pathé (2003) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (200?) (Netherlands) (video)
• Alfa Films (Argentina)
• Concorde Filmverleih (Germany)
• MK2 Diffusion (France)
• Mikado
• Palm Pictures (USA) (subtitled)

Other Companies

• CICAR  grip equipment
• Copra Films  sound equipment
• Eclair  film lab
• Les Audis de Boulogne  sound studio
• Panavision Alga  camera equipment
• TEST  titles and opticals

Also Known As:

The Flower of Evil (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for brief language.

Runtime:

104 min | Canada:101 min (DVD)

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:PG | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | France:U | Germany:12 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R

Company:

Canal+

Quotes:

Gérard Vasseur: Why should they go to Pyla?
Anne Charpin-Vasseur: We can't talk about it all night! They took her car. Can you drop me off tomorrow?
Gérard Vasseur: At what time?
Anne Charpin-Vasseur: Before ten, if possible.
Gérard Vasseur: [Referring to Matthieu] Can't your "guardian angel" do it?
Anne Charpin-Vasseur: He's kind, but he's not my driver, after all.
Gérard Vasseur: No, he's not. I am!
Anne Charpin-Vasseur: [Smiling coyly] You're my husband.

Movie Connections:

References Casablanca (1942)

Not a bad movie, not a good movie

I saw "La fleur du mal" at the San Sebastian Film Festival last september. Certainly, this last Chabrol film isn't a great movie, though it's not an awful movie either. One has the feeling while watching it (and after having it watched)that it is all filmed with too much distance, too cold, no emotions whatsoever. Chabrol's study of a french, provincial, upper-bourgeousie family, that is rotten to its roots (they are all a bunch of hypocrites), lacks of passion, interest (you have seen this story many times on film) and, in my opinion, of humor and sarcasm. But I insist, its not a terrible movie(with ticket prices so high nowadays, at least here in spain, sometimes you just have to get mad while watching some movies lately); its just too long, too conventional and too plain.