Après Vous (2003) Après vous... (original title)

Director:

Pierre Salvadori

Writers:

Danièle Dubroux (idea)
Benoît Graffin (scenario)
(more)

Release Date:

17 December 2003 (Belgium)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

A very tasty comedy with a little French twist.

Plot:

Antoine (Auteuil) saves Louis (Garcia) from hanging himself, though in his attempt to get Louis back on his feet, Antoine gets caught in a romantic triangle.

Plot Keywords:

Farce | Drunkenness | Flower | Red Wine | Desperation

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Daniel Auteuil	...	Antoine Letoux
José Garcia	...	Louis
Sandrine Kiberlain	...	Blanche Grimaldi
Marilyne Canto	...	Christine
Michèle Moretti	...	Martine
Garance Clavel	...	Karine
Fabio Zenoni	...	André
Jocelyne Desverchère	...	Sandrine the Florist
Didier Menin	...	Man at Thai Restaurant
Jean-Claude Lecas	...	Cook
Blandine Pélissier	...	Nurse
Jean-Charles Dumay	...	Serge the Sommelier
Ange Ruzé	...	Young Waiter
Élise Otzenberger	...	Hairdresser
Jean-Luc Abel	...	The Inspector
Caroline Brunner	...	Andre's Girlfriend
Andrée Tainsy	...	Louis' Grandmother
Claude-Bernard Perot	...	Businessman
Eric Chevalier	...	Businessman
Santha Leng	...	Thai Waiter
Suzanne Sinnet	...	Corked Wine Customer

Directed by
Pierre Salvadori

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Danièle Dubroux		idea
Benoît Graffin		scenario
David Léotard		collaboration
Pierre Salvadori		dialogue
Pierre Salvadori		scenario
Marc Syrigas		collaboration

Produced by
Philippe Martin	....	producer
David Thion	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Camille Bazbaz

Cinematography by
Gilles Henry

Film Editing by
Isabelle Devinck

Casting by
Alain Charbit

Production Design by
Yves Fournier

Costume Design by
Virginie Montel

Makeup Department
Nathalie Kovalski	....	makeup artist
Joël Lavau	....	key makeup artist
Pierre Olivier Persin	....	special makeup effects artist
Jimmy Springard	....	assistant hair stylist
Luk Van Cleemput	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
Pascal Bonnet	....	production manager
Isabelle Morax	....	post-production supervisor
Frédéric Morin	....	assistant production manager
Christophe Rabinovici	....	unit production manager
Charles Zemer	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alexandra Denni	....	second assistant director
David Douieb	....	trainee assistant director
Sylvie Peyre	....	first assistant director
Carole Reinhard	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Bernard Bridon	....	property master
Philippe Cord'homme	....	set dresser
Nicolas Decaux	....	carpenter
Britta Demasse	....	set dresser
Valérie Faynot	....	second assistant decorator
Samir Moundy	....	assistant property master
Samir Moundy	....	swing gang

Sound Department
Stéphane Brunclair	....	sound
Michel Casang	....	sound
Christophe Gagnot	....	post-production sound
Eric Grattepain	....	foley artist
Vincent Montrobert	....	sound editor
Joël Rangon	....	sound mixer
Christophe Vingtrinier	....	sound mixer

Visual Effects by
Bertrand Levallois	....	visual effects
Mitch Paulson	....	digital preview colorist

Stunts
Pascal David	....	stunt double: Daniel Auteuil
Alain Gaudiard	....	stunt double: José Garcia
Pascal Guégan	....	stunts
Philippe Guégan	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Elsa Bennett	....	second assistant camera
Guy Ferrandis	....	still photographer
Renaud Garnier	....	electrician
Sebastien Gaulon	....	electrician
David le Mevel	....	electrician
Pierre Michaud	....	gaffer
Honoré Soubrie	....	grip
Mathieu Szpiro	....	electrician
Marc Tevanian	....	camera operator
Frederick Vanard	....	electrician
Valerio Villalba	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Olivia Lahougue	....	wardrobe supervisor
Paulette Ribot	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Serge Anthony	....	grader
Stéphanie Gaurier	....	assistant editor
Sylvie Lager	....	assistant editor
Simon Njoo	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Jean-Claude Bonnichon	....	travelling car
Gilles Cappelletto	....	travelling car
Sandrine Cayron	....	script supervisor
Charles Zemer	....	location manager

Thanks
Marie Trintignant	....	dedicatee

Production Companies

• Les Films Pelléas
• France 2 Cinéma
• Gimages
• Gimages Développement
• Glem Production
• Tovo Films
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC)
• Canal+
• Gimages 6
• Région Ile-de-France

Distributors

• Alfa Films (2004) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Cinema Mondo (2004) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Paramount Classics (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Alta Films (Spain)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• CP Classics (Russia)
• Italian International Film (2004) (Italy) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Mars Distribution
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2006) (Germany) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Après vous..." - France (original title)
"After You" - International (English title) (informal literal title), USA (informal literal title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language

Runtime:

France:110 min | USA:110 min | Argentina:110 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Finland:K-7 | Argentina:Atp | USA:R | Australia:M | UK:15 | Malaysia:U | Portugal:M/12

Company:

Les Films Pelléas

Quotes:

Christine:How's the chicken?
Louis:Dead.

Movie Connections:

References Popeye (1980)

Soundtrack:

Beijing Opera Melody

the game of love and chance strikes again...

Antoine (Daniel Auteuil) is a head waiter in a chic Parisian restaurant and lives with his girlfriend Christine (Marilyne Canto). His work occupies a lot of place in his life. One evening, by going through a park to be more quickly at his apartment, he saves from suicide a neurotic man Louis (José Garcia). After vainly attempted to take him back to his close relatives, he takes him under his wing and succeeds to find him a job as a waiter in his workplace. Louis wanted to kill himself because his love affair with his ex girlfriend Blanche (Sandrine Kiberlain) went unravel. Antoine found her again because he wants to reconcile them again. She's a charming florist and, you guess it he becomes enamored of her. From then onwards, his well-ordered life starts to showcase signs of poor running.

I'm a little surprised but glad to discover that this little high charged, hilarious comedy enjoys a small reputation abroad. About twenty reviews have already been posted for this film and most of them gave the movie thumbs up. I will post another positive one in spite of minor flaws Pierre Salvadori's film showcases.

Some will be probably surprised but the outset reminded me of Jean Renoir's classic "Boudu Sauvé Des Eaux" (1932), perhaps because of the quite prestigious situation the main protagonists of the films occupy and maybe also because they save from suicide ill-fated men who are cracking up. And then, the saved ones immerse themselves in their rescuers' lives and disrupt their living environment. But although both movies are comedies, they don't belong to the same sub-category. Pierre Salvadori preferred not to follow the steps of the master which bestowed his own work with a strong social satire whiff. There's no trace of it in "Après Vous", although there may be an inkling of it in the following sequence: when Antoine takes Louis in the cellar and shows him the names of the different wines. Louis is afraid not to recognize the right wines and I think that Antoine answers him the customers ape the connoisseurs and don't know anything about wines. The director preferred to choose the road of the sentimental comedy and to especially focus on Antoine's turbulent love life.

Pierre Salvadori commands his film at arm's length and delays the most momentous moment of the movie (the meeting between Louis and Blanche) to better linger on Louis' new life and especially on Antoine's love trouble. In a way, by making Louis work in his restaurant, by undertaking to reconcile him with Blanche and unfortunately by having a crush on her, he is a victim of his generosity. And Louis doesn't really realize the situations in which he puts Antoine. There's a funny sequence around the beginning of the film during which Antoine is at Louis' grandmother's and tries to alter Louis' suicide note in a placating, comforting letter. Then, deep down inside him, he thinks of leaving his ex girlfriend to live with Blanche and has to lie to his protégé and circle not to arouse suspicion about his real motivations. The movie becomes very enjoyable when it accumulates misunderstandings and embarrassing situations linked with Louis' job as a waiter or Antoine's sentimental trouble which the latter tries to escape by hilarious means (check the sequences in the Chinese restaurant). The scenario is also interspersed with droll lines: "how do you find the chicken? Dead".

A threesome of actors serves the film. Daniel Auteuil is able to provide enough caliber to his character to watch the film until the tail end and I would like to congratulate the user "writer's reign" for the tasty pun he inserted in his review: "maitre d'Auteuil". José Garcia who earlier showed in his career that he could hold comical as well as dramatic roles (Philippe Harel's "Extension Du Domaine De la Lutte, 1999) shines as the neurotic, wound up Louis, indirectly responsible of Antoine's mishaps. At last, Sandrine Kiberlain, a little frail, naive but the director never ridicules her. She was ideally cast as Blanche. In French, this name is also an adjective which means white and the actress has a somewhat pallid face which suits well to both the name and the personality of her character.

If the director honed his work with a palpable painstaking care for much of his work, there are little setbacks towards the end of the road. The end is thoroughly unexpected but was made in a rush and the trick of the lighter has been seen many times before. But these flaws aren't major enough to reject Salvadori's film. So, "Après Vous" and enjoy your film!