En jouant 'Dans la compagnie des hommes' (2003)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Arnaud Desplechin

Writers:

Edward Bond (play)
Emmanuel Bourdieu (adaptation)

Release Date:

28 January 2004 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Cast

Sami Bouajila	...	Léonard
Jean-Paul Roussillon	...	Henri Jurrieu
Wladimir Yordanoff	...	Hammer
László Szabó	...	Claude Doniol
Anna Mouglalis	...	Ophélie
Bakary Sangaré	...	Jonas Servun
Hippolyte Girardot	...	Willian De Lille
Anne Consigny	...	Therese Jurrieu
Xavier Beja	...	Laerte
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pierre Barrat
Gil Demurger		(as Gil de Murger)
David Frenkel
Philippe Paimblanc

Also Known As:

Léo, en jouant 'Dans la compagnie des hommes' (France) (new title)
Playing 'In the Company of Men' (International: English title)

Runtime:

France:121 min | France:118 min (edited version)

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Company:

Capa Drama

Muddled French drama

Tension among tycoons comes up on screen, mixed in with the performers commenting their characters' actions, Hamlet and nasty stuff on a nuclear submarine.

This is clearly a film of high seriousness and comes a year before the director's more substantial "Rois & Reine." However just why we are being treated to this mishmash or what we may derive from it remains obscure. The ever watchable Sami Bouajila comes over as amiable rather than complex and the rest project personalities which would be better served by more approachable writing.

With so much French Film never leaving home, I guess we should be grateful for every piece that does reach us but I can't help wondering whether this one is taking up space that could be better used.