IMDb >
La demoiselle d'honneur (2004)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsLa demoiselle d'honneur (2004) More at IMDbPro »
| Videos |
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
17 November 2004 (Belgium)
more
Plot:
A hard-working young man meets and falls in love with his sister's bridesmaid. He soon finds out how disturbed she really is. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Love
|
Bridesmaid
|
Murder
|
Cell Phone
|
Basement
more
Awards:
1 nomination
more
User Comments:
no wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle, no flowers, no wedding dress...
more (14 total)
Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Benoît Magimel | ... | Philippe Tardieu | |
| Laura Smet | ... | Stéphanie "Senta" Bellange | |
| Aurore Clément | ... | Christine | |
| Bernard Le Coq | ... | Gérard Courtois | |
| Solène Bouton | ... | Sophie Tardieu | |
| Anna Mihalcea | ... | Patricia Tardieu | |
| Michel Duchaussoy | ... | Le clochard | |
| Suzanne Flon | ... | Madame Crespin | |
| Eric Seigne | ... | Jacky | |
| Pierre-François Dumeniaud | ... | Nadeau | |
| Philippe Duclos | ... | Capitaine Dutreix | |
| Thomas Chabrol | ... | Lieutenant José Laval | |
| Isolde Barth | ... | Rita (as Isild Barth) | |
| Mazen Kiwan | ... | Pablo | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Chantal Banlier | ... | La caissière épicerie | |
| Jacqueline Cassard | ... | Madame Bertillon | |
| Brigitte Chamarande | ... | Madame Soupin | |
| Emmanuel Faure | |||
| Pascal Franks | |||
| Pierre Galliard | |||
| Florent Gibassier | ... | Le serveur de pizza | |
| Vincent Guillerminet | |||
| Joëlle Legua | |||
| Isabelle Leprince | ... | Madame Pélissier | |
| Isabelle Mamère | ... | Nathalie Dumont | |
| Jean-Pierre Niobe | (as Jean-Pierre Niobé) | ||
| Cécile Peroua | |||
| Taïeb | (as Taieb) | ||
| Michel Vivier | |||
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Die Brautjungfer (Germany)
La damigella d'onore (Italy)
The Bridesmaid (International: English title)
more
La damigella d'onore (Italy)
The Bridesmaid (International: English title)
more
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
111 min
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Brazil:16 |
France:U |
Portugal:M/16 |
Sweden:11 |
Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) |
Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) |
UK:15 |
Argentina:13
Filming Locations:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
French Visa d'exploitation number 107930
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (14 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for La demoiselle d'honneur (2004) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Boy A | Les égarés | Savage Grace | La hija del caníbal | Novecento |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Thriller section | IMDb France section | Add this title to MyMovies |


About ten years before he decided to venture again in Ruth Rendell universe, Claude Chabrol had transferred to the screen "a Judgment in Stone" entitled "la Cérémonie" (1995). It was his last great masterwork although he somewhat betrayed the novel. The choice of Sandrine Bonnaire for the main role was ill-advised. Afterwards, his career followed a creative downswing with rather mediocre works such as "au Coeur Du Mensonge" (1999) or "Merci pour Le Chocolat" (2000). So, could a new excursion in Ruth Rendell territory boost his career again?
Alas no and the title of my summary should give you an inkling about my thoughts on the Chabrol 2004 vintage. However, there were some good elements to make the film compelling and to grab the attention. The first sequence showcases Benoît Magimel and his family in front of the TV news that reveals a murder. Perfect to weave an eerie climate. The big, imposing, eerie house in which Laura Smet lives seems to shelter dark secrets and the "bridesmaid" lives in the basement. Chabrol was also interested in the games of truth and lie that link his two main actors and real suspense lies in Magimel's personality dangerously attracted to the bridesmaid. The filmmaker's touch is also discernible at the wedding ceremony where he ridicules its crucial steps. See the church sequence and the feast which echoes to the one in "Le Boucher" (1970). While I'm evoking this meal, the gastronomy dear to Chabrol has three sequences devoted to it in the whole film. But let's come back to the bulk of the plot. Like "a Judgement in Stone", "La Demoiselle d'Honneur" was an exciting novel to read and again Chabrol skipped over some important points, notably the reasons which prompt the hero to steal the bust from Gérard Courtois (Bernard Le Coq). In the novel, he stole it because he thought that Courtois was a vulgar man, but here Magimel's motivations to steal the bust remain blurred.
The thrust of the novel and so of the film is a man who gradually loses the control of his everyday life facing a sensual, attractive disturbing young woman. However, things aren't looking good because there's an absence of unnerving climate and the scenario seems to have been sedately written, especially near the end. In another extent, I know what I'm going to write is questionable but I do think that Chabrol contemporary films suffer from the choice of the actors (see bland Jacques Dutronc in "Merci pour Le Chocolat" or Jacques Gamblin in "au Coeur Du Mensonge") and sadly "la Demoisele d'Honneur" isn't an exception to the rule. Magimel's character isn't credible at all. He should get bogged down in madness as he's deeply in love with Smet but it isn't discernible on the screen. Laura Smet (Johnny Hallyday's daughter) has a monotonous acting while Bernard Le Coq's part is underwritten. Michel Duchaussoy who was brilliant in "Que la Bête Meure" (1969) is relegated to a minor tramp role unworthy of his wide acting skills.
So, an absence of interest for this story of manipulation is surely due to its actors and also because like for "la Cérémonie", Chabrol made dull Rendell's novel. Mr Chabrol, let's put it this way: the best of your work is far behind you in time (roughly the dusk of the sixties and the dawn of the seventies) and you will probably never reach this scale again. How about contemplating retirement?