The Bridesmaid (2004) La demoiselle d'honneur (original title)

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Claude Chabrol
Ruth Rendell (novel)
(more)

Release Date:

17 November 2004 (Belgium)

Genre:

Thriller | Drama | Romance

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.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Bridesmaid | Murder | Cell Phone | Basement

Awards:

1 nomination

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

Directed by
Claude Chabrol

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Claude Chabrol
Pierre Leccia
Ruth Rendell		novel

Produced by
Françoise Galfré	....	executive producer
Patrick Godeau	....	producer
Alfred Hürmer	....	co-producer
Antonio Passalia	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Matthieu Chabrol

Cinematography by
Eduardo Serra

Film Editing by
Monique Fardoulis

Production Design by
Françoise Benoît-Fresco

Costume Design by
Mic Cheminal

Makeup Department
Françoise Andrejka	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Laura Einmahl	....	unit manager
Michel Jullien	....	production manager
Anne Lessnick	....	production manager
Thierry Magniez	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Vincent Guillerminet	....	second assistant director
Cécile Maistre	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Yvonnick Bousso	....	painter
Aleth Galen	....	sculptor
Patrick Loret	....	painter
Jérôme Perrin	....	key construction
Catherine Pierrat	....	set dresser
Amanda Ponsa	....	painter
Evariste Richer	....	painter

Sound Department
Vincent Cosson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michel Filippi	....	adr supervisor
Thierry Lebon	....	sound re-recording mixer
Pierre Lenoir	....	sound
Jean-Alexandre Villemer	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Mathieu Caudroy	....	Steadicam operator
Delphine Desbruères	....	second assistant camera
Sascha Govic	....	grip
David Grinberg	....	assistant camera
Dominique Robert	....	key grip
Michel Thiriet	....	camera operator
Jakob von Lenthe	....	video operator

Editorial Department
Christophe Bousquet	....	color timer
Stanislas Moreau	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Laurent Petitgirard	....	musical director

Other crew
Vincent Bell	....	scout
Aurore Chabrol	....	script supervisor
Stéphanie Fouet	....	administrator
Aleth Galen	....	sculptress
Caspar Heider	....	production coordinator
Eva Simonet	....	press attache
Carolin von Fritsch	....	set manager: Munich

Production Companies

• Alicéléo
• Canal Diffusion (co-production)
• France 2 Cinéma (co-production)
• Integral Film (co-production)
• Cofimage 15 (participation)
• Conseil Régional des Pays de la Loire (participation)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) (participation)
• FilmFernsehFonds Bayern (participation)
• Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA) (participation)
• Titania Produzioni (participation)
• Janus International (participation)
• Canal+ (participation)
• CinéCinéma (participation)

Distributors

• Alfa Films (2005) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• BIM Distribuzione (2005) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Bac Films (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Concorde Filmverleih (2005) (Germany) (theatrical)
• First Run Features (2006) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)

Special Effects

• L'Etude et la Supervision des Trucages (L'E.S.T.) (opening titles)

Other Companies

• FilmFernsehFonds Bayern  funding
• Les Traiteurs du Vern  catering

Also Known As:

"La demoiselle d'honneur" - France (original title)

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

France | Germany | Italy

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:16 | France:U | Portugal:M/16 | Sweden:11 | Germany:12 (f) | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Bavaria Filmstudios, Geiselgasteig, Grünwald, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Alicéléo

Trivia:

There are four members of the Chabrol family in the crew : Claude's two sons ( actor Thomas and composer Matthew ), his wife ( scipt supervisor Aurore ) and his stepdaughter ' first assistant Cécile Maistre )

Hysterical household

This movie did not particularly convince me. Maybe my expectations went in a completely wrong direction but nevertheless I discovered some flaws that really disturbed my pleasure of this basically interesting film.

The plot line grows more and more absurd and - in its absurdity - predictable as the story goes on. This would not matter to me (as I do not really mind that we are never given an explanation for the strange and questionable features that strike us right from the beginning, especially in connection with Senta and the bust) if the characters were a little more subtly portrayed. All of the characters (Magimel's at the least) are exaggerated and near-hysterical, and therefore close to various type clichés (the rebelling teen daughter stealing, colouring her hair AND piercing her nose; the bridegroom, who is revealed as an idiot the instant we see him, calling his bride embarrassing terms of endearment; the mother smiling hopefully throughout as if she was on drugs). I am sure all this is not due to bad acting but done so intentionally. But I fail to understand what kind of quality it is supposed to add to the film. Humour? I don't know; I laughed occasionally but not very often.

This is the kind of film that I am sure is fun making; but then it should not be shown publicly.