Gemma Bovery (2014)

Martin, an ex-Parisian well-heeled hipster passionate about Gustave Flaubert who settled into a Norman village as a baker, sees an English couple moving into a small farm nearby. Not only ... See full summary »

Director:

Anne Fontaine

Writers:

Pascal Bonitzer (screenplay), Anne Fontaine (screenplay),

Stars:

Fabrice Luchini, Gemma Arterton, Jason Flemyng

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fabrice Luchini	...	Martin Joubert
Gemma Arterton	...	Gemma Bovery
Jason Flemyng	...	Charlie Bovery
Isabelle Candelier	...	Valérie Joubert
Niels Schneider	...	Hervé de Bressigny
Mel Raido	...	Patrick
Elsa Zylberstein	...	Wizzy
Pip Torrens	...	Rankin
Kacey Mottet Klein	...	Julien Joubert
Edith Scob	...	Madame de Bressigny
Philippe Uchan	...	Docteur Rivière
Pascale Arbillot	...	La nouvelle voisine
Marie-Bénédicte Roy	...	Mme Rivière
Christian Sinniger	...	Producteur de calva 1
Pierre Alloggia	...	Producteur de calva 2

Storyline

Martin, an ex-Parisian well-heeled hipster passionate about Gustave Flaubert who settled into a Norman village as a baker, sees an English couple moving into a small farm nearby. Not only are the names of the new arrivals Gemma and Charles Bovery, but their behavior also seems to be inspired by Flaubert's heroes.

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Plot Keywords:

baker | bare chested male | male rear nudity | restorer | art restoration | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality/nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Hungary]

Country:

France UK

Language:

French English

Release Date:

10 September 2014 (France)

Also Known As:

Askin Dili

Filming Locations:

Normandy, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$19,095 (USA) (29 May 2015)

Gross:

$191,512 (USA) (28 August 2015)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Albertine Productions, Ciné@, Gaumont

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While Valerie and Martin lie in bed arguing about the banality of Madame Bovary, Valerie is reading a biography of Francois Mauriac. Mauriacs most famous novel Thérèse Desqueyroux also deals with a bored, unhappy woman in the back province, but this one attempts to poison her husband with arsenic.

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Quotes

Martin Joubert: [on secretly observing Gemma seeing a local] This will only end badly
Martin Joubert: There is a moment when life imitates art

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Connections

References Call of Duty (2003)

User Reviews

A sexy update of Mme. Bovary with a mouth-watering Emma-Gemma

REVIEW OF "GEMMA BOVERY" By Alex Deleon: Viewed at Hollywood Press screening, May 21, 2015.

Martin Joubert, a semi-retired ex-Parisian literary Intellectual with a tremendous passion for the works of famous French novelist Gustave Flaubert, now runs a gourmet bakery in Normandy in the very village where Flaubert wrote his masterpiece Madame Bovary. During the summer an English couple takes up residence in a small farm nearby. Not only are the names of the new arrivals --Gemma and Charles Bovery -- almost identical to the characters in the book, but their everyday life seems to be following Flaubert's story uncannily, step by step, as Martin stalks Gemma's amorous trail about town more or less discretely, hoping to maybe have a little fling with her himself -- His wife, of course, taking a dim view of his excessive interest in this young beautiful bouncy English broad. Life in a spooky imitation of art? --or what! ~ In the novel the heroine ends up poisoned and dies an excruciating death, so where can all this lead...? -- Director Anne Fontaine, (born 1959 in Luxemburg) is an actress and writer who typically works on female centric pictures such as Audry Tautou starrer "Coco Before Chanel", 2009, but here she really hits her stride.

Gemma Arterton (as the tantalizing reincarnation of Emma Bovary) is built along the lines of fellow English lady Jacqueline Bissett at her most buxom (The Deep, 1977), has much of the same charm, and was a real discovery. Fabrice Luchini, one of France's best alĺ around actors, was a taunting pleasure to watch every step of the way as Joubert, the local master baker and Bovary expert, who is enthralled by the very sexy much younger new neighbor from England. He is actually as much the leering center of the picture as sexpot Gemma, but familiarity with the original novel by Flaubert is more or less assumed. Without a fairly good knowledge of French much of the humor contained in the witty dialogue will be lost on American auds. I found myself to be the only member of the full house evening audience chuckling at many points in the picture.

Nevertheless, the story itself is gripping, the cinematography gorgeous, and the erotic scenes strapping enough to make this work for higher I.Q. American audiences. I thought the ending was a little forced -- like the tacked on resolution at the end of a whodunnit murder mystery --but who cares when the rest of the picture was so delectable. The fragrance of the breads in the frequent boulangerie scenes were so appetising as to make anyone who has ever been to Paris (or Rouen!) want to get back there ASAP. Overall, a delightful way to spend an evening away from France. Alex, The morning after, still somewhat in cinematic thrall ...