The Invitation (1973)

After the death of his mother, middle-aged insurance employee inherits her small cottage surrounded by a garden. Selling the cottage which is situated on unexploited ground near the center ... See full summary »

Director:

Claude Goretta

Writers:

Michel Viala (screenplay and dialogue), Claude Goretta (screenplay and dialogue)

Stars:

Jean-Luc Bideau, Jean Champion, Corinne Coderey

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jean-Luc Bideau	...	Maurice Dutoit
Jean Champion	...	Alfred Lamel
Corinne Coderey	...	Simone Char
Pierre Collet	...	Pierre Collard
Neige Dolsky	...	Emma Debonveau
Jacques Rispal	...	René Mermet
Michel Robin	...	Rémy Placet
Rosine Rochette	...	Hélène Jacquet
François Simon	...	Emile
Cécile Vassort	...	Aline Thévoz
Lucie Avenay	...	Mme Placet
Gilbert Costa	...	L'inspecteur
William Jacques	...	Le jardinier
Roger Jendly	...	Le voleur
Daniel Stuffel	...	Le surnuméraire

Storyline

After the death of his mother, middle-aged insurance employee inherits her small cottage surrounded by a garden. Selling the cottage which is situated on unexploited ground near the center of a big city makes him a rich man and he buys a big house in the countryside. He takes some time off and decides to throw a big garden party at the house and invite all his colleagues from the office. Aided by alcohol, the guests gradually lose all their inhibitions and reveal personality traits and frustrations that they normally keep hidden.

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Plot Keywords:

switzerland | lausanne switzerland | employee | countryside | mansion | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The screenplay and dialogue are based on a play considered lost, by the researchers and publishers of Michel Viala's theatrical opus: "Les Médiocres".

User Reviews

Any office worker can easily identify his/her own image in this masterpiece by Swiss cinema's greatest director Claude Goretta.

One of Swiss cinema's greatest directors Claude Goretta has a special knack of revealing hidden acting capabilities of actors who were initially not so famous but went on to become major stars. One has to see how he gave countless opportunities to showcase acting talents to major established stars of French cinema namely Gérard Depardieu (PAS SI MECHANT QUE CA), Isabelle Adjani (La Dentellière) and Nathalie Baye (La Provinciale).L'Invitation" is a very special film in Claude Goretta's filmography as it charts a different intellectual course for him. It retains the gift of maintaining universal charm even at a time when it appears to be firmly rooted in realities specific to that of Switzerland. L'Invitation shows the funny world of ordinary office workers which are always around us. We get to see how human weaknesses can be revealed during the course of a single day of merry making when people do not think twice before getting rid of their inhibitions and morals. The film questions the attitude of people towards money especially when one gets the idea that an ordinary man has got hold of a huge sum of money. Moody women play important roles in this film in order to reveal how they view an unattractive man. The best thing about this film is that Claude Goretta takes an impartial stand as he shows these office workers as how they are without glamorizing their ignominious existence. The film has universal appeal as three of its major characters: an ordinary office employee, an office clown and an authoritarian office employee can be found in any office in any part of the world. Those interested in actors must watch out for Swiss actor François Simon who would later enact the pivotal role of one of world's greatest philosophers Jean-Jacques Rousseau [1712-1778] in "LES CHEMINS DE L'EXIL" directed in 1978 by Claude Goretta.

Details

Official Sites:

French DVD distributor's site Swiss Films page

Country:

Switzerland France

Language:

French

Release Date:

13 September 1973 (France)

Also Known As:

La invitación

Company Credits

Production Co:

Group 5, Télévision Suisse-Romande (TSR), Citel Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)