O Declínio do Império Americano (1986)

Sexual revelations emerge when a group of academics and their partners spend a weekend at a country retreat.

Director:

Denys Arcand

Writers:

Denys Arcand, Gabriel Arcand (collaborating writer)

Stars:

Dominique Michel, Dorothée Berryman, Louise Portal

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 13 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dominique Michel	...	Dominique St. Arnaud
Dorothée Berryman	...	Louise
Louise Portal	...	Diane Leonard
Pierre Curzi	...	Pierre
Rémy Girard	...	Rémy
Yves Jacques	...	Claude
Geneviève Rioux	...	Danielle
Daniel Brière	...	Alain
Gabriel Arcand	...	Mario
Évelyn Regimbald	...	Theresa
Lisette Guertin
Alexandre Remy	...	Transvestite
Ariane Frédérique
Jean-Paul Bongo	...	Mustafa

Storyline

A group of academics at the University of Montreal - most long time friends - are planning on gathering at the lakeside recreational home of Rémy and Louise, who have been together for twenty years, married for fifteen of them, for dinner. Louise knows Rémy cheats on her, but believes he only does so when she is not around, about which she accepts. Their recreational home is adjacent to many of the recreational homes of the others, who are: divorced Pierre, his much younger current girlfriend Danielle who is a student at the university, the two who are still in the stage of newfound love, divorced mother Diane, independent minded Dominique, single homosexual Claude, and graduate student Alain. While the four men prepare the dinner, the four women are working out together in the gym. The common factor between the two groups is the topic of conversation: sex, especially as it relates to themselves. But underlying each of the conversations is their own academic and thus intellectual ...

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Plot Keywords:

sex comedy | homosexual | male frontal nudity | male full frontal nudity | pubic hair | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

M/16

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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Quotes

Mario: They talked about sex all afternoon as if they were getting ready for an orgy. Instead, the big deal is a fish pie!

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Connections

Featured in Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche (2004)

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Soundtracks

Music themes
by George Frideric Handel.

User Reviews

Best Canadian Movie Ever

This film, made in the mid-eighties about yuppies and their lives still holds up 15 years later. It was a contemporary movie then, it is now an impressive period piece. A drama/comedy about four man who are cooking, waiting for their wives who are at the gym and all 8 talk about sex, their lives, sex, fine wine, sex and living in the suburbs! The dialogue is witty and true and never the battle of the sexes has been fought so ferociously and with such verve! You will have a treat remembering how our lives were then. A perfect 10

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

French English

Release Date:

20 November 1987 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

O Declínio do Império Americano

Filming Locations:

Centre de Conditionnement Physique Nautilus, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD1,800,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,902,706

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,915,792

Company Credits

Production Co:

Corporation Image M & M, Malofilm, National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1