The Lover (1992)

In 1929 French Indochina, a French teenage girl embarks on a reckless and forbidden romance with a wealthy, older Chinese man, each knowing that knowledge of their affair will bring drastic consequences to each other.

Director:

Jean-Jacques Annaud

Writers:

Marguerite Duras (based on the novel), Gérard Brach (adaptation)

Stars:

Jane March, Tony Ka Fai Leung, Frédérique Meininger

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jane March	...	The Young Girl
Tony Ka Fai Leung	...	The Chinaman
Frédérique Meininger	...	The Mother
Arnaud Giovaninetti	...	The Elder Brother
Melvil Poupaud	...	The Younger Brother
Lisa Faulkner	...	Helene Lagonelle
Xiem Mang	...	The Chinaman's Father
Philippe Le Dem	...	The French Teacher
Ann Schaufuss	...	Anne-Marie Stretter
Quach Van An	...	The Driver
Tania Torrens	...	The Principal
Raymonde Heudeline	...	The Writer (end)
Yvonne Wingerter	...	The Writer (beginning)
Do Minh Vien	...	The Young Boy
Hélène Patarot	...	The Assistant Mistress

Storyline

It is French Colonial Vietnam in 1929. A young French girl from a family that is having some monetary difficulties is returning to boarding school. She is alone on public transportation when she catches the eye of a wealthy Chinese businessman. He offers her a ride into town in the back of his chauffeured sedan, and sparks fly. Can the torrid affair that ensues between them overcome the class restrictions and social mores of that time? Based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Marguerite Duras.

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Plot Keywords:

forbidden love | sex scene | adult actress playing minor girl | loss of virginity | first sexual experience | 

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Taglines:

She gave her innocence, her passion, her body. The one thing she couldn't give was her love.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R on appeal for graphic and explicit sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jane March denied that she and Tony Ka Fai Leung actually made love. (March: "I never had sex with Tony on or off the set. It's as simple as that.") All the sex scenes were done with careful choreography and body doubles. Director Jean-Jacques Annaud falsely implied the sex was real to boost publicity for the film, thus the sex-crazed English tabloid press trumpeted the rumor on its front pages for days, making life so miserable for March and her family that she got physically sick and had a nervous breakdown. March then fled to the Seychelles to escape. Annaud later stated the sex was not real, "At first I was flattered people believed [the sex]. But after that... I stopped doing press in Britain. Of course they didn't have sex."

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Goofs

Her lover smokes filtered cigarettes in 1929. They were not invented until the mid-'30s and not in common use until the 1950s.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: Very early in my life, it was too late. At eighteen it was already too late. At eighteen I aged. This aging was brutal. This aging, I saw it spread over my features, one by one. Instead of being frightened by it, I saw this aging of my face with the same sort of interest I might have taken for example in the reading of a book. That new face I kept it. It's kept the same contours, but its matter is destroyed. I have a destroyed face. Let me tell you again: I'm fifteen and a half. ...

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Alternate Versions

Available on video in two versions: the 103 min. R-rated cut and a much more explicit 115 min. unrated cut.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Jennifer 8/The Lover/Aladdin/Passenger 57/Flirting (1992)

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Soundtracks

Waltz in B minor Opus 69 No. 2
Written by Frédéric Chopin (as Chopin)
Performed by Howard Shelley

User Reviews

One of the greatest films about sexual awakening

Based on the semi-autobiographical novel of Marguerite Duras, who was born in French colonial Vietnam, this film chronicles the sexual awakening of a young French girl who falls passionately in love with a Chinese scion of a rich trading family who have his marriage already arranged. They make love passionately in a way which more truthful than is usual on the screen. This film is intensely visual, written by a major French script writer, Gerard Brach, and narrated by the powerful world weary voice of Jeanne Moreau. If you have experienced consuming sexual passion and the pain which it can engender, you will understand this film. If you haven't, this film will give you that vicarious experience. It is all the more truthful because although the relationship is interracial, the passion transcends, whereas the cultural differences block the fulfilment of their true love. It is about how people miss love trapped by convention and common sense. This is a flawless film, beautifully shot--a minor classic, much under-appreciated.

Details

Country:

France UK Vietnam

Language:

English French

Release Date:

30 October 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Lover

Filming Locations:

Vietnam

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$181,147, 1 November 1992

Gross USA:

$4,899,194

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,013,090

Company Credits

Production Co:

Films A2, Grai Phang Film Studio, Renn Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min 103 min (R-rated) 116 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

Dolby LC-Concept Digital Sound

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1