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Rakastaja

Original title: L'amant
  • 1992
  • K-16
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
23K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,513
362
Rakastaja (1992)
Theatrical Trailer from MGM
Play trailer0:57
1 Video
62 Photos
BiographyDramaRomance

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 ... Read allIn 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.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
    • Gérard Brach
    • Jean-Jacques Annaud
  • Stars
    • Jane March
    • Tony Ka Fai Leung
    • Jeanne Moreau
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.8/10
    23K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,513
    362
    • Director
      • Jean-Jacques Annaud
    • Writers
      • Marguerite Duras
      • Gérard Brach
      • Jean-Jacques Annaud
    • Stars
      • Jane March
      • Tony Ka Fai Leung
      • Jeanne Moreau
    • 108User reviews
    • 32Critic reviews
    • 59Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 3 wins & 7 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Lover
    Trailer 0:57
    Watch The Lover

    Photos62

    Rakastaja (1992)
    Jane March and Tony Ka Fai Leung in Rakastaja (1992)
    Jane March in Rakastaja (1992)
    Rakastaja (1992)
    Rakastaja (1992)
    Rakastaja (1992)
    Rakastaja (1992)
    Jane March and Tony Ka Fai Leung in Rakastaja (1992)
    Rakastaja (1992)
    Rakastaja (1992)
    Jane March and Tony Ka Fai Leung in Rakastaja (1992)
    Jane March and Tony Ka Fai Leung in Rakastaja (1992)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jane March
    Jane March
    • The young girl
    Tony Ka Fai Leung
    Tony Ka Fai Leung
    • The chinaman
    • (as Tony Leung)
    Jeanne Moreau
    Jeanne Moreau
    • Narrator
    • (voice)
    Frédérique Meininger
    Frédérique Meininger
    • The mother
    Arnaud Giovaninetti
    • The elder brother
    Melvil Poupaud
    Melvil Poupaud
    • The younger brother
    Lisa Faulkner
    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
    Yvonne Wingerter
    • The writer
    Do Minh Vien
    • The young boy
    Hélène Patarot
    Hélène Patarot
    • The assistant-mistress
    Frédéric Auburtin
    Frédéric Auburtin
    • Liner Pianist
    • (uncredited)
    Espérance Pham Thai Lan
    Espérance Pham Thai Lan
    • Femme
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Jean-Jacques Annaud
    • Writers
      • Marguerite Duras
      • Gérard Brach
      • Jean-Jacques Annaud
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film is based on the autobiographical novel by French author Marguerite Duras, whose youthful, real life romance with a Chinese man in colonial Vietnam caused a scandal.
    • Goofs
      Her lover smokes filtered cigarettes in 1929. They were not invented until the mid-'30s and not in common use until the 1950s.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Narrator: Years after the war, after the marriages, the children, the divorces, the books, he had come to Paris with his wife. He had phoned her. He was intimidated; his voice trembled, and with the trembling it had found the accent of China again. He knew she'd begun writing books. He had also heard about the younger brother's death. He had been sad for her. And then he had no more to tell her. And then he told her - he had told her that it was as before, that he still loved her, that he would never stop loving her, that he would love her until his death.

    • Crazy credits
      The opening credits are shown against a backdrop of what is presumably the author, Marguerite Duras, writing down her story.
    • Alternate versions
      Available on video in two versions: the 103 min. R-rated cut and a much more explicit 115 min. unrated cut.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Jennifer 8/The Lover/Aladdin/Passenger 57/Flirting (1992)
    • Soundtracks
      Waltz in B minor Opus 69 No. 2
      Written by Frédéric Chopin (as Chopin)

      Performed by Howard Shelley

    User reviews108

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    good looking exotic erotica
    In French colonial Indochina, a French girl (Jane March) has two older brothers, Pierre and Paul. Pierre is their mother's favorite despite being a thief and a bully. They're in fear of him. She is repatriating him to France after stealing from an opium den. The family is running out of money for him to steal. On a Mekong river crossing, the girl meets a rich jobless globetrotting playboy Chinaman (Tony Ka Fai Leung). She tells him that she's 17 despite being only 15 and a half. He gives her a ride to her boarding school and starts an erotic affair. Her friend Helene Lagonelle is the only other white girl in the school.

    This is a solid example of the sub-genre of exotic erotica. It's got beautiful naked people but it's not quite overt softcore porn. It's more cinematic than the classic Emmanuelle or other pornographic B-movies. The exotic locations look beautiful. It is visually stunning. The acting is competent. These are actual actors. On the other hand, the story is paper thin. The plot isn't much to talk about but that may be besides the point.
    helpful•9
    2
    • SnoopyStyle
    • May 29, 2016

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 2, 1992 (Finland)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • The Lover
    • Filming locations
      • Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
    • Production companies
      • Films A2
      • Grai Phang Film Studio
      • Renn Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $4,899,194
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $181,147
      • Nov 1, 1992
    • Gross worldwide
      • $5,013,090
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 55 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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