Damage (1992)

A member of Parliament falls passionately in love with his son's fiancée despite the dangers of discovery.

Director:

Louis Malle

Writers:

David Hare (screenplay), Josephine Hart (novel)

Stars:

Jeremy Irons, Juliette Binoche, Miranda Richardson

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeremy Irons	...	Dr. Stephen Fleming
Juliette Binoche	...	Anna Barton
Miranda Richardson	...	Ingrid Fleming
Rupert Graves	...	Martyn Fleming
Ian Bannen	...	Edward Lloyd
Peter Stormare	...	Peter Wetzler
Gemma Clarke	...	Sally Fleming
Julian Fellowes	...	Donald Lyndsay, MP
Leslie Caron	...	Elizabeth Prideaux
Tony Doyle	...	Prime Minister
Ray Gravell	...	Raymond (as Raymond Gravell)
Susan Engel	...	Miss Snow
David Thewlis	...	Detective
Benjamin Whitrow	...	Civil Servant
Jeff Nuttall	...	Trevor Leigh Davies MP

Storyline

A member of Parliament (Irons) falls passionately in love with his son's fiancée. They pursue their affair with obsessive abandon despite the dangers of discovery and what it would do to his complacent life and his son. Completely obsessed, he wants to give up his current lifestyle to be with her. She has no intention of allowing him to do this, preferring to have her marriage to the son as a cover. They are eventually discovered, and must deal with the damage. Based on the novel by Josephine Hart.

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Plot Keywords:

scandal | adultery | sex scene | fellatio | oral sex | 

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Taglines:

Desire... Deceit... Destiny...

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality, and for language

Details

Official Sites:

Juliette Binoche: The Art of Being - Official Fansite

Country:

UK France

Language:

English French German Italian

Release Date:

22 January 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fatale

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Gross USA:

$7,532,911

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF), Skreba Films, StudioCanal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actress Miranda Richardson was awarded the Best Supporting Actress Award by the New York Film Critics Circle for her performances in three films including this movie was well as Enchanted April (1991) and The Crying Game (1992). Richardson was Oscar nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Damage (1992) in the same year that Joan Plowright was also for Enchanted April (1991). Jaye Davidson, partially portraying a woman, was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor Oscar category also in the same year for The Crying Game (1992). None of them won the Oscar in their Supporting Role categories.

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Goofs

Early in the film when Stephen arrives home it is night. Yet once inside, when the maid draws the curtains, the garden outside is bathed in sunlight.

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Quotes

Dr. Stephen Fleming: It takes a remarkably short time to withdraw from the world. I traveled... until I arrived at a life of my own. What really makes us is beyond grasping. It's way beyond knowing. We give in to love... because it gives us some sense of what is unknowable. Nothing else matters, not at the end.

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Alternate Versions

USA version removed 1 minute of sexually-explicit footage in order to secure a R rating. European unrated version is available on video/laserdisc in USA.

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Connections

Referenced in X-Rated: The Greatest Adult Movies of All Time (2015)

User Reviews

A Louise Malle masterpiece of unbridled passion!

Fatale (Damage) is one of the most deeply lustful and emotionally charged films I've seen in years, a true Louise Malle masterpiece of unbridled passion. The love scenes are hot, to say the least, and I'll never be able to look at Julliet Binochet again without remembering them. Jeremy Irons does incredible work here and Amanda Richardson, who's part really doesn't require much during most of the movie, actually steals the film with some over the top acting at the end. However, it's Julliet Binochet who anchors this fine movie with her riveting performance and her strong and quite impressive visual presence. I simply couldn't take my eyes off her whenever she was on screen.