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
Juliette Binoche	...	Anna
Miranda Richardson	...	Ingrid
Rupert Graves	...	Martyn
Ian Bannen	...	Edward
Peter Stormare	...	Peter Wetzler
Gemma Clarke	...	Sally
Julian Fellowes	...	Donald Lyndsay
Leslie Caron	...	Elizabeth
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:

pubic hair | passion | love triangle | scandal | adultery | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Reportedly, Juliette Binoche apparently walked off the set of the film when co-star Jeremy Irons allegedly became too physical during love scenes. According to an article published by British newspaper The Daily Telegraph on November 16, 2004, Binoche snubbed Irons after he acted a French kiss a little too realistically in one of their love scenes. When questioned about the kiss during an interview published by The Daily Express on August 10, 2011, Irons answered: "Oh, I'm sure I did", and by way of explaining Binoche's distaste for his eagerness, said she was "a bit anti-man at the time" as she had just come out of a relationship. In an interview published by The Daily Telegraph on March 6, 2015, Binoche was asked which one of her British co-stars stands out for her, and she answered: "They're all in my heart, I tell you, even Jeremy Irons," and confirmed that they had a few problems together during the shooting.

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Goofs

Stephen's arms change position around Anna after she tells him about Peter and Aston.

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Quotes

Dr. Stephen Fleming: I saw her once more only. I saw her by accident at an airport, changing planes. She didn't see me. She was with Peter. She was holding a child. She was no different from anyone else.

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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

Featured in At the Movies: Memo to the Academy - 1993 (1993)

User Reviews

what happens when you don't wear underwear

Jeremy Irons and Juliette Binoche do some "Damage" in this 1992 film also starring Miranda Richardson, Rupert Graves, Ian Bannen and Leslie Caron. Irons is a British cabinet minister who falls for his son's girlfriend (Binoche), a deeply disturbed young woman.

Despite the facetiousness of my summary line, this is quite a brilliant film about emotionally damaged people and obsession. It also comes off as very realistic because the emotions are portrayed so honestly. On the surface, it seems ridiculous, sort of a sex-change version of The Graduate, with Binoche involved with both father and son. Here is the Irons character, Dr. Stephen Fleming, with a brilliant career, a beautiful wife (Richardson) whose father (Bannen) has had a brilliant career; they have two children and a lovely home and lifestyle. Why threaten it with a tawdry affair? I kept thinking what an idiot Irons was throughout the film, yet we know that in real life, people have played Russian roulette with their careers before.

It's clear when Anna seeks out Stephen and introduces herself that her attachment to Martyn (Graves) was simply to get to him - and she does -immediately. All they can do is stare at one another. When she invites him to her apartment, she is sitting on the edge of her bed. Seeing him, she sinks to the floor, her arms outstretched. Because she never wears underwear, they can usually have sex with most of their clothes on and have it anywhere - street corners, tables, Stephen's father-in-law's house. The sex isn't particularly erotic to watch; it's awkward-looking because of the frenzy involved.

Part of the obsession for Stephen is the unleashing of passion that's been sublimated; part of it is the danger - and is part of it having something he didn't have in his own youth that his son has now? Does he look at Martyn and see that Martyn's life is ahead of him and that he, Stephen, is no longer "young?" Possible. Is he angry with Martyn for replacing him in his wife's affections? Perhaps. For Anna, the motives and thrills are different - due to a tragedy in her life involving her brother who apparently was in love with her too, she is playing some weird psychological game in which there is no real winner.

The acting is marvelous - Binoche is exquisitely dressed though some of those marvelous clothes are ripped off of her - she brings an exotic, androgynous and mysterious quality to the role of Anna. Irons is excellent as an up-tight father and half-crazed lover. Leslie Caron has a small role as Anna's mother. She's lovely as ever and strong in a dramatic role of a woman who drinks a little but who nevertheless has Stephen's number.

The last 30 minutes of this movie are some of the most shattering moments in film, and what makes them so shattering is not only the situation but the absolutely devastating, visceral, no holds barred performance by Miranda Richardson. She is ably supported by a writer and director who both knew something about profound pain. Her performance is great - that she had the material to give that performance and a director who let her go makes this film truly unforgettable.

When Damage is over, you won't be the person you were when you started watching it. It's so rare nowadays to see such a fascinating, character-driven film. It will stay with you for a long time.

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:

Damage

Filming Locations:

Kynance Mews, South Kensington, London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$101,707, 27 December 1992

Gross USA:

$7,532,911

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$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