Un Coeur en Hiver (1992)

Beautiful violin virtuoso Camille has two obsessions: the music of Ravel, and a friend of her husband's who crafts violins. But his heart seems to be as cold as her playing is passionate.

Director:

Claude Sautet

Writers:

Claude Sautet (scenario and dialogue), Jacques Fieschi (scenario and dialogue)

Stars:

Daniel Auteuil, Emmanuelle Béart, André Dussollier

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 16 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Auteuil	...	Stéphane
Emmanuelle Béart	...	Camille
André Dussollier	...	Maxime
Elizabeth Bourgine	...	Hélène
Brigitte Catillon	...	Régine
Myriam Boyer	...	Mme. Amet
Jean-Claude Bouillaud
Stanislas Carré de Malberg	...	Brice
Dominique De Williencourt	...	Christophe
Jeffrey Grice
Luben Yordanoff
Nanou Garcia
François Domange
Van Doude
Jacques Villa

Storyline

Beautiful violin virtuoso Camille has two obsessions: the music of Ravel, and a friend of her husband's who crafts violins. But his heart seems to be as cold as her playing is passionate.

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Plot Keywords:

violin | love | girl | friend | opening a window | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Emmanuelle Béart learned to play the violin for the part.

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Connections

References To Be or Not to Be (1942)

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Soundtracks

Serenade, Op 3 No 5.
Written by Joseph Haydn
(Music played by the music box]

User Reviews

Who cares about plot? As beautiful to listen to as to watch.

A visually-beautiful film. Even if the plot were not good (but it is) it would still be worth seeing for its good-looks.

Beart (Camille) is magnificent! When I first saw the film I thought she was a real violinist, so convincing was her 'playing'. She and Auteuil (Stephane) employ that subtle 'facial' acting, so popular in French cinema. As both their faces are quite lovely, this is a pleasure to watch. Is Beart the most beautiful woman on screen? Probably.

This movie is like a dream sometimes. It gives clues to the riddles of the characters, but does not reveal their essences. Sometimes you have to wonder if the story is really a kind of allegory, with the characters as symbols, their full significance yet to be revealed.

Look out for what appears to be an important scene featuring Stephane's parents, towards the end of the film. It is not obviously enlightening, but it may prove to hold the key to his love-less character. There is a climax to the story, but no real resolution or explanation. Yes, it's the 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' unresolved-ending phenomenon back with a vengeance. And how much more interesting it makes this intriguing story!

Oh - and the music is a substantial part of the film - not just 'background', which is a good thing.

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

4 June 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Un Coeur en Hiver

Filming Locations:

Rue Beaurepaire, Paris 10, Paris, France

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,605,437

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,605,437

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Par Film, Cinéa, Orly Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1