Marcel Proust's Time Regained (1999)

A lush, elegant epic taking us on a time-swirling trip down the infinitely complex labyrinth that is Marcel Proust's memory lane.

Director:

Raoul Ruiz

Writers:

Marcel Proust (novel), Gilles Taurand (scenario)

Stars:

Catherine Deneuve, Emmanuelle Béart, Vincent Perez

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Catherine Deneuve	...	Odette de Crecy
Emmanuelle Béart	...	Gilberte
Vincent Perez	...	Morel
John Malkovich	...	Le Baron de Charlus
Pascal Greggory	...	Saint-Loup
Marcello Mazzarella	...	Marcel Proust
Marie-France Pisier	...	Madame Verdurin
Chiara Mastroianni	...	Albertine
Arielle Dombasle	...	Madame de Farcy
Edith Scob	...	Oriane de Guermantes
Elsa Zylberstein	...	Rachel
Christian Vadim	...	Bloch
Dominique Labourier	...	Madame Cottard
Philippe Morier-Genoud	...	Monsieur Cottard
Melvil Poupaud	...	Le Prince de Foix

Storyline

Marcel Proust (1871-1922) is on his deathbed. Looking at photographs brings memories of his childhood, his youth, his lovers, and the way the Great War put an end to a stratum of society. His memories are in no particular order, they move back and forth in time. Marcel at various ages interacts with Odette, with the beautiful Gilberte and her doomed husband, with the pleasure-seeking Baron de Charlus, with Marcel's lover Albertine, and with others; present also in memory are Marcel's beloved mother and grandmother. It seems as if to live is to remember and to capture memories is to create a work of great art. The memories parallel the final volume of Proust's novel.

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Plot Keywords:

oneiric | memory | proust | marcel proust | deathbed | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Details

Official Sites:

Kino International

Country:

France Italy Portugal

Language:

French

Release Date:

19 May 1999 (France)

Also Known As:

Marcel Proust's Time Regained

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

FRF 65,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$21,413, 18 June 2000, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$461,493, 17 December 2000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gemini Films,France 2 Cinéma,Les Films du Lendemain

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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Connections

Referenced in Ricardo Aronovich, avec mes yeux de dinosaure du cinéma (2011)

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Soundtracks

Le temps retrouvé (Vocalise)
Written by Jorge Arriagada
Performed by Natalie Dessay (soprano)

User Reviews

A knockout-- Ruiz does a Visconti.

I got to see this film in London, and went not expecting much. Amazing, then-- this film could appear in a "Masterpiece Theater" format, afloat as it is in voluptuous costumes, spectacular food, beautiful interiors, gossiping grand dames-- the stuff that makes one keep going back to period costume dramas, hoping to find one this complex and piquant. Its swarming cast of characters have an almost symphonic density, and in the final soiree, in which the violin sonata that defines "Swann's Way", a viewer welcomes each face as it approaches the narrator/camera. A beautiful earlier scene, in which the Proust-character encounters a deranged Baron Charlus (John Malkovich) in the driveway of a spa moves its extended tracking shot in and out of shadows and real-light, and as Ruiz goes on risking lighting-difficulties and getting away with it, you realize this is one lucky movie.