Bon voyage (2003)

An actress, a writer, a student, and a government worker band together in an effort to escape Paris as the Nazis move into the city.

Director:

Jean-Paul Rappeneau

Writers:

Jean-Paul Rappeneau (scenario), Patrick Modiano (scenario)

Stars:

Isabelle Adjani, Gérard Depardieu, Virginie Ledoyen

7 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Isabelle Adjani	...	Viviane Denvers
Gérard Depardieu	...	Jean-Étienne Beaufort
Virginie Ledoyen	...	Camille
Yvan Attal	...	Raoul
Grégori Derangère	...	Frédéric Auger
Peter Coyote	...	Alex Winckler
Jean-Marc Stehlé	...	Professeur Kopolski
Aurore Clément	...	Jacqueline de Lusse
Xavier de Guillebon	...	Brémond
Edith Scob	...	Mme Arbesault
Michel Vuillermoz	...	M. Girard
Nicolas Pignon	...	André Arpel
Nicolas Vaude	...	Thierry Arpel
Pierre Diot	...	Maurice / Le gardien du studio
Pierre Laroche	...	L'érudit

Storyline

At the start of World War II, the fate of the free world hangs in the balance at the posh Hotel Splendide in Bordeaux. Cabinet members, journalists, physicists, and spies of all persuasions gather in order to escape the Nazi occupation of Paris. High society socialites hobnob with jailbirds. Murderous intrigues, scientific secrets and love affairs flourish.

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Plot Keywords:

bordeaux | nazi | german | actress | heavy water | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Picture Classics [United States]

Country:

France

Language:

French German English Italian

Release Date:

21 May 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Boa Viagem

Filming Locations:

Prison, Place Saint-Louis, Autun, Saône-et-Loire, France

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$38,682, 19 October 2003

Gross USA:

$2,503,286

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,324,931

Company Credits

Production Co:

ARP Sélection, France 2 Cinéma, France 3 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Up for Love (2016)

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Soundtracks

Bon voyage
Performed by Isabelle Adjani
Lyrics by Martin Rappeneau
Music by Gabriel Yared
Enregistrée aux Studios FERBER - Paris
Recording engineer René Ameline
Ingénieur Protocols Hélène Texier

User Reviews

The more you know about French cinema, the more you will love this film

Director and auteur Jean-Pierre Rappenau was 8 years old during the spring of 1940 as France's Third Republic disintegrated in a matter of a few weeks. It was a time, he says, when "all the adults were a little bit insane." He and the production staff have lovingly and meticulously recreated that world in a film where all the characters are essentially fictional. The structure, a classic farce, is ideal for the period as multiple plot lines zip and intersect only to come together in a logical, satisfying conclusion. The peg for this plot is Frederic, played by brilliant newcomer Gregory Derangere, who is fully up to playing opposite Adjani, Depardieu and Ledoyen. The real strength of the film is in its supporting performances. M. Rappeneau has cast the film exquisitely with actors who volunteered ideas for both action and dialogue and who know and prove that it is possible to fully realize a character with just two short sentences of dialogue. Though not yet as widely influential as Renoir's 'Rules of the Game,' 'Bon Voyage' richly deserves to be a companion piece to that classic. Though it demands a lot of the audience, it gives much back. One of its demands is tolerance for a certain coyness and misdirection as to the exact genre we are watching: a crime melodrama, no, a spy thriller, ah, a romantic comedy. Recommend it to cinemaphile friends. Just be sure to let them discover for themselves that it is a romantic comedy.