Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Jeanne Balibar | ... | Antoinette de Langeais | |
Guillaume Depardieu | ... | Armand de Montriveau | |
Bulle Ogier | ... | Princesse de Blamont-Chauvry | |
Michel Piccoli | ... | Vidame de Pamiers | |
![]() |
Anne Cantineau | ... | Clara de Sérizy |
Marc Barbé | ... | Marquis de Ronquerolles | |
![]() |
Thomas Durand | ... | De Marsay |
Nicolas Bouchaud | ... | De Trailles | |
![]() |
Mathias Jung | ... | Julien |
![]() |
Julie Judd | ... | Lisette |
Victoria Zinny | ... | La mère supérieure | |
Remo Girone | ... | Le confesseur au couvent | |
Beppe Chierici | ... | L'alcade | |
![]() |
Paul Chevillard | ... | Duc de Navarreins |
Barbet Schroeder | ... | Duc de Grandlieu |
In Majorca, in 1823, a French general, Armand de Montriveau, overhears a cloistered nun singing in a chapel; he insists on speaking to her. She is Antoinette, for five years he has searched for her. Flash back to their meeting in Paris, he recently returned from Africa, she married and part of the highest society. She flirts with him, and soon he's captivated. His behavior is possessive, insistent. Then, it is her turn to become obsessed. Letters, balls, scandal, a kidnapping, and an ultimatum bring her to the cloister and him to melancholy. Whose steel proved sharper? Is it tragic or grotesque? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
I did not like this film -- I found it difficult to understand, ragged transitions between scenes, and that it had no point, not to mention many unanswered questions and facts that neither matched the film nor fit the plot. The plot was thin and uninteresting. And if this is love, I don't want any part of it! Many others in the theater walked out before it was over. I know Rivette is an excellent director, but I think he fell down on this one. I guess the acting was okay, but there was so little conversation in the film that it was difficult to tell. Frankly, and I'm sorry to say this, it was like watching 4 coats of paint dry -- consecutively. One of the most boring I've ever seen. I would like to know how this film played in France.