Sagan (2008)

France, 1950s. From the Quartier Latin to Saint-Tropez via New York, a young Parisienne becomes the icon of a whole generation. In 1954, 19-year-old Francoise Sagan shot to fame with her ... See full summary »

Director:

Diane Kurys

Writers:

Diane Kurys, Claire Lemaréchal

Stars:

Sylvie Testud, Pierre Palmade, Jeanne Balibar

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sylvie Testud	...	Françoise Quoirez dite Sagan
Pierre Palmade	...	Jacques Chazot
Jeanne Balibar	...	Peggy Roche
Arielle Dombasle	...	Astrid
Lionel Abelanski	...	Bernard Frank
Guillaume Gallienne	...	Jacques Quoirez
Denis Podalydès	...	Guy Schoeller
Bruno Wolkowitch	...	Philippe (Complete TV version)
Samuel Labarthe	...	René Julliard
Margot Abascal	...	Florence Malraux
Gwendoline Hamon	...	Suzanne Quoirez
Chantal Neuwirth	...	Mme Lebreton
Silvie Laguna	...	Mme Bartoli
Alexis Michalik	...	Denis Westhoff 23 / 33ans
William Miller	...	Robert 'Bob' Westhoff

Storyline

France, 1950s. From the Quartier Latin to Saint-Tropez via New York, a young Parisienne becomes the icon of a whole generation. In 1954, 19-year-old Francoise Sagan shot to fame with her first novel, Bonjour Tristesse. Flamboyant, scandalous and underrated, Sagan lived her life at the furthest edge of excess. She won and lost fortunes at the roulette table, bought and crashed superb sports cars, drank, danced and partied, leaving a trail of lovers in her wake.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | surname as title | francoise sagan character | f rated | writer | 

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Taglines:

Sagan

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Genres:

Biography

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Did You Know?

Trivia

"Sagan" was originally produced and shot as a two-part TV miniseries (2 x 90'). When seeing it, Luc Besson (director, producer but also distributor) decided to purchase the screen rights and released it after having trimmed it down to a two hour feature film.

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Goofs

When Françoise chooses her pen name, we can see the bar code on the back cover of the book. Such detail could not exist in the 1950s.

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Soundtracks

Twist à Saint Tropez
Lyrics by André Salvet
Music by Guy Lafitte and Martial Solal
Performed by Dick Rivers and Les Chats Sauvages
Recorded in 1961 on Pathé 45 Tours EA 569

User Reviews

Piaf on Prozac

Why another biopic? Why biopics at all? Writer-director Diane Kurys doesn't know. Perhaps so you have something to take your mother to. But chances are she'd fall asleep. Francoise Sagan may have had an exciting life, but you certainly wouldn't know from this movie. It feels like the entire cast and crew were high on 875, that mysterious morphine Sagan was a slave to half her life. Because nothing ever happens, you will quickly find your mind wandering to the fringes of the screen. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe it's even a cinematic strategy, but I wouldn't bet on it. Take Florence Malraux, the eminent writer's daughter. Played by Margot Abascal, she is so much more vibrant and adorable than everybody else you wonder why the movie isn't about her. Or take the shady guy: When Francoise and Peggy, drunk as hell, check into the Hotel Raphael for a little lesbian loving, they pass a nameless stranger walking the other way. I wonder what his story is. Where is he going, wearing giant shades, in the middle of the night? Perhaps I should have followed him.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France] Official site [Japan]

Country:

France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

11 June 2008 (France)

Also Known As:

Sagan

Filming Locations:

Casino Barrière - 2 Rue Edmond Blanc, Deauville, Calvados, France

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,337,194

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alexandre Films, France 2 (FR2)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min (2 parts) 117 min (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1