La Vénus à la fourrure (2013)

An actress attempts to convince a director how she's perfect for a role in his upcoming production.

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

David Ives (play), Roman Polanski (screenplay)

Stars:

Emmanuelle Seigner, Mathieu Amalric

6 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Emmanuelle Seigner	...	Vanda
Mathieu Amalric	...	Thomas

Storyline

An actress attempts to convince a director how she's perfect for a role in his upcoming production.

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Plot Keywords:

psychological manipulation | femdom | von sacher masoch | submissive man | cross dressing | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Mars Distribution [France] Official site [Japan]

Country:

France Poland

Language:

French German

Release Date:

8 November 2013 (Poland)

Also Known As:

La piel de Venus

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$24,761, 22 June 2014, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$342,183, 8 August 2014

Company Credits

Production Co:

R.P. Productions,A.S. Films,Monolith Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Emmanuelle Seigner could only shoot her scenes by day because she was appearing at night on stage in an acclaimed revival of Harold Pinter's "The Homecoming."

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Quotes

Thomas: She taught me the most valuable thing in the world.
Vanda: And what did she teach you?
Thomas: That nothing is more sensual than pain. That nothing is more exciting than degradation.

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Crazy Credits

Behind the credits are images of classical artworks depicting Venus. Titles, in French as per the credits, are as follows - Titian: Vénus a sa toilette (1555) (National Gallery of Art, Washington) Ferdinand Bol: Vénus et Adonis (1658) (Rijksmuseum) Titian: Vénus a sa toilette (1555) Rubens: Vénus au miroir (1616) Rubens: La Toilette de Vénus (1608) Diego Velasquez: Venus au miroir (1651) Hans Memling: La vanité (1485) École de Fontainebleu: : La Toilette de Vénus (around 1550) Sandro Biotticelli: La naissance de Vénus (1485) Alexandre Cabanel: La naissance de Vénus (1863) Emil Jacobs: Vénus allongé et Cupidon (1839) Nicolas Poussin: Vénus dormant avec l'Amour (1628) Titian: Danae (1546) Rembrandt: Danae (1636) Joseph Helmz l'ancien: Vénus endormie (around 1600) Alessandro Allon: Vénus et Cupidon (16th century) Titian: Danae (1544) Lambert Sustris: Vénus et l'Amour (1515) Domenico Zampieri: Vénus (17th century) Jacopo Palma: Vénus allongée (1520) (Bridgeman Art Library) The final image is of the "Venus De Milo".

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Connections

Version of Venus in Furs (1994)

User Reviews

All that can be said...

There is a lot in the book that is never said or explored. Perhaps the repressed nature of the time and place, of the characters, of the situation is what makes it such compelling material. The play, and the film, bring out all that can be said, and more. The blurring between the modern day actress auditioning for the play as the director/writer reads the male part and the actual play based on the book is done exquisitely. Seigner is an excellent Jackal and Hyde; she basically plays three different women, and a fourth hidden one that comes out in the end. Amalric is a superb choice for this role with his mousy, intellectual temperament a perfect complement to Seigner's looks and physique. Both actors deliver a mesmerizing performance.

What was most surprising for me is how much we laughed during the film. It was really hilarious, and the whole theater laughed throughout the film. The contrast between the modern day woman and the character in the book/play, the helplessness of the director against the force of the exquisitely lower class actress, the phone conversations with his "fiancée," and the list goes on... Of course, the film is not without its serious moments. In fact, I'd say it is the see-saw nature of the whole thing that really captivates, where one moment you are laughing at the name of the fiancée's dog, and the next you witness the director reading lines on his knees asking to be enslaved unconditionally and the next the actress and the director are having a yelling match about the sexist nature of the book/play.

Recommended for those who are not afraid of the intellectual analysis of art combined with the absurd and ridiculous juxtaposition of the modern and the outdated, the philistine and the intellectual, male and female.