New movie coming: Le Divorce
 

I've been in movie mode this week and just saw Chicago and The Hours. Both times sat through a preview for a new movie "coming soon" called Le Divorce. It looks like a Paris lover's dream. Any advance buzz about it?

"Le Divorce" is a book by Diane Johnson that I assume this film is based on. I really enjoyed the book. Its about an American woman from California who comes to Paris to help out her sister who is going through a divorce from her French husband. Its very funny, and highlights a lot of the differences between the two cultures. I look forward to seeing the movie.

Thanks for the heads up! Did you recognize any of the actors? Who played the lead roles?<BR>

<BR>It's starring Kate Hudson, Naomi Wats, Melvil Poupaud, Thierry Lhermitte and Glenn Close. <BR>Director: James Ivory.<BR>It's not yet released in France.

I did find this news release (so printing it is NOT a copyright violation!):<BR>Filming has begun on Fox Searchlight's &quot;Le Divorce,&quot; a contemporary comedy directed by three-time Academy Award&reg;-nominated director James Ivory (&quot;The Remains of the Day,&quot; &quot;Howards End,&quot; &quot;A Room with a View&quot;). Kate Hudson (&quot;Almost Famous&quot;) and Naomi Watts (&quot;Mulholland Dr.&quot;) head up the ensemble cast that has collectively earned four Golden Globes, four Emmy awards, one French Cesar Award and 10 Oscar&reg; nominations. The award-winning cast includes Glenn Close, Stockard Channing, Sam Waterston, Matthew Modine, Bebe Neuwirth, Stephen Fry, Leslie Caron, Thierry Lhermitte, Romain Duris, Melvil Poupaud, Jean-Marc Barr and Lambert Wilson.<BR><BR>Director James Ivory and two-time Academy Award&reg;-winning writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (&quot;The Remains of the Day,&quot; &quot;Howards End&quot;) adapted the script from Diane Johnson's best-selling novel of the same name. Four-time Oscar&reg; nominee Ismail Merchant and Michael Schiffer will produce. Radar Pictures' Ted Field, Erica Huggins and Scott Kroopf will executive produce. The shoot is scheduled to finish June 1, 2002.<BR><BR>Fox Searchlight has worldwide distribution rights to &quot;Le Divorce,&quot; and is planning for a 2003 release in the United States. &quot;Le Divorce&quot; is a modern-day comedy of manners. American sisters Isabel (Kate Hudson) and Roxy (Naomi Watts) come face to face with the complicated social mores of French society. Pregnant and jilted by her scoundrel husband, Roxy is headed for &quot;Le Divorce,&quot; while Isabel leaps into l'amour with a married, French diplomat who happens to be the uncle of Roxy's soon-to-be-ex. Culture clash and scandal ensue as the sisters learn what it really takes to be an American in Paris.<BR><BR>I read the novel years ago and it's packed away in storage, so here's one question: who is Olivia? That is the character Glenn Close is supposed to play. I can't remember who she is...I know the two girls are Roxanne and Isabel. Is Olivia the American writer? My creaky, aging memory...

BTilke -- Yes, Olivia is the American writer. Like you, I read the book years ago and couldn't remember who was who, but I found the answer in a discussion of the film on Merchant-Ivory's website (http://www.merchantivory.com/californians.html). I had a vague recollection that the last scene in the book took place at Disneyland Paris, but apparently that's been changed in the movie, because the article says, &quot;after Disneyland in Paris refused to let them shoot a climactic scene there, Mr. Merchant invited the deputy mayor to lunch and persuaded him to clear out the Eiffel Tower on short notice and filmed it there.&quot; Sounds like an improvement to me.<BR>

I love that book. Also saw the previews. The only thing that bothers me is they seem to have changed the older (70?) French lover to someone much younger, maybe in his 30's. I guess that's Hollywood for you.

Patrick, just curious: what did you think of &quot;The Hours?&quot;

Thanks for the post. My local library has this book and I am going to read it. Apparantly there is another book by Diane Johnson called Le Mariage that was written after Le Divorce. <BR>Thanks Patrick for the post.

Since you asked, I loved The Hours. I saw in last week and an invitational preview. The three ladies and Ed Harris all turn in remarkable performances. I love it when I don't know a thing about a movie when I go in, and had no idea where this one was going -- which added greatly to my enjoyment.<BR>But I found Chicago nothing short of brilliant. The double staging of every musical number (&quot;real&quot; life alternated with the &quot;staged&quot; life) managed to successfully achieve what I always thought the recent revival and its theatricality had attmepted to achieve. But it will now be hard to view a stage production of the show after seeing this film version. The film actually managed to create more theatricality that the stage version -- something I never thought I'd say about a film musical.

To add to the above posts...and a bit of trivia. <BR><BR>The film is being shot in Paris, and at the Cafe de Flore, Paris. A landmark since the 1890s. Favorite of many 19th century writers, one...Jean Paul Sarte.<BR>It is located on the Blvd. St. Germain in the 6th Arrondissment.<BR><BR>Originally Winona Ryder and Natalie Portman were scheduled to appear in this movie, but NP had to bow out as a relative had been shot in Israel. You know about WR.<BR><BR>P.S. I, too, loved the movie &quot;Chicago.&quot; Highly recommend it.<BR>Francie

I found myself comparing them to the stage versions that I had seen. I saw the first with Jerry Orbach and Chita Rivera, then a few years ago Bebe Newirth and Ann Reinking, so needless to say, the Hollywood bunch had a lot to live up to in my eyes:)<BR>I found Richard Gere weak. But he acts so well, I forgave him:)<BR>Catherine Zeta Jones was the best dancer and singer of the two, and the most experienced.<BR>And little Miss Renee Zelwigger ,as the NYTimes put it, had a voice like Minnie Mouse and left foot dancing&quot;, but she was charming so we forgave her!<BR>I have read Le Divorce and while it was not that fascinating, it might make an excellent movie, with that location and some good stars!<BR>I wonder if the sequel to the book, Le Marriage will be filmed as a sequel also.

I LOVE Theirry Lhermitte!! Been waiting to see him again since the Dinner Game and The Closet!

Did anyone see Thierry Lhermitte in the 80's movie &quot;Until September&quot; with American actress w/last name of Adams? This was a wonderfully &quot;french &quot; movie even tho it was American. I wish there were more movies made in Paris...it has such an allure.<BR>When I was a student at the Sorbonne in 1978-79 I was an extra in a movie called &quot;French Postcards&quot; starring Debra Winger (one of her first films) and Marie-France Pisier and Jean Roachefort...what a blast...I made $100 a day and skipped school for it. THe movie was made by the same folks that produced American Grafitti. The movie never made it really big though. But it was very realistic of Americans studying in Paris. What memories!

Will keep an eye out for it.

Gay,<BR>I bought that movie on ebay! One of my favorites! The sad news is, the french girl in the movie (the girl in the bookstore) died a little while after that, I think in an auto accident. She had just started to become a well known actress.

For those interested in Le Mariage, the novel Johnson wrote after Le Divorce -- it's nowhere near as good as the first book. I found it tedious and irritating, and it doesn't go anywhere. It's not a sequel to Le Divorce, it involves different characters.

Just saw the &quot;Bourne Idenity&quot; on CD and<BR>really enjoyed the scenes of Paris!

Oh yeeeesssssss ....... Thierry Lhermitte in &quot;Until September&quot; Oh YES:)<BR><BR>Let me also recommend the film &quot;Happenstance&quot; which is the film that the star of Am&eacute;lie, Audrey Tatou is also in. It's much slower .. but it's also nice :)

Seeing as we've veered (a bit!) off travel here - I just finished &quot;Life of Pi&quot; by Yann Martel - the Booker award winner. It was absolutely charming and I highly recommend it. (the travel connection is slight, but he is on a boat!)

I took recommendations from previous messages on this board and saw Bread and Tulips and enjoyed it immensely. I have been trying to watch as many movies set in Italy as possible, seeing we are going in April. It is so exciting! (And I'm not even a first-timer!!) I also enjoyed Roman Holiday, and I admit - even the Olsen twins' &quot;When in Rome&quot;!!!

I just saw Le Divorce at an advance screening last night and it IS a Paris lover's dream. While it's not a travelogue, it shows off Paris beautifully.

Hadn't realized that James Ivory directed, and that he and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (Jefferson in Paris, Remains of the Day) wrote the screenplay.

Naomi Watts &amp; Kate Hudson are parfait as the American sisters and the rest of the cast is wonderful: Glenn Close as an American writer living in Paris; Sam Waterston &amp; Stockard Channing as the parents of the two sisters; Bebe Neuwirth as an art curator from the Getty Museum; Stephen Fry as a rep from Christie's; and Matthew Modine as a furious husband; and Leslie Caron as the matriarch of the French family in the movie. Aside from Caron, I didn't recogize the names and faces of any of the other French actors/actresses, but every one was great in their roles, especially the one who plays Caron's oldest brother. Melvil Poupaud, who plays Naomi Watts' husband, looks like a French Rob Morrow with a perpetual five o'clock shadow...Normandy Exposure anyone? :)

Capo. It opens here on Friday when I'll see it and start a new thread, join me to tell me if you liked it and did the characters fit the books image.

Thierry Lhermitte! Be still my heart. He was soooo dazzling in &quot;Until September&quot;. Last year I even searched out (and found!) that little hotel Karen Allen stayed in in the movie.

Someone please tell me Thierry Lhermitte is NOT paired with Glenn Close!

In addition to the scenes of Paris, and the actors/actresses, I LOVED the movie itself. I have not read the book.

I presume Thierry was one of Caron's two brothers but I'm not sure which one.

As a side note, reps from the studio were there searching and wanding everyone for recording devices. Apparently there is a certain type of cellphone that can be used for recording movies, yet another unfortunate case where scammers inconvenience everyone else.

I've been waiting for this movie for months! The Paris scenery in the previews looks wonderful, and am glad to hear that the story is good too! It opens Friday in &quot;select cities&quot; and, unfortunately, my little midwest town isn't one of them (so I'll be waiting a few weeks to see it). I use to live in L.A. and loved being able to go to Westwood Village to see movies on their opening day if it wasn't playing near my home (in Orange County).

Interesting article from back on September 8, 2002:

&quot;Californians in Paris; Merchant Ivory, Too&quot;

http://www.nytimes.com/ads/ledivorce/a.html

A few excerpts...

Glenn Close, who plays an American expatriate novelist, Olivia Pace, described it as &quot;a very charming, clever, complex script about the clash of cultures and how different cultures perceive each other.&quot;

&quot;It's like a modern Henry James story, totally,&quot; she said.

...

&quot;This is a film about human relations, set in a foreign country, made by foreigners,&quot; the soft-spoken, white-haired Mr. Ivory said during a break in the shooting of &quot;Le Divorce.&quot; &quot;That's what we do. Sometimes they're modern, sometimes they're not.&quot;

...

Ms. Johnson said that Merchant Ivory had always been her first choice to adapt the novel. &quot;It just seemed to me like a picture that would look good if they did it,&quot; she said over vanilla tea and ginger snaps in her grand apartment on the toney Rue Bonaparte, where she spends half the year and was at work on her 12th novel.

...

&quot;When I first went to the cheese man in our neighborhood, he wanted nothing to do with me,&quot; Ms. Hudson said. &quot;Then, after about three weeks, we'd been in there, like, maybe, four times and we brought our dogs, and now he's, like, our best friend.&quot;

...

He [Mr. Ivory] admitted that he was somewhat baffled by what young women were wearing in Paris these days. But he said he hoped to capture the nuances of &quot;the French attitude about sex and life and food and the American attitude about the same things,&quot; which lie at the heart of the story -- a view of life in Paris, not just a backdrop.

&quot;Few American directors ever have commented on France,&quot; he said. &quot;There's virtually no one who ever took the French seriously.&quot;