“Reuniting ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ director Stephen Frears and actress Michelle Pfeiffer comes a film that is a love story between a younger man and an older woman but because of their age, can both live together happily ever after? Or was it over before it even began? Featuring beautiful set and costume design capturing 19th Century Paris, ‘Chéri‘ is a film that is very much an average film at best.”
Images courtesy of © 2009 Miramax. All Rights Reserved.
TITLE: Chéri
DURATION: 93 Minutes
DVD INFORMATION: Color, Digitally Mastered, Widescreen (2:35:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, English SDH, French and Spanish Subtitles
RATED: R (Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian)
COMPANY: Miramax
RELEASE DATE: October 20, 2009
Directed by Stephen Frears
Screenplay by Christopher Hampton
Executive Producer: Simon Fawcett, Christopher Hampton, Francis Ivernel, Cameron McCracken, Richard Temple
Producer: Andras Hamori, Bill Kenwright, Thom Mount, Tracey Seaward
Co-Producer: Raphael Benoliel, Bastian Griese
Associate Producer: Marco Gilles, Daniel Mann
Original Music by Alexandre Desplat
Cinematography by Darius Khondji
Edited by Lucia Zucchetti
Casting by Victoria Thomas
Production Design by Alan MacDonald
Art Direction by Denis Schnegg
Set Decoration by Judy Farr, Veronique Melery
Costume Design by Consolata Boyle
Starring:
Michelle Pfeiffer as Lea de Lonval
Kathy Bates as Madame Peloux
Rupert Friend as Cheri
Felicity Jones as Edmee
Frances Tomelty as Rose
Anita Pallenberg as La Copine
Harriet Walter as La Loupiote
Iben Hjejle as Marie Laure
Stephen Frears as Narrator
In the glittering, decadent world of Paris at the dawn of the 20th century, Lea (Michelle Pfeiffer), a legendary courtesan, agrees to undertake the romantic education of Chéri (Rupert Friend), the 19-year-old son of a former rival (Kathy Bates). Thirty years older than her student and the former lover of some of France’s most wealthy and powerful men, the last thing Lea expects is that she will fall in love with the boy—or he with her. The surprising romance consumes them both and plunges them into struggles over sex, money, age and status—as a boy who refuses to grow up collides with a woman who realizes she cannot stay young forever.
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In 2009, a French/British and German drama film titled “Chéri” was screened at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival. The film is an adaptation of the novel from 1920 written by the French Novelist Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette or better known as Colette who is best known for her novel “Gigi” (which went on to inspire a film and musical).
The film is directed by Stephen Frears (“The Queen”, “Dangerous Liaisons” and “High Fidelity”) and features a screenplay written by Christopher Hampton (“Atonement”, “Total Eclipse” and “Dangerous Liaisons”). Joining Frears is cinematographer Darius Kohndji (“My Blueberry Nights”, “The Ruins”, “The Interpreter”) and composer Alexandre Desplat (“Julie & Julia”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “The Golden Compass”, “Syriana”).
The film takes place in Paris during the 1900s, at time when courtesans (prostitutes for the wealthy and powerful) were known for their celebrity like status and even setting the status quo of fashion during that era. For Cheri (played by Rupert Friend, “The Boy in Striped Pajamas”, “Pride and Prejudice”, “The Last Legion”), he is an a 19-year-old man that has been spoiled by his mother former courtesan Madame Peloux (played by Kathy Bates, “Misery”,”Titanic”, “Fried Green Tomatoes”). He has gotten everything he wanted but has not been satisfied with the many women that he has been with.
That is until he goes off with Lea (played by Michelle Pfeiffer, “Stardust”, “The Fabulous Baker Boys”, “Dangerous Liaisons”), a courtesan that has been around when Cheri was a young boy. Because Cheri has always listened to “Nunu” (his nickname for “Lea”), Madame Peloux asks her arch-rival Lea to take Cheri out on her vacation and teach him some things about real women.
Needless to say, the two go of on vacation and have a sexual relationship in which the young 19-year-old starts to have a wonderful time with an older woman and for Lea, she gets a taste of youth. A young man who doesn’t want to grow up and an older woman who knows that she can’t stay young forever. Both keep their fling in private for six years but despite their sexual liaison, life starts to change for both Lea and Cheri when Madame Peloux wants grandchildren and thus her son Cheri is arranged to get married with a younger woman named Edmee (Felicity Jones, “The Worst Witch”, “Diary of Anne Frank”) from a rich family.
And its when they spend their life away from each other, it is then that they learn for themselves that they truly love each other but due to circumstances (primarily their age) they can never truly be together…or can they?
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“Chéri”is presented in widescreen (2:35:1) and is enhanced for 16×9 television. For the most part, capturing the look of an era through the hairstyles, costumes, the set design and the vehicles are done rather nicely. Outdoor scenes are beautiful and vibrant but the beauty of the film revolves around the look and feel of the film.
As for audio, the film is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. For the most part, the film is dialogue and music driven, so mostly front and center channel usage throughout the film. If there were surround sound usage, possibly during the train whistling but for a film like this, audio is satisfactory and dialogue is clear and understandable.
Subtitles are presented in English SDH, French and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Chéri” comes with the following special features:
- The Making of Chéri – (8:50) The making of “Chéri” and an interview with the director, crew and the talent about the film, Colette and the set and costume design.
- Deleted Scenes – Two deleted scenes titled “Turpentine” (:21) and “Never” (1:49).
For the most part, “Chéri” is a film that I felt was average at best. I can easily compliment the look of the film through its wonderful costume and set design. I can also compliment how Michelle Pfeiffer looks absolutely incredible now as she was when she first appeared in film but part of the problem that I have with the film is that we know the film takes place in Paris. You have Rupert Friend who fits the part with his accent but then we have Michelle Pfeiffer as Lea and Kathy Bates as Madame Peloux. Both are fine actresses but for this film, I just have this nagging feeling that they were miscast.
I suppose that if you have one main actor with his European accent (and other talents in the film with their accents), you would expect the same with the film’s two major talents. Sure, Kathy Bates talks with a slight accent and Pfeiffer with none but with the film capturing that look and feel of early Paris, you would think that casting could have done the same. Again, as talented as both women are, personally I felt the casting was off for both characters. But despite that little quip that I have towards the film, I have to give Michelle Pfeiffer her due in showing a woman who has managed to become a successful business woman but deep inside you sense that loneliness which Pfeiffer manages to portray quite well with her facial expressions.
The other thing that I have the problem with the film is that it captures part of the Colette’s novel. There is one primary section that deals with war and another section that deals with Cheri revisiting Lea that is not shown in the film. It would have been interesting to capture that moment from the novel but alas, the film’s goal was to focus on two people in love, but due to their age…one born many years early and one too young to learn that what he had was the best thing he would ever have.
There are no surprises, to me there was no uplifting climax. The film is straightforward and for the most part, just average.