Damage (1992)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Louis Malle

Writers:

David Hare (screenplay)
Josephine Hart (novel)

Release Date:

22 January 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

With love comes risk. With obsession comes... Damage.

Plot:

A member of Parliament (Irons) falls passionately in love with his son's fiancée. They pursue their...

Plot Keywords:

Parliament | Love | Obsessive | Member Of Parliament | Fall

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 6 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Jeremy Irons	...	Dr. Stephen Fleming
Juliette Binoche	...	Anna Barton
Miranda Richardson	...	Ingrid Fleming
Rupert Graves	...	Martyn Fleming
Ian Bannen	...	Edward Lloyd
Peter Stormare	...	Peter Wetzler
Gemma Clarke	...	Sally Fleming
Julian Fellowes	...	Donald Lyndsay, MP
Leslie Caron	...	Elizabeth Prideaux
Tony Doyle	...	Prime Minister
Ray Gravell	...	Raymond (as Raymond Gravell)
Susan Engel	...	Miss Snow
David Thewlis	...	Detective
Benjamin Whitrow	...	Civil Servant
Jeff Nuttall	...	Trevor Leigh Davies MP

Also Known As:

Fatale (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality, and for language. (edited version)

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

UK | France

Language:

English | French | German | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:12 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Netherlands:12 | Portugal:M/16 | New Zealand:R | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Brazil:18 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | South Korea:(Banned) (1992-1994) | South Korea:18 (re-rating) (cut) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | USA:R | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF)

Trivia:

Juliette Binoche reportedly walked off the set of the film when co-star Jeremy Irons became too physical during love scenes.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Stephen is in the bathtub, Ingrid's arm suddenly changes position between shots.

Quotes:

Dr. Stephen Fleming: I want you.
Anna Barton: I know.

Movie Connections:

Features "Wacaday" (1985)

Much more then you may bargain for.

I have read some of the reviews on Damage and hope that for someone who hasn't seen it they don't go in expecting some silly little erotic love triangle because this is a lot more then that and, though the story is very well done, it is very difficult to get through. It's NOT light viewing.

Damage is a searing and intense look at the dark side of human nature. (You may want to read the book before you see the film). This so much more then a LOVE TRIANGLE! It examines issues of morality and doing the "right thing" versus giving in to what is basically "forbidden fruit". This story is completely different then "American Beauty" but the tragic tone is set and people who like American Beauty may like this. Josephine Hart has another book called "Sin" that's even better then Damage that I would also recommend although it also has that darkly tragic tone from the beginning. That one also involves family members, in that case the two main characters are sisters. (I do not think "Sin" has been made into a movie though I could be wrong.) In any case-Hart is a master story teller and this is a tragic multi character study but hardly light viewing! Know what your getting into before you get into it and if you haven't, read the book as well. Amazing!