La cérémonie (1995)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Ruth Rendell (novel)
Claude Chabrol (writer) ...

Release Date:

20 December 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Sophie, a quiet and shy maid working for the upper-class family Lelievre, hides her illiteracy under the cloak of a perfect household and obedience...

Plot Keywords:

House | Maid | Brittany | Illiteracy | Duo

Awards:

7 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Isabelle Huppert	...	Jeanne
Sandrine Bonnaire	...	Sophie
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Georges Lelievre
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Catherine Lelievre
Virginie Ledoyen	...	Melinda
Valentin Merlet	...	Gilles
Julien Rochefort	...	Jeremie
Dominique Frot	...	Madame Lantier
Jean-François Perrier	...	Priest
Ludovic Brillant
Claire Chiron
Claire-Marie Dentraygues
Jean-Pierre Descheix
Penny Fairclough
Alain Françoise

Also Known As:

A Judgement in Stone
Biester (Germany)
Blutiger Engel (Germany)

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

France | Germany

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Saint-Coulomb, Ille-et-Vilaine, France

Company:

France 3 Cinéma

Trivia:

The film Jaqueline Bisset and Valentin Merlet watching is Les noces rouges (1973).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Chacun son cinéma ou Ce petit coup au coeur quand la lumière s'éteint et que le film commence (2007)

No angels in this movie

In "La Cérémonie" one of my favourite actresses, Virginie Ledoyen, not only gets to play a vital role, but also share a movie with her favourite actress (Isabelle Huppert). Huppert plays the other vital role.

A rich family is looking for a housekeeper. They choose Sophie (Sandrine Bonnaire), a slightly cold woman. Much sooner than the family we find out why she's so cold: she can't read. Her employers are Georges Lelièvre and his second wife. They have a son and (from his previous marriage) a daughter Melinda (played by Virginie). Melinda looks at Sophie as somebody who helps around the house (rather than 'the maid' as her parents call Sophie). Every now and then Melinda tells Sophie she shouldn't let her father walk over her. Melinda likes her father, but thinks of him as a fascist. She isn't the only one: the lady from the postal office (Jeanne, Huppert's role) thinks so too. But soon we find out she hates all the people with money. Georges hates Jeanne too: he's sure she opens and reads his mail. He also mistrusts her because her child was badly burnt (even though Jeanne was cleared - because there was no proof she wounded her child on purpose).

But wait, there's more: Sophie's father died in a fire. Sophie was interrogated, but soon dropped off the suspects' list. Sophie and Jeanne feel there's a bond between them because of their past ("nobody could prove we had anything to do with it"). The longer Sophie knows Jeanne, the ruder she becomes.

Director Claude Chabrol doesn't pass judgment. He doesn't tell us whether Jeanne and Sophie are guilty or not. He only shows them how this affects the rest of their lives and of the lives of the Lelièvre family. Because it soon becomes clear that Jeanne wants revenge and tries to get Sophie on her side. Jeanne is revengeful and full of contempt, Sophie gets ruder all the time, Georges expects too much of Sophie and his wife is incredibly posh. You don't get angels in this movie. But it is Melinda who is crucial to how you watch this film (she's the most 'normal' character). Melinda is the bridge between her parents and Sophie. It's Melinda who finds out Sophie's secret. And Melinda is the person responsible for the crescendo and denouement of the film.

Chabrol films this in his usual style: the camera likes to slide around the house. It observes. The viewer is the one who can decide who's to blame more for what happens. The viewer is always right. (Wait a second... no, I'll take that back.)