Lumière (English: Light) is a French drama film written and directed by Jeanne Moreau. The semi-autobiographical film is about the friendship between four actresses. It is credited as being one of the first films to focus on female friendship.[1]
| Lumière | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Jeanne Moreau |
| Screenplay by | Jeanne Moreau |
| Produced by | Claire Duval |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ricardo Aronovich |
| Edited by | Albert Jurgenson |
| Music by | Astor Piazzolla |
| Distributed by | Gaumont Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
Plot
editSarah is an actress who is nearing 40. She invites Laura, her best friend of the past sixteen years, along with two other women, Caroline and Julienne, to a vacation retreat in Provence. Each woman is at a critical point in her life; Sarah has broken up with her longtime partner, while Laura is pregnant but her husband is carrying on an affair with another woman. Caroline is in an unhappy relationship, and Julienne is being pursued by an American actor.
Cast
edit- Lucia Bosè as Laura
- Francine Racette as Julienne
- Caroline Cartier as Caroline
- Jeanne Moreau as Sarah
- Keith Carradine as David
- François Simon as Grégoire
- Bruno Ganz as Heinrich Grün
- René Féret as Julien
- Niels Arestrup as Nano
- Francis Huster as Thomas
- Patrice Alexsandre as Pétard
- Jacques Spiesser as Saint-Loup
- Chloé Caillat as Marie
- Marie Henriau as Flora
- Hermine Karagheuz as Camille
- Carole Lange (a.k.a. Carole Achache) as Carole
- Paul Bisciglia as The Candle
Release
editLumière was screened as one of the three French films at the 1976 Toronto International Film Festival.[2] Following screening, the film was released by the New World Pictures.[3]
On 16 March 2023, The Criterion Collection screened Lumière, The Adolescent and Lillian Gish at the Film Forum.[4]
In 2023, Carlotta Films sold the distribution rights to Japan, who released Lumière, The Adolescent and Lillian Gish under an umbrella name Jeanne Moreau, Filmmaker.[5]
In 2024, Jeanne Moreau, Filmmaker was released on Blu-ray.[6]
Reception
editOn review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Lumière has an approval rating of 60% based on 5 reviews.[7]
Lumière received critical acclaim.[3] Critic Roger Ebert wrote positively of the film, commenting "as the strands of [Moreau's] story become clear and we begin to know the characters, the movie grows into a simple and strong emotional statement."[8]
In a retrospective review, Richard Brody of The New Yorker wrote,
Working with the cinematographer Ricardo Aronovich, [Moreau] develops a gliding, peering, shifting aesthetic to match the glossy surfaces with which she conveys shuddering depths of feeling. The camera roves around the actors, capturing the agitation within their controlled gestures, suggesting the elegance of leisure and luxury within which high adventures of passion, pleasure, and power—of self-creation and self-definition—play out.[9]
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Chicago International Film Festival | Grand Prize (Best Feature) | Jeanne Moreau | Nominated |
| Taormina Film Fest | Golden Charybdis | Jeanne Moreau | Nominated | |
| 1977 | César Award | Best Supporting Actress | Francine Racette | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ James, Caryn (25 February 1994). "A Femme Fatale For the Ages". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ Jang, Meena (11 September 2015). "Hollywood Flashback: In 1976, Jeanne Moreau Shined Her Light on the Very First TIFF". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ a b Eder, Richard (15 November 1976). "Jeanne Moreau's 'Lumier' Is Dazzling:Film on Women Written and Directed by the Actress, Who Stars". The New York Times.
- ^ Hudson, David (16 March 2023). "Jeanne Moreau, Cinéaste". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ Noh, Jean (13 March 2023). "Carlotta Films sells Jeanne Moreau-directed features to Japan". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ Tonguette, Peter (24 February 2024). "'Jeanne Moreau, Filmmaker': A Star Behind the Camera". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ "Lumière". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (4 January 1977). "Lumiere movie review and film summary (1977)". Rogerebert.com. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ Brody, Richard (8 August 2017). "Jeanne Moreau's "Lumière" Deserves to Be Revived". The New Yorker.