8 femmes

I don´t want to write about a plot, because I guess: 1. most of the people, who will read this, have already seen it 2. this film really isn´t about a plot. This film is about style and 8 great French actresses - each of them is one good reason, why you should see this film. The best way how to "use" this film is just to sit and enjoy it. You don´t need to think (but this doesn´t mean that there is nothing to think about), you can only watch - luxurious interiors,great looking dresses and haircuts... and you can smile - sometimes, when I read other reviews, I have a feeling, the writer have seen a different film -THIS IS NOT A DRAMA, IT´S A COMEDY (very absurd)!!! It has a style of hollywood musicals from golden era of 30´s and 40´s, but in the same time it´s not american, it´s still very French film, with the specifiec antmospehere, which French films usually have. And my last word: more french film to czech cinemas!!!

Yes indeed: these ladies, girls and dames are gorgeous!

Before I saw this film I read about its production history and the basic idea of this great director (Ozon) to realize (another) remake of 'The Women' ('The Opposite Sex' was a 50s attempt) ... Not being able to get the rights for this old favorite of many 'old Hollywood movies' fan, he decided to give it a try with his own plot ...

Boy did he succeed!

Yes, the story and its twists are delightful ... BUT: when has anyone of us seen so many French movie legends in one film? ... Being so utterly seductive, entertaining, tragic (yes, this IS a drama mesdames et messieurs movie goers!) and glamorous beyond comparison ...

The costumes, make ups and hairstyles are prime examples how to 'introduce' the characters through her appearance ... The set and the light setting all provide the perfect backdrop for each character's special, personal story... Not enough that we learn though their words what they suffered through their short or long lives for a little bit of warmth and love -- they even sing it to us! ...

Of course, these singing acts border the ridicule at times -- but not because they are badly interpretated or written, but merely because the average movie goer is more used to TV-'showbiz' and 'action' flicks from the 'new' Hollywood and usually skips anything that appears 'artsy' or (beware!) black and white ...

Ozon deserves highest praise for his bravery to give us such a lush production that is surprisingly vintage in so many aspects, yet timeless in its main message: love hurts!

What irony that it had to be a French director and an entirely French cast to show jaded Hollywood what quality and style really are! ... Then again: doesn't that have tradition? ... Where did all those great directors and authors in the past come from, if not from Europe (Wilder, Lubitsch, von Sternberg etc.)? ...

I found it terribly refreshing to see the un-dubbed French version in the U.S. ... Though I also saw a very nicely dubbed German version, which perfectly matched voices (and character) by great, reputable German actresses with their French counterparts, it was unsurpassed fun to hear those great Ladies of the French Cinema act out all their charm, seductiveness and humour with their purring, excited and bewitching voices...

An almost private highlight is the little sequence showing that this is actually a movie with 9 women ... Remember when Louise (Emanuelle Beart), the smouldering maid, drops a photo from her cleavage the and explains that the lady in the picture was her former employer/mistress? ... None else than the legendary Romy Schneider is this very lady! ... Romy, who so died in 1983, leaving a tragic life behind her and a legacy of wonderful movies to her fans would have been certainly a top choice for Ozon to put into his masterpiece ... What a charming innuendo!

So, for everyone who has not seen this film: rush and behold the beauty! ... For all of you who have already seen it: go again, if you can ... I sure know that this movie will go straight on the top shelf of my collection as soon as it comes out on video or DVD ... Cheers Julia

RATING: ***1/2 out of ****

Being what it is, it seems like Francois Ozon's "8 Women" would have everything going against it. After all, the premise is hardly original and every single plot twist is predictable and derivative. There are plenty of Agatha Christie movies (not to mention the wonderful play "The Mousetrap") to offer us what "8 Women" promises as a mystery. Although I can't say if a murder mystery musical of this type has been attempted on film before, the musical numbers in this film are a bit awkward and stick out like a sore thumb. With all of this, "8 Women" would seem almost repellent. Truth be told, I loved every minute of it. The setting is Christmas in the mid-1950s, and seven women are gathering in the country home of Marcel (Dominique Lamure). There is his wife Gaby (Catherine Deneuve), who has just brought one of her two daughters, Suzon (Virginie Ledoyen) back from college for the holiday. Anxiously awaiting her are her peppy sister Catherine (Ludivine Sagnier), her disabled grandmother Mamy (Danielle Darrieux), her neurotic aunt Augustine (Isabelle Huppert), cook Madame Chanel (Firmine Richard), and newly hired maid Louise (Emmanuelle Beart). All of them, although not always on the best terms with each other, seem intent on having a good time this Christmas.

Too bad for them. As is customary to happen in movies with a large mansion housing many guests, Marcel (the only man in the house), is murdered. The phone line has been cut, the car has been sabotaged, and the weather is such that no one can scale the wall surrounding the grounds. One person, however, does get in: Marcel's sister Pierrette (Fanny Ardant), who arrives with a story (which may or may not be true) that she got a call the night before saying that Marcel had been murdered. It becomes apparent that the murderer is one of these 8 women, and it is up to them to tell the complete truth and find out everyone's secrets so that they can find out who the murderer is.

It's high time we have a film like "8 Women", a maliciously absurd exercise in high camp. It succeeds even... no, especially when it fails. The story itself is the kind of murder mystery that has been filmed over and over again in previous years, but it's impossible to get enough of. This film handles all of the conventions with the perfect Christie-esque tone. It's still as fun as ever to point fingers at various possible suspect, and "8 Women" is just predictable enough that even the least experienced viewer can partake in the fun.

And with this cast, why shouldn't we have fun? One of the main purposes of this film is to let these eight actresses simply enjoy themselves, and their wicked glee comes through on screen. I wonder if Francois Ozon was at all able to keep his authority as director during shooting. For let such fantastic actresses loose on each other, allowing all of them to inhabit such bitchy individuals, one had better stay out of their way. It is said that the best comedy relies on surprise. Be assured, "8 Women" wreaks such delectable havoc on it's premise that there will be plenty of opportunities to ask: "Did I really just see that?"

This film knows a secret that we haven't seen many low-key projects like this successfully handle in recent memory: when in doubt, just sing. The musical numbers have varied success throughout the film. All pop up sporadically and never really find a way to come to a conclusion, but each one is a highly enjoyable bonus aside to everything else that's going on.

In "8 Women", the first rule is: there are no rules. It's infinitely meaner (and much more enjoyable) than its non-musical predecessor "Gosford Park". It's hilarious in its maniacal irreverence, and it is yet another example of a film that would fall flat on its face if it were not for the actors leading the way. If I am going to be seeing a murder-mystery-musical, I would want none other than the cast of "8 Women" at the helm.

'8 Women' is a rather unique film. On the surface it is the probably only entry in the genre of the grotesque whodunit-musical. But actually, it's a huge playground - for the actresses who get the chance to play with the stereotypes attached to them, and for director François Ozon to toy with the clichés of the whodunit.

Here's the setup: 1950s. A beautiful mansion. A man is found lying in his bed with a knife in his back. The possible suspects: His wife, his two daughters, his sister, his mother-in-law, his sister-in-law, the chambermaid and the cook. As these eight women can't leave the estate or call the police, they try to find the murderer themselves. We know this situation from countless Agatha Christie-stories.

But what Ozon makes of this situation is just incredible. It already begins with the casting: Who else could play the gentrified Gaby if not Catherine Deneuve? Is there any actress who would fit more perfectly for the role of the spinsterish sister than Isabelle Huppert? Who else would you want to walk around in that dress of a chambermaid than the most desirable Emmanuelle Béart? The actresses are eagerly playing with the stereotypes that surround them because of both, the roles they played and their private lives.

Then there's the story: All whodunits have those obligatory scenes where the motives of all characters are revealed. '8 Women' takes that formula and deliberately goes over the top with it, it's characters are unfaithful, pregnant, lesbian, poisoners and many things more. And as a final twist, the film stops eight times to give each of its protagonists a chance to reveal her true character in a scene entirely devoted to them - singing and dancing. There is also another scene worth mentioning that is entirely dedicated to the actresses: A scene with a lot of dialog that entirely consists of nothing but a series of closeups - and that for about three minutes.

Cinephiles can enjoy this film on even another level: The film is filled with references to beloved classics. Consider Fanny Ardant's musical number, which pays homage to Rita Hayworth's glove-strip in 'Gilda', and another Rita Hayworth-moment so wonderful I won't reveal it here. Consider Emmanuelle Béarts hairstyle that echoes Kim Novak in 'Vertigo'. Consider the fact that the late husband of the Dannielle Darrieux character was a general, reminding us of 'Madame de...'. Or consider the painting of the young Catherine Deneuve hanging in one room - a replica of a 'Belle de jour'-poster. All this is supported by the rich, colorful cinematography, the art direction and the costumes, that give the entire film a 1950s look.

But attention: If you give this film a chance, don't expect it to be logically consistent. It isn't. But that doesn't matter at all. The murder mystery story is replaceable. The film is entirely devoted to its brilliant actresses and the wonderful, bitchy dialog they exchange. It's great fun and it is getting better with every viewing.

1st watched 1/23/2005 - 9 out of 10(Dir-Francois Ozone): Well crafted drama/mystery/musical that is so full it's hard to critique into a summary. The basic plot is that 8 related women find themselves in the same place at approximately the same time when the lone man is presumed to be murdered, who happens to be the grandfather, father, husband, bearer of child, lover etc… of the women(not necessarily in that order). You talk about complexity of plot? Every time someone opens their mouth another twist is thrown into the mix. I think it would take at least another viewing to understand everyone's relationship with everyone else by the end of the movie. And besides this, musical numbers are thrown in to help us understand the characters that are sung by themselves and sometimes backed up by the rest of the cast(ala Bollywood). One thing I have always noticed about French movies is that they come across as a confused people but they're OK with that, instead of the American's who believe that "they" have the answers to everything. This makes it slightly un-comfortable for us pompous Americans to view movies like this where every "real" thing in life is kind of taken with a little tongue-in-cheek mentality but this is the reality of their people and it's present often in their movies. Good for them!! This is so evident in this movie where because of it's mystery plot, we think that who did the killing is what's important, but what we find out is that there is much more behind the so-called answer we're seeking which makes for a very complex experience. Thank you French cinema. Without it there would not be movies like this.