Hotel Splendide

rbrb is a twit. if you do not understand this movie, then you might not like it. but for those who do, it is excellent. the movie is about this crazy woman (deceased) who is obsessed with obscure 'health' ideas such as no sugar, no alcohol, in fact, nothing that tastes the slightest bit good. she has this hotel and brainwashes her children and all the guests into staying there convincing them that to leave the island meant death from various illnesses and so forth. she convinces them that there is nothing on the outside, that crossing the water will kill them, etc etc etc. the surviving family, especially the son, try to carry on her crazy lifestyle, partly by using recorded sounds of her voice played over a speaker system.

but the hotel hires a new chef, she brings revolution, with her cakes and things that taste good... to the chagrin of the son, and the worry of many of the other residents. but others love her new ways and in fact welcome the revolution. and.. well.. you will just have to see the rest of the movie.

it is a metaphor for anyone who has been in a situation where they were brainwashed into thinking a certain way of life was necessary, that dependence was necessary, etc etc . if you dont understand this then perhaps you should mature past the age of, oh, say, 12, and get out more and understand other peoples experiences, and watch movies besides terminator 3 and independence day.

Watched this on DVD. Never even heard of it until now. I always loved those weird British movies from the sixties and seventies which seem to have disappeared as a genre - until Hotel Splendide. It's astonishing, like a whole world that just appeared out of nowhere. It's a story about how families destroy each other and how you have to break away from your childish attitudes and dependency to be free. But, mostly it's just this completely charming and unpredictable look at a place and a group of people who seem completely real, but couldn't possibly exist.

The movie it most reminded me of was Harold and Maude, though the story and characters are completely unrelated. Just something about the atmosphere and the humour.

Can't stop thinking about it. A must see

This is one of the strangest, most bizarre films I've watched - but it was splendid and hilarious!!! Great cast and wonderfully fun - but you need a sense of humor to watch it!!!!

Just watched the film and certainly haven't seen anything like it in a long time. Sort of a weird cross between an Ealing comedy and a Gothic horror. Loved the texture and atmosphere but didn't get that engaged with the story, which is is at times comic and at other moments disturbing or just plain strange, though the characters are beautifully drawn and very memorable, especially Stanley, the neurotic virgin, and the sister, Cora.

People seem to either love or hate this one - maybe because it's so different from the run of the mill Brit film. It seems to draw on an earlier period in cinema for its style and references, which I thought was refreshing. At the end I had the feeling that it might have begun as an even darker and stranger story that has had some element or other removed, maybe to make it more accessible. It does have some really haunting images and a great sound effects track. Definitely worth watching, for its atmosphere alone.

Tale of a resort and health spa, on a remote island off the coast. Lots of time spent talking about the health treatments, the menu, and the heating system... the miserly old patriarch owner, Mrs. Blanche has passed on, and now the family can spruce it all up. If they can only agree on what's to be done. When Kath (Collette), a former employee returns, the cook (daniel craig) refuses to work with her. Stanley (Hugh O'Conor, the irish one!) is the nightly entertainment, and is watching the wacky goings on. He wants to leave, but is scared of crossing the water. So he stays. This zany film was one of Craig's quirky ones, before he started playing James Bond. Collette has done so many of these fun, indie films, she seems to really excel in this category. It's a ton of fun. Even when bad stuff happens, it's light and fluffy and fun. I'll definitely watch this one again. Directed by Terence Gross. Story by Marie Redonnet, french author.