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Savage Souls

Original title: Les âmes fortes
  • 2001
  • 2h
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
1.9K
YOUR RATING
Savage Souls (2001)
DramaRomance

At a wake one night in 1945, a group of aged women recall the life of one of their number. Sixty years before, Thérèse was barely 20 years old when she eloped with her boyfriend, Firmin, a b... Read allAt a wake one night in 1945, a group of aged women recall the life of one of their number. Sixty years before, Thérèse was barely 20 years old when she eloped with her boyfriend, Firmin, a blacksmith, to Châtillon, a town in Provence. Here, she makes the acquaintance of the wealt... Read allAt a wake one night in 1945, a group of aged women recall the life of one of their number. Sixty years before, Thérèse was barely 20 years old when she eloped with her boyfriend, Firmin, a blacksmith, to Châtillon, a town in Provence. Here, she makes the acquaintance of the wealthy Madame Numance, who is known for her good deeds. Realising that Thérèse is pregnant and... Read all

  • Director
    • Raúl Ruiz
  • Writers
    • Jean Giono
    • Alexandre Astruc
    • Mitchell Hooper
  • Stars
    • Laetitia Casta
    • Frédéric Diefenthal
    • Arielle Dombasle
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.7/10
    1.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Raúl Ruiz
    • Writers
      • Jean Giono
      • Alexandre Astruc
      • Mitchell Hooper
    • Stars
      • Laetitia Casta
      • Frédéric Diefenthal
      • Arielle Dombasle
    • 10User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos5

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    Top cast32

    Edit
    Laetitia Casta
    Laetitia Casta
    • Thérèse
    Frédéric Diefenthal
    Frédéric Diefenthal
    • Firmin
    Arielle Dombasle
    Arielle Dombasle
    • Madame Numance
    John Malkovich
    John Malkovich
    • Monsieur Numance
    Charles Berling
    Charles Berling
    • Reveillard
    Johan Leysen
    Johan Leysen
    • Rampal
    Edith Scob
    Edith Scob
    • Première femme veillée
    Christian Vadim
    Christian Vadim
    • Le pasteur
    Carlos López
    • Le muet
    Monique Mélinand
    • Thérèse âgée
    Jacqueline Staup
    • Deuxième femme veillée
    Corine Blue
    • Jeune femme veillée
    Aimé Lebedel
    • Vieux chanteur
    Nathalie Boutefeu
    Nathalie Boutefeu
    • Charlotte
    Marc Dantes
    • Forgerons
    Eric Pasturel
    • Forgerons
    Wladimir Ivanovsky
    • Gourgeon
    Thierry Melia
    • L'aubergiste
    • Director
      • Raúl Ruiz
    • Writers
      • Jean Giono
      • Alexandre Astruc
      • Mitchell Hooper
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews10

    5.71.9K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    5ch-de-hon

    What a poor story

    After having watched that movie, i am still asking myself who is buried. And it seems i am not alone asking that question. When the film ended, people where asking each other "excuse me i haven't seen the beginning can you explain the plot of the film". Laetitia Casta try to act as an actress, she will probably succeed in a few decades. Nevertheless a good thing : the photography is excellent.
    8stropi

    Wonderful movie, astonishing Laetitia Casta

    Is this the Victoria's Secret and L'Oreal supermodel , starring in this very ambitious movie ??? It seems it is. Yet, what a rich personality this girl must have. I found her surprisingly good, deep, right for the role, at the opposite of the image I had of her. The whole movie is very faithful to the original XXth century French classic by Jean Giono. It might seem a little complicated because its characters are fully ambiguous. This is the main theme of the movie and of the novel. Thanks to the screenwriters and the director, it is great to see such movies that do not take the average cinema goer for a silly person. A movie you can interpret your own way, in which everything is not explained. Not another silly psychological drama ! A movie with depth.. I have seen it four times already and can't wait for the DVD. With Laetitia Casta actress, I would say a star is born.
    demetrischristodoulides

    Sh*t!

    Come on, i rented this movie on dvd full of excitement as I am a huge fan of independent movies and european cinema in general. I also am a fan of John Malkovich and i really like Laetitia Casta ; but i can't recall a single moment in my whole life that i felt sooooo boooored! It's terrible! The only elements i liked was the music (that's nothing special really, just very nice) and the beautiful and excellent photography!
    4santosped

    Toooo Boooooring....

    Malkovich and Casta! Seems like a safe bet, but no way....

    Nothing really interesting during the entire movie. Too boring, even for a Casta fan.

    Don't lose your time. A golf game is much more exciting!

    Santosped.
    gtzam

    Pointless, over-descriptive and dull...

    Despite the unquestioned talent of Raul Ruiz, this movie is an unqualified disaster. The plot drifts aimlessly, tv-series like, coupled with inadequate acting and over-elaborate voice-over in order to further the "action" in an ad-hoc manner. Practically very little of any importance actually happens, even less of what occurs on the screen is dramatically convincing in this terminally unexciting journey of a manipulative young girl and her encounters in rural France of the 19th century. Vacuity disguised as ambiguity or worse, profundity. Good cinematography though, but there are far better literary adaptions done recently such as Assayas' "Les destinees sentimentales".

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
    Romance

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Connections
      Referenced in Les rois mages (2001)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 22, 2001 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Belgium
      • Switzerland
    • Language
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Les âmes fortes
    • Filming locations
      • Chateau de Grignan, Grignan, Drôme, Rhône-Alpes, France
    • Production companies
      • MDI Productions
      • Les Films du Lendemain
      • Arte France Cinéma
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h(120 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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