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Parisian wonder >> Catherine Deneuve is topnotch in Place Vendôme by MARTIN SNAPE
This is where director Nicole Garcia has chosen to stage the events and intrigues of Place Vendôme, a rich and fascinating piece of French cinema. Catherine Deneuve plays Marianne, the burned-out wife of a celebrated jeweller. She has used her husband's wealth to shield herself from a scandal that finished her career in the jewellery trade back in the '60s. She has since lived in a half-world where only alcohol relieves the boredom of entertaining important guests for her ambitious and successful--but deeply corrupt--husband. She is rudely torn from her passive and demeaning role when her husband is driven to suicide and she is left to deal with clearing up his mess. Perceived as a sloven and a drunk, she is expected to sell the jewellers' name and take a pension. Ultimately, though, pride gets the better of her and she begins to fight back on her own terms. To watch Deneuve interpret a beaten woman who is forced to come to terms with herself is a revelation. She initially faces the camera without make-up, looking drawn, fatigued and every minute of her 55 years. But as the film proceeds and as she begins to rediscover the drive and ambition that led her into the jewellery business in the first place, she transforms. The veteran actress does this subtly but incredibly effectively. Her body language changes, her eyes come alight, her turn of phrase becomes more acute and viperish. Supporting Deneuve in this pièce de resistance is the surprisingly good Émmanuelle Seigner (Frantic, Bitter Moon) as an ambitious young woman on her way up in the business, and the ever-reliable Jean-Pierre Bacri (Didier, Un Air de famille) as a jilted lover with a hidden agenda. Director Garcia draws fine performances from all concerned. As is typical of many actors-turned-director, she allows the players enough time and space to express details of emotion that are often lost when a director is more busy thinking about framing and plot than performance. Which is not to say the movie doesn't look great--it does. Paris is always easy on the eye and cinematographer Laurent Dailland does it justice. He also does a good job of tracing every move of Deneuve's face as she explores the intricate emotions of the damaged Marianne's psyche. Not to be missed. Place Vendôme opens Friday, December 18
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Place Vendôme, for those unfamiliar with the French capital, is one of the most prestigious addresses in Paris. It is dotted with "name" jewellers, the kind of boutiques that you go into only if the sum in your bank account resembles a long distance phone number.