8 Women
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Movie Reviews of 8 Women
Movie Review: Une Gemme
Summary: 5 Stars
Huit Femme is reminiscent of that 80s mystery: Clue. The house is isolated in a snowstorm as a wealthy industrialist is murdered over the Noel saison. Extended members of his family and two servants are the suspects. Every suspect is a woman. Hence the Huit Femme. This movie is packed with renowned French actresses (Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Fanny Ardant, Danielle Darrieux et Emmanuelle Beart). This is an all-star cast, and the actresses display performances befitting their high reputations. There are a number of comic scenes in this movie, like the mother-in-law (Danielle) being locked in a closet, and Augustine (Isabelle) spitting on her sister (Catherine), which helps make this movie enjoyable. But there are serious moments as well, as everyone's individual secret is revealed. This movie is a mixture of comedy, drama and mystery. But what makes this movie a gem are the individual singing performances of the huit femmes. This alone, makes the movie worth watching. If you've always longed to know what it would be like to hear Catherine sing, you can find out in this movie. There is even a kissing scene between Gaby (Catherine) and Pierette (Fanny), which alone, is worth the price of admission. It's not until the very end when we discover who the culprit really is. It's not who you would think. I've seen this movie countless times and I never cease to be entertained. In short, an all-star cast can only create a first-class movie. Merci beaucoup pour ce film. Vraiment superb.Movie Review: If you see one French musical murder mystery this year.....
Summary: 5 Stars
After the absorbing "Under The Sand", director Francois Ozon has completely changed tack with this delightful confection starring some of French cinema's most legendary and indeed most beautiful actresses. Taking his cue from the stereotypical murder mystery with suspects trapped in a secluded mansion, Ozon has transformed this into a colourful and sometimes even camp (in the best sense of the word) film with women at the centre.It is difficult to single out individual performances - however the two youngest actresses, Virginie Ledoyen and Ludivine Sagnier suffer a little in the presence of the great firmament of acting. Catherine Deneuve, as always is luminous while Firmine Richard gets the best song, and her delivery gives it added pathos. Emmanuelle Beart is sultry, Fanny Ardant is vampy and the grande dame of the cinema, Danielle Darrieux ("Voluers! Assasins!") adds great comic touches. However, by a nose the most outstanding performace has to be Isabelle Huppert's spinster, Augustine. It would have been easy to go over the top with her character (and at times she veers dangerously close) but she is able to pull back and her "singing moment" challenges Richard's for being the most heart-breaking.
The film does betray its theatrical origins sometimes but this lends itself to the artifice that Ozon wishes to create. Once you have got over the unlikely scenario of suspects in a murder breaking into song, you will sit back and thoroughly enjoy this winning musical.
Movie Review: Highly Entertaining and Original Film
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of the most enjoyable films I've seen in years. Francois Ozon is the best new director to emerge from France in the past decade, most of his films are considerably darker than this mystery/musical but he shifts gears beautifully (the movie does have a whiff of the comic decadence that is the Ozon trademark.) The movie is beautifully photographed with a glossy look that evokes the American Technicolor films of the 1950's (especially the candy-colored films of Universal from the era such as Douglas Sirk's soap operas.) The movie is in fact set in the 1950's although this point is not stressed. The whole cast is wonderful and for the most part, sing great. I've played many of the song tracks again and again. Ludvine Sagner as a great French teen rock-n-roll number, Frimine Richard sings a very moving ballad, and French film legend Danielle Darrieux (a movie star for over 70 years!!) closes the film with a poignant number. Catherine Deneuve may not be much of a singer but she is still a gorgeous screen presence in her late fifties and recalls Lana Turner here in her chic matron period (although Lana was almost 20 years younger during this stint than Catherine is now!!) I do want to add though my copy of this DVD does not come equipped to turn the English subtitles off as others have also stated. I frankly much prefer EIGHT WOMEN to the recent American film musicals that have made a splash, it's a love letter to eight outstanding French actresses.Movie Review: French Femmes Fatales Find the Funnybone in F Sharp
Summary: 5 Stars
Go see this movie and don't wait until it is remade into a bad American version This is a delightful, go for broke, silly film, that allows its cast and the audience to have a great time at the movies. How often does French cinema treat its audience to a cast that includes some of France's most glamorous leading ladies (Deneuve, Huppert, Ardant, Beart)doing full on slapstick comedy and song? 8 women, trapped in a mansion during a snowstorm in the 1950's, find the master of the house dead. All 8 women are suspects, and are guilty of secrets, as well as digging up the dirt on one another, mud slinging, insult hurling and then singing their hearts out. One of the characters may be guilty of murder, and we learn that they all had motives....Production values are high and attention to detail in costumes and sets are noticeable with an effort to reproduce the images of Technicolor films of the 50's. Isabelle Huppert is a show stealer as the bitter spinster sister Augustine to Catherine Deneuve's Gaby. Director Francois Ozon inspires great performances and manages to pull off a pretty quirky idea. I loved this film but I suppose it is not for everyone. If you are up for a well made French comedy that is a little twisted with sharp witted writing, then sit back and enjoy this French bonbon. Don't worry about the subtitles. You will be laughing so hard you will forget you are reading them. Fun web site shows trailer and clips of songs and much moreMovie Review: Magnifique!
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw this film in Europe in the summer of 2002, and really, really loved it. How the director ever managed to get virtually the entire A-list of French actresses to agree to star in the same film must be regarded as a triumph and something to be savoured. The comedy and the mystery aspects of this films are wonderfully balanced so that just when you think you've figured it all out, the director throws in a curve that keeps you on your toes--not to mention the French pop songs that keep popping up in odd yet pleasing ways. The image that comes to mind is of a murder mystery in which there is a sub-plot of a girl having trouble with her boyfriend/husband/significant other--then bursting into a rendition of Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Were Made for Walking" just as he walks into the room. HOWEVER, French and Spanish speakers beware! For us, this DVD was not put together well. Unlike most DVD's the viewer cannot remove the English subtitles from the bottom of the screen. The only opition open is to add Spanish subtitles over the top third of the screen so that they compete with the English subtitles over the bottom third of the screen. Using the Spanish subtitles will essentially block out most of the video footage. Since I bought the DVD thinking I could erase the English subtitles, I was disappointed with the features of the DVD. The movie itself is still one of my favourites of the year and I am very glad I bought it.