Balzac: A Life of Passion
List Price:
Our Price: $7.79
You Save: $12.19 (61%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Fanny Ardant, Gérard Depardieu, Jeanne Moreau, Katja Riemann, Virna LisiDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); French (Original Language); Spanish (Original Language); English (Original Language); Italian (Original Language); French (Dubbed)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 200 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-12-19
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Fox Lorber
Movie Reviews of Balzac: A Life of Passion
Movie Review: For the wont of a Mother's love;how one's life is affected
Summary: 5 Stars
Can a three hour miniseries do justice to one of the most prolific French authors ever? No, but this one does sweep through Balzac's life and hits the high points enough to make one want to read or know more.If there is one central theme to this entire series it is this:the little boy in Balzac NEVER got over the simple fact that his Mother never loved him.Everything he did,touched,wrote was colored by his cold abandonment of his Mother.With that in mind,watch this sweeping biopic masterfully executed by the likes of Gerard Depardieu,Jeanne Moreau and Fanny Ardent and be transported into a very accurate portrayal of the times that the likes of Balzac,Hugo,Sand and Sue lived and wrote.EXCELLENT COMPANION FILMS would be COLONEL CHABERT and COUSIN BETTE (both adapted from Balzac) and LES MISERABLES (by Victor Hugo) and IMPROMPTU (about Georges Sand and Chopin) to help fill in the spaces in that period of history.
DO NOT PURCHASE THE ENGLISH DUBBED VERSION!!!! Stick to the original.It is VERY accessible and readable on VHS or DVD.
Summary of Balzac: A Life of Passion
Lovers of 19th-century French literature and contemporary French cinema will probably get the most out of this 210-minute march through the sensual life of Honoré de Balzac. Those not familiar with the work of this spectacularly prolific writer might be disappointed, since this biopic only touches on the great works in a cursory way. Several times throughout the narrative, the great author hears a few sentences, gets a faraway look in his eyes, and says, "You know, that would make a great story..." before dashing offscreen to his study, presumably to deliver yet another masterpiece. This French-made small-screen production is dominated by the charismatic presence of Gerard Depardieu, who taxes his skills to seem as spectacularly fat and physically unattractive as the legendary writer and lover of women. Practically all the actual lovemaking takes place offscreen; onscreen, impassioned oration is the order of the day. Depardieu is almost matched monologue for monologue by an even greater French star, Jeanne Moreau, who plays his brooding, eternally unsatisfied mother with an unchanging icy grandeur. Ridicule's Fanny Ardant shows a far greater development of character as Countess Eve Hanska, the indecisive Russian noblewoman who steals Balzac's heart and inspires his greatest work--while footing the bill for the excesses of his grandiose lifestyle. --Grant BalfourSimilar DVD Movies
1900 (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)DENIRO,ROBERT; Release date: 2006-12-05; DVD
Best price: $14.49
Price in other shops:
The DamnedRAMPLING,CHARLOTTE; Release date: 2004-02-17; Published: 2004-02-01; DVD
Best price: $17.35
Price in other shops:
Children of the CenturyKoch International; Release date: 2004-01-20; DVD
Best price: $6.83
Price in other shops:
Los Borgia (The Borgias)Music Video Dist; Release date: 2009-06-09; DVD
Best price: $4.54
Price in other shops:
All the Mornings of the World (Tous les matins du monde) Two-Disc EditionKoch International; Release date: 2006-03-07; DVD
Best price: $20.44
Price in other shops:
MoliereSony; Release date: 2008-01-22; DVD
Best price: $8.74
Price in other shops:
Jean De Florette / Manon of the Spring (Double Feature)TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2007-07-24; Published: 1987; DVD
Best price: $12.74
Price in other shops:
The Count of Monte CristoKoch International; Release date: 2005-12-06; DVD
Best price: $15.45
Price in other shops:
Cyrano de BergeracSony; Release date: 2004-02-10; DVD
Best price: $7.17
Price in other shops:
VatelBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2001-08-07; Published: 2001-08-01; DVD
Best price: $12.81
Price in other shops: