La Moustache
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Cylia Malki, Emmanuelle Devos, Hippolyte Girardot, Mathieu Amalric, Vincent LindonBrand: Koch International
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 87 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-01-16
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Koch Lorber Films
Product features:
- LA MOUSTACHE is a surrealist tale about a man who shaves off his beloved moustache after asking his girlfriend whether she thinks it would be a good idea. After the final remnants of his formerly magnificent creation are washed down the sink the man stands back to see what friends and family think.only to find that none of them notice any difference in his appearance. A crisis of confidence ensue
Movie Reviews of La Moustache
Movie Review: Descent into madness? Maybe yes, maybe no.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an absolutely incredible film. Just wonderful.
I read the book a couple of years ago and recently re-read it. As I looked it up, I found a film had been made-- I didn't know about it-- so I immediately purchased a copy.
If you haven't read the book, you must. And, this time, reading the book first is probably a good choice.
I'm baffled that some seem to think the ending was unclear. I think it was very clear. However, I don't want to include any spoilers here. It's exactly as it seems to be. Exactly. So, if you're confused and looking for a hidden meaning, you won't find one. It's exactly as the main character understands it to be at the very end.
The movie starts out with Marc asking his wife, Agnes, if he should shave his mustache. He does, and she doesn't notice. As a matter of fact, nobody notices. When he confronts his wife and friends, they insist that he has not had a mustache for at least 15 years. Obviously, somebody is either lying or going crazy. He is suspicious of his wife and friends for quite a while, but then begins to believe that they are indeed telling the truth, and he is somewhat removed from reality. Again, however, he starts distrusting his wife, since strangers recognize his mustache in older pictures.
Who is telling the truth? Who is insane? The film begins with us clearly seeing Marc's mustache. We also clearly see the hairs he trims, the hairs he washes away in the tub, and the hairs he washes away in his shaving tray. We watch him complete his entire shaving ritual-- first using shaving scissors, then an old-fashioned razor. We see everything through Marc's eyes. We meet his Serge and his wife. We hear Agnes talk about going to Marc's parents for lunch. What is real and what isn't?
Both Vincent Lindon and Emmanuelle Devos do a perfect job here. There isn't constant chatter or dialogue and nuances are delivered through subtle expression. They are both so wonderful-- Lindon in particular.
This movie is not about middle aged angst and it's not about a marriage falling apart nor is it about a man entering a 15 year time warp. It also is not a comedy by any stretch of the imagination-- although, like life, there might be some time you find yourself laughing a bit-- but it's due to the absurdity of the situation and the empathy the characters inspire.
The music is gorgeous and the cinematography beautiful. This is very much recommended.
Note: The ending here is different from the book. The book's ending is a stunner. When I was finished, I just sat there wide-eyed-- not believing what I just finished reading. I re-read the last few pages because it was so unbelievably shocking.
That ending definitely wouldn't have worked here. At the end of the film, I was almost praying I wouldn't have to see what I read in the book. It might have worked visually, but I doubted that it would. Carrere made the right choice here when deciding to change the ending. Again, if you read the book, you wouldn't wonder at all who was right all along or if one of the characters were truly crazy. There is no ambiguity in the book. However, there's no ambiguity here, either. It just hits you with a half a ton of bricks rather than a full ton. And, that's not criticism-- a half ton still knocks you over. Just make sure you realize that the main character understands the truth at the end, and you will understand, too.
Summary of La Moustache
One day, on a whim, Marc decides to shave off the mustache he?s worn all of his adult life. He waits patiently for his wife?s reaction, but neither she nor his friends seem to notice. Stranger still, when he finally tells them, they all insist he never had a mustache. Is Marc going mad? Is he the victim of some elaborate conspiracy? Or has something in the world?s order gone terribly awry?"an intriguing study of identity, marriage and madness" ? Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
"La Moustache," the first feature by novelist Emmanuel Carrere, begins as a comedy, but grows darker and darker by the frame. It's like a Hitchcock thriller filtered through the mind of Austrian firebrand Michael Haneke, who gave us Caché (Hidden)." ? V.A. Musetto, New York Post
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