Late director Luc Bondy staged a modernized version of Pierre de Marivaux's 1737 comedy Les Fausses Confidences at Paris's Théâtre de l'Odéon in 2014, and during the day he filmed the production for French TV, using the theatre's rooms and hallways as his settings. The major draw here is Isabelle Huppert, who stars as Araminte, a wealthy widow secretly loved by Dorante (Louis Garrel), a penniless young man whose ex-valet (Yves Jacques)—now in Araminte's service—arranges to have him hired as her accountant so that he can win her hand. Araminte's mother (Bulle Ogier), however, wants her daughter to wed a wealthy nobleman instead, while her servant Marton (Manon Combes) falls for Dorante herself—and believes that Dorante loves her. Marivaux works out this complicated combination of deception and romance in suave fashion, and Bondy's conception may well have shone onstage, but in the cavernous spaces of the Odéon's interior it often feels leaden and dull (only a couple scenes are shot outdoors). As always, Huppert is vivacious (and wears some striking costumes, including a shiny gold tracksuit), but the other actors—particularly the handsome but inexpressive Garrel—are nondescript (with the exception of the veteran Ogier, who brings bulldog ferocity to her role). A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)
False Confessions
Big World Pictures, 85 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.95, Nov. 28 Volume 33, Issue 1
False Confessions
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