The Widow of Saint-Pierre

Starring:Juliette Binoche, Daniel Auteuil, Emir Kusturica, Michel Duchaussoy, Philippe Magnan, Christian Charmetant, Philippe Du Janerand, Maurice Chevit, Catherine Lascault, Ghyslain Tremblay, Reynald Bouchard, Marc BÃ©land, Yves Jacques, Dominique Quesnel, Anne-Marie Philipe, Isabelle Spade, Arianne Mallet, JuliÃ¡n GutiÃ©rrez, Sylvie Moreau, Genevieve Cocke
Director: Patrice Leconte
Studio: Lions Gate
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Deeply Inspiring
Widow In Black
Perfect love makes perfection in all.
The Many Widows of St-Pierre
A brilliant film!

The Widow of Saint-Pierre
Starring: Juliette Binoche , Daniel Auteuil , Emir Kusturica , Michel Duchaussoy , and Philippe Magnan
Director: Patrice Leconte
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005N89H
Release Date: 2001-09-18

Customer Reviews:

Deeply Inspiring.......2006-05-30

A very special story that sheds glowing light on the beautiful capacities of the human heart. I found myself deeply inspired to create new paintings while watching this true story unfold. Dael DaelArt.com

Widow In Black.......2005-08-20

Juliette Binoche is an amazing actress. Since her Best Supporting Actress Oscar for "The English Patient" in 1996 and her nomination for "Chocolat," she's an actress whose films I seek. "The Widow of Saint-Pierre" has a bit of irony to the title. The opening frames show Binoche in black staring out of a window. We then move into the flashback in which most of the film moves forward. We learn that the "widow" is the guillotine that must be shipped by boat from France before the big execution can take place. We see director Emir Kusturica in an acting role as the very large prisoner Neel whose rehabilitation Binoche's Madame La seeks. We keep wondering if the black dress is saved for the prisoner. Daniel Autereil who won a Cesar (French Oscar) for his work with director Patrice Leconte for "Ridicule" in 1996 plays the lovestruck Captain who is in charge of the execution. Spurred on by his wild and unconditional love for his wife, he thwarts the town's sentence of death at every turn, refusing to allow his soldiers to help haul the widow ship to shore. In the moment of ultimate irony, Neel volunteers to help bring the widow to shore, which is sure to result in his own execution. The bloody resolution and the final shots of Binoche in black bring the story to its somber conclusion. Patrice Leconte has a great reserve, shooting this excellent screenplay in period costume and letting the depth of his cast work its magic. This is an incredibly tragic romance, one that works exquisitely. Enjoy!

Perfect love makes perfection in all. .......2005-02-19

I find it odd that when reviewing the reviews of this film that people seem to either give it perfect or abysmal scores. The dichotomy of opinion is probably a direct result of the skill and immense power of Leconte's images, (especially those that his chosen actress affords us).

Leconte is a master and quite possibly the greatest living auteur currently making films. His movies often contain a refreshing difficulty that gives one hope that images still mean something, that film is still worthy of being explicated, that someone still cares enough to think that much without being overly clever such as the Coens and Anderson. I shouldn't say still. I should say is and will be, as Leconte is on a different level than any who has ever worked including Kieslowski (the master of images). I enjoy how Leconte has said that although it was his second period piece he approached the film as if that had nothing to do with it, learning from "Ridicule". I should point that out I have no problem with "Ridicule" and the fact that it is a period piece has a great deal to do with the presentation, but I can see what he meant. Like I said, I enjoy the statement, but I should also point out I'm a jerk.

Binoche and Auteuil are two of my favorite actors and this film shows them at their virtuosic best. They deliver amazing performances of a truly passionate couple who both hold unconditional love for the other which in itself contains ultimate trust of decision and character. Possibly more Auteuil's for Binoche's but the sympathy generated by his character fuels her as an equally sharing partner, making any difference negligible. There is a third character, Neel, but he is there only to accentuate the relationship between the other two.

The movie, quite simply is about unconditional love and what it means to love unconditionally. There is a subplot of equal merits (mainly concerning Neel) about the belief in redemption, and what it truly means to believe in redemption. In short it is about the consequences of action through belief, more so out of the love for another than those of moral ground or stance. Some people are not willing to accept the belief that actions can or should occur solely out of sympathy for another. Some people will never allow themselves to love unconditionally. Some people will not understand or even like this film.

Binoche deserves a prize that doesn't yet exist for her most exquisite performance. Leconte deserves recognition for what he has done and what he has given us with this film, certainly one of the best I have ever seen.

The Many Widows of St-Pierre.......2005-01-04

Early on, a comment is made that there are many widows in the neighborhood. It is an oddly pertinent observation.

Too many reviewers have written about pre-revolutionary France, Canada, and how the story must be totally unrelated to reality - wrong on all counts, also English spelling, recognition of famous actors on-screen, and basic comprehension of literature and art.

The story is quite realistic and perhaps historical, and, the behavior of Neel - where else would he go in an island of snow, or isolation? If sobriety does his character such good, perhaps he is truly remorseful, and grateful for the undeserved years given him. It was a given that Mme. La wasn't just another Republican, as it were, with vulgar bourgeois mores and tastes, and shallow tri-colore-wearing patriotism. In showing Neel humanity, his humanity was developed, not without a bit of recidivism when provoked, but he was reformed enough for it to be obvious to the rest of the islanders. Part of the tension is between the reformation of Neel, and the typical bureaucrats [invented in France for export to the White House] failing to take any initiative or possessing imagination at all.

The actual guillotine is in a museum on the island, and the islands are still part of the French Republic, not at all Canadian - the only place in the region using Euros. I guess you'd need to go to the Falklands, if you were to find another in this hemisphere! The French had been completely revolted, and Napoleon had begun strutting his stuff long before the century of the film. The French had even beaten us to ending slavery by this time!

Considering the facts' placement in history, surely the story could have unfolded much as the movie portrays.

A brilliant film!.......2004-10-10

This film tells a powerful story, a "Crime and Punishment"-esque recovery of the soul, except without the ending that Dostoevsky had in his novel. After Neel Auguste committs the murder, Madame La (Juliette Binoche), much like Dostoevsky's Sonya, takes on the monumental task of recovering a lost soul and succeeds. Those who suggest this film is unrealistic have no grasp of eternal, Christian values of compassion and those who call this film ideological propaganda have no appreciation for beauty, as the acting (by all three, especially Kusturica and Auteuil, whom I have discovered through this film and who almost eclipse the talented Binoche), the cinematography, and the directing are absolutely brilliant.

This is a must-watch for many different kinds of people, from those interested in St. Pierre & Miquelon (I had to look up the islands on a map and was surprised to learn they are French, not Canadian), to those who would like an illustration of why there is never a soul, lost forever, to those who would just like to receive aesthetic pleasure from a beautiful film.

Finally, some have commented on the character of Neel Auguste, saying that he is "retarded" for not running away. Do not let a comment like that fool you. It would not be made had the reviewer understood the character or even picked up on a direct quote from Madame La, "You are so fatalistic!". Never trust someone who tells you not to watch a movie. Watch it and decide for yourself. I cannot envision that you wouldn't like it.

La Veuve De Saint-Pierre / The Widow of St. Pierre (Orignal French Version With English Subtiles)

Average customer rating:

A Brilliant and Somber Film

La Veuve De Saint-Pierre / The Widow of St. Pierre (Orignal French Version With English Subtiles)

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000EMP9C8

Product Description

1849, on the cod islands of Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, two drunk men commit a senseless murder. One is sentenced to death and must wait in the custody of the captain of the island's guard until a guillotine can arrive from Martinique. During the months of waiting, the convict Neel Auguste becomes the protégé of the captain's wife, Madame La. As she guides Neel to redemption through good works, sobriety, and study, the men of the small French elite who govern the islands criticize the captain for the latitude he gives his wife. He offends them further through his extraordinary love for her, his abrupt manner, and his growing defense of Neel. What will he do when the guillotine arrives?

Customer Reviews:

A Brilliant and Somber Film.......2006-04-16

THE WIDOW has to do with the intersection of law, destiny, criminal guilt, and rehabilitation. In other words, it's serious business. The compelling acting of Binochet and company carries off this understated (yet melodramatic!) film. Many long takes and minimal dialogue.

Warning: Capital punishment advocates should probably avoid this film, as THE WIDOW may behead their belief.

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