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For the ignorant, 2000 may not have been the best year for film. The subtitled Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon destroyed records for both box office take and Academy Award nominations. Fellow Best Picture nominee Traffic contains more than a few segments that feature non-English dialogue. One could even argue that Chocolat, another Best Picture contender, should have been filmed in French (it's not like Juliette Binoche is unfamiliar with the language). Some bewildered moviegoers have thrown up their hands in frustration, saying things like, "I wanna see that there picture about the flying lions and the ducking tigers, but the durn thing ain't in American, Cletus."
Don't expect ol' Cletus to be in the ticket line with you for Place Vendôme (unless inbreeding has suddenly created a race of hillbillies with a fondness for subtle French noir). The film was released over two years ago in Europe, where it was a smash sensation, garnering star Catherine Deneuve a Best Actress Award at the Venice Film Festival and racking up an impressive 12 César nominations (the French equivalent of the Oscar).
Vendôme takes its name from a ritzy area in Paris known for being the home of several of the world's most prestigious jewelry stores. Deneuve (Dancer in the Dark) plays Marianne, the alcoholic wife of one of Vendôme's biggest diamond merchants. Vincent (Bernard Fresson) accepts the fact that his wife is a lush who spends most of her time in clinics, trotting her out in public a few times each year for special occasions.
When the film opens, Vincent has, through some undetermined yet devious means, obtained several large, valuable diamonds. One night, he shows a drunken Marianne the stones and their hiding place, and then kills himself the following day. She learns that their jewelry store is on the verge of bankruptcy and that Vincent has been having an affair with a woman (The Ninth Gate's Emmanuelle Seigner) who could be a younger version of Marianne (literally, in one flashback).
The rest of Vendôme shows Marianne pulling herself together to use the illicitly obtained jewels to free herself from the shady underworld of international diamond trading. She's kind of like the Catherine Zeta-Jones character in Traffic, doing what she has to do to protect her own future, no matter how crooked or underhanded. Marianne uses old contacts and ex-lovers to weave her way through the rough jewelry trade racket - a game in which everyone's goal is to out-con each other. Reputable dealers won't touch Marianne's booty, leaving her to deal with seedy characters in hotel rooms.
Vendôme isn't a typical film about stolen jewels. There isn't a lick of action, and its slow, methodical pace may frighten off those who weren't already scared by the subtitles. Like any deliberately sluggish film that's worth watching, Vendôme is held together by the very strong performance of its star. Sure, I'd probably watch Deneuve read a phonebook for two hours, but France's national treasure is terrific in her subtly restrained and underplayed role. Not a lot of people could have pulled it off, but she does, and, as always, with style.
Vendôme was written and directed by French actress Nicole Garcia, who penned the script with Jacques Fieschi (The School of Flesh). Film buffs may notice that Fresson and Deneuve also played husband and wife 30 years ago in Bunuel's Belle de Jour.
1:57 - Not Rated but includes nudity and adult language
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