La Fidelite

This is the BBC review: (www.bbc.co.uk)

No doubt "La Fidélité" will have its admirers (the entire population of Hampstead) simply because it is French and serious and beautifully shot. For some this heady cocktail is the very definition of cinema. However, proving that it is possible to dig deep into character, yet remain one-dimensional, "La Fidélité" is a joyless, miserable little film limited by repetitive situations (ie it's much too long) yet lifted by superlative acting.

NUDITY REPORT

Sophie Marceau's breasts and buttocks are seen, as we have come to expect. Other women appear topless at various times.

Taking his cue from "La Princesse de Clèves", France's first serious historical novel, director Andrzej Zulawski boots it into the modern world and filters this story of fidelity versus desire through an ever-earnest - and very modish - photographer (Sophie Marceau) who is hired by a sleaze-merchant to add class to one of his scandal-sheets. She falls for the charming gaucheness of an editor (Pascal Greggory) but becomes hooked on a blunt, loutish photographer who looks unnervingly like a perfectly-realised mix of Liam and Noel Gallagher. Perhaps Oasis once had a third sulky brother who had a spat with the other two and went off to live in Paris.

Zulawski wrote "La Fidélité" for Sophie Marceau (his partner these last fifteen years), and if a director proves his love by letting his lady hog the screen then Zulawski has passion aplenty.

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Marceau, who never turns in a bad performance, takes to the complexity of a young woman who is poised on the surface yet crumbling within, even if the actress is required to illustrate the same points ad nauseam. And Pascal Greggory expresses his character's inadequacy as strongly as Marceau. A bit of a French so what.

The Critics Vote

BBC reviewed it 2/5. No other reviews available.

The People Vote ...

With their votes ... IMDB summary: IMDb voters score it 6.6, but this score is based upon only 20 votes.