Bel Ami (DVD)

I came to this film seeing that it had a terrible rating on rottentomatoes and some mixed reviews generally . I have to also confess to hating Twilight.

But, but. I have read the book a number of years ago and thoroughly recommend it. It is a story of nasty people using other people to get what they want. If you don't think this is relevant to your own life then open your eyes and look around you. Or look in the mirror. The author, Guy de Maupassant, by all accounts does not seem to have been a terribly nice fellow himself and I believe (I'll need to check later) died of syphilis. The importance of the novel is the questions that it poses, essentially all the big ones: is there another life or is this it? What would you do to advance your own position in life? How do you treat people depending on your perception of their use to you? How much energy do you spend in exacting petty revenge for wrongs done to you? Do you fear death? These are big questions, and they are questions wrapped up within the story of a vain, self-pitying, ruthless, talentless 19th century Parisian toyboy and his manipulation of women and, their manipulation of him. Read the book. In particular, the description of the death of Charles Forrestier is one of the most terrifying descriptions of dying and death I have ever read.

So, the important thing is, given that the filmakers have set themselves the task of interpreting the book, does it succeed?

Emphatically , yes. I was very impressed by Robert Pattinson (and I hate Twilight) who succeeds brilliantly in conveying the emptiness, inadequacy and rage of the central character, who loathes himself, and the women he seduces, in equal measure. Think "what does it profit a man to gain the world and lose his own soul", and you've got the general point. The supporting cast were all equally impressive.

Having read Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant, I looked forward to seeing Georges Duroy brought to life on the big screen. I wasn't disappointed. This isn't your usual "same old, same old" Hollywood tripe, this is a classy period drama with lots of twists and turns and yes it is erotic too. The cast are fabulous, Christina Ricci excels in the role of Clotilde, Georges long term mistress and really the only one he actually has genuine love for. Kristen Scott Thomas manages to pull off the role of Virginie, a pious 50 something married high society woman who falls hook, line and sinker for a younger man, Georges. Robert Pattinson gives an impressive performance away from his Twilight persona, showing he has some real acting chops, he is captivating onscreen. Georges is not an easy character to play, he's shallow, empty and heartless and will stop at nothing to get what he wants and he doesn't care who he hurts along the way and Pattinson does a great job of portraying his callousness yet gives the character a certain amount of warmth, enough to have you understand why this man is the way he is. A highly enjoyable film from directors Declan Donnellan & Nick Ormerod. The costumes and sets are pretty special given the low budget for the film. Definitely worth watching.

Make sure you see this movie!! I wasn't sure about it at first and I will admit I was watching it for Robert Pattinson but when I saw this movie I was totally drawn in to the story. It's so different because there's not really any good people in the story but Clotilde but I loved watching the story unfold.

Not usually what I'd go for but loved it!