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Product Description
This moving and powerful drama from the acclaimed director of 'Alice and Martin' and 'Strayed' follows the lives of a group of friends and lovers in 1980s France. Handsome young Manu (Johan Libérau) arrives in Paris where he shares a cheap hotel room with his sister (Julie Depardieu). He soon strikes up a platonic friendship with fifty-something Adrien (Michel Blanc) who introduces Manu to his friends Sarah (Emmanuelle Béart) and her partner Mehdi (Sami Bouajila). Unexpectedly, sparks fly between Manu and Mehdi and the two embark upon a secret and passionate affair that will ultimately change everybody's lives. Brilliantly evoking the period and featuring some exceptional performances, André Techiné's remarkable film confirms his place as one of contemporary French cinema's finest directors.
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: French ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN, SPECIAL FEATURES: Biographies, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: A dramatic relationship between four characters: a homosexual police inspector who crosses paths with a doctor, a writer and an opera singer. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: Berlin International Film Festival, Ceasar Awards, ...The Witnesses ( Les Témoins )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
'The Witnesses' (French, with English subtitles) from inimitable director André Téchiné (Les Voleurs, Wild Reeds, J'Embrasse Pas, Les Innocents) presents an intelligent character study - the genre at which French Cinema is truly unsurpassed.
Manu, a young gay man (early 20s) arrives in Paris in the summer of 1984 and lives with his older sister, a budding opera singer, in a hotel used by pimps and prostitutes. He soon encounters a doctor, Adrien (Michel Blanc), a man in his 50s. Adrien's love for Manu is unrequited, yet over a hazy summer he introduces Manu to the delights of Paris, and to a young couple of his acquaintance.
This young married couple - Mehdi (a vice squad policeman) and Sarah (a writer) - have an open relationship, made stormy by the arrival of their new baby, for whom Sarah can find no maternal love. An unexpected attraction blossoms between Manu and Mehdi, and the two embark on a secret affair.
Manu thus forms the locus of the group comprising his sister Julie, the older doctor Adrien, Mehdi and Sarah, each of whom has a differing emotional connection to each other. And this is really the key to 'The Witnesses'. The early 1980s setting certainly allows the spectre of the then-new AIDS virus to hover over the group, along with the politics of the era (insensitive, senseless, law enforcement excursions versus militant AIDS activism). However, the film is not intended (and does not operate) as a period piece for AIDS; the latter is more a metaphorical device for exploring the effects of 'new arrivals' upon existing relationships. The film's primary brilliance lies not in its plot (which could perhaps be described as flat and somewhat unoriginal) but as an expertly-constructed character study.
This is evident not least from the outstanding cast, which includes Michel Blanc, Emmanuelle Béart and Julie Depardieu. Blanc, as the ageing doctor, and Béart as the confused Sarah, offer particularly compelling performances; though the entire line up is formidable. Viewers should not expect a poignant or melodramatic storyline, but instead a feast of three-dimensional characters, highly complex, each with their own intensely human flaws and foibles. No fairytale story, this; rather a melting pot of base desires and diverse, elusive motivations.
'The Witnesses' will stand (and indeed deserves) multiple viewings to appreciate its incisive, nuanced portrayal of the dynamics of human relationships.
(Other notes: the DVD release (Dolby Digital sound) offers nothing substantive in the way of extras: a theatrical trailer and filmographies of three cast members.)
Manu, a young gay man (early 20s) arrives in Paris in the summer of 1984 and lives with his older sister, a budding opera singer, in a hotel used by pimps and prostitutes. He soon encounters a doctor, Adrien (Michel Blanc), a man in his 50s. Adrien's love for Manu is unrequited, yet over a hazy summer he introduces Manu to the delights of Paris, and to a young couple of his acquaintance.
This young married couple - Mehdi (a vice squad policeman) and Sarah (a writer) - have an open relationship, made stormy by the arrival of their new baby, for whom Sarah can find no maternal love. An unexpected attraction blossoms between Manu and Mehdi, and the two embark on a secret affair.
Manu thus forms the locus of the group comprising his sister Julie, the older doctor Adrien, Mehdi and Sarah, each of whom has a differing emotional connection to each other. And this is really the key to 'The Witnesses'. The early 1980s setting certainly allows the spectre of the then-new AIDS virus to hover over the group, along with the politics of the era (insensitive, senseless, law enforcement excursions versus militant AIDS activism). However, the film is not intended (and does not operate) as a period piece for AIDS; the latter is more a metaphorical device for exploring the effects of 'new arrivals' upon existing relationships. The film's primary brilliance lies not in its plot (which could perhaps be described as flat and somewhat unoriginal) but as an expertly-constructed character study.
This is evident not least from the outstanding cast, which includes Michel Blanc, Emmanuelle Béart and Julie Depardieu. Blanc, as the ageing doctor, and Béart as the confused Sarah, offer particularly compelling performances; though the entire line up is formidable. Viewers should not expect a poignant or melodramatic storyline, but instead a feast of three-dimensional characters, highly complex, each with their own intensely human flaws and foibles. No fairytale story, this; rather a melting pot of base desires and diverse, elusive motivations.
'The Witnesses' will stand (and indeed deserves) multiple viewings to appreciate its incisive, nuanced portrayal of the dynamics of human relationships.
(Other notes: the DVD release (Dolby Digital sound) offers nothing substantive in the way of extras: a theatrical trailer and filmographies of three cast members.)
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The first 25 mins of this movie were rather dull and I was about to turn it off but then something extraordinary happened and I was glued to my seat.
Many of the most important issues are raised in the plot of the movie - cruising, sex with stranges, unprotected sex, bisexual loves, prostitution, open relationships etc.
If you like mind stimulting films, then this one is for you and it won't depress you as some other gay movies with the sad endings. No tears were shed at the end, I was left with plenty of food for thought and enjoyed it thoroughly.
Many of the most important issues are raised in the plot of the movie - cruising, sex with stranges, unprotected sex, bisexual loves, prostitution, open relationships etc.
If you like mind stimulting films, then this one is for you and it won't depress you as some other gay movies with the sad endings. No tears were shed at the end, I was left with plenty of food for thought and enjoyed it thoroughly.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
For some reason Andre Techine gets overlooked when it comes to column interest and main headline film reviews in magazines and newspapers these days. I was not even aware if this film ever got a theatrical release in the UK or not. Its a shame because in the 70's and 80's a film maker like him would have had each of his films eagerly anticipated. Perhaps the ease at which adult relationships are depicted by French masters, makes it look so easy and is taken for granted nowadays.
Even so, with WILD REEDS, in 1994 quite a few people had to take notice of what was one of the most sublime films of the last 20 years.
The WITNESSES (a dull overused title) is not far off that mark, but because it has to cram a lot more story in a similar space of time, it feels a bit more hurried. But that is not to its detriment( quite a lot does happen in our lives in a year and a half if you think about it, even without an ailment to catch!). It harks back to the time when AIDS first came to light, but this is not a 'disease' story. Yes, a character is affected, and the plot is a little complicated (and the other reviewer has made an excellent synopsis of it) but Techine is more interested in how complicated humans and their interpersonal relationships can be. It is all done in that classic mature french style that no one else ever gets right without seeming heavy handed, and Techine coaxes excellent performances all around. It is a heartrending film in its way, and I'm sure its a film that I will watch again (always a criteria at the back of your mind when you are in a store!)
If you remember 'Wild Reeds' and had forogtten about what Techine was capable of, get this and you will soon be investigating the excellent 4 film box set that is available from the US (which, by the way, is worth it for 'Wild Reeds' alone, but also has the excellent MY FAVOURITE SEASON & J'EMBRASSE PAS as well.
Even so, with WILD REEDS, in 1994 quite a few people had to take notice of what was one of the most sublime films of the last 20 years.
The WITNESSES (a dull overused title) is not far off that mark, but because it has to cram a lot more story in a similar space of time, it feels a bit more hurried. But that is not to its detriment( quite a lot does happen in our lives in a year and a half if you think about it, even without an ailment to catch!). It harks back to the time when AIDS first came to light, but this is not a 'disease' story. Yes, a character is affected, and the plot is a little complicated (and the other reviewer has made an excellent synopsis of it) but Techine is more interested in how complicated humans and their interpersonal relationships can be. It is all done in that classic mature french style that no one else ever gets right without seeming heavy handed, and Techine coaxes excellent performances all around. It is a heartrending film in its way, and I'm sure its a film that I will watch again (always a criteria at the back of your mind when you are in a store!)
If you remember 'Wild Reeds' and had forogtten about what Techine was capable of, get this and you will soon be investigating the excellent 4 film box set that is available from the US (which, by the way, is worth it for 'Wild Reeds' alone, but also has the excellent MY FAVOURITE SEASON & J'EMBRASSE PAS as well.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
a valuable testimony
Techine has produced one of his most highly charged works in this film. It deals with Aids in the 1980s, and uses the distance in time to focus more on issues around it than the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by schumann_bg
Its ok, maybe better than ok
Its ok, maybe better than ok. The gay element was a bit off putting. Difficult to describe, the story follows the lives of a group of friends. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Shaun
A good story becomes a great film, thanks to impeccable acting by all...
A very moving and incredibly well acted film, this exceeded all my expectations, having bought it as part of an Emmanuelle Beart box set. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Tonkfan
An odd little gem
The Witnesses is, in many ways, a strange film. There are a number of inconsistencies within the film (the not-very-1984-style microwave or the modern people carriers in the... Read more
Published on 24 Jan 2009 by Hombre M
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