Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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62 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Diamonds and Memories, 10 Feb 2003
By A Customer
Catherine Deneuve gives one of her finest performances in this elegantly crafted film from director Nicole Garcia. It is beautifully shot in the diamond district of France, even the rain glistening on the sidewalks like fine jewels. This is a complex film of intrigue and personal demons in a world where people love each other a little and use each other a lot, cutting the heart like a diamond, in a swift, irreversible stroke.Marianne (Catherine Deneuve) is the alcoholic wife of a respected jeweler who is only brought out on special occasions, spending most of her life in a rehab for the wealthy which is her primary home. She is forced to pull herself together when her husband Vincent Malivert kills himself, leaving behind a fortune in diamonds that have a questionable history. When she attempts to find a buyer for them she discovers the cache was stolen in it's uncut form from the Russian Mafia. As the intrigue escalates, Marianne's own past in the world of diamond dealers is revealed, including the betrayel which blacklisted her as a jewel dealer and drove her to the bottle. She will be forced to confront the demons in her past when her betrayer and his new protege come into the picture. Stunning beauty Emmanuelle Seigner has a pivotal role as the mirror image of Marianne 20 years before, unaware that history may be repeating itself. Marianne will have to choose between revenge and redemption to discover if love really does mean getting lied to and betrayed. Deneuve, one of the world's finest actersses and greatest beauties, lets her hair down and imbues her character with a subtle vulnerability that won her Best Actress honors at the Venice Film Festival, and had it been a little less foreign and a bit more flashy, could easily have garnered an Oscar as well. If you like foreign films, or Catherine Deneuve, or both, this is definitely one you'll want to add to your collection.
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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A rich, sumptuous, aromatic blend of fine French fare..., 18 Aug 2001
A masterpiece of French cinema set in the jewel district of Paris. Place Vendome follows the decadent, indolent life of a rich, high society drunk (Deneuve) as she comes to terms with the death of her husband. At turns thriller, drama and romance Place Vendome will leave you with the sense of having seen, touched and even gorged on the opulent lives detailed therein. Get it, or regret it!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Clever and classy - French cinema at its finest, 26 Sep 2007
If you only ever watch one French film, watch this.
For me, this is probably Catherine Deneuve's finest hour and I totally agree with the reviewer who said she should have been Oscar nominated. However, I also agree that her performance was probably far too subtle, too broad in range and just too classy for the Accademy Awards.
A clever thriller combined with a heart-rending psychological study of a mis-treated woman who has descended into unhappy addiction, it also benefits from beautiful camera work, and a magnificent supporting cast - including the Place Vendome area itself. And the contrast and comparison between Deneuve's character and that of Emmanuelle Sagnier is marvellously understated but obvious at the same time.
If you like elegantly paced but very powerful stories and exemplary acting, look no further than this film.
I personally rate it as one to see before you die - sorry to use a worn-out cliche, but this film is genuinely that good.
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