or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
17 used & new from £4.81

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Closet [DVD] [2001]
 
See larger image
 

The Closet [DVD] [2001]

DVD ~ Daniel Auteuil
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
RRP: £19.99
Price: £5.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £14.01 (70%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Usually dispatched within 7 to 11 days.
Items for dispatch to UK will be sold by Amazon's Preferred Merchant. (Why?)

13 new from £4.81 4 used from £4.82
Learn about Lovefilm
Amazon's choice for DVD rental.
With a 14 day FREE trial. Learn more

Frequently Bought Together

The Closet [DVD] [2001] + Romuald Et Juliette [DVD] [1990] + My Best Friend [DVD] [2007]
Total RRP: £53.97
Price For All Three: £17.94

Some of these items ship sooner than the others. Show details


What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Closet [DVD] [2001]
72% buy the item featured on this page:
The Closet [DVD] [2001] 4.3 out of 5 stars (15)
£5.98
Le Dîner De Cons [DVD]
8% buy
Le Dîner De Cons [DVD] 3.8 out of 5 stars (33)
£4.98
Apres Vous [DVD] [2005]
7% buy
Apres Vous [DVD] [2005] 3.4 out of 5 stars (9)
£2.98
Romuald Et Juliette [DVD] [1990]
7% buy
Romuald Et Juliette [DVD] [1990] 4.9 out of 5 stars (9)
£5.98

Product details

  • Actors: Daniel Auteuil, Gerard Depardieu, Thierry Lhermitte, Jean Rochefort, Alexandra Vandernoot
  • Directors: Francis Veber
  • Format: PAL
  • Language French
  • Subtitles: English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Optimum Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: 23 Sep 2002
  • Run Time: 85 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00006G9XG
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 3,141 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

    Popular in these categories:

    #15 in  DVD > DVD Bargains > World Cinema Savings - Up to 70% Off
    #28 in  DVD > Gay & Lesbian

Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

A film about society's attitude to sexuality, with a lighthearted dig at political correctness gone mad, The Closet is French farce in the tradition of Moliere: a man pretends to be something he's not, people begin treating him differently, his lie escalates out of all proportion, and comedy ensues. Francois Pignon (Daniel Auteuil) is a dull, divorced accountant in a French rubber-processing factory whose primary product is condoms. The morning of the company photograph he overhears he is going to be fired. After half-heartedly trying to kill himself, he meets his new next-door neighbour who suggests a plot that will keep him from losing his job: he should pretend he's gay, and the neighbour will doctor the photographs and send them to his boss to prove it.

The comedy springs from people's reactions to Pignon's alleged homosexuality. The managing director puts him on a Gay Pride parade float with a condom on his head, his estranged son suddenly thinks he's cool, his female boss catches on to the scam and begins to think that Pignon is not as banal as she first thought, and the homophobic, macho personnel director--a great performance from Gerard Depardieu--discovers his sensitive side. It's well directed by Francis Veber (writer of the original Three Fugitives), who moves the gentle action along masterfully, providing some laugh-out-loud moments and getting some great performances from his ensemble cast. Overall, it's an uplifting comedy about prejudice and how a Mr Nobody becomes a somebody. --Kristen Bowditch



Special Features

French
Region 2
Theatrical Trailer
Cast And Crew Biographies
Optimum Trailer Reel
English

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Le Dîner De Cons [DVD]

Le Dîner De Cons [DVD]

DVD ~ Thierry Lhermitte
3.8 out of 5 stars (33)  £4.98
Apres Vous [DVD] [2005]

Apres Vous [DVD] [2005]

DVD ~ Daniel Auteuil
3.4 out of 5 stars (9)  £2.98
My Best Friend [DVD] [2007]

My Best Friend [DVD] [2007]

DVD ~ Daniel Auteuil
4.0 out of 5 stars (9)  £5.98
Romuald Et Juliette [DVD] [1990]

Romuald Et Juliette [DVD] [1990]

DVD ~ Daniel Auteuil
4.9 out of 5 stars (9)  £5.98
Le Gout Des Autres [DVD] [2000]

Le Gout Des Autres [DVD] [2000]

DVD ~ Agnes Jaoui
3.9 out of 5 stars (12)  £3.98
Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

 

Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A mouse of a man saves his job by pretending that he is gay, 2 Mar 2005
By Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)      
As you might guess from the title, "The Closet" ("La Placard") is a comedy about, as the trailer says, a man who comes out of a closet he was never in in the first place. This 2001 French comedy comes from writer-director Francis Veber, best known previously for writing the screenplay for the classic gay farce "La Cage aux folles." In many regards "The Closet" is a fitting counterpart to that earlier film.

François Pignon (Daniel Auteuil) is a nothing of a man who learns through the office grapevine that he is about to be fired from his job in the accounting department of a condom company. Since his wife divorced him and his son will have nothing to do with him, this could well be the last straw. But he encounters a new neighbor, Belone (Michel Aumont), who comes up with a plan. They will doctor somephotographs to make it look like Pignon is gay and make the company think twice about firing him and suffering from bad publicity. This ploy works although Pignon does NOTHING different at work; apparently everybody sees exactly what they expect to see when they look at him, even if they now expect something completely different. Meanwhile, Félix Santini (Gérard Depardieu) is warned that he will have to be nice to the gay guy and stop making intolerant comments or his job will be on the line. Of course, everybody starts treating the "new" Pignon quite differently from the old, which has both good and bad consequences for our hero. However, Mlle Bertrand (Michèle Laroque) becomes suspicious about the photographs and everything that is happening.

Earlier this week I had watched "Unfaithful," another in a long line of Hollywood remakes of French films and I found myself thinking about whether "The Closet" might be Americanized at some future date. Although this happened with "La Cage aux folles" I tend to think this film will avoid that fate. There is a subtlety to the humor here that would be lost in translation if the film were redone. I particularly fear that the darker side of this film, would not be able to avoid darker manifestations of hate and violence in an American version. You will just have to live with sitting down and watching this film in French and reading the subtitles. Besides, if you saw and liked "La Cage aux folles" then you should enjoy what Veber has come up with this time around.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars C'est bon!, 3 Oct 2005
Light-hearted, not politically correct, somehow old-fashioned - but this will leave you with a smile on your face. Fantastic acting as always from Daniel Auteuil and Gerard Depardieu. The ending is predictable (ok, the whole story line is), but this is one of those films that only the French can pull off.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
51 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Un film Français par excellence, 22 Sep 2002
By S. Johnston "the_jossman" (Oxford, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
A great fan of French cinema, I never thought that a modern French film could be so funny, having experienced the farce that was Absolument fabuleux (the French version of the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous). Featuring various accomplished actors including Gérard Depardieu and Daniel Auteuil), The Closet (aka Le Placard) was an absolutely hilarious film, even for those who only understand the subtitles (like myself)!

In a nutshell, this smart and cleverly-made film follows François Pignon (Auteuil), a boring 'Dilbert'-type accountant who, with the help of a new next door neighbour, pretends that he is gay in order to save his job, and the following effects on his bewildered colleagues (especially the homophobic rugby player Félix Santini), his ex-wife and estranged son. The main setting of a (very hi-tech looking) rubber factory and the dominating physique of Depardieu provides some hysterical moments. Indeed, fans of Depardieu will probably appreciate this his most enjoyable role since that of the romantic comedy Green Card, without dampening his achievements in more 'serious' movies.

The film uses various stereotypes (though none I would believe anyone would find offensive and avoiding the traditional 'camp' comedy) digging into the craziness of bureaucracy related to philosophies of politically-correctness within organizations and society. With reference to this, highlights include Pignon

The DVD includes trailers and cast and crew biographies, enough for a superb, first-class film which is worth buying just for itself alone. C'est magnifique!

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars THE CLOSET DVD
FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN FRENCH COMEDY CINEMA THIS IS A MUST.IN SOME WAYS SIMILAR TO LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, WITH GERARD DEPARDIEU AT HIS VERY BEST. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Barry L. Welsh

5.0 out of 5 stars So funny..
An excellent comedy film with the french actor Daniel Auteuil taking the lead role in his management job in a condom factory. Read more
Published 3 months ago by A. Kell

5.0 out of 5 stars My all time favourite film
This film is simply charming. It's a delight - and having to read the subtitles somehow adds to it's charm. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mr. Neil A. Mckee

4.0 out of 5 stars Veber's Look At Society And Sexuality
Daniel Auteuil is Pignon, a man who's considered to be boring, straight laced, and rather uninteresting. Read more
Published 19 months ago by DL Productions UK

5.0 out of 5 stars CLOSE To perfect
i think the reviewer below who wants more 'madcap' moments and 'chaotic energy' should watch La Cage Aux Folles and is missing the subtlety of this entire film; anything other... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Melina B.

4.0 out of 5 stars entertaining
I also enjoyed this film .In places it made me laugh out loud and made gentle fun of the atmosphere of political correctness which dogs so many of our societies today. Read more
Published on 29 Oct 2007 by P. E. Wall

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy for Panasonic players
This is a superb french farce. By pretending to be gay a company missfit avoids redundancy as discrimination. Read more
Published on 29 Oct 2007 by Mr. Di Rogerson

4.0 out of 5 stars you've got to laugh
In short It made me laugh I don't care about it being PC or whatever.When I want to watch a "serious" film I will. This is the sort of film I will watch when I want to laugh.
Published on 31 May 2007 by tu nombre es

4.0 out of 5 stars Laughed all the way through
My partner and I found this film quite delightful. The story has the background of people being manipulated by others and complications arising from that. Read more
Published on 17 Jan 2007 by Nish Pfister

2.0 out of 5 stars Should not have 'come out'!!
I suspected from the outset that this film would be cringeworthy, but it is so inoffensive as to be bland. Read more
Published on 2 Nov 2006 by Mayakovsky

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject







i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.