Acting
Depardieu's ghostly stillness vs Ardant's ice-queen precision.
Cinematography
Candlelit interiors that swallow warmth whole.
Writing
Balzac's dialogue, sharpened like a legal blade.
Director
Yves Angelo
Gérard Depardieu
Chabert
Fanny Ardant
Gräfin Ferraud
Fabrice Luchini
Derville
André Dussollier
Graf Ferraud
Éric Elmosnino
Desroches
Claude Rich
Chamblin
Julie Depardieu
Mathilde
Romane Bohringer
Sophie
Daniel Prévost
Amédée Boucard - l'avoué
Olivier Saladin
Hure
Guillaume Romain
Simonin
Patrick Bordier
Boutin
Jacky Nercessian
Delbecq
Albert Delpy
Maître Sarrazin - le notaire
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Depardieu insisted on minimal makeup; the hollow-cheeked look is partly his actual weight loss.
Based on Balzac's 1832 novella, written during France's collective trauma of Napoleonic veterans abandoned by Restoration society.
FR
