Bon Voyage

Set in 1940s France in the moments before the German occupation, Jean-Paul Rappeneau's lively farce BON VOYAGE combines a murder mystery, a political drama, and a series of madcap subplots including a secret scientific discovery and a gathering of socialites at Bordeaux's Hotel Splendide. The result is a picturesque period piece full of energy, adventure, and breathtaking scenery. Dynamic performances from an all-star cast that includes Gerard Depardieu, Isabelle Adjani, and Gregori Derangere complete this delightfully pert film. Forced to flee Paris as the Germans advance, a mismatched group of oddly acquainted personalities reassemble in Bordeaux. Viviane (Adjani) is a stunning film actress whose talents are used both on-screen and off. She swiftly seduces the French prime minister, Beaufort (Depardieu), on the eve of WWII--a convenient catch in wartime. However, her former flame Frederic (Derangere), whom Viviane neatly framed and sent to prison for a murder she committed, is now free and is still pursuing her. Frederic's jailbreak buddy Raoul (Yvan Attal), is also in tow, with nothing but trouble up his sleeve. Meanwhile, a pretty physics student, Camille (Virginie Ledoyen) tempts the hearts of both ex-cons, while protecting her professor and their scientific discovery, which must not fall into German hands. Waiting on the wings is the suspicious journalist Winckler (Peter Coyote), whose sneaky demeanor is matched only by Thierry (Nicolas Vaude), the revenge-crazed nephew of the man Viviane murdered. "BON VOYAGE, a rich, teeming French farce set in and around Bordeaux in 1940 on the eve of the German occupation of Paris, is a triumph of narrative ingenuity." ~ Stephen Holden, The New York Times.