Lost Illusions
The film’s galloping momentum is exhilarating, and there is broad comedy in its elision of carnal desire and social ambition.
Lost Illusions
Lucien de Rubempré (Benjamin Voisin) is an ambitious and unknown aspiring poet in 19th century France. He leaves his provincial town, arriving in Paris on the arm of his admirer, Louise de Bargeton (Cécile de France). Outmatched in elite circles, Lucien’s naive etiquette prompts Louise to retreat back to her husband, leaving the young poet to forge a new path. Lucien makes a new friend in another young writer, Etienne Lousteau (Vincent Lacoste), who introduces him to the business of journalism where a salon of wordsmiths and wunderkinds make or break the reputations of actors and artists with insouciant impunity. Lucien agrees to write rave reviews for bribes, achieving material success at the expense of his conscience and soon discovers that the written word can be an instrument of both beauty and deceit. Xavier Giannoli’s sumptuous adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s epic novel, Lost Illusions is a ravishing vision of the birth of modern media.
Genre
Drama,
French Cinema,
Literary Adaptation
Runtime
150
Language
French
Director
Xavier Giannoli
Writer(s)
Jacques Fieschi,
Xavier Giannoli,
Yves Stavrides
Cast
Benjamin Voisin,
Cécile de France,
Vincent Lacoste,
Xavier Dolan,
Salomé Dewaels,
Jeanne Balibar,
Gérard Depardieu,
André Marcon,
Louis-Do Lencquesaing,
Jean-François Stévenin
Awards:
Winner, Best Film, Cesar Awards
Winner, Best Adapted Screenplay, Cesar Awards
Winner, Most Promising Actor, Cesar Awards
Winner, Best Supporting Actor, Cesar Awards
Winner, Best Cinematography (Meilleure photo), Cesar Awards
Winner, Best Costume Design (Meilleurs costumes), Cesar Awards
MOREFEATURED REVIEW
Peter Debruge, Variety
In France, the names Rastignac and Rubempré serve as a kind of shorthand even today — two iconic characters who signify opposite sides of the same vice. Both prominent players in Honoré de Balzac’s expansive “La Comédie Humaine,” the ambitious parvenus are virtual nobodies of vaguely noble ...
Played at
Town Center 5 6.10.22 - 6.16.22
Royal 6.10.22 - 6.23.22
Claremont 5 6.10.22 - 6.16.22
Playhouse 7 6.10.22 - 6.16.22
Monica Film Center 6.24.22 - 6.30.22
Laemmle Virtual Cinema 8.19.22 - 10.09.22
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