Knives Out with only French actresses, and somehow it's also a jukebox musical?! That's 8 femmes (8 Women). This 2002 whodunit has a great cast and sense of playfulness, with director François Ozon setting the film in movieland more than any specific era - it's vaguely the 1930s, with a take-down of the 1950s, and songs from across the entirety of the French songbook - with moments that play into the theatrical, acknowledging the film is based on a 1958 play by Robert Thomas. And with the musical element coming in, the color-coded costuming, and Catherine Deneuve standing RIGHT THERE, one can't help but think of Démy as well. I don't even know if the musical numbers work or grate, but I don't really want to decide, because I'd rather cinema be weird than predictable. Where I think this dark comedy shines is in the way the murder of the family patriarch exposes the secrets of the 8 women in his life which has a transformative effect on them. Through their stories, we discover that this man, just the back of a head to us, was at best a jerk, and at worst a monster, and don't feel bad at all for him. The real crime is how the women have been treated, which extends to the solution moment, since there must be a toll collected for the death of the "great man".
Add your comment
Comments 1 - 6 of 6
Skyscore
http://www.afisha.ru/movie/169959/review/146342/monclivie
atrociously lameSiskoid
Knives Out with only French actresses, and somehow it's also a jukebox musical?! That's 8 femmes (8 Women). This 2002 whodunit has a great cast and sense of playfulness, with director François Ozon setting the film in movieland more than any specific era - it's vaguely the 1930s, with a take-down of the 1950s, and songs from across the entirety of the French songbook - with moments that play into the theatrical, acknowledging the film is based on a 1958 play by Robert Thomas. And with the musical element coming in, the color-coded costuming, and Catherine Deneuve standing RIGHT THERE, one can't help but think of Démy as well. I don't even know if the musical numbers work or grate, but I don't really want to decide, because I'd rather cinema be weird than predictable. Where I think this dark comedy shines is in the way the murder of the family patriarch exposes the secrets of the 8 women in his life which has a transformative effect on them. Through their stories, we discover that this man, just the back of a head to us, was at best a jerk, and at worst a monster, and don't feel bad at all for him. The real crime is how the women have been treated, which extends to the solution moment, since there must be a toll collected for the death of the "great man".ClassicLady
One of the first foreign movies I ever saw. I was shocked, thrilled and appalled. It also sparked my interest in French movies.MrCarmady
8 femmes is a lot of funMalena
charming