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1988. (aka House of Jade)
Jane Lambert (Bisset) is a middle-aged novelist whose marriage has ended in part because
of her inability to bear children. She falls for Bernard (Perez), the self-centered
businessman who is not yet 30. Jane ignores her career and follows her heart as she and
Bernard begin a passionate love affair. Several months into the romance, Bernard begins to
withdraw his affections for Jane and reveals he is seeing another woman. Jane tries to
kill herself when Bernard tells her of his desire to have children. She eventually
recovers and buries herself in her work as she begins a heartbreaking, romantic novel
based on her ill-fated love affair.
What a wonderful movie! Unfortunately for the american viewing public, it
does not come with subtitles. Even without subtitles, the emotion of this movie, expressed thru the acting
craft of Jacqueline Bissett and Vincent Perez, is wonderful. The story told by the film is one of
love affairs, betrayal, and the resolve and strength of character to move on with life.
Jeanne, (portrayed by Bissett), a writer living in France meets an exciting new man, Bernard (Perez). The
storyline is shown to the viewer in retrospect by Jeanne's character. Using flashbacks of their
relationship, the film shows Jeanne pondering the relationship from beginning to end, trying to determine
what has gone wrong. They begin a passionate and wonderful love affair.
As the relationship
progresses, Bernard asks Jeanne to marry him and she declines stating that she is barren. Bernard
professes to love her and states that it does not matter. Jeanne argues that she had a previous
relationship that started out the same way and it ended because it did eventually matter. Bernard argues
that it will not happen to them. Jeanne, loving this man as she does, believes him and they begin their
engagement. Jeanne and Bernard begin making plans, buying a house etc, ie committing
themselves to things longterm.
This film offers wonderful scenes of love, passion, and
eventually betrayal. Bernard reached his 30th birthday and secretly begins an affair with
another woman. Jeanne, thru her flashbacks realizes that he has attempted to tell her something is wrong
several
times. She is caught off guard when Bernard finally tells her that he does need children
and has
been seeing someone else. Film watchers experience along with Jeanne's character, the
ultimate act
and feeling of betrayal, her desperation to try to hang on to and salvage this
relationship.....
Time out London Review:
Older woman falls for younger man and (we could have warned her)
ends up alone, swigging from the Martell bottle as she sobs
through their old camcorder footage. An adaptation by Nadine
Trintignant and Madeleine Chapsal of the latter's allegedly
autobiographical bestseller, this is all relentlessly
subjective. In the early snog 'n' bonk stages, young Perez is
presented as the epitome of charm and desirability, though many
will yearn to see a custard pie collide with that would-be
brooding pan. But after splitting, he is portrayed as a
contemptible little coward, and again audience sympathies may
reverse, with the reflection that no such all-round wonderful
person as Bisset ever walked the earth.
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