Product Details

• Actors: Valérie Lemercier, Vincent Lindon, Hélène de Saint-Père, Hélène Fillières, Florence Loiret Caille
• Directors: Claire Denis
• Writers: Claire Denis, Emmanuèle Bernheim
• Producers: Bruno Pésery
• Format: Color, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: French
• Subtitles: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Fox Lorber
• VHS Release Date: November 11, 2003
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000C23D0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #426,372 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Like the other films of French director Claire Denis, Friday Night exists in a realm of glances, skin, and dreams. Working with basic elements, Denis (whose previous films were the hypnotic Beau Travail and the scary Trouble Every Day) fashions an often-wordless liaison between a woman caught in a huge Paris traffic jam (there's a transportation strike going on) and the stranger she picks up in her car. Their brief encounter is the simplest of situations, but Denis grounds it in the exactly realized locations of their courtship: car interior, hotel room, late-night restaurant. And, of course, in the expressive faces of the two actors: Valerie Lemercier, best known for her comic roles, and Vincent Lindon (late of Chaos). The dreamlike rhythms of the piece will undoubtedly defeat some viewers, but if you give yourself over to the movie's spell, it will come alive. --Robert Horton

Product Description

Claire Denis’ visually stunning and sensual film explores a chance encounter between two strangers who meet in the middle of a transit strike and wind up changing their lives forever.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant film from a brilliant artist!, August 30, 2004

By 

Lawrence Francis (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Friday Night (DVD)

I had to sign up as a reviewer just to counter the customer reviews of this film that are missing the point. This is great film! An historic film! Claire Denis is a courageous filmmaker precisely because she does not pander to the audience's expecations; she does not conform to the conventions of Hollywood-influenced filmmaking. Instead she pursues the kind of quiet drama that unfolds in realism with remarkable insight into character, with remarkable compassion for humanity. As a result, her films might sometimes seem slow, or seem as though little is happening. But what you get is far more amazing than a sinking "Titanic": You get a real picture of the sort of real drama that occurs between real people in their real lives. Imagine a love story between people who are not more beautiful, not more amazing, not more different than you and I -- imagine a love story between people like us -- and then imagine a filmmaker who can capture all of its minute nuance. That is greatness. That is Claire Denis and "Friday Night."

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The open space before commitment., September 2, 2004

By 

Reine des Coeurs "reine_des_coeurs" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Friday Night (DVD)

Laure (Valerie Lemercier) is moving out of her apartment to move in with her boyfriend. Almost all of her possessions are packed and labeled, with the exception of a few she needs to decide on. Her home, the area that belongs to her completely is in her car. In the midst of Paris' transit strike, she gives a lift to Jean (Vincent Lindon).

That is a brief description of the beginning of Madame Denis' wonderful Vendredi Soir. Very few films are paced so exquisitely showing us the first stages of attraction and desire as this one did. The shots of Laure watching Jean's hands, Jean removing Laure's glove to caress her hand and their decisive brush against each other on the staircase are some of the loveliest and most romantic images I've seen on film.

Desire is sometimes fleeting, but almost always memorizable. Yes, their affair is brief but during it, you can almost see them both noting, analyzing and remembering. The final shot of Laure, dressed and ready to go, as she gently touches Jean was both her and our exit out of the gorgeous, romantic fantasy that was this movie.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More a poem for the eyes and ears than a film, April 3, 2005

By 

David S. Jenkins (On the Road) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Friday Night (DVD)

If you're looking for action, thrills, an intricate plot and a cliff hanger of an ending, this is not the film for you. But if you're content to find a lyrical, seamless, gentle film about two strangers sharing a night for no other reason than curiosity and affection, you'll be pleasantly surprised by Friday Night. Sometimes people share their bodies and perhaps even their hearts for a night without the world collapsing aound their ears, without people being hurt, without a thousand words of drama and heartache. Friday Night portrays such a night, wrapped in superb camerawork (you can always tell when a cinematographer started out as a still photographer,) ethereal, lighter than air music (I'll buy this DVD if only for that, as there seems to be no soundtrack cd) and editing which allows us to be caressed by the quiet moments. Someone once said that the music is between the notes, and the editor and director understand this. An unusual, sensual, quiet little experience for the film fan weary of overacted, explosive American fare. If you've experienced a one night stand or two, you may find yourself wishing they had been this uncomplicated and enjoyable.