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Gabrielle

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***1/2

Based on "The Return" by Joseph Conrad, "Gabrielle" tells the story of a woman in turn-of-the-century Paris who rebels against a loveless marriage.

Jean Hervey is a successful newspaper publisher whose life is ruled far more by social obligation and ritual than by emotion or passion. He extends this philosophy to all areas of his life, even to his own wife, whom he sees less as a person with a basic human need for intimacy and passion, than as an attractive ornament to be placed beside all the other artwork in his impressive collection of Greek statuary. He even proclaims rather proudly - as if it were evidence of his imperviousness to the weakness of the flesh - that, though he and his wife do share the same bedroom, they sleep in different beds. Yet, he is not above deluding himself into believing that he actually loves her, although he is the first to admit that real love requires far too much effort to really be worth his time. He takes pride in her "placid" nature, which he feels serves him well in her function as hostess for the dinner parties he throws for his friends like clockwork every Thursday night. One day, however, Jean's studiously ordered world is shattered when he finds a note from Gabrielle informing him that she has run off with another man. A few moments later, though, Gabrielle mysteriously returns home, having been unable to make that final break for reasons not entirely fathomable either to herself or to us. The remainder of the film is spent examining the couple's efforts to cope with the situation.

This theme - of an aristocratic, free-spirited woman trapped in a figurative gilded cage by either the man in her life or society as a whole - was not exactly a novel one even at the time the story was written, but what separates "Gabrielle" from similar works is its unique concentration on the man instead of the woman, on HIS repression and inadequacies rather than hers. This leads to a conclusion rich in irony as Jean, the passionless purveyor of propriety, becomes ever more eaten up by his own jealousies and obsessions. Jean reveals much of what he's thinking through voiceover narration, as Gabrielle serves as a catalyst for his own emotional revolution.

If "Gabrielle" reminds us of anything, it is of a film by Ingmar Bergman, one in which the characters talk out the minutiae of their relationships and their innermost feelings and thoughts at almost agonizing length - tedious to some in the audience, perhaps, but fascinating to others. Patrice Chereau and Anne-Louise Trividic's literate screenplay plumbs the depths of the two souls involved, while Chereau's direction keeps things moving by employing a camera that sweeps with almost reckless abandon through the dusky rooms and crowded salons where the action takes place.

Isabelle Huppert and Pascal Greggory are perfectly cast foils as the husband and wife for whom "love" is no longer a viable option. Each of the actors seethes with an intensity that reveals the passions that have long lain dormant under the couple's placid exteriors.

Although Gabrielle may be the first of the two to throw off the cloak of respectability and go for what really matters, it is Jean's intense struggle with his own inner demons that commands most of our attention. For despite the title being "Gabrielle," the film turns out to be much more Jean's story in the end than hers.

Operatic in tone (director Patrice Chereau has mounted numerous stage and opera productions), based on a short story by Joseph Conrad, beautifully costumed and photographed, acted in the high-toned manner of an Ibsen or Chekhov play, "Gabrielle" nonetheless proves to be rooted in the basest of emotions: Jealousy, Envy, Hate, Disgust and of course, Love.
Isabelle Huppert as Gabrielle and Pascal Greggory as her husband Jean Hervey are rich, entitled and seemingly cold as ice, frozen emotionally even. Jean is a man whose friends tell him he possesses "the cold stare of achievement." Both he and Gabrielle are seemingly content with their loveless and sex-less marriage, their place in Society: that is until one day Gabrielle admits she is having an affair.
Set at the beginning of the 20th Century, La Belle Epoque, reeking of Velvet Brocades, Absinthe, Salon Thursdays in which Artists of every nature perform, servants who brush off the "Master's" shoes every time he enters the house, "Gabrielle" literally suffocates with hot-house, jasmine scented period touches which serve to heighten and underscore the raging tempest brewing in Chez Hervey.
In many ways, "Gabrielle" recalls the savage, similarly themed "Closer" of a few years back in its go for the jugular manner. But whereas "Closer" operates in the contemporary world in which derision, infidelity and online porn are in your face...accepted even expected, "Gabrielle's" 1912 world, though just as emotionally brutal and stagnate, is hidden, closeted, tight as Gabrielle's corseted torso.

Made after Conrad's short story "Return", this is a story of a wealthy, married couple living in predictable, stable marriage surrounded by luxury, art, salon gatherings and -- emotional restraint. Husband is a self made rich man who finds all beauty around him to be something to collect and adore from a distance. Wife on the other hand is the epithomy of class, good manners, classical beauty. Isabel Huppert is known for being able to deliver solid performance for complicated characters. Her face, beauty and the way she moves enhances the regal surroundings of the household visitors she moves around, dress she is wearing, music she listens to. But when she leaves all that for another man and then comes back to her husband within less than two hours, it opens up all the questions between her, her spouse, her relationship with the house servants, and weekly guests that are regulars at their salon. The visual beauty of the movie turns inside out to the beauty of the words and language between all these individuals that are part of such traumatic development in the household considered to be content on the way things ought to be in the high society of the 20th century. This movie is developing almost in slow motion where viewer becomes willing participant in torturing revelation about husband and wife, power switch in their marriage and realization of the truth that eventually distroys them and their relationship completely. P. Greggory and I. Huppert mash so well in their battle with words, it is absolutely tantalizing to let go of them for even a minute.

Patrice Chéreau is one of the giants of entertainment, whether in his direction of operas (his Wagner RING remains a gold standard), plays, or his films. He is a thoroughgoing artist, one who combines great intellect with a keen ear for music, camera movement, atmosphere, the spoken and unspoken word, and for accompanying some of the finest actors at work today in their realization of his visions.

GABRIELLE is a case in point and for this viewer this is simply one of the strongest films to come out of France - a country much celebrated for its cinematic genius - in many years. Inspired by Joseph Conrad's short story 'The Return' and adapted as a screenplay by Anne-Louise Trividic and Chéreau, the story is a brief history of a married couple whose ten-year marriage alters in one afternoon and evening - the time span of the film.

Jean Hervey (Pascal Greggory) is a handsome man of wealth who 'acquired' a wife Gabrielle (Isabelle Huppert) ten years ago. They live in a mausoleum of magnificent art and base their existence on the glamorous parties attended by the artists and patrons of the arts in turn of the century Paris. Jean's 'acquisition' of Gabrielle included the understanding that they would have no intimacy: they do sleep in the same bedroom but in separate beds. Their marriage seems perfect - but it is hollow. Rather abruptly Gabrielle leaves a note on the dresser addressed to Jean, a note that states she has left him for a man: her need for sexual gratification has risen to the breaking point. Jean is devastated, but as he nurses his broken glass-injured hand Gabrielle returns: she could not go through with ending the marriage of convenience. The two have extended verbal exchanges and physical abuse but it is only to the servants that Gabrielle shares her true feelings. She decides to structure her marriage to Jean by submitting to him sexually, a status that is novel to their marriage, and it is this role reversal of the masculine/feminine state that sends Jean panicked into the night.

Chéreau uses many techniques to render this story about intimacy (or the lack thereof) that strongly support the power of the film: sections are in black and white representing the way things appear and are structured to the planned observation; Raina Kabaivanska plays and sings at a soirée (she is an actual opera star); Jean's staff of servants is only women instead of the usual mix of men and women; the musical score by the brilliant Italian contemporary composer Fabio Vacchi is used as a 'character' instead of background support; and the camera work by cinematographer Eric Gautier uses a full cinemascope camera set up to add weight to the project.

But none of these subtleties would have worked so perfectly without the brilliance of acting of Isabelle Huppert and Pascal Greggory. They find the core of these strange characters and allow us to understand the rather warped psyches of the pair. It is a feat of genius. As an added DVD feature there is an extended conversation with Chéreau, Huppert and Greggory about the film from the intial idea to the finished product and hearing these three brilliant artists share their insights is for once extremely additive to the film. This rather dark and brooding film may be a bit too static for some, but for lovers of cinematic art it is a complete triumph to experience. Grady Harp, January 07

This movie held my attention from beginning to end -- it is so beautifully photographed, quite dreamlike, and the two main actors (Huppert and Greggory) give some of their finest work to date. The pair seem like the most perfect married couple, who live in a beautiful home, decorated with amazing art, and who love to entertain lavishly on a regular basis. That dream comes crashing down to reality when Greggory finds a letter from his wife, stating she has left him for another man. All that being said, the film is far too short. One would think that there is much more of a story to tell, and so the ending is not very satisfying. I think of this more as a snapshot into the world of a very troubled relationship. Despite my criticism, it is a gripping film and definitely worth seeing.

Adapted from Joseph Conrad's short story, The Return (Hesperus Classics), Gabrielle is the story of a husband (Pascal Greggory) whose wife, Gabrielle (Isabelle Huppert) leaves him for one of his employees. Before departing for the home of her lover, Gabrielle writes Jean a succinct note telling him she's going to another man. Unsure of herself, she returns a few hours later to face the emotional fall out of her marriage.

One of the more insightful movies about marriage, Gabrielle is a unique story about how men and women love. Neither Gabrielle or Jean is to blame for the disintegration of their marriage. Jean expresses his love as some men do-by providing his wife with comfort and respect while he conquers the world. But Gabrielle wants to know passion. She's driven to a man that "has had a hard life", an editor who drinks and gambles to excess and is the the physical opposite of her tall, lithe, husband-short, fat and soft. Gabrielle tells Jean she wants to "know what it is to be loved once in my (her) life".

Though some have commented that Jean is self-absorbed and cold, I found him as sympathetic a character as Gabrielle. He admits that in the beginning of his marriage he loves Gabrielle like "a collector who becomes obsessed with his most prized object", but as the story unfolds, we see that Jean's feelings run deeper. He's hurt that his wife never experienced pleasure with him and worse, was disgusted by him from the outset of their marriage. Both husband and wife betray each other in their own way-Gabrielle by haboring a secret hate and never giving her husband the chance to express his passion and Jean by letting ten years slip by without once stopping to focus on the woman he shares a life with.

Huppert is, as always, amazing. I love everything I see this woman in. I've never seen Gregorry before, but found him equally appealing, adeptly displaying an emotional vein that most men can't find much less display. One of the best movies on marriage I've seen. Gorgeously filmed with stunning sets. Highly recommended.

Isabelle Huppert is one of the great actresses of French cinema. She is as beautiful in her early 50's in "Gabrielle," released in 2005, as she was in her late 20's in "La Truite," released in 1982. She is a perfect choice to play Gabrielle Hervey, a woman who leaves a note to her husband that she has left him for another man; and then returns only three hours later.

Huppert, as Gabrielle Hervey, is beautiful and enigmatic as her husband, Jean (played by Pascal Gregory), spends the rest of the evening and the next day trying to discover why she left him; for whom she left him, and what brought her back. He also wants to discover whether they can be reconciled. If so, on what terms. In the tortuous emotional process that follows Jean is impelled to discover the real person to whom he is married.

Jean Hervey is an accomplished and extremely wealthy 19th century business man. According to his own account success in business has come naturally and easily for him, at least until he finds Gabrielle's letter. His house is large and beautifully lavish with a hint of "Citizen Kane" in its gauche overabundance of sculpture. Overseeing this material world is the masterpiece of his possessions, Gabrielle.

In the opening sequence, filmed in black and white, Jean mentally brags to the viewer of his success as he walks home from the train station. He contemplates Gabrielle on this walk and the viewer is ushered into a dinner party previously given by the Herveys, filmed in color. Huppert's Gabrielle is radiant and enigmatic to all as the hostess of the dinner party. Gabrielle is especially a riddle to Jean who admires her ability to help him achieve the status he seeks at the center of a high society which he disdains, but requires as a trophy of his material success.

As the table guests engage in vigorous repartee Jean basks quietly in glory at the head of the dinner table. He admires Gabrielle's own deft, brief and perfectly hosted conversation. At the same time it is obvious that Jean has no idea of what moves her; nor does he really seem to care to explore her inner lights. She plays the role he has assigned her as he would any other instrument or employee of his business. His complacency with this arrangement after ten years of marriage is evident. When he arrives home he reads Gabrielle's letter, tears at his hair in shock, and then finds to his amazement that she has returned. Her return is a masterfully crafted scene.

The destruction of his well planned and ordered life leads to gripping tension and drama as Jean repeatedly theorizes, guesses, cajoles and pleads with Gabrielle to reveal what led to her to flee and then return. The threat of violence against the petite and physically fragile Gabrielle subsists as subtext throughout. Jean is totally dumfounded that his assumptions about Gabrielle have been destroyed by her actions. One suspects that equally frightening for Jean is that her unpredictable actions raise uncomfortable questions about other fundamental assumptions Jean has made about his life.

Yet Gabrielle is neither intimidated nor particularly revelatory in reacting to Jean's efforts to learn the answers to the questions posed by her brief disappearance and return. Gabrielle rarely reveals vulnerability; and then usually only to her servants. Jean is only given small hints why Gabrielle acted as she did. Piecing together those hints to discover Gabrielle's motivation and true character is one of the most interesting aspects of the movie for the viewer.

The reason she gives for returning is more than shocking and deliciously ironic. The gorgeous dénouement in the bedroom, which silently announces the terms upon which Gabrielle agrees to return, and Jean's reaction to it, is a great ending for a great movie.

As noted by others, "Gabrielle" is based upon the novella "The Return" by Joseph Conrad. That is to say that action, like the lighting, only supplements the dialogue. The viewer has to work to appreciate this movie but the effort is well worth it.

Operatic in tone (director Patrice Chereau has mounted numerous stage and opera productions), based on a short story by Joseph Conrad, beautifully costumed and photographed, acted in the high-toned manner of an Ibsen or Chekhov play, "Gabrielle" nonetheless proves to be rooted in the basest of emotions: Jealousy, Envy, Hate, Disgust and of course, Love.
Isabelle Huppert as Gabrielle and Pascal Greggory as her husband Jean Hervey are rich, entitled and seemingly cold as ice, frozen emotionally even. Jean is a man whose friends tell him he possesses "the cold stare of achievement." Both he and Gabrielle are seemingly content with their loveless and sex-less marriage, their place in Society: that is until one day Gabrielle admits she is having an affair.
Set at the beginning of the 20th Century, La Belle Epoque, reeking of Velvet Brocades, Absinthe, Salon Thursdays in which Artists of every nature perform, servants who brush off the "Master's" shoes every time he enters the house, "Gabrielle" literally suffocates with hot-house, jasmine scented period touches which serve to heighten and underscore the raging tempest brewing in Chez Hervey.
In many ways, "Gabrielle" recalls the savage, similarly themed "Closer" of a few years back in its go for the jugular manner. But whereas "Closer" operates in the contemporary world in which derision, infidelity and online porn are in your face...accepted even expected, "Gabrielle's" 1912 world, though just as emotionally brutal and stagnate, is hidden, closeted, tight as Gabrielle's corseted torso.

For those who don't know, the director (Chereau) got a really fast start in show business, getting to direct plays while still a teenager. He took a while longer to get into movies but managed to be quite successful there as well. He seems to have been less of a hit in the world of opera, where he got into his head the idea that the theatrical part of Wagner is more important than the music. Who knew? Nevertheless, the man has a rather large ego, larger than is good for him (watch "the making of" at the end). But I digress.

Jean and Gabrielle have been married for about ten years but they sleep in separate beds and don't have sex because she tells him she can't stand the thought of his sperm inside her (I'm not making this up) and also because he thinks emotion is disgusting. Of course, they have no children; living in a large house where they are attended by several servants hand and foot (Jean is a rich dude, you see.) They throw a lot of swanky parties for the swells in their social class, drink good wine, eat fine food, and talk about, well, stuff.

Am I going to shock you if I tell you one day Gabrielle just up and leaves Jean for a man who can make feel alive and wanted? And what if I added that Jean is crushed because his property rights have been violated? I wasn't shocked either. I won't spoil it by saying how the movie ends, except to wonder what her lawyers will do to him in divorce court.

Caveat. The movie is beautiful to look at, the acting is first rate, and features a bunch of interesting and novel cinematic concepts, for those who care about such things.

This film is part costume drama and part psychological drama set in France just before WWI. Pascal Gregory plays a successful, wealthy businessman who lives a comfortable life in Paris. He has a house filled with fine clothes, exotic works of art, fake friends, and extravagant furniture. His most prized possession is his wife (played by Isabelle Huppert), however. The pair have a cold, unemotional relationship (even sleeping in separate rooms) which, on the surface, both appear to be contented with. Upon arriving home one day, he finds a letter written by his wife to her lover saying that she is leaving the loveless relationship with her husband. This comes as an earth-shattering thunderbolt to Greggory and throws his minutely organized perfect life into turmoil. Huppert then suddenly returns home after having changing her mind about leaving. What follows are several angst-filled days as Greggory and Huppert come to terms with what their relationship is and what they want it to be.

I think this was a very interesting idea for a film, to examine the nature of love and obsession, particularly after a sudden, dramatic event is introduced into a married couple's life. The idea of putting the film in the early 20th century added another interesting layer of complexity as both the male and female characters are constrained to their nominal roles expected of them by society at some level. In the end, however, I couldn't find even an ounce of sympathy for the main characters. Both are rich, self-absorbed, and narcissistic. Much of the emotion of the film is conveyed via monologues and internal dialogue, but without feeling sympathetic toward the characters, I found their angst (and the film overall) tedious. Great performances by Huppert (she is definitely the best actress in the world) and Greggory, these alone are worth the price of admission, but some of the favorable reviews definitely overrate this film. Gabrielle has it's moments, but it isn't more than a middlin' work overall.