From director J.J. Abrams comes the next installment in the Star Trek saga, Star Trek Into Darkness. See it at Cinemark theaters now and pre-order on Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, DVD, and the Exclusive Starfleet Phaser Gift Set. Shop Star Trek Into Darkness and more in the Star Trek Store. Learn more |
Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
Special Features
None.
Editorial Reviews
Set inside a magically snowbound Paris, six lonely souls converge and commingle in their search for lasting connections. A warm-hearted story about six characters longing for love in wintry Paris, PRIVATE FEARS IN PUBLIC PLACES interweaves multiple stories into a beautifully realized and deeply affecting whole.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Resnais has a taste for British drama. One of his best films, "Providence," was filmed in English with a superb cast, including John Guilgud, Dirk Bogarde, and others. His most recent is taken from a stage play by Sir Alan Ayckbourn, England's most prolific, if not best, playwright. This bittersweet concoction came to New York in one of the best productions to appear off-Broadway in years. Filmed in French, it continues to tear at the viewer's flail, tattered soul, as it exposes the loneliness of urban life in brutally exacting scenes. Shown in different settings scattered throughout the great metropolis of Paris, a disparate collection of lost souls wander through their lives and the lives of others as though lost. Each wants, as it were, to go home, but can't find his or her way. Resnais films each scene in winter, with snow visible through office and apartment windows; the wintry setting underscores the cold, hard realty of life without love or warmth or comfort. The cast is uniformly fine. The direction, as one would expect, is perfect. If you like sitting in the snow, you'll love this. Bring a scarf.
13 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The Paris of Alain Resnais' "Private Fears in Public Places" ("Coeurs" <"Hearts"> in France) is a cold, heartless place. A place in which people attempt to meet, talk at rather than with each other and try their best to make a real connection but that is not to be as the vagaries of life invariably get in their way.
All of the characters are of middle age: 40-60 years of age. These are people who have achieved a certain amount of success but whose personal lives are as messy as any 20 year olds.
The décor of "PFPP" plays a major role here: all hard, shiny surfaces, bright, fake colors that do not exist in nature...all of these things contribute to the erzatz 1970's feel of Resnais mise en scene: there is no doubt that the sets are indeed sets as Resnais makes no claim to reality here even going to extreme lengths to open up the 3rd wall and film from above.
Laura Morante, eye-poppingly beautiful as Nicole: frustrated with her fiancé, Dan (Lambert Wilson, recently separated from the Army and at odds and ends with what he is going to do for the rest of his life) are the most interesting of all the couples and quasi-couples. Nicole and Dan circle each other only fitfully making anything resembling contact. They dispassionately argue, they fake romance: they are empty vessels and seem happy to remain as such.
"Private Fears in Public Places" is bright and shiny though at times it gets dark particularly when the incessant snowfall gets denser. Resnais is after obfuscation here. He seeks to muddy what we want made clear. His people are symbols, not real, thoughtful human beings: they seek succor and immediate pleasure and enlightenment. What they get is God's hand squashing them like bugs.
All of the characters are of middle age: 40-60 years of age. These are people who have achieved a certain amount of success but whose personal lives are as messy as any 20 year olds.
The décor of "PFPP" plays a major role here: all hard, shiny surfaces, bright, fake colors that do not exist in nature...all of these things contribute to the erzatz 1970's feel of Resnais mise en scene: there is no doubt that the sets are indeed sets as Resnais makes no claim to reality here even going to extreme lengths to open up the 3rd wall and film from above.
Laura Morante, eye-poppingly beautiful as Nicole: frustrated with her fiancé, Dan (Lambert Wilson, recently separated from the Army and at odds and ends with what he is going to do for the rest of his life) are the most interesting of all the couples and quasi-couples. Nicole and Dan circle each other only fitfully making anything resembling contact. They dispassionately argue, they fake romance: they are empty vessels and seem happy to remain as such.
"Private Fears in Public Places" is bright and shiny though at times it gets dark particularly when the incessant snowfall gets denser. Resnais is after obfuscation here. He seeks to muddy what we want made clear. His people are symbols, not real, thoughtful human beings: they seek succor and immediate pleasure and enlightenment. What they get is God's hand squashing them like bugs.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Very Intricate and complex film with a lot of twists and turns in it. Music score was MAGNIFICENT!!! I loved the character Charlotte. She was very complex and kept you guessing until the very end. The ending was very sad and left me with tear filled eyes. Sabine Azema and Isabelle Carre were incredibly HOT!!! Great film for someone just learning french. There are a lot of nuances in the film that require a second viewing in order to catch them. This is one of the BEST films in my collection!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Trying too hard.
This was a good movie, but would have been much better if it wasn't trying too hard to light and funny. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Charles Bennett
4.0 out of 5 stars
giving Sir Alan his due
this film was based on a play by Sir Alan Ayckbourn - who must be credited for the film's engrossing storytelling since - i understand - the script was very faithful to play - and... Read more
Published on April 9, 2011 by J. A. Eyon
4.0 out of 5 stars
Loneliness and Hope
A film about people lost in a personal loneliness and emptiness that they don't understand. The cold snow just keeps falling on them, with no prospect of warmth. Read more
Published on February 28, 2011 by vta
4.0 out of 5 stars
One laugh like this is worth a thousand
I got the impression from the picture on the jacket that this was going to be a 'light-hearted romantic comedy' but actually it is a very sad, exploration of loneliness and in the... Read more
Published on October 19, 2009 by Roger Lafontaine
3.0 out of 5 stars
Let it snow . . .
Beautifully performed and photographed, with striking artistic design, this film about lonely hearts in the city of love leaves you empty, sad, and feeling maybe a little cheated... Read more
Published on January 11, 2009 by Ronald Scheer
3.0 out of 5 stars
Never stops snowing
Paris is snowbound in this weird six degrees of separation style film about couples and others who are connected, but don't know it. Read more
Published on December 26, 2008 by Bradley F. Smith
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not one of Resnais' strongest films...
Alain Resnais is famous for french new wave-films like Last Year in Marienbad, Hiroshima mon Amour and Muriel. Read more
Published on June 21, 2008 by MarkusG
2.0 out of 5 stars
less than the sum of its parts
**1/2
In seminal works such as "Hiroshima, Mon Amour" and "Last Year at Marienbad," legendary French director Alain Resnais created a whole new vocabulary and grammar... Read more
In seminal works such as "Hiroshima, Mon Amour" and "Last Year at Marienbad," legendary French director Alain Resnais created a whole new vocabulary and grammar... Read more
Published on November 24, 2007 by Roland E. Zwick
4.0 out of 5 stars
Loneliness in Paris
Film follows the story of six people who, to a small degree, are all connected to each other. There is an engaged couple where woman is strong and independent and the man is weak,... Read more
Published on November 21, 2007 by Reader
