Product Details

• Actors: Nicolas Cazalé, Stéphane Rideau, Thomas Dumerchez, Salim Kechiouche, Bruno Lochet
• Directors: Gaël Morel
• Writers: Gaël Morel, Christophe Honoré
• Producers: Bertrand Guerry, Philippe Jacquier
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Tla
• DVD Release Date: December 13, 2005
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000BR9RQK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,941 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Three Dancing Slaves" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

This explosive film from Gaël Morel, award winning French writer-director (Full Speed, Under Another Sky) and actor (Wild Reeds), is a harrowing, intense drama of destruction, rebellion, redemption and love. Set against the backdrop of a sultry countryside near the French Alps, three motherless brothers collectively face the challenges of adulthood. There is Marc (Nicolas Cazale), a burgeoning criminal; Christophe (Stephane Rideau, Come Undone), who is trying to re-start his life after prison; and Olivier (Thomas Dumarchez), a capoeira fighter in love. As the young brothers wrestle with their transitions into manhood, they must each escape the tyrannical rule of their father to carve out their own places in life. Stunning cinematography and powerful performances help make Three Dancing Slaves an erotic, breathtaking film about family and the struggle of making your mark on the world around you.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Misalliances January 16, 2006

By Grady Harp HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

Gaël Morel (Wild Reeds, Under Another Sky, Full Speed) seems to continue to test cinematic minefields and while not every film is a success, they each indicate that there is a reservoir of talent in this writer/actor/director that will eventually galvanize into to a significant voice. This much maligned little tale 'Le Clan' (oddly but in the end appropriately titled in English 'Three Dancing Slaves') has more going for it than most audiences acknowledge: for all its weakness there are some very sensitive moments about father/son relationships, filial love, romantic love, racism, bigotry, and the ever-growing dysfunctional family problem.

Three brothers live with their recently widowed father in a small town near the Alps in France. Marc (Nicolas Cazalé) is a rebellious youth, into drugs and petty crime and at constant contention with his overbearing father (Bruno Lochet); Christophe (Stéphane Rideau) is recently released from prison and is trying to live straight by starting from the bottom in a pork factory and working his way to the top; Olivier (Thomas Dumerchez) is the youngest and though tattooed and quasi-rebellious is the sensitive one whose gender issues are just beginning to focus. The film is told in three versions, one by each brother, and from these segments we paste together a family disrupted and needy. Marc fights and performs dangerous deeds, Christophe struggles to re-create his broken life, and Olivier finds love and passion with Hicham (Salim Kechiouche), Marc's friend, who is North African and repeatedly dances the capoeira, a slave dance, for his own expression and his need to connect with Olivier. Despite the differences in these young men there are repeated encounters that signify their bonding.... One quiet scene shows the father awake, sitting and watching the troubled sons asleep, naked, entwined in each other's bodies: it should be clipped for a still shot as it is very beautiful.

There really is little resolution of an overall story; these three short stories simply end in their own fashion and the interlocking meaning is left to the viewer. Each brother is a 'slave' in his own manner. Yes, there are moments of violence, a pitiful animal abuse scene, and gaps in dialogue that bump the film around in a clumsy fashion, but look for the little moments of visual beauty and the movie takes on different meaning. In French with English subtitles. Grady Harp, January 06 Read more ›

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and Stunning April 4, 2006

By Aaron Star

Format:DVD

This movie was not only thought provoking and visually stunning at times, but brought me back to my boarding school days. (I went to an all boys boarding school.) Some people call what young "boys" do together homo erotic, I just call it what it is, young boys being boys. That element pays itself out in this film. I found that refreshing and stimulating to watch.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Convincing Acting, but Poor Plot Progression March 8, 2006

By Roger Williams

Format:DVD

This movie exhibited wonderful filmography, surprisingly convincing performances and gorgeous young men. Where this film was lacking tremendously was the plot. Even though it had so much potential, it's execution was haphazard, and too much time was spent on unnecessary scenes, so toward the end it felt rushed, and the relationship between Olivier (Thomas Dumerchez) and Hicham (Salim Kechiouche) if it were developed more deeply, would have made for a wonderful film. Finally, the ending left me lacking as if it would continue next week. In other words, the entire film felt like an episode in a larger series. It felt unresolved; unfinished. And the extended Soliloquy, conveyed in the form of letters written to Christophe (I believe) certainly did not make up for a proper ending. That really frustrated me.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous Non-Hollywood film making August 15, 2008

By D Loftin

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a beautifully made film. The acting and production values are superb. I think the reason that some reviewers have difficulty with this film is just that it's a very simple film...It's about three young men dealing with the loss of their mother, and a father who has lost his wife. Each brother finds his own way to deal with his loss; one through drug abuse and self injury, one becomes his father, and another discovers his courage and learns how to love. Morel allows the characters to breathe, and respects us enough to expect us to pay attention to visual clues which are equally important as spoken dialog, without spelling out all the details. Morel is masterful at depicting the emotional tone between individuals and groups. For instance, the scene in which Christophe has just come home from prison is extremely complex. There's a great deal of homo-erotic nuance between the brothers and their friends in this scene. While Morel creates a space for it, and fully inhabits it, he never feels a need to make a point of it, to make a statement. There's simply no need for that. It's not that they are gay or straight, but precisely that the lines between gay and straight are rather fuzzy between these good friends. Putting that message into words would create a self conscious tone in the film which would destroy the dense fabric of emotional ambiguity between the brothers. It may be that the brothers emotional problems have to do with the intensity of their feelings for each other, as well. In the end, each takes his own path. The plot is entirely subservient to the emotional issues of the characters. If you're looking for a plot driven movie, this film has a plot, but the issues that drive the plot are almost entirely internal.... This is a film not primarily about events, but how people respond to events and the ways in which their responses change their lives. Viewed from that perspective, this is a unique and powerful film. Read more ›

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Three Dancing Slaves December 31, 2005

By Simon 2

Format:DVD

I agree 100% with the editorial review written by Amazon. The film is beautifully crafted, compelling story line about family dynamics involving the three brothers-all Arabs. Also, the film is culturally sensitive, superbly acted, and lushly photographed.

In my opinion, this isn't a gay film. Granted there are some homoerotic events; however, they are all integral to the story line. Plus this is French cinema at its best.