Product Details

• Actors: Garance Clavel, Zinedine Soualem, Renée Le Calm, Olivier Py, Arapimou
• Directors: Cédric Klapisch
• Format: Color, Dolby, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: French
• Subtitles: English
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Columbia/Tri-Star
• VHS Release Date: June 30, 1998
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0800182588
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,255 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Written and directed by Cédric Klapisch, this delightful French film from 1997 is less interested in its plot--about a young Parisian woman named Chloé (Garance Clabel) who is searching for her lost cat--than it is in her response to the sudden predicament of being truly alone. Chloe's life is hardly thrilling, and romance has proven elusive, so when her cat disappears while she's away on a brief vacation, it's a minor crisis that reminds Chloé of just how lonely she is, and her exhaustive search for the cat begins. She recruits her neighbors and a network of women who know every cat in the district where she lives. But When the Cat's Away is really about the rhythms of Chloé's daily life, the lives of the people around her, and the changing identity of the neighborhood as it undergoes renovation. Like the films of Eric Rohmer, this film is filled with casual observation and quiet revelations of character. It hardly seems like a film at all, but rather a privileged glimpse into the lives of very real people whom we come to know and admire, and in whom we recognize parts of ourselves. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Feel-good Film You Won't Hate, July 5, 1999

By A Customer

"When the Cat's Away," along with Eric Rohmer's "Summer," is one of the best movies about urban loneliness I've ever seen. As a resident of a Los Angeles apartment building in which I barely know people who live mere yards away, I can attest to the peculiar and ironic sense of alienation the heroine feels in her very crowded neighborhood. The director also nails a certain kind of funk that can happen in your late 20s, when bars and clubs are becoming boring, and the novelty of finally living on one's own has worn off. The movie makes a good case for simply getting out of your apartment and getting to know the people whom you have always just said a quick, impersonal "hello" to. The lead actress, who I've never seen before in a movie, is utterly charming and it's hard not to have a huge crush on her by the end of the film. The final shot of "When the Cat's Away," featuring perhaps the best use of a moving camera I've ever seen, is sublime. This film is another example of the saying that Americans make movies about how they wish people were, while the French make movies about the way people ARE.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hauntingly Beautiful, December 14, 1999

By	Meghan (Los Angeles Redwood City, California USA) - See all my reviews

The haunting beauty of the crumbling 11th arrondissement of Paris is the perfect setting for this tale of loneliness. The washed out colors of the cinematography and serene beauty of Garance Clavel create a subtle water color painting of subdued longing and inner tragedy. I've never seen such a gentle film that had such compassion for its subjects. Perfect for a rainy afternoon full of the angst of a Portishead tune.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet Surprise, November 12, 2001

By	Toni Rodriguez "tonir27" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

I rented this video a long time ago and recently rented it again after I returned from my Paris vacation. It's a bittersweet slice of Parisian life that's not overly dramatic, intellectual or glamorous (you won't see Catherine Denueve in this one). A lovely but lonely young woman searches for her lost cat (metaphor for whatever it is you're searching for) with the help of her neighbors. I really enjoyed the lively discussions/interactions between the old and young residents...