With THE TOWN IS QUIET, French writer-director Robert Guediguian (MARIUS AND JEANNETTE) brings the bustling, culturally diverse landscape of modern Marseilles to startling life. Opening with an extended pan of the Mediterranean city, Guediguian ingeniously prepares the viewer for the sprawling tale that is about to unfold. .. Read more
| Starring | Ariane Ascaride, Gerard Meylan, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Jacques Boudet |
|---|---|
| Director | Robert Guediguian |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
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With THE TOWN IS QUIET, French writer-director Robert Guediguian (MARIUS AND JEANNETTE) brings the bustling, culturally diverse landscape of modern Marseilles to startling life. Opening with an extended pan of the Mediterranean city, Guediguian ingeniously prepares the viewer for the sprawling tale that is about to unfold. Gradually, a revolving cast of characters is introduced, including: Michele (Ariane Ascaride), a struggling fish monger who cares for her heroin-addicted daughter, Fiona (Julie-Marie Parmentier); Paul (Jean-Pierre Darroussin), a former dock worker who has turned to driving a taxi; Abderramane (Alexandre Ogou) and Viviane (Christine Brucher), two apparent opposites who form an unlikely relationship; and Gerard (Gerard Meylan), a quiet bar owner with a mysterious connection to Michele. By the time the film builds to its somber, tragic conclusion, each individual is forced to confront his or her current situation, sparking a series of epiphanies that no one will ever forget.
Guediguian's film is the work of a truly gifted storyteller. Juggling at least four major plotlines, he brings his characters together naturally, without ever forcing it. Ascaride, Darroussin, and Meylan are standouts in the superb cast, actors who don't need to speak to convey the hidden sadness that lies just beneath the surface.
This film was screened as part of the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2001 festival organized by The Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City.
| Starring | Ariane Ascaride, Gerard Meylan, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Jacques Boudet, Pascale Roberts, Veronique Balme, Pierre Banderet, Christine Brucher, Alexandre Ogou, Julie-Marie Parmentier |
|---|---|
| Director | Robert Guediguian |
| Studio | FUSION MEDIA |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 13 mins |
| Certificate |  |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: French |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | Production year: 2000 To Rent: DVD: 22 Apr 2002 |
"...Guediguian's light, mobile camerawork and extensive location shooting expand Marseillais visual idiom, offering an imaginative cross between the warm theatricality of the [19]30s Pagnol films and British-style social realism..."
- 8
- 0
Not the most uplifiting experience!
Set in Marseille, against a background of rising right wing politics and lowering job prospects Guediguian portrays a short period in the lives of a number of ... read more »
[Highly rated reviewer]
- 1
- 0
grim, realistic but worthy
well acted, grim portrayal of the affect of drug addiction on a working class family in France, seemed realsitic but withour much hope
- 1
- 0
La vie, mais pas en rose
Fantastic piece of french realiste cinema. Few directors would dare to look so honestly at the realities of economic meltdown and urban despair. Bleak, ... read more »
- 1
- 1
La Ville Est Tranquille
This was a nicely put together film, an interesting enough storyline, but ultimately disappointing film for me, as I began to realise that I didn't really ... read more »
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