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Vénus beauté (institut)
1999 Comedy / Drama / Romance
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Credits
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Director: Tonie Marshall
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Script: Tonie Marshall, Jacques Audiard, Marion Vernoux
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Photo: Gérard de Battista
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Music: Luiz Bonfá, Khalil Chahine
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Cast: Nathalie Baye (Angèle Piana),
Bulle Ogier (Madame Nadine,
la patronne),
Samuel Le Bihan (Antoine DuMont),
Jacques Bonnaffé (Jacques),
Mathilde Seigner (Samantha),
Audrey Tautou (Marie),
Robert Hossein (L'aviateur),
Marie Rivière (La cliente aux bottines fourées),
Edith Scob (La cliente aux taches sur les mains),
Hélène Fillières (La fiancée d'Antoine),
Brigitte Roüan (Madame Marianne),
Claire Nebout (La cliente exhibitioniste),
Micheline Presle (Tante Maryse),
Emmanuelle Riva (Tante Lyda)
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Country: France
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Language: French
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Runtime: 105 min
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Aka: Venus Beauty Institute; Venus Beauty Salon; MPAA: Rated R for sexuality
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Summary
Angèle is a middle-aged beautician who refuses to settle down with a man, preferring
a string of one night stands and short-term relationships. She works at the Venus
Beauty clinic, where her colleagues include the disillusioned Samantha, who, like
Angèle, is unable to commit to a long-term relationship, and the ingenuous Marie,
who innocently accepts gifts from an ageing widower who is receiving cosmetic surgery.
Angèle’s life takes an unexpected turn one day when a younger man, a total stranger
named Antoine, accosts her and says he is in love with her. At first, afraid
of what this may lead to, Angèle pushes Antoine aside. Then, as he persists,
she begins to do what she has tried to avoid all her life, to fall in love…
Review
A surprising mix of the conventional and the unexpected, Vénus beauté
(institut) is superficially a familiar modern day love story, centred around a middle-aged
woman who finally discovers true love after a life-time of avoiding it. Yet, cleverly,
its narrative is constructed around several layers, many of which would probably be missed
in a single viewing of the film.
The gaudy rose-tinted photography, matching the neon-drenched sugary artificiality of
the beauty clinic, overlays a complex human drama, involving not just the lead character,
Angèle, but also her colleagues, her family and her ex-lovers. Far from diluting
the film’s impact, its all-too-pretty cinematography and occasional comic diversions somehow
heighten the drama and involve the viewer to a greater degree. Just as women (and
men) use make-up to hide their physical imperfections, Angèle has cacooned herself
in a false external shell for herself, which conceals a tragically wounded character.
The film's strong visual style makes an appropriate metaphor for its content, and the
two complement each other very well.
The quality of this film was reflected both in its popularity (attracting 1.3 million
cinema goers in France) and at the 2000 Césars Ceremony, where it won no less than
four awards, including awards for the best director, best film and best original scenario.
It also won the best promising newcomer César for the captivating debutant Audrey
Tautou, who has since shot to fame as the elfin Amélie Poulain in Jeunet’s 2001
film. Nathalie Baye missed out on the best actress award (which went to Karin
Viard in Haut les coeurs), in spite of a truly remarkable performance. Baye's
conribution to the film is probably, more than anything, what makes it so enjoyable and
also so moving.
© James Travers 2001
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