Ce jour-là (2003)
Directed by Raoul Ruiz

Comedy / Crime / Thriller
aka: That Day

Film Review

Abstract picture representing Ce jour-la (2003)
After some disappointing attempts to widen his repertoire with genres which do not play to his strengths, director Raoul Ruiz makes a welcome return to the kind of film which he truly excels in: the surreal black comedy.  Ce jour-là is classic Ruiz, a film that is original in every sense of the word.  A remarkable cast, which features some of the most respected actors in French cinema, adds greatly to the film's artistic appeal and its entertainment value.  Feeling like an odd synthesis of Chabrol and Buñuel at their best, Ce jour-là is both a well-observed satire on the Swiss bourgeoisie (indeed, Swiss life in general) and a surreal, macabre fairytale in which one's notion of good and evil is masterfully subverted. It is every bit as weird and beguiling as Ruiz's previous flights of fancy, including, Trois vies et une seule mort (1996) and Généalogies d'un crime (1997).

Bernard Giraudeau and Elsa Zylberstein are both excellent as the film's two principal characters.  Giraudeau clearly relishes his role as a chronically diabetic serial killer; although his performance is so over-the-top that he risks going into orbit in a few places, he succeeds in bringing a sense of realism and depth to his part.  It is a pleasure to see this talented actor find his feet in such unfamiliar territory as this.  As the film's heroine - a mad fairytale princess who makes a habit of smashing craniums with DIY equipment - Elsa Zylberstein is perfectly cast and complements Giraudeau's rough animalistic portrayal of insanity à la perfection.   It is a subtle variation on the Beauty and the Beast tale, albeit with far more dark irony - and with considerably more theatrical blood.

Whilst just as anarchistic and tongue-in-cheek as Ruiz's previous expeditions into the black comedy genre, Ce jour-là is altogether a more sophisticated and complex film than the Chilean director has previously attempted.  It is possible to enjoy it at its most basic level,  an off-the-wall farce, particularly if Grand Guignol comedy murders is your thing.
© James Travers 2004
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Raoul Ruiz film:
Trois vies et une seule mort (1996)

Film Synopsis

Livia is a rich heiress who lives in a grand house in a remote part of Switzerland, resented by her relatives who are jealous of her fortune and desperately want to get their hands on it.  Consulting her runes one morning, Livia is told that this will be the best day of her life.  And so it proves, when a strange man named Emil Pointpoirot turns up unexpectedly in her house.  Livia mistakes him for an angel, but in truth he is a psychopathic killer who has recently escaped from an asylum.  Despite his murderous instincts, Emil takes a liking to the vulnerable young woman and becomes her protector when her greedy relatives show up at the house intent on killing her.  As the bodies start to pile up, police chief Raufer decides to stand by and let matters take their course.  They do things differently in Switzerland...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.


Film Credits

  • Director: Raoul Ruiz
  • Script: Raoul Ruiz
  • Cinematographer: Acácio de Almeida
  • Music: Jorge Arriagada
  • Cast: Bernard Giraudeau (Pointpoirot), Elsa Zylberstein (Livia), Jean-Luc Bideau (Raufer), Jean-François Balmer (Treffle), Christian Vadim (Ritter), Laurent Malet (Roland), Rufus (Hubus), Féodor Atkine (Warff), Jacques Denis (Patron café), Edith Scob (Leone), Hélène Surgère (Bernadette), Laurence Février (Edmonde), Jean-Michel Portal (Vogel), Jean-Baptiste Puech (Luc), Matthias Urban (Dorival), Michel Piccoli (Harald), Macha Béranger (Laure Magloire), Gilles Sionnet (Pharmacien), Alice Schneider (Fortune Subite), Antonin Chambon (Tour du Monde)
  • Country: France / Switzerland
  • Language: French
  • Support: Color
  • Runtime: 105 min
  • Aka: That Day

The best French films of 2018
sb-img-27
Our round-up of the best French films released in 2018.
The Carry On films, from the heyday of British film comedy
sb-img-17
Looking for a deeper insight into the most popular series of British film comedies? Visit our page and we'll give you one.
The very best American film comedies
sb-img-18
American film comedy had its heyday in the 1920s and '30s, but it remains an important genre and has given American cinema some of its enduring classics.
The best of American cinema
sb-img-26
Since the 1920s, Hollywood has dominated the film industry, but that doesn't mean American cinema is all bad - America has produced so many great films that you could never watch them all in one lifetime.
The greatest French film directors
sb-img-29
From Jean Renoir to François Truffaut, French cinema has no shortage of truly great filmmakers, each bringing a unique approach to the art of filmmaking.
 

Other things to look at


Copyright © filmsdefrance.com 1998-2024
All rights reserved



All content on this page is protected by copyright