February 9 - La Ceremonie (first of three by Chabrol)

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

La Ceremonie, 1996

This is the first of three films we will screen by the late French director, Claude Chabrol.

Director: Claude Chabrol
Origin: France | Germany
Language: French
Running time: 112 min

The Lelievres, a wealthy French family, have everything they could ever want, with the exception of a capable maid. Into their lives comes Sophie (Sandrine Bonnaire), a shy girl whose peculiar nature is overlooked by the Madame (Jacqueline Bisset) because of her stellar work ethic. When the reserved Sophie befriends a local woman named Jeanne (Isabelle Huppert), the two begin to plot against the unapproachable family.

MPAA rating: Not rated
U.S. box office: $670,659

To find out more about his career, read Claude Chabrol's obituary in the New York Times.