Gabrielle

Theatrical Release Date: 2006 07 14 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 796019797191

Studio: Wellspring

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:[Mild Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Adult Language, Sexual Situations]

Summary: A seemingly ideal marriage is thrown into embarrassing turmoil in Patrice Ch?reau's period drama, Gabrielle. Based on the short story The Return by Joseph Conrad, the film opens with Jean (Pascal Greggory) extolling the virtues of his pretty wife, Gabrielle (Isabelle Huppert), in voice-over as he makes his way home from work. Jean and his wife, with help from their team of servants, have fostered the illusion of a perfect bourgeois household. Jean is particularly happy with the way Gabrielle presents herself at the couple's frequent dinner gatherings, attended by their "set," whom, as he describes them, "fear emotion and failure more than war." We see glimpses of these occasions in flashback, while Jean explains of his wife, "I'm proud of what she is -- impassive." The secure little world he's fashioned for himself is shattered when he arrives home and finds a note from Gabrielle, explaining that she's leaving him. "It's terrible, and right," the missive states. After a brief explosion of rage, Jean tries to compose himself, but he's thrown into chaos again when Gabrielle unexpectedly returns home. She finds it impossible to speak to Jean. "This letter is not the worst of it?" he asks her. "The worst is my coming back," she explains. The two struggle bitterly to regain the balance in their relationship. Soon, in the interest of appearances, another dinner party is planned. Gabrielle, switches from black-and-white to color and back from scene to scene, and is also notable for its intriguing use of intertitles. It was adapted by Ch?reau and his frequent collaborator, Anne-Louise Trividic, and was shown at the 2005 New York Film Festival, presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: In Competition – Venice International Film Festival Special Lion – Venice International Film Festival

Features: Interview with Patrice Ch?reau, Isabelle Huppert, and Pascal Greggory
Deleted scenes with Patrice Ch?reau commentary

Gabrielle

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 12/19/2006

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 90 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) French

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Gabrielle
1. Cold Stare of Achievement [10:01]
2. Meeting Gabrielle [7:22]
3. A Mistake [8:11]
4. Nervous Blush [5:27]
5. Slow to Feel [12:22]
6. Silent Suffering [7:29]
7. Making Progress [5:32]
8. An Announcement [8:40]
9. Desperate Acts [8:17]
10. Wake of Violence [5:45]
11. Without Love [7:29]
12. Credits [3:28]

Cast and Crew: Thierry Hancisse  Actor 
Patrice Chéreau  Director 
Patrice Chéreau  Screenwriter 
Anne-Louise Trividic  Screenwriter 
Joseph Strub  Producer 
Serge Catoire  Producer 
Ferdinanda Frangipane  Producer 
Fabio Vacchi  Composer (Music Score) 
Isabelle Huppert  Actor 
Pascal Greggory  Actor 
Raina Kabaivanska  Actor 
Claudia Coli  Actor 
Chantal Neuwirth  Actor 
Thierry Fortineau  Actor 
Louise Vincent  Actor 
Clément Hervieu-Léger  Actor 
Nicolas Moreau  Actor 
Rinaldo Rocco  Actor 
Xavier Lafitte  Actor 
Mai David  Actor 
Jeanne Henry  Actor 
Aude Léger  Actor 

Country: France,Germany,Italy