LE DIVORCE

UK, 2003, 115 minutes, Colour.
Kate Hudson, Naomi Watts, Jean- Marc Barr, Leslie Caron, Stockard Channing, Glenn Close, Romain Duris, Stephen Fry, Thomas Lennon, Thierry Lhermitte, Matthew Modine, Bebe Neuwirth, Melvil Poupaud, Natalie Richard, Sam Waterston.
Directed by James Ivory.

James Ivory, his producer Ismail Merchant and his writer, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, have build a strong reputation for making literate, opulent and stately versions of classic writers, especially Henry James (The Europeans, The Bostonians, The Golden Bowl) and E.M. Forster (A Room with a View, Maurice and Howards' End). These films tend to be dismissed as museum pieces by younger commentators who are more MTV generation of pace and style as well as older commentators who feel that movies should radiate obvious vitality. Le Divorce is something of a challenge. It uses the same storytelling devices, creation of characters and dramatically plotted interactions as the period films but it is set in contemporary Paris. Once again, especially as in the Henry James adaptations, the Americans are the innocents abroad, eager to learn from Europe but failing to realise until it is too late what the traditional
Europeans, the French, really think of them and the contempt beneath the scarcely veiled ironic politeness. So, here we are in Merchant-Ivory? territory only the look and the sounds are contemporary.

The plot is reminiscent of an Altman ensemble film. It centres on two sisters, Naomi Watts (an American expatriate artist married to a Frenchman, with one child and another on the way) and Kate Hudson (eager to support her sister, especially when her husband walks out on her, but also eager to sample the heterodox ways of marriage and mistresses). The implications of the actions of the two sisters are enough for a mini-series. Matthew Modine portrays (far too eccentrically) the enraged husband of the woman Naomi's husband has absconded with. Thierry Lhermitte portrays the ageing businessman roue who has no trouble with the beginning or the end of the affair.

The parent generation consists of Sam Waterston and Stockard Channing as the 'what are we doing in Paris?' Americans and Leslie Caron as the erring husband's mother. Glenn Close (doing something of a Germaine Greer) is the worldlywise author who has learned more than a thing or two in her thirty years in France but who is now happy to leave it all behind.

There is froth and glamour, licit and illicit romance, snobbery and naivety, realism with a touch of magic (especially a floating umbrella over the rooftops of Paris) and a sudden plunge into melodrama that takes one off guard and seems a bit preposterous. But, of course, all's well that ends well.

1. The Merchant Ivory films - period pieces? Their looking at contemporary Paris? Paris, the French, Americans in Paris? An entertainment?

2. Merchant Ivory and their interest in Henry James themes, the innocent Americans abroad in the experience of Europe? Transferring these themes to the 21st century?

3. The title, its focus, the adaptation of a novel, the feminine perspective, the focus on marriage, sexual relationships, divorce?

4. Paris as a character, appearing during the credits, the handbag in the animation - and the real handbag floating through Paris at the end? The streets, homes, mansions, elite restaurants, the shops? The world of literature and culture? The use of the Eiffel Tower for the climax?

5. The world of French food, French fashion? Manners, experience? Art and art expertise? The world of auctions?

6. The focus on the two sisters, Isabel and Roxanne? The strong loving relationship between the two, Roxanne's situation, their ages, complementarity, relationship to their family? Roxanne and her marriage, her daughter, her husband walking out, the divorce?

7. Isabel, naïve, the proposal to be a mistress, her accepting, the affair with the young man? Issues of life and death? Isabel and her age, lack of experience, Santa Barbara background, arriving in Paris, seeing Charles Henri leave, Roxanne and her being pregnant again, her being in Paris to support her, not supporting her? Her loving relationship with her niece? Her care for her niece, going to dinner with Charles Henri's family, the discussion at table, the indiscretions of American senators, Roxanne's reaction, her supporting her sister? Her fascination with Edgar as a man of the world? The various visits to the family, especially Charles Henri's mother? Her experience of French snobbery, American puzzlement at this? Her meeting Olivia, being offered the job, working on her files, seeing the photo of Olivia and Edgar? Her meeting with Yves, the simple affair with him, watching the television, intrigued by Edgar and his performance, Yves and his condemning Edgar as right-wing and bigoted? Going to dinner with Edgar, the proposal that she be his mistress, her accepting? The gift of the handbag and its meaning, the Grace Kelly bag? And the irony of the mother seeing it, Roxanne, Olivia? Her going to buy the underwear? The affair, sharing the apartment with Edgar? Taking her bag everywhere despite advice, to the opera? The impact of the divorce, of the picture of St Ursula, the division of the property, her supporting her family? Charles Henri's mother and warning her about the affair? Charlotte and her comments? Edgar and his breaking of the affair, taking her out, all done in a civilised way? The impact of Roxanne's suicide attempt, visiting her in hospital? Their parents arriving, taking them out, giving them cultural and food advice? Her meeting the assessors, the issues of the painting? The birth of the child, the auction? Her being transformed by her experience in Paris?

7. Roxanne, her reasons for going to Paris, her being a poet, the affair with Charles Henri, her pregnancy, the decision to marry, the opposition from his family? Her belief in personal freedom, her pregnancy making her feel responsibility for her daughter? The suddenness of Charles Henri's leaving, its effect on her? Her comment that all the French would say would be, "Bien sur"? Isabel's arrival and her dependence on her, her being able to cope with the visit to the family, her friendship with Olivia, reading the poetry at the recital? Her phoning Charles Henri, the meetings? The new woman in his life and her disbelief? The painting, her bringing it to Paris, its place in the family, the attribution to the painter, genuine or not? The assessments? Bertram and his being the lawyer, his being helpful? The discussions with Charles Henri and the lawyers about the division of property, her anger? The experience of her pregnancy, the passing of the months? Her depression, the suicide attempt, being in hospital, recovering? Her parents' arrival, the visit to the family, the dinner, hospitality, the undercurrents? Bertram and his support of her, her feelings for him? The birth of the baby, the devotion, the auction, the future - the effect of discovering that Charles Henri had bee murdered? Her freedom?

8. Charles Henri, his art, his having married Roxanne, love for his daughter, the decision to leave, the French manner, callous? The meetings, the phone calls? His relationship with Magda - and her Russian volatility, extroversion, exuberance? The evaluation of the property, the discussions with the lawyer, the dividing of the proceeds of the painting? His being murdered?

9. Antoine and Charlotte, their snobbery, the discussion about sexual indiscretions at the table, Roxanne's reaction? Visiting the apartment and doing the assessing of the property? The dinner with the whole family and the American guests? Charlotte and her discussions with her mother-in-law?

10. Suzanne as the matriarch, her love for her son, attitude towards him, acknowledging that what he had done was bad, but her not wanting him to have married Roxanne? Entertaining, the restaurant visits? The knowledge of Edgar and his affair, the bags? Inviting his wife to the dinner, their talk, her encounter with Isabel and her seeming tolerance? Suzanne and her emphasis on manners, thinking Americans ignorant, talking to Charlotte as she sat on the bed, the aristocratic attitudes and the inability to understand American relaxed freedom?

11. Edgar, at the dinner, his manners, on the television, his right-wing views, proposing Isabel to be his mistress, the outings, in the apartment, his friendship with Olivia, the photo of the past, the decision to end the affair, the buying of the scarf as a farewell present, the dinner and the end of the affair?

12. Olivia, literary background, the American in Paris, her age, friendship with Roxanne and appreciating her poetry? Giving Isabel the job, their working together, the bag, giving her advice, Isabel seeing the photo? The recital, Roxanne's reading of the poem? The meeting at the buying of the scarves and the discussions with Edgar? Her return to the United States, the French experience, her being at the auction and sharing the happiness of the family?

13. The girl's parents, very American, living in Santa Barbara and their lifestyle, Roger and his incessant talk about the painting, their arrival in Paris, the airport, the apartment, going out, the dinner? The loud American attitudes, Roger and his pronunciations, arguing about the tip? The mother being the strong character, supporting her daughters, talking with Suzanne? The father being wise, observant?

14. The assessment of the painting, Julia and the American interest, the speculation about the authenticity? The legal assessment, the Louvre and saying that it was not authentic? Stephen Fry as the man from Christie's, his manner, the dinner? His explanation of the tactics about authenticating paintings? His participation in the auction?

15. The auction, everyone present. The various bidders, outdoing each other? The American success?

16. Matthew Modine as Talman, his hysterical performance, insane, haunting the sisters, the sexual proposal, his watching Magda, accosting Roxanne in the shop when she was buying baby clothes, her reaction, hitting him with the bag? The attack, his killing Charles Henri? Going to the Eiffel Tower, his plausible story, being watched on security monitors, going up the stairs, the siege, the gun, his being persuaded to surrender, going into custody - and getting a long sentence?

17. Isabel, her role at the siege, taking the gun, putting it in her special bag, throwing it over the Eiffel Tower - and its sailing through Paris in a homage to the film, The Red Balloon?

18. An ensemble piece, the various characters, their subplots, love, relationships, sex and marriage, divorce, family, children, manners and morals?