Alice Et Martin [1999]

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Staring a radiant Juliette Binoche and first-time actor Alexis Loret, Alice et Martin portrays a love affair that blossoms between the two protagonists and the effects on the relationship of a notable age gap and Martin's tortured past. André Téchiné has delivered some of the most delicate character pieces in recent French cinema, most notably the coming-of-age drama Wild Reeds. However, Alice et Martin, authored with help from Olivier Assayas (Irma Vep), never quite comes together as smoothly as his best work; it ricochets from lovely romantic flirtations to tortured psychodrama to family melodrama while Téchiné's oblique, reserved direction observes without penetrating the heart of the drama. Loret's Martin is more enigma than character, but Mathieu Amalric portral of Martin's long lost brother shows the same shaggy, understated charm he displayed in Late August, Early September and Binoche brings a sensitivity and toughness to the emotionally scuffed Alice. Her radiant presence gives the film its moments of emotional frisson a discreet, subtle power. --Sean Axmaker, Amazon.com

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Customer reviews

review by: marshal1831 date: 2005-08-02 rating:
Alice et Martin
As with all other reviews Juliette Binoche's performance is wonderful, I've seen her in many films and she is fantastic. The film is very theatrical in it's presentation and at first melodramatic but becomes more and more real despite the events becoming more and more unreal. A thoughtful and thought provocing film.

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review by: date: 2001-11-23 rating:
Binoche shines as Alice
I'm becoming quite a fan of Juliette Binoche, and this is one of my favourite films of her's. After seeing some of her English language films (like Chocolat and The English Patient), I decided to broaden my horizons and delve into french cinema, and I'm discovering some real gems. Although Binoche is also great in Three colours Blue, I think I prefer her performance in this. in which she's just mesmerising. Also good is Mathieu Amalric, who plays Martin's gay half-brother Benjamin. Martin's performance (who is played by Alexis Loret) seems quite flat and detached at first, but once the story unfolds and you discover his secret (after a lengthy flashback), you realise why he comes across as so emotionally removed. The film can be a little intense, but it has a gritty realism about it which I liked. Don't expect much in the way of DVD extra's, just your standard trailer and cast/director filmographies, although picture quality is good in the film itself. There's no english language (i.e. dubbed) audio track, just subtitles, though I imagine most people (myself included) prefer these anyway. Overall, an impressive cast, but for me it's Binoche that really shines in this movie. Definitely worth seeing.

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review by: date: 2001-06-20 rating:
Highly Enjoyable
I enjoyed this film. The scenery is excellent - especially the scenes shot in Spain. Juliette Binoche is fantastic, giving the role of Alice something unique - a resilience but also a sensitive side. The flashback in the middle can be confusing on first viewing but nevertheless the film just about holds together. If you enjoy french cinema, this film is almost definitely for you.


review by: date: 2001-02-27 rating:
A mature and emotional love story.
Its a beautiful story, which reminds one of The Big Blue, but this film goes deeper into the caracters motives and emotions. Its set in Paris, Morocco, and Spain (I think), and worth buying for the scenery alone if you are a fan of Kieslowski and Binoche (think the colours of Three Colours Blue).

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Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Drama
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . VHS
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . BBFC Rating (intended_use_browse-bin) . 15
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Editions (feature_two_browse-bin) . Standard Edition
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Release Date (feature_three_browse-bin) . 1990 - 1999
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Language (theme_browse-bin) . English
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Video . Video . Categories . World Cinema . French . Drama
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