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Un amour de Swann
1984 Drama / Romance
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Credits
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Director: Volker Schlöndorff
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Script: Peter Brook, Jean-Claude Carrière, Marie-Hélène Estienne, Volker Schlöndorff, based on a novel by Marcel Proust
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Photo: Sven Nykvist
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Music: David Graham, Hans Werner Henze, Gerd Kuhr, Marcel Wengler, Claude Debussy
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Cast: Jeremy Irons (Charles Swann),
Ornella Muti (Odette de Crecy),
Alain Delon (Baron de Charlus),
Fanny Ardant (Duchesse de Guermantes),
Marie-Christine Barrault (Madame Verdurin),
Anne Bennent (Chloe),
Nathalie Juvet (Madame Cottard),
Charlotte Kerr (Sous-maitresse),
Catherine Lachens (Aunt),
Philippine Pascal (Madame Gallardon),
Charlotte de Turckheim (Madame de Cambremer),
Jean-Louis Richard (Monsieur Verdurin),
Pierre Arditi (Swann)
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Country: France
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Language: French
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Runtime: 110 min
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Aka: A Love of Swann; Swann in Love
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Summary
Jewish intellectual Charles Swann has overcome prejudice and now occupies a prominent
position in society, enjoying the friendship of such notables as the Baron de Charlus.
All this he is prepared to risk in his pursuit of an uncontrollable lust for a younger
woman with a dubious past, Odette de Crecy. Swann’s relentless jealousy and
desire to possess Odette progressively erodes his passion. He realises, too late,
that the love he ultimately secures is scarcely worth having...
Review
It is widely accepted that Marcel Proust’s À
la recherche du temps perdu is the one literary work that tacitly defies translation
to the big screen. It is not just the length of the monumental work that should
put off any sane film director; the complexity of Proust’s narrative style and the
interweaving of some many diverse themes are guaranteed to make any film adaptation a
doomed venture. This doesn’t mean that some filmmakers haven’t tried
however…
In Un amour de Swann, German director Volker
Schlöndorff took up the challenge and adapted a small, yet substantial, segment of
Proust’s work. Whilst the result is far from perfect, the film’s production
values are excellent, and Schlöndorff goes someway to capturing the ethereal mood
and rich complexity of Proust’s writing. There is some evocative cinematography
from Sven Nykvist (a collaborator of such masters as Ingmar Bergman), which skilfully
conveys the oppressive nature of the period in which the film is set and also the dangerous
all-consuming frenzy that is romantic passion.
On the downside, Jeremy Irons’
portrayal of Swann is too cold and distant for him to be engaging or convincing, and Ornella
Muti appears to be an obvious casting error. The only sympathetic character is the
Baron de Charlus, a disillusioned gay aristocrat portrayed with surprising sensitivity
by Alain Delon. Overall, the film’s lack of passion and intensity makes it
a ponderous and lacklustre work, although it does offer a few moments of artistic brilliance
– notably the film’s haunting and rather poignant ending.
© James Travers 2005
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