The "widow" referred to in the title of La Veuve de Saint-Pierre isn't a woman, but a mechanism--to be exact, the guillotine, (though the title does take on a second meaning in the tragic final moments of the film). We're on the island of Saint-Pierre, a tiny forgotten French colony off the coast of Newfoundland, midway through the 19th century. A senseless drunken murder is committed and the killer is condemned to death, but zut alors!, there's no guillotine on the island. So one must be requested from the slow, bureaucratic authorities in Paris and, once approved, laboriously shipped over. Meanwhile the killer, a simple-minded giant of a man, is placed in the custody of the Captain, whose beautiful wife starts taking an interest in the prisoner.
Director Patrice Leconte has always had an acute feel for place and period--he directed the mordantly witty costume drama Ridicule--and La Veuve vividly captures the sense of remoteness and resentful isolation of this blizzard-swept community. The brooding landscape, all slate-blues and greys, is beautifully framed by Eduardo Serra's camera, and Leconte draws affecting performances from his central trio of actors: Daniel Auteuil, with his intriguingly lopsided face, as the Captain; Juliette Binoche, radiantly vulnerable as his wife; and, in an unexpected but remarkably successful bit of casting, Serbian film director Emir Kusturica as the condemned man. La Veuve de Saint-Pierre may be a touch over-solemn at times, and its message is hardly unexpected; but it's an intelligent, engrossing and richly atmospheric piece of filmmaking. --Philip Kemp
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Strange, but compelling story If one didn't know that this was a true story it would be hard to believe. The acting is excellent, the framing and colour of the filming beautiful. It progresses at a slow pace at first and then the tension mounts as one waits for the final outcome.
Stunning - you won't forget it in a hurry La Veuve de Saint Pierre was absolutley stunning - I was captivated by the cinematography from the outset. I actually saw this on TV by chance but couldn't switch off , I was so intrigued by the absolute conviction of Juliette Binoche's character in her belief that the convicted man is essentially a good man who has made a tragic error, and the gentleness and passivity of the character of Neel once condemned. I'm not that eloquent at reviewing this, but this is one you will not not forget in a hurry.
Rocking the boat. When Juliette Binoche appears in a film, you expect a solid performance - and this French classic is no exception. She's the only really familiar face and is convincing as the liberal Madame La. Her relationship with equally the liberal Capitaine manages to portray the `troublemaker' status the couple have and you quickly realise why they are on the remote island of St. Pierre rather than stirring up the establishment back in Paris. Daniel Auteuil as the Captain is equally as strong on screen, his intense,... more info
touching I usually watch spanish rather than french films, and love films with sad endings, so I wasn't dissappointed. This is one of the most touching films I've ever seen; a romance for people that hate romances. It is well paced, and though you suspect the ending, the story is really about trust that deep love brings and the unification of a married couple in their values against their society. One reviewer questioned the motives of the husband of Binoche and said it was unbelievable. Obviously this reviewer is... more info
![La Veuve De Saint-Pierre [2000]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41QTMFKBYSL._SL160_.jpg)
