The Widow of Saint-Pierre (2000)

While a guillotine and an excutioner are sent from france a convict sentenced to death on the isolated island of st. Pierre strives to better himself in the eyes of the police chiefs beautiful wife. But when an event takes place turning public opinion against his execution. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 02/06/2007 Starring: Juliette Binoche Emir Kusturica Run time: 108 minutes Rating: R Director: Patrice Leconte Product Description

A moral tale

BEWARE OF SPOILERS!

In this French language film (with English subtitles), Juliette Binoche plays what some today might call a "bleeding heart liberal," maybe even a head-strong bleeding heart liberal. Her name is Pauline and her husband Jean (Daniel Auteuil) is the Captain of a troop of soldiers on the island of St. Pierre off the coast of Newfoundland. The year is 1849.

One night two of the local peasants get drunk and have an argument about whether a certain man of the island is fat or just big. As a joke they go to his cottage and rouse him from his dinner table with calls of "fat!" and "big" until comes out to investigate with a knife in his hands for protection. In the ensuing confrontation one of the men holds the big guy from behind while the other (Ariel Neel Auguste, played by Emir Kusturica) knocks the knife from his hand, picks it up, and in a kind of madness cuts the man open to see--as they later testify at the trial--whether he is really fat or just big.

As it happens, Neel is condemned to death, but can't be executed because the law requires that he be beheaded and there is no guillotine on the island, nor is there an executioner. Since he can hardly run away from this snowy island, Pauline wants him out of his cell and at work helping her around the house, maybe as a gardener. Jean, who loves Pauline extravagantly, agrees and Neel becomes Pauline's protégé. She wants to reform him and teach him to read, etc. The tension in the film builds as her good intensions run afoul of the island's governing authorities. Through it all Jean stands steadfast by his wife in a most heroic way.

I won't say anymore about the plot. What interests me more is the motivation of Pauline in helping Neel. Is she motivated by generosity of heart or by her desire to be a person doing good? This is an ancient question. Do we do good because that is our nature or because we are fulfilling a desire to be good? Furthermore, is Pauline's heart filled with human love for Neel or does she in fact have a yen for him?

Director Patrice Leconte gives us plenty of reason to be skeptical. When Pauline is sitting practically on Neel's lap while teaching him to read, the camera closes in on their fingers as they trace the lines in the text. The fingers get closer and closer together until they touch and even mingle a bit.

Cut immediately to a scene through a bedroom door: two naked figures in vigorous sexual union. At first we can't see who they are, and it is hard not to imagine that it is Pauline and Neel in adulterous embrace. However, it is Pauline and her husband, Jean.

In another scene the bored women of the island are seen talking about how close Pauline and Neel have gotten and how this must inspire Jean to be a better lover; but in fact we can see that what the presence of Neel is doing is lighting a fire under Pauline.

Captain Jean is an entirely admirable character who loves his wife. Neel is also admirable in that he loves Pauline but doesn't make any moves on her. He becomes something of a hero when he saves the building of a café on wheels being moved from crashing. She is of course the most talked-about person on the island, the source of most of the gossip. As we watch the film unfold there is a sense of doom coming. We know something terrible is going to happen; we just don't know what or to whom.

In the final analysis I guess we can say that Pauline--who, in the framing device, narrates the events from memory--got not what she deserved--for no one deserves what happened to her; nor can we attribute what happens to some kind of fatalism. Instead the tragedy can be seen as the direct result of her compromised behavior. Or perhaps we can make a more generous interpretation and say that no good deed ever goes unpunished.

This film can also be seen as a tract against capital punishment since Neel is basically a good man who made a bad mistake. He is clearly a worthwhile member of the community. He is also repentant even to the point of believing that he must pay for his sin in accordance with the law.

See this for director Patrice Laconte who has a nice touch with historical period pieces and directs with the kind of attention to detail and story that rank him among the very best auteurs of the French cinema. I also highly recommend his Ridicule (1996) and La fille sur la pont (1999). November 24, 2008

The Widow of Saint Pierre

There were a few things about the movie as a whole which I did not like,, but on the whole this is a fine movie and it's another superb performance from Juliette Binoche. January 8, 2008

Deeply Inspiring

A very special story that sheds glowing light on the beautiful capacities of the human heart. I found myself deeply inspired to create new paintings while watching this true story unfold. Dael DaelArt.com May 29, 2006

Widow In Black

Juliette Binoche is an amazing actress. Since her Best Supporting Actress Oscar for "The English Patient" in 1996 and her nomination for "Chocolat," she's an actress whose films I seek. "The Widow of Saint-Pierre" has a bit of irony to the title. The opening frames show Binoche in black staring out of a window. We then move into the flashback in which most of the film moves forward. We learn that the "widow" is the guillotine that must be shipped by boat from France before the big execution can take place. We see director Emir Kusturica in an acting role as the very large prisoner Neel whose rehabilitation Binoche's Madame La seeks. We keep wondering if the black dress is saved for the prisoner. Daniel Autereil who won a Cesar (French Oscar) for his work with director Patrice Leconte for "Ridicule" in 1996 plays the lovestruck Captain who is in charge of the execution. Spurred on by his wild and unconditional love for his wife, he thwarts the town's sentence of death at every turn, refusing to allow his soldiers to help haul the widow ship to shore. In the moment of ultimate irony, Neel volunteers to help bring the widow to shore, which is sure to result in his own execution. The bloody resolution and the final shots of Binoche in black bring the story to its somber conclusion. Patrice Leconte has a great reserve, shooting this excellent screenplay in period costume and letting the depth of his cast work its magic. This is an incredibly tragic romance, one that works exquisitely. Enjoy! August 19, 2005

Perfect love makes perfection in all.

I find it odd that when reviewing the reviews of this film that people seem to either give it perfect or abysmal scores. The dichotomy of opinion is probably a direct result of the skill and immense power of Leconte's images, (especially those that his chosen actress affords us).

Leconte is a master and quite possibly the greatest living auteur currently making films. His movies often contain a refreshing difficulty that gives one hope that images still mean something, that film is still worthy of being explicated, that someone still cares enough to think that much without being overly clever such as the Coens and Anderson. I shouldn't say still. I should say is and will be, as Leconte is on a different level than any who has ever worked including Kieslowski (the master of images). I enjoy how Leconte has said that although it was his second period piece he approached the film as if that had nothing to do with it, learning from "Ridicule". I should point that out I have no problem with "Ridicule" and the fact that it is a period piece has a great deal to do with the presentation, but I can see what he meant. Like I said, I enjoy the statement, but I should also point out I'm a jerk.

Binoche and Auteuil are two of my favorite actors and this film shows them at their virtuosic best. They deliver amazing performances of a truly passionate couple who both hold unconditional love for the other which in itself contains ultimate trust of decision and character. Possibly more Auteuil's for Binoche's but the sympathy generated by his character fuels her as an equally sharing partner, making any difference negligible. There is a third character, Neel, but he is there only to accentuate the relationship between the other two.

The movie, quite simply is about unconditional love and what it means to love unconditionally. There is a subplot of equal merits (mainly concerning Neel) about the belief in redemption, and what it truly means to believe in redemption. In short it is about the consequences of action through belief, more so out of the love for another than those of moral ground or stance. Some people are not willing to accept the belief that actions can or should occur solely out of sympathy for another. Some people will never allow themselves to love unconditionally. Some people will not understand or even like this film.

Binoche deserves a prize that doesn't yet exist for her most exquisite performance. Leconte deserves recognition for what he has done and what he has given us with this film, certainly one of the best I have ever seen.

February 19, 2005

More reviews at Amazon.com ...