Noce blanche

This is a very deep and moving film.

I saw it over 10 years ago for the first time and was fascinated, and I still am.

The story is well constructed and follows the human rhythms, nothing is calculated or forced, but all is just terribly... real.

It's an incredible story of love, loyalty, violence, integrity, doubts, with two protagonists at the limits of their lives. All characters are played by good actors, but the young girl and the professor (Vanessa and Bruno) stand out... what a performance!

For me this is a masterpiece.

It's been over a decade since I saw this film, but I do remember it rather fondly. It showed sensitivity for the characters as well as the subject matter, instead of being exploitative. At the same time, it was quite frank in dealing with the story and of course, it ends tragically. I also remember being impressed with Vanessa Paradis, both for playing a difficult role deftly, and for her physical beauty. It was only recently that I became aware of her real-life relationship (being Johnny Depp's girlfriend).

I would love to see the film again, but it seems it hasn't been widely circulated on DVD, and the R2 disc is hard to find. What a pity.

I saw this movie for the first time when I was 15 or so (1992) and ever since then I have seen it at least another 7 or 8 times. This is true, you know. School girls DO fall in love with exactly these kind of ppl. Not everyone falls for the latest boy-band-model-of-the-year type. Some goes for the sophisticated, sensitive, reliable and wise men. I got the movie from amazon as VHS, and still hope that one day it will come up as DVD title. Most recommended, for those who want to see true love in the eyes of young girls.

now this was the vanessa paradis video i had been waiting weeks to see. i finally got my copy ordered off of ebay and i was so glad i did. in it, vanessa paradis plays a moody young teenager named mathilde who has no parents. she rarely shows up to class, and when she does, it appears as if she is just wasting her time. her philosophy teacher francois (played by bruno cremer), happens to stumble across her path and once he finds out more about her, is eager to help her learn more. he starts to come over to her house everyday going over her homework, and teaching her the art of the study.

now, eventually, mathilde starts placing little hints that she finds francois attractive. (if you didn't know, she is 17, he is 49) he tries to resist her, but he finds himself falling for mathilde as well. they soon blossom into a passionate love. they must keep their affair a secret from his wife and the school.

you can tell that mathilde was a person who was not used to anybody caring for her before, especially in that way, so she took the first chance she got. and fell in love with him. francois, on the other hand, really just got a little too involved trying to help her. i don't think he meant to fall in love with her, but it happened.

this movie shows the struggles between a student & teacher relationship. it deals with adolscents, anger, jealousy, love, and all these other elements. the cinematography is top notch. there are some beautiful scenes of vanessa paradis in them, especially one while she is sleeping and the light streams in on her fragile body.

most of you would probably go "okay that's just plain sick. he's so old! and she's so....young!"

and that's true.

but mathilde did say "old, sick, wrinkled, thin, fat, i don't care. i'll love you for any and everyway you are" she really did love him.

this was a beautiful and moving movie that actually made me cry at the end. it's a tragic story, dealing with a taboo love that just isn't allowed in today's world.

i would like this title to be realeased in america, so people can see this wonderful gem of a film. paradis and cremer both did superb jobs in their acting, as well as jean-claude brisseau in directing and writing the screenplay.

take a break from american blockbusters and see this tragic drama.

you may just like what you find....

final rating: A+

Not a bad movie about impossible love, but I would suggest that you see Eric Rohmer's films a second time before taking a look at this one. What is the fascination of older man for young Lolitas? In this one, it's Vanessa Paradis, who's playing the student who get her philosophy teacher (Cremer) all tangled up in a web of difficulties. The fascination also with the troubled girl who's despaired, all the while hiding a terrible secret: she's smart, very smart. The movie is ok but sometimes a little bit too improbable. Performances are good, not great. A better film in the same genre: À la folie, pas du tout... (with Audrey Tautou). On the bright side, the movie offers an inside of what kind of feelings teachers like François are capable of developing. Every day, there's teachers who put themselves in the same situation. Society seems to be able to understand why a young girl like Mathilde could fall in love with a much older man, but the reverse ain't true.

Out of 100, I gave it 73. That's good for **½ out of ****.

Seen at home, in Toronto, on May 11th, 2004.