La peste

Too talkative. Crappy acting. Pathetic writing. I could go on for a while... It is a shame that such good material was wasted. The film is clueless, since the makers had no vision. The film even manages to become boring. It also tries too hard to be meaningful and deep, but it just isn't intelligent enough. The photography is OK, though. But that's about the only good thing in this movie. As far as I know the film is only out on DVD in Asia. The DVD can often be found on eBay. Not that I would advise you to buy it, though.

The DVD is 4:3.

Some of the actors deliver performances that are far below their usual standard. This must mean that director Puenzo did a lousy job.

People seem awfully hard on this movie, and I don't quite understand why.

It must suffer in comparison with the book. Granted no filmmaker could possibly match Camus brilliance, but this is a pretty solid movie. One thing that disappointed me was the descision to remove the story from the time period. The time setting is integral to the allegory. All in all, though, a good reconstruction.

It seems a lot of people can only view this film through the lens of the book, and with the title, how can you not? This film probably would have been better received if it used a different title and suffered accusations of 'ripping off' Camus. Today, I think we may be a little more used to films being 'inspired' by particular books but not even attempting to reproduce the book faithfully. I echo of few of the reviews I've read here on IMDb - that this film, when viewed apart from the book, is a great film in its own right. The actors are great, the story is of course solid, and the style is perfect. Some of my favorite scenes that I would point to - Opening of the film - the monologue of Hurt's character - "This is what happened". Still, dispassionate, reflective, tired, guiltily transcendent. Scene in the office of Duvall's character near the opening - "Hats off!" Joyful in its innocence, the hope and admiration exhibited by the other two characters in the room is palpable. Any confrontation scene between the female reporter and the doctor, whether on the tram or in the office. Towards the end when the cameraman gets shot - "I'm dying". This film is still and quiet - Hurt conveys his exhaustion so well, Duvall his hope and frustration so well. I really, really hope we see this in Blu-Ray (BD). With so many good actors it's a wonder it never went to DVD. Hopefully time will give this film the credit it deserves.

"La Peste" (The Plague), the film adaptation of the 1947 novel by French existentialist Albert Camus, received poor reviews and was a box office bomb and rightfully so-- except for the presence of French actress (speaking in English) Sandrine Bonnaire, as TV journalist Martine Rambert (in the novel, the character is a male newspaper journalist) Her conversation with Wm.Hurt (as Dr. Riseux), in the doctor's office, must go down as one of the most superb scenes in film history: "Do you have memories? None of us has memories. or hopes. And love needs both, doesn't it?" Sandrine Bonnaire (Vagabond, Monsieuer Hire, Joan the Maiden, La Ceremonie) answers Camus' (and everyone confronted with despair) philosophical questions from a Female point of view. Yet, as in Sandrine Bonnaire's best works,she is a woman alone in a hostile male environment. La Peste is an "etalage" or showcase for the depth, range and beauty of one of film's greatest actresses: Sandrine Bonnaire.

Wow, right from the start this movie is a real downer, not exactly an uplifting film! This is really depressing.

William Hurt, Robert Duvall, Raul Julia, Sandrine Bonnaire and Jean-Marc Barr star in a film dealing with a plague that is infecting a South American city. It sounds interesting, which is why I rented it, along with the great cast.

However, I found this very disappointing, not only because it was so depressing but it's too talky, the photography disappointed me and I think it tries to be a lot "smarter" than it comes across. I can't see a lot of people enjoying this film. Half the cast members don't seem to be into this story, either, especially Duvall who usually gives great performances.

A friend of mine suggested I read the book and forget the movie. I should have taken her advice. At least the author was famous.