Post by petrolino on Dec 9, 2017 23:50:51 GMT
'The Lacemaker' is an adaptation of a novel written by Pascal Laine. It tells the story of Pomme (Isabelle Huppert) who relocates to Paris with her silent mother (Annemarie Duringer). Pomme gets a job as an apprentice hairdresser at a salon run by Marylene (Florence Giorgetti). The two women take a vacation to Normandy which creates distance between them. Pomme draws the attention of student radical Francois (Yves Beneyton) who's studying letters in Paris.
'The Lacemaker' is a lonely film. The central character Pomme is shy and self-conscious, afraid she might walk through life unnoticed. She appears to be suffering from some form of depression but she reacts well to everybody she meets. Pomme asks herself the question, can a woman be so plain she disappears from view?
'The Lacemaker' is filmed with exactitude by Swiss director Claude Goretta who broke through on the international stage at the same time as his friend, compatriot and collaborator Alain Tanner. Goretta draws a vulnerable performance from Isabelle Huppert as an unassuming young woman who fears she has no personality. There are small scenes and quiet moments that are very detailed in their intent and constraint. I like the scene where Pomme puts a dress over her bed cover as if she's wearing it. The dangerous cliff-walking scene was evoked memorably by Hal Hartley in 'Trust' (1990), four years before he'd work with Huppert on 'Amateur' (1994). Claude Chabrol, Jean-Luc Godard and Michael Cimino are among the many film directors who are said to have admired Huppert's performance in 'The Lacemaker'. The folk score composed by Pierre Jansen is rich in rustic flavour. 'The Lacemaker' also features Sabine Azema in one of her first acting roles.
Isabelle Huppert
'The Lacemaker' is a lonely film. The central character Pomme is shy and self-conscious, afraid she might walk through life unnoticed. She appears to be suffering from some form of depression but she reacts well to everybody she meets. Pomme asks herself the question, can a woman be so plain she disappears from view?
"I must say that working with him was exactly the way I wanted it to be. He never directs you in an obvious way. He only wants to create a good atmosphere on the set, good relationships between the crew, the actors. I don’t like the word direction. The work is more a collaboration between the director and the actor, and with Claude Goretta I never felt a weight on me. I think we had quite the same view of the character. He let me do what I wanted, apparently. He was very meticulous about every detail, but I never felt it as a constraint. I felt totally free: I really felt as though I had created something inside his view and inside the limits he wanted to put on the film. And also I think he likes to be surprised by the actors, to a certain extent. So he sets up all the conditions in the best possible way and then he lets it go."
- Isabelle Huppert discusses 'The Lacemaker' at the 1977 New York Film Festival
- Isabelle Huppert discusses 'The Lacemaker' at the 1977 New York Film Festival
'The Lacemaker' by Johannes Vermeer
Pomme
'The Lacemaker' is filmed with exactitude by Swiss director Claude Goretta who broke through on the international stage at the same time as his friend, compatriot and collaborator Alain Tanner. Goretta draws a vulnerable performance from Isabelle Huppert as an unassuming young woman who fears she has no personality. There are small scenes and quiet moments that are very detailed in their intent and constraint. I like the scene where Pomme puts a dress over her bed cover as if she's wearing it. The dangerous cliff-walking scene was evoked memorably by Hal Hartley in 'Trust' (1990), four years before he'd work with Huppert on 'Amateur' (1994). Claude Chabrol, Jean-Luc Godard and Michael Cimino are among the many film directors who are said to have admired Huppert's performance in 'The Lacemaker'. The folk score composed by Pierre Jansen is rich in rustic flavour. 'The Lacemaker' also features Sabine Azema in one of her first acting roles.
The Real Violette at her trial in 1934.