8 Women

Director: François Ozon François Ozon

Overview

"François Ozon's musical comedy 8 Women comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The French soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1. English and Spanish subtitles are accessible. There are no supplemental materials of any consequence, but this Universal release boasts excellent sound and picture quality making it worthwhile for any devotee of French film."

Product Details

Release Date:	02/11/2003
UPC:	0025192273827
Original Release:	2002
Rating:	R
Source:	Focus Features
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:51:00

Special Features

Closed Caption; [None specified]

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Catherine Deneuve	Gaby
Isabelle Huppert	Augustine
Emmanuelle Béart	Louise
Fanny Ardant	Pierrette
Virginie Ledoyen	Suzon
Danielle Darrieux	Mamy
Ludivine Sagnier	Catherine
Firmine Richard	Madame Chanel
Dominique Lamure	Marcel
Krishna Levy	Composer

Technical Credits

François Ozon

Marina de Van

Robert Thomas

François Ozon	Director,Screenwriter
Marina de Van	Screenwriter
Antoinette Boulat	Casting
Olivier Delbosc	Producer
Pascal Guegan	Stunts
Marc Missonier	Producer
Jean-Pierre Laforce	Sound Mixer
Pierre Gamet	Sound/Sound Designer
Benoît Hillebrant	Sound Editor
Marc Missonnier	Producer
Robert Thomas	Screenwriter
Charles Autrand	Sound Effects
Nicolas Kermel	Special Effects
Christophe Bourreau	Sound Effects
Vincent Breau	Sound Effects
Bernard Chaumeil	Sound Effects
Frédéric Cattoni	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

After the subdued classicism of the dramatic thriller Under the Sand, director François Ozon lets loose with this star-studded camp extravaganza, and though the results are never less than immensely enjoyable, the director's hyper-ironic, postmodern take on Technicolor '50s women's pictures is in the end more than a little shallow. But depth isn't what Ozon is interested in here: 8 Women is all surface and pastiche, from the garish costumes recalling both Douglas Sirk's All That Heaven Allows and Luis Buñuel's Diary of a Chambermaid, to the curiously static musical numbers marrying François Hardy classics to Lawrence Welk-style choreography. The formula yields some delectable performances, among them a grand, icon-smashing tour de force from Catherine Deneuve; a tweedy, constipated turn from Isabelle Huppert, cast joyously against type; and Emmanuelle Béart's lip-smacking parody of the erotic-maid archetype so endemic to Gallic film history. Even the film's source material seems tailor-made to Ozon's needs: The acidic one-liners, double- and triple-crosses, and ambi-sexual character revelations all work in tandem with 8 Women's meticulously designed and over-lit sets, fake snow, and plastic deer. So while film geeks -- in particular those with an encyclopedic knowledge of French cinema -- may have a ball, those expecting a straight (in every sense of the word) comedic murder-mystery will be forgiven if they stagger out of 8 Women a little dazed and confused.