Rent Don't Touch the Axe (2007)
3.4 of 5 from 69 ratings
2h 12min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Jacques Rivette's masterful film tells the tale of an ill-fated love affair between a Parisian socialite and a Napoleonic war hero. Their story unfolds amidst the extravagant balls of restoration-era Paris where the handsome General Armand de Montriveau (Guillaume Depardieu) encounters the beautiful, coquettish but married Antoinette de Langeais (Jeanne Balibar). Vowing that she will be his lover, Montriveau pursues the alluring Antoinette who in turn orchestrates a calculating game of seduction but repeatedly rebuffs his advances. Humiliated, Montriveau seeks revenge just as Antoinette's passion for him awakens, and a perverse romantic power struggle ensues. Once again adapting Balzac - the source of his acclaimed 'La Belle Noiseuse' - Rivette's subtle and superbly acted drama is a riveting exploration of the intricacies of love and desire. - Actors:
- Jeanne Balibar, Guillaume Depardieu, Bulle Ogier, Michel Piccoli, Anne Cantineau, Marc Barbé, Thomas Durand, Nicolas Bouchaud, Mathias Jung, Julie Judd, Victoria Zinny, Remo Girone, Beppe Chierici, Paul Chevillard, Barbet Schroeder, Birgit Ludwig, Denis Freyd, Claude Delaugerre, Laurent Battist, Evelyne Byot
- Directors:
- Jacques Rivette
- Writers:
- Honoré de Balzac, Pascal Bonitzer
- Aka:
- Ne touchez pas la hache
- Studio:
- Artificial Eye Film Company Ltd.
- Genres:
- Drama
- Collections:
- A Brief History of French Poetic Realism, A Brief History of Film...
- Countries:
- France
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Reviews (1) of Don't Touch the Axe
Ne me touchez pas - Don't Touch the Axe review by CH
Rather overlong melodrâme that meanders around the coquettish and tedious past history of a cloistered nun and her slavishly devoted and equally depressed admirer (recently returned from the Napoleonic wars.) I may give this film another go sometime, but suspect that Balzac’s book may be a better read.
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