JOUEUSE
Queen to Play
France/Germany
2008
100 minutes
A Corsican chambermaid accidentally discovers the game of chess and, practising in secret so his uncomprehending husband won't know, finds it opening her worldview. Elegant if predictable emancipation-through-sport story confirming that it's the way you handle these things that makes all the difference; in this case, it's the wonderfully layered lead performance and the lightness of touch of the storytelling that make it work.
Starring Sandrine Bonnaire, Kevin Kline, Francis Renaud; with the special participation of Jennifer Beals.
Directed by Caroline Bottaro; produced by Dominique Besnehard and Michel Feller; screenplay by ms. Bottaro, with the collaboration of Caroline Maly, based on the novel by Bertina Henrichs, Die Schachspielerin; music by Nicola Piovani; director of photography (LTC), Jean-Claude Larrieu; production designer, Emmanuel de Chauvigny; costume designer, Dorothée Guiraud; film editor, Tina Baz-Le Gal.
A Mon Voisin Productions/Blueprint Film presentation/production, in co-production with Studiocanal and France 2 Cinéma; with the participation of Canal Plus, France 2, Canal Plus Horizons, Cinécinéma, Tele-München; with the support of the Eurimages programme, Ministère de la Culture et Communication, Centre National de la Cinématographie and Filmförderungsanstalt. (French distributor and world sales, Studiocanal.)
Screened: distributor advance press screening, Zon Lusomundo screening room, Lisbon, January 3rd 2011.
France/Germany
2008
100 minutes
A Corsican chambermaid accidentally discovers the game of chess and, practising in secret so his uncomprehending husband won't know, finds it opening her worldview. Elegant if predictable emancipation-through-sport story confirming that it's the way you handle these things that makes all the difference; in this case, it's the wonderfully layered lead performance and the lightness of touch of the storytelling that make it work.
Starring Sandrine Bonnaire, Kevin Kline, Francis Renaud; with the special participation of Jennifer Beals.
Directed by Caroline Bottaro; produced by Dominique Besnehard and Michel Feller; screenplay by ms. Bottaro, with the collaboration of Caroline Maly, based on the novel by Bertina Henrichs, Die Schachspielerin; music by Nicola Piovani; director of photography (LTC), Jean-Claude Larrieu; production designer, Emmanuel de Chauvigny; costume designer, Dorothée Guiraud; film editor, Tina Baz-Le Gal.
A Mon Voisin Productions/Blueprint Film presentation/production, in co-production with Studiocanal and France 2 Cinéma; with the participation of Canal Plus, France 2, Canal Plus Horizons, Cinécinéma, Tele-München; with the support of the Eurimages programme, Ministère de la Culture et Communication, Centre National de la Cinématographie and Filmförderungsanstalt. (French distributor and world sales, Studiocanal.)
Screened: distributor advance press screening, Zon Lusomundo screening room, Lisbon, January 3rd 2011.
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