L'ivresse du pouvoir (2006)

Calificación de los usuarios:

6.5/10   

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Escritores:

Odile Barski (writer)
Claude Chabrol (writer)

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

22 febrero 2006 (France)

Género:

Drama

Plot:

A magistrate investigates a corporate executive.

Plot Keywords:

Fraud | Gloves | Hospital | Sabotage | Bodyguard

Premios:

1 nomination

Comentarios de los usuarios:

flawed but worthwhile

Reparto

Isabelle Huppert	...	Jeanne Charmant-Killman
François Berléand	...	Michel Humeau
Patrick Bruel	...	Jacques Sibaud
Marilyne Canto	...	Erika
Robin Renucci	...	Philippe Charmant-Killman
Thomas Chabrol	...	Félix
Jean-François Balmer	...	Boldi
Pierre Vernier	...	Président Martino
Jacques Boudet	...	Descarts
Philippe Duclos	...	Jean-Baptiste Holéo
Roger Dumas	...	René Lange
John Arnold	...	Homme jaguar #1
Jean-Christophe Bouvet	...	Me Parlebas
Jacques Bouanich	...	Le gardien de la prison
Benoît Charpentier	...	Journaliste économique

También conocida como:

A Comedy of Power (Canada: English title)
Comedy of Power (Singapore: English title)
Geheime Staatsaffären (Alemania)
La comédie du pouvoir (France) (working title)
The Comedy of Power (USA) (literal English title)
Borrachera de poder (Spain) [es]
La comedia del poder (Argentina) [es]

Duración:

USA:110 min | France:110 min | Argentina:110 min

País:

France | Alemania

Idioma:

Francés

Color:

Color

Sonido:

Dolby

Clasificación:

Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | France:U | Argentina:Atp | Singapore:PG | Germany:o.Al. | Sweden:Btl | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating) | UK:PG

Locaciones de Filmación:

Hôpital, Le Vésinet, Yvelines, France

Compañía:

Alicéléo

Trivialidades:

Four Chabrols worked on the film: Director and co-writer Claude Chabrol, his screenplay-supervisor wife Aurore Chabrol, and his two sons: composer Matthieu Chabrol and actor Thomas Chabrol.

Banda de Sonido:

Peer Gynt

flawed but worthwhile

In November 2003, after a sensational trial that rocked the Republic of France for four scandal-soaked months, three key executives of that country's ELF oil company were found guilty of massive corporate malfeasance on a scale not seen in Europe since the turbulent days of World War II. The graft, money laundering, and granting of political favors for which these men were convicted extended into the upper reaches of the government as well, so the scandal served a concomitant salutary purpose of finally laying bare that nation's long-established practice of state-sponsored corruption.

"Comedy of Power" is famed director Claude Chabrol's very fictionalized take on the ELF scandal. Yet, while most of the names and many of the details have been changed or even fabricated for the movie, the themes and concerns are obviously very much in keeping with the spirit of the actual event. The always mesmerizing Isabelle Huppert plays a no-nonsense judge who is unrelenting in her pursuit of corporate corruption, obsessed with bringing the culprits - no matter their position or standing in the community - to justice. Refusing to buckle under to pressure from (equally corrupt) higher-ups who believe she is going too far in her investigations, Judge Jeanne Charmant-Killman zeroes in on her "victims," refusing to let go until she gets what she wants. Chabrol and Huppert together create a woman of conviction and strength who, nevertheless, knows her limitations and can even acknowledge what a strain her single-minded determination is placing on her personal life and marriage (whether or not she chooses to do anything about it is another matter).

It's true that "Comedy of Power" feels a little underdeveloped at times, and the somewhat inconclusive and lackadaisical ending may well leave some in the audience feeling dissatisfied and cheated. For while there is a certain bravery in not succumbing to the need for a pat resolution, the movie leaves us wanting to know more about how everything turns out in the end. Yet, despite this drawback, this is an interesting, and, at times, even gripping little drama that gives us a chance to watch a beautiful, dynamic actress in action. It is Huppert's multi-layered portrayal of a moral crusader who is also very much a flawed and vulnerable human being that rivets our attention and helps us wade through all the arcane trivia of the corporate-world plotting. Chabrol keeps the film moving at an expeditious pace, with a tasty mixture of both humor and suspense thrown in for good measure. But it is in the confrontation scenes between Huppert and her various high profile targets that the film truly engages our attention.

In addition to Huppert, Chabrol has elicited uniformly sharp performances from Francois Berleand, Patrick Bruel, Marilyne Canto, Robin Renucci and Thomas Chabrol (the son of Chabrol and the late great actress Stephane Audran). As an ensemble, these gifted performers bring the larger issues into focus while keeping us thoroughly engrossed and entertained at the same time.