The Double Life of Véronique
| The Double Life of Véronique | |
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| Directed by | Krzysztof Kieślowski |
| Produced by | Leonardo De La Fuente |
| Written by | Krzysztof Piesiewicz Krzysztof Kieślowski |
| Starring | Irène Jacob |
| Music by | Zbigniew Preisner |
| Cinematography | Sławomir Idziak |
| Editing by | Jacques Witta |
| Distributed by | Miramax (USA) |
| Release date(s) | 15 May 1991 |
| Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | Poland France Norway |
| Language | French / Polish |
| Box office | $1,999,955 (USA) |
The Double Life of Véronique (French: La double vie de Véronique, Polish: Podwójne życie Weroniki) is a 1991 French- and Polish-language drama film directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski and starring Irène Jacob. Written by Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, the film explores the themes of identity, love, and human intuition through the characters of Weronika, a Polish choir soprano, and her double, Véronique, a French music teacher. The two women do not know each other, and yet they share an mysterious and emotional bond that transcends language and geography. Slawomir Idziak's cinematography produces beautiful reflections, images, and colors, enhanced by the haunting operatic score by Zbigniew Preisner. The film was Kieślowski's first to be produced partly outside his native Poland.[1] The Double Life of Véronique won the FIPRESCI Prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival for Krzysztof Kieslowski, and the Best Actress Award for Irène Jacob.[2]
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[edit] Plot
The film follows the lives of a young woman first in Poland, Weronika, and then a young woman in France, Véronique, both played by Irène Jacob. Though unrelated, the two appear identical, share many personality traits, and seem to be aware of each other on some level, as if they are doppelgängers; but except for a brief glimpse through a bus window in Kraków, they never meet. After Weronika sacrifices everything in the pursuit of a singing career, Véronique abandons her own similar goal because of poor health and attempts to find an independent course for her life, while becoming involved with a man who is fascinated by clues to her double nature. The man is a puppeteer and maker of marionettes, helping raise the questions that are central to the film: is there such a thing as free will, or is it up to a creator of some kind, or is it just a matter of chance that one acts and thinks as one does?[3][4]
[edit] Cast
- Irène Jacob as Weronika/Véronique (with the voice of Anna Gornostaj for Polish dialogue)
- Halina Gryglaszewska as Aunt
- Kalina Jędrusik as Gaudy Woman
- Aleksander Bardini as Orchestra Conductor
- Władysław Kowalski as Weronika's father
- Guillaume De Tonquédec as Serge
- Jerzy Gudejko as Antek
- Philippe Volter as Alexandre Fabbri
- Bruce Schwartz as Puppeteer
- Sandrine Dumas as Catherine[5]
[edit] Production
[edit] Filming style
The film has a strong fantasy element, though the supernatural aspect of the story is never explained. Like the later Three Colors: Blue, it showcased Preisner's musical score as a major plot element, crediting his work to the fictional Van den Budenmayer. The cinematography is highly stylized, using color and camera filters to create an ethereal atmosphere; the cinematographer, Sławomir Idziak, had previously experimented with these techniques in one episode of The Decalogue, and Kieślowski would later use color for a wider range of effects in his Three Colors trilogy. Kieślowski had earlier used the idea of exploring different paths in life for the same person, in his Polish film Przypadek (Blind Chance), and the central choice faced by Weronika/Véronique is based on a brief subplot in the ninth episode of The Decalogue.
[edit] Alternate ending
A Criterion Collection region 1 DVD was released in November 2006 in the United States and Canada, which includes an alternate ending which Kieślowski did at the request of Harvey Weinstein of Miramax for the American release.
[edit] Reception
[edit] Critical response
Film critic Marek Haltof sees the film as a political allegory in which Weronika represents Poland and Véronique France, or the West: both are highly cultured, but while Véronique is seemingly free to choose her destiny, Weronika's early death represents the sacrifice of Poland during the Second World War and its subsequent incorporation into the Soviet bloc; Véronique senses this loss without realizing what it is, and that she is incomplete without Weronika.[citation needed]
Film critic Roger Ebert entered the film to his Great Movies collection in February, 2009.[6] The film got 4-stars (out of 5) rating plus "High Artistic Quality" on www.allmovie.com.[5]
At the Internet Movie Database, the film holds user rating of 7.8 (out of 10), based on 9558 votes.[7] Site About.com, which specializes on DVD reviews, gave the film 5 of 5 stars in their critical review.[8] The film got favourable rating (3 of 5 stars) on www.bbc.co.uk/films[9] and holds 84 % rating on www.rottentomatoes.com.[10]
[edit] Box Office performance
The film was the 50th highest grossing film of the year with a total of 592,241 admissions in France.[11] In North America the film opened on 1 screen grossing $8,572 its opening weekend. In total the film grossed $1,999,955 at the North American Box Office playing at a total of 22 theaters in its widest release which is a respectable result for a foreign art film.[12]
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Cannes Film Festival (France)
- Won: Best Actress (Irène Jacob)
- Won: FIPRESCI Prize (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
- Won: Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
- Nominated: Golden Palm (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
- César Awards (France)
- Nominated: Best Actress – Leading Role (Irène Jacob)
- Nominated: Best Music Written for a Film (Zbigniew Preisner)
- Golden Globe Awards (USA)
- Nominated: Best Foreign Language Film
- Nominated: Best Foreign Film
- Los Angeles Film Critics (USA)
- Won: Best Music (Zbigniew Preisner; also for At Play in the Fields of the Lord and Europa Europa)
[edit] References
- ^ "The Double Life of Véronique". Criterion. http://www.criterion.com/films/214. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ "La Double vie de Véronique". Festival de Cannes. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/83/year/1991.html. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ James, Caryn. "The Double Life of Veronique (1991)". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/14460/The-Double-Life-of-Veronique/overview. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ Jediny, Jenny. "The Double Life of Véronique". Not Coming to a Theater Near You. http://www.notcoming.com/reviews/2xveronique/. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ a b Reed, Anthony. "The Double Life of Veronique". Rovi. http://www.allrovi.com/movies/movie/the-double-life-of-veronique-v14460?r=allmovie. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. "The Double Life of Veronique (1991)". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090225/REVIEWS08/902259993/1004. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ "The Double Life of Veronique (1991)". International Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101765/. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ "DVD Pick: The Double Life of Veronique". About.com. http://homevideo.about.com/od/dvdrevie2/fr/DoubleLifeDVDVa.htm. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ Leyland, Matthew. "The Double Life Of Véronique (La Double Vie De Véronique) (1991)". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2006/03/13/the_double_life_of_veronique_2006_review.shtml. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ "La Double Vie de Véronique (The Double Life of Veronique) (1991)". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/double_life_of_veronique/. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ "La Double vie de Véronique". J.P.'s Box Office. http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=5072&affich=france. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ "The Double Life of Veronique". Box Office Mojo. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=doublelifeofveronique.htm. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
[edit] External links
- The Double Life of Véronique at the Internet Movie Database
- The Double Life of Véronique at AllRovi
- Criterion Collection release of The Double Life of Veronique
- Criterion Collection essay by Jonathan Romney
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