a true "living movie"
10/10
Author: (peppeuse) from Rome, Italy
26 August 2000

One of the best film I've ever seen. The story of Francoise Vatel, the Condé's Master of Cerimonies, and the King's three days visit at Condé's Castle. This is truly a living movie, because of the soul that R. Joffé was able to put inside it. An amazing G. Depardieu, together with the whole excellent cast and the wonderful sets and costumes, gives us the taste of Vatel's life. His thoughts, his hearth and his death appears to us in all their poetry. The screenplay by T.Stoppard and J.Labrune is touching, the dialogues are perfect, the actors are amusing, the music by E. Morricone is quite good. All mixed by the directing of Joffé. A strange masterpiece.

Favorite Scenes
9/10
Author: agenerette from United States
4 June 2009

I simply never get enough of this film. It's one of the few that I have to re-watch, every so often.

Now, one of the things that struck me most strongly was the fact of Vatel and Anne's goodness -- this, in spite of where Louis' example might have led them -- with the people who worked with them.The scenes with Vatel and Colin; with Anne and Louise... especially the one where Louise drops the vase that Vatel sent to Anne (and Anne says "It's alright, Louise... it's alright") ... these are made almost painfully beautiful by the contrasting scenes with the aristocrats running amok.But, Vatel's words come back to me here: "Harmony and Contrast -- All beauty comes from those two things".

The Player and The Viewer
Author: tedg (tedg@FilmsFolded.com) from Virginia Beach
17 August 2003

A terrific script, one which appears to be concerned with class imprisonment but is far more clever. The key notion here is self-reference.Vatel is a producer of lush entertainments, presented to us by -- a producer of lush entertainments. Though only the translation is by Stoppard, this is the most Stoppardian of notions: to amuse us with a story about people just as greedy as ourselves for luxurious entertainment -- and to please while condemning.

The story goes farther into the truth: all entertainers are slaves, prostitutes. The game for an artist is one of drawing lines between that slavery and the noble joys of creation. Vatel does what he does because his obnoxious sponsors provide him the means to do what he desires. That's all, or not all because he needs the applause.

Also in Stoppardian fashion, we have Roth (Guildenstern , Mitchel, Vincent) there to tell us the terrible truth about ourselves. The plot involves competing attentions to Uma's character -- essentially a sweet whore with canaries -- and Vatel, the grand coordinator of revels. He is pulled by the King and his present employer as well as sexually by the King's brother. He wins the admiration (and protection) of that brother in refusing his advances by noting their common perversion in the quest for perfection.

How perfect for this film to be lacking the salt of engaging drama, that excuse we normally give for watching. How perfect that we collectively reject it because it is merely beautiful.Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching

Distinction(bien justifiée...Un César pour la mise en scène n'aurait pas été superflu)
César des meilleurs décors en 2001
 

Trees Lounge est un film américain réalisé par Steve Buscemi, sorti en 1996.Il a été distribué en France sous le titre Happy hour

Résumé
Tommy Basilio  la trentaine,au chômage est un habitué du bar Trees Lounge. Il vient de perdre à la fois son emploi de mécanicien et sa petite amie.Il boit, il drague, il se drogue. Il cause, il tue le temps et se lamente sur son sort quand il rencontre Debbie, la nièce d'un ami âgée de 17 ans.