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Genealogies of a Crime

Genealogies of a Crime (French: Généalogies d'un crime, Portuguese: Genealogias de um Crime) is a 1997 French-Portuguese surrealist film directed by Chilean filmmaker Raúl Ruiz. It was entered into the 47th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Silver Bear for an outstanding artistic contribution.[2] Despite being released in 1997 (1998 in the United States), the film was not released on DVD until 2005. Since, it has been included in multiple DVD anthologies of Ruiz’s works.

Genealogies of a Crime
Directed byRaúl Ruiz
Written byRaúl Ruiz
Pascal Bonitzer
Produced byPaulo Branco
StarringCatherine Deneuve
Michel Piccoli
Melvil Poupaud
Andrzej Seweryn
Bernadette Lafont
Distributed byStrand Releasing (USA)
Release dates
  • 26 March 1997 (1997-03-26) (France)
  • 4 May 1997 (1997-05-04) (Portugal)
  • 28 March 1998 (1998-03-28) (United States)
Running time
114 minutes (France)
113 minutes (Argentina)
103 minutes (USA)
CountriesFrance
Portugal
LanguageFrench
Budget$4.2 million[1]
Box office$1.2 million[1]

Plot edit

During a stormy night, René (Melvil Poupaud) disposes of a knife, which is picked up by an unrevealed individual. The scene fades to a blank Go board and the narrator describes an ancient Chinese fable concerning a young man who kills a woman of the Liu Bao family, only to be killed after falling in love with her ghost.

Presumably later, Solange (Catherine Deneuve) is questioned by a lawyer. She begins recounting how she took on René’s case: Immediately after the death of her son, Pascal, Solange receives a call from her colleague Mathieu. Mathieu informs her that René is accused of murdering Jeanne (also played by Deneuve), his aunt and a member of the "Franco-Belgian Psychoanalytic Society" which René blames for the murder. Solange agrees, and at her son’s funeral she is introduced to Georges Didier (Michel Piccoli); the eccentric head of the Franco-Belgian Psychoanalytic Society. Georges’ behavior is immediately apparent as unusual, he is quick to anger and relies on a notebook to remember other people’s names. Later, Solange meets René, who claims to want to be her friend and convinces her to play a game involving role-reversal. During the game, Solange reveals that she is known for taking on hopeless cases, and has lost every single one. Solange travels to Jeanne’s former home and is accommodated by Esther (Bernadette Lafont), Jeanne’s former maid. Solange begins reading Jeanne’s diary and the film transitions to René’s adolescence.

From the onset, Jeanne notes that René displays "criminal" behavior. As a young child René exhibits violent and unusual behavior: he destroys several pieces of China and develops a fascination with knives. In his later years, Jeanne notes that he acts normal, but still has destructive tendencies and is possibly a kleptomaniac. Jeanne attempts to treat René by utilizing the role-reversal game he had played with Solange earlier in the film. Through the game, Jeanne learns that René has hidden all the items he has stolen around the estate. At some point in his young adulthood, René leaves the estate, and contacts Jeanne when he needs money. On a day when Jeanne is meeting with her colleague Georges, René asks Jeanne for money and she refuses. During her meeting, René is seen in the background, running from a crowd presumably after attempting to steal something. While this occurs, Jeanne is introduced to Christian Corrail ( Andrzej Seweryn), a fellow psychoanalyst and Georges’ personal nemesis. Four months before her murder, Jeanne catches Rene stealing her furniture with his friends. They engage in the same role-reversal game they’ve played several times before, and Jeanne in her anger shoots René in the arm, at which point René insists the game is over. That event is the last entry in her diary.

Back in present time, Solange leaves the estate and tells Mathieu her theory: Jeanne trained René to kill her, and therefore committed suicide. Later, Solange has dinner with her mother, Louise (Monique Melinand), who reveals that Solange also demonstrated sociopathic behavior as a child. During a visit with Georges afterwards, Louise dies of a heart attack. At the funeral, Solange is informed that René has attempted suicide. At the hospital, Solange encounters Georges, who is thrown out after creating a disturbance while attempting to locate and speak to René. Solange begins to suspect Georges and her suspicions are confirmed when she is invited to witness a tableau vivant style ceremony orchestrated by the Franco-Belgian Psychoanalytic Society. The ceremony recreates a painting and alternatively blindfolds the subject and the participants. Georges revealed that he used this experiment on René. Now awake, René claims that after this ceremony he awoke and panicked upon finding his aunt dead. Solange arranges her defense around this and René is acquitted. With their reputation tarnished, the Franco-Belgian Psychoanalytic Society commits mass suicide. René reappears soon after and begins a relationship with Solange. This relationship grows abusive, and one night Solange is driven by her own childhood tendencies and murders René and his friends. This is the conclusion of Solange’s statement to her lawyer, who has decided that Solange will plea insanity for the murder.

Production edit

The film was written by Ruiz and Pascal Bonitzer, the star of The Suspended Vocation, one of Ruiz’s most notable works. Ruiz was inspired by the story of psychoanalyst Hermine Hug-Hellmuth, who is best known for her work with children and her murder at the hands of her own nephew, whom she treated as well. Ruiz himself felt that "it is perhaps she who, right to the end manipulated this man so he would kill her exactly as she dreamed".[3] Ruiz is noted for having an interest in "shamanic cinema" and frequently explores dreams as a motif. Furthermore, Ruiz had developed an interest in multiple personality disorder after agreeing to work with Barbet Schroeder on the film that would become Three Lives and Only One Death.[3] Music was done by Jorge Arriagada, who also had worked with Ruiz on many previous projects. Editing was done by Valeria Sarmiento, Ruiz’s wife and another long-time fellow collaborator. Also of note, Nobel Prize for Literature recipient Patrick Modiano makes a minor appearance as a quirky waiter.

Reception edit

Genealogies of a Crime opened on 52 screens in France and grossed $239,172 for the week, placing eleventh at the French box office.[4] It had a very limited release in the U.S, and as a result only grossed $73,763 in the United States.[5] It holds an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10.[6] However, reviews have overall been mixed. Boxoffice gave it two stars, approving of the humorous dynamic between Georges and Christian, but citing the lack of suspense as a letdown.[7] Variety’s Deborah Young felt that the humor was awkward, and panned its similarity to Ruiz’s earlier works, but conceded that "Still, there is a constant stream of good-natured, high-brow Euro humor to satisfy those who stay on board for the ride".[8] Stephen Holden of the New York Times referred to Genealogies of a Crime as a "delightful metaphysical comedy" and enjoyed the distance created by the cast's "cool and assured" performances.[9] The film was nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear and won the Silver Berlin Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution at the 1997 Berlin International Film Festival.[2]

Cast edit

Awards edit

Year Organization Award Category/Recipient Result
1997 Berlin International Film Festival Silver Berlin Bear Outstanding Artistic Contribution Won
Berlin International Film Festival Golden Berlin Bear Golden Berlin Bear Nominated

References edit

  1. ^ a b JP. "Généalogies d'un crime". JP'S Box-Office. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Prizes & Honours 1997". Berlinale. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Goddard, Michael (2013). The Cinema of Raul Ruiz: Impossible Cartographies. London, New York: Wallflower Press. p. 110. ISBN 9780231167314.
  4. ^ "France Top 15". Screen International. 11 April 1997. p. 34. $1=FFR5.7
  5. ^ "Genealogies of a Crime (1998)". IMDb. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  6. ^ "Genealogies of a Crime (Généalogies d'un crime) (1998)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  7. ^ "Festival Reviews: GENEALOGIES D'UN CRIME". Boxoffice. 133 (6): 50. 1997. ProQuest 1040632501.
  8. ^ Young, Deborah (March 2, 1997). "Review: 'Genealogies of a Crime'". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  9. ^ Holden, Stephen (March 27, 1998). "FILM REVIEW; Defense Lawyer Doubles As Avenging Ghost? O.K." The New York Times. Retrieved March 2, 2017.

External links edit

  • Genealogies of a Crime at IMDb  

genealogies, crime, french, généalogies, crime, portuguese, genealogias, crime, 1997, french, portuguese, surrealist, film, directed, chilean, filmmaker, raúl, ruiz, entered, into, 47th, berlin, international, film, festival, where, silver, bear, outstanding, . Genealogies of a Crime French Genealogies d un crime Portuguese Genealogias de um Crime is a 1997 French Portuguese surrealist film directed by Chilean filmmaker Raul Ruiz It was entered into the 47th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Silver Bear for an outstanding artistic contribution 2 Despite being released in 1997 1998 in the United States the film was not released on DVD until 2005 Since it has been included in multiple DVD anthologies of Ruiz s works Genealogies of a CrimeDirected byRaul RuizWritten byRaul RuizPascal BonitzerProduced byPaulo BrancoStarringCatherine DeneuveMichel PiccoliMelvil PoupaudAndrzej SewerynBernadette LafontDistributed byStrand Releasing USA Release dates26 March 1997 1997 03 26 France 4 May 1997 1997 05 04 Portugal 28 March 1998 1998 03 28 United States Running time114 minutes France 113 minutes Argentina 103 minutes USA CountriesFrancePortugalLanguageFrenchBudget 4 2 million 1 Box office 1 2 million 1 Contents 1 Plot 2 Production 3 Reception 4 Cast 5 Awards 6 References 7 External linksPlot editDuring a stormy night Rene Melvil Poupaud disposes of a knife which is picked up by an unrevealed individual The scene fades to a blank Go board and the narrator describes an ancient Chinese fable concerning a young man who kills a woman of the Liu Bao family only to be killed after falling in love with her ghost Presumably later Solange Catherine Deneuve is questioned by a lawyer She begins recounting how she took on Rene s case Immediately after the death of her son Pascal Solange receives a call from her colleague Mathieu Mathieu informs her that Rene is accused of murdering Jeanne also played by Deneuve his aunt and a member of the Franco Belgian Psychoanalytic Society which Rene blames for the murder Solange agrees and at her son s funeral she is introduced to Georges Didier Michel Piccoli the eccentric head of the Franco Belgian Psychoanalytic Society Georges behavior is immediately apparent as unusual he is quick to anger and relies on a notebook to remember other people s names Later Solange meets Rene who claims to want to be her friend and convinces her to play a game involving role reversal During the game Solange reveals that she is known for taking on hopeless cases and has lost every single one Solange travels to Jeanne s former home and is accommodated by Esther Bernadette Lafont Jeanne s former maid Solange begins reading Jeanne s diary and the film transitions to Rene s adolescence From the onset Jeanne notes that Rene displays criminal behavior As a young child Rene exhibits violent and unusual behavior he destroys several pieces of China and develops a fascination with knives In his later years Jeanne notes that he acts normal but still has destructive tendencies and is possibly a kleptomaniac Jeanne attempts to treat Rene by utilizing the role reversal game he had played with Solange earlier in the film Through the game Jeanne learns that Rene has hidden all the items he has stolen around the estate At some point in his young adulthood Rene leaves the estate and contacts Jeanne when he needs money On a day when Jeanne is meeting with her colleague Georges Rene asks Jeanne for money and she refuses During her meeting Rene is seen in the background running from a crowd presumably after attempting to steal something While this occurs Jeanne is introduced to Christian Corrail Andrzej Seweryn a fellow psychoanalyst and Georges personal nemesis Four months before her murder Jeanne catches Rene stealing her furniture with his friends They engage in the same role reversal game they ve played several times before and Jeanne in her anger shoots Rene in the arm at which point Rene insists the game is over That event is the last entry in her diary Back in present time Solange leaves the estate and tells Mathieu her theory Jeanne trained Rene to kill her and therefore committed suicide Later Solange has dinner with her mother Louise Monique Melinand who reveals that Solange also demonstrated sociopathic behavior as a child During a visit with Georges afterwards Louise dies of a heart attack At the funeral Solange is informed that Rene has attempted suicide At the hospital Solange encounters Georges who is thrown out after creating a disturbance while attempting to locate and speak to Rene Solange begins to suspect Georges and her suspicions are confirmed when she is invited to witness a tableau vivant style ceremony orchestrated by the Franco Belgian Psychoanalytic Society The ceremony recreates a painting and alternatively blindfolds the subject and the participants Georges revealed that he used this experiment on Rene Now awake Rene claims that after this ceremony he awoke and panicked upon finding his aunt dead Solange arranges her defense around this and Rene is acquitted With their reputation tarnished the Franco Belgian Psychoanalytic Society commits mass suicide Rene reappears soon after and begins a relationship with Solange This relationship grows abusive and one night Solange is driven by her own childhood tendencies and murders Rene and his friends This is the conclusion of Solange s statement to her lawyer who has decided that Solange will plea insanity for the murder Production editThe film was written by Ruiz and Pascal Bonitzer the star of The Suspended Vocation one of Ruiz s most notable works Ruiz was inspired by the story of psychoanalyst Hermine Hug Hellmuth who is best known for her work with children and her murder at the hands of her own nephew whom she treated as well Ruiz himself felt that it is perhaps she who right to the end manipulated this man so he would kill her exactly as she dreamed 3 Ruiz is noted for having an interest in shamanic cinema and frequently explores dreams as a motif Furthermore Ruiz had developed an interest in multiple personality disorder after agreeing to work with Barbet Schroeder on the film that would become Three Lives and Only One Death 3 Music was done by Jorge Arriagada who also had worked with Ruiz on many previous projects Editing was done by Valeria Sarmiento Ruiz s wife and another long time fellow collaborator Also of note Nobel Prize for Literature recipient Patrick Modiano makes a minor appearance as a quirky waiter Reception editGenealogies of a Crime opened on 52 screens in France and grossed 239 172 for the week placing eleventh at the French box office 4 It had a very limited release in the U S and as a result only grossed 73 763 in the United States 5 It holds an 80 rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 5 reviews with an average rating of 6 4 10 6 However reviews have overall been mixed Boxoffice gave it two stars approving of the humorous dynamic between Georges and Christian but citing the lack of suspense as a letdown 7 Variety s Deborah Young felt that the humor was awkward and panned its similarity to Ruiz s earlier works but conceded that Still there is a constant stream of good natured high brow Euro humor to satisfy those who stay on board for the ride 8 Stephen Holden of the New York Times referred to Genealogies of a Crime as a delightful metaphysical comedy and enjoyed the distance created by the cast s cool and assured performances 9 The film was nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear and won the Silver Berlin Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution at the 1997 Berlin International Film Festival 2 Cast editCatherine Deneuve as Jeanne Solange Michel Piccoli as Georges Didier Melvil Poupaud as Rene Andrzej Seweryn as Christian Bernadette Lafont as Esther Monique Melinand as Louise Jean Yves Gautier as Mathieu Mathieu Amalric as Yves Camila Mora as Soledad Patrick Modiano as Bob Brigitte Sy as JeanneAwards editYear Organization Award Category Recipient Result 1997 Berlin International Film Festival Silver Berlin Bear Outstanding Artistic Contribution Won Berlin International Film Festival Golden Berlin Bear Golden Berlin Bear NominatedReferences edit a b JP Genealogies d un crime JP S Box Office Retrieved 17 April 2018 a b Prizes amp Honours 1997 Berlinale Retrieved March 2 2017 a b Goddard Michael 2013 The Cinema of Raul Ruiz Impossible Cartographies London New York Wallflower Press p 110 ISBN 9780231167314 France Top 15 Screen International 11 April 1997 p 34 1 FFR5 7 Genealogies of a Crime 1998 IMDb Retrieved March 1 2017 Genealogies of a Crime Genealogies d un crime 1998 Rotten Tomatoes Fandango Media Retrieved April 17 2018 Festival Reviews GENEALOGIES D UN CRIME Boxoffice 133 6 50 1997 ProQuest 1040632501 Young Deborah March 2 1997 Review Genealogies of a Crime Variety Penske Business Media Retrieved March 2 2017 Holden Stephen March 27 1998 FILM REVIEW Defense Lawyer Doubles As Avenging Ghost O K The New York Times Retrieved March 2 2017 External links editGenealogies of a Crime at IMDb nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Genealogies of a Crime amp oldid 1194332798, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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