Search - Entre Nous on DVD

Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Brief Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 1983 DVD Release: 11/24/1998 Format: DVD - Letterbox for TV Audio Tracks: French Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 52 mins Studio: Fox Lorber Members Wishing: 15 Genres: Drama, Psychological Drama, Marriage Drama, Feminist Film

French filmmaker Diane Kurys directs the period drama Coup de Foudre (distributed in the U.S. as Entre Nous), adapted from a book she co-wrote with Olivier Cohen. The semi-autobiographical story is based on the life of the director's mother. Lena (Isabelle Huppert) is a Jewish refugee from Belgium living in occupied France during WWII. In order to avoid being sent to a German concentration camp, she agrees to marry the discharged military officer Michel (Guy Marchand). He tries to provide a decent life for her by running an auto repair business. They have two children together, but Lena is unhappy and stifled by her domestic life. Michel doesn't offer her the sensitivity and affection that she requires. Meanwhile, in Paris, the extroverted artist Madeleine (Miou-Miou) mourns the accidental death of her husband. After the liberation of France, she marries actor Costa (Jean-Pierre Bacri) and has children of her own. In 1952, Lena and Madeleine meet by chance in Lyons. The two women develop an emotional relationship that borders on romantic involvement. Their bond is only strengthened by a mutual dissatisfaction with their husbands, children, and home life in general. Entre Nous was nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1983. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Miou-Miou - Madeleine
Isabelle Huppert - Lena
Jean-Pierre Bacri - Costa
Guy Marchand - Michel
Robin Renucci - Raymond

François Truffaut is famous for his autobiographical Antoine Doniel series (which started with The 400 Blows, but he isn't the only French filmmaker who made films based on his own life. Diane Kurys first touched on her personal history with 1977's Peppermint Soda but it's Entre Nous, which dealt with her parents, that has found the largest American audience. The original French title, Coup de Foudre, translates as a romantic "crush" and it follows the long, complicated friendship between two women and its effect on their families. Typical of current Fox Lorber DVD releases, this edition of Entre Nous doesn't feature any meaningful extras but does return the film to its original widescreen, letterboxed format. Fortunately, Bernard Lutic's cinematography is so sumptuous that this alone is enough to justify the DVD's existence. Interestingly, while the film has rightly won praise from female critics and audiences, Kurys does not whitewash the women's often selfish behavior or turn the men into stereotypes. The film ends at a summer resort town and Kurys went on to make C'est La Vie, a lovely coming-of-age film that narrows that summer and tells the story from the kids' point of view. Oddly enough, Kurys' semi-autobiographical films are far more dramatic and entertaining than her many wholly fictional features. ~ Nick Dedina, All Movie Guide