The Hairdresser's Husband
| The Hairdresser's Husband | |
|---|---|
 French theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Patrice Leconte |
| Written by | Patrice Leconte Claude Klotz |
| Produced by | Thierry de Ganay |
| Starring | Jean Rochefort Anna Galiena |
| Cinematography | Eduardo Serra |
| Edited by | Joëlle Hache |
| Music by | Michael Nyman |
| Distributed by | AMLF |
Release date |
|
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Box office | $2.71 million[1] |
The Hairdresser's Husband (French: Le Mari de la coiffeuse), a 1990 French comedy-drama film written by Patrice Leconte and Claude Klotz, and directed by Leconte. Jean Rochefort stars as the title character.
The film received the Prix Louis Delluc. In 1991 it was nominated for "Best Foreign-Language Film" in the British Academy Film Awards.
Synopsis
[edit]The film begins with a flashback from the titular character, Antoine. We are introduced to his fixation with female hairdressers which began at a young age. The film uses flashbacks throughout and there are frequent parallels drawn with the past. Though Antoine tells Mathilde that 'the past is dead', his life is evidence that on some level the past repeats itself. As a young boy he fantasised about a hairdresser who died by suicide and as a man in his 50s he begins an affair with a hairdresser which ends after ten years in her suicide. However, there are differences: Mathilde dies by suicide because she is so happy she is afraid of the happiness she has found with Antoine ending.
We are unsure what Antoine has done with his life; we know, however, that he has fulfilled his childhood ambition: to marry a hairdresser. The reality proves to be every bit as wonderful as the fantasy and the two enjoy an enigmatic, enclosed and enchanting relationship. The final sequence shows Antoine, in the salon, dancing to Eastern music just as he has done throughout his life. His last line is the enigmatic comment that the hairdresser will return.
Cast
[edit]- Jean Rochefort as Antoine
- Anna Galiena as Mathilde
- Roland Bertin as Antoine's father
- Maurice Chevit as Ambroise Dupré dit Isidore Agopian
- Jacques Mathou as Mr. Chardon
- Philippe Clévenot as Morvoisieux
- Anne-Marie Pisani as Madame Shaeffer
- Albert Delpy as Donecker
- Michèle Laroque as Adopted Child's Mother
Reception
[edit]The film received the 1990 Prix Louis Delluc which it shared with Le Petit Criminel by Jacques Doillon. American film critic Roger Ebert added this to his "Great Movies" list on January 27, 2010.[2] The film was nominated for the Grand Prix of the Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics.
Home media
[edit]The Hairdresser's Husband was released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in April 2011. The DVD is compatible region code 4.[3]
Soundtrack
[edit]| The Hairdresser's Husband | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | September 21, 1992 | |||
| Genre | Middle Eastern | |||
| Label | Soundtrack Listeners Communications | |||
| Michael Nyman chronology | ||||
| ||||
The soundtrack [4] was composed by Michael Nyman and also contains a great deal of Middle Eastern popular music. It was first released as an album in Japan by Soundtrack Listeners Communications (SLC) September 21, 1992, and has subsequently been released elsewhere.
References
[edit]- ^ "Le Mari de la coiffeuse (1990) - JPBox-Office".
- ^ Roger Ebert (2010-01-27). "The Hairdresser's Husband (1990)". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 2012-07-16. Also at Roger Ebert (2010-07-21). "When you get everything you desire, can that be too much?". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
- ^ "Umbrella Entertainment". Umbrellaent.com.au. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
- ^ "Mari De La Coiffeuse, Le (1990)". Soundtrackcollector.com. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
External links
[edit]- The Hairdresser's Husband at IMDb
- The Hairdresser's Husband at AllMovie
- The Hairdresser's Husband at Rotten Tomatoes
- Review of The Hairdresser's Husband
