This film was the most oddballish of French cinematic constructs, (Its a musical comedy, a murder mystery, a social and sexual satire, a high brow soap opera, and shockingly its a musical), I have ever seen.
To put it up front, 8 Femmes is a musical! Yes! A musical! Spontaneous songs are sprung throughout the film. Each of the 8 women in the film has her vocal spotlight in the film. No complaints as all 8 women have great and unique voices with songs that though sometimes may seem out of place storywise do give the characters depth. Lest I forgot to mention that during the singing parts of the film the on looking characters (those not singing) often broke into some oddly highly coordinated and choreographed dance sequences. A bizarre and odd French take on an MTV music video ~ no make that VH1 given the nature of the songs and music are for older generations.
A satire of soap operatic proportions, high brow soap opera that is! Class warfare is waged between the servants and the family of the house, especially involving Catherine Deneuve's character. Even if I tried to count, I could not give you an accurate account on how many plot and character twists had taken place within the 2 hour film, (not necessarily a bad thing being a satire of a non-existent genre(do high brow soaps exist?))
The film focusing on love, sex, and romantic scandal takes the soap opera genre and has its illegitimate child fathered by the murder mystery genre. This murder mystery was definitely of the Grand English Murder Mystery heritage like Agatha Christies "Then There Were None" or Ten Little Indians as it lambasted that subgenre and quite successfully at it.
The technical cinematography of the film was literally brilliant thoughout the movie with the exception of 2 lusty jazzy songs one by Madame Chanel (Firmine Richard) and the other by Catherine D.'s Gaby character. Colors were oddly bright and rich, NOT THE USUAL GREY AND GRIM associated with murder mysteries. Each of the characters had her own flaws and idiosyncrasies and it was great how these flaws were exploited by each other! It seems obvious that the exaggerated soap operatic intentions were intended so that the acting was deliberate, exaggerated, and sometimes a bit over the top as well. Fine jobs to all for what this type of movie called for.
To put it up front, 8 Femmes is a musical! Yes! A musical! Spontaneous songs are sprung throughout the film. Each of the 8 women in the film has her vocal spotlight in the film. No complaints as all 8 women have great and unique voices with songs that though sometimes may seem out of place storywise do give the characters depth. Lest I forgot to mention that during the singing parts of the film the on looking characters (those not singing) often broke into some oddly highly coordinated and choreographed dance sequences. A bizarre and odd French take on an MTV music video ~ no make that VH1 given the nature of the songs and music are for older generations.
A satire of soap operatic proportions, high brow soap opera that is! Class warfare is waged between the servants and the family of the house, especially involving Catherine Deneuve's character. Even if I tried to count, I could not give you an accurate account on how many plot and character twists had taken place within the 2 hour film, (not necessarily a bad thing being a satire of a non-existent genre(do high brow soaps exist?))
The film focusing on love, sex, and romantic scandal takes the soap opera genre and has its illegitimate child fathered by the murder mystery genre. This murder mystery was definitely of the Grand English Murder Mystery heritage like Agatha Christies "Then There Were None" or Ten Little Indians as it lambasted that subgenre and quite successfully at it.
The technical cinematography of the film was literally brilliant thoughout the movie with the exception of 2 lusty jazzy songs one by Madame Chanel (Firmine Richard) and the other by Catherine D.'s Gaby character. Colors were oddly bright and rich, NOT THE USUAL GREY AND GRIM associated with murder mysteries. Each of the characters had her own flaws and idiosyncrasies and it was great how these flaws were exploited by each other! It seems obvious that the exaggerated soap operatic intentions were intended so that the acting was deliberate, exaggerated, and sometimes a bit over the top as well. Fine jobs to all for what this type of movie called for.
