THE TRUTH ABOUT CHARLIE - the remake of CHARADE
If you had to pick a current leading man who could pass as the modern day equivalent of Cary Grant, Mark Walhberg probably wouldn't be the first actor that comes to mind. Yet Walhberg is stepping into Grant's shoes for a remake of the 1964 Stanley Donan mystery-romance, Charade. Now titled The Truth About Charlie, the film went into production earlier in the year but was halted when director Ted Demme died unexpectedly during a recreational game of basketball. Ted's brother, Jonathan, has since been enlisted in the project and the film is now gearing up for an October release.
Like Charade, The Truth About Charlie is also set in Paris with a very similar storyline (based on a screenplay by Peter Stone with additional material from Jonathan Demme): Regina (Thandie Newton) returns home from a vacation and finds her Parisian flat stripped bare and swarming with police bearing news that her husband, Charles Lambert, is dead. Regina's life quickly takes a darker turn as several rather dubious former acquaintances of her husband began to watch her every move. Yet whenever Regina finds herself in a threatening situation, a complete stranger who calls himself Joshua Peters (Mark Wahlberg) always shows up to rescue her. There's also a quirky investigator named Mr. Bartholomew (Tim Robbins) who is no less mysterious than Peters or Lambert's shady associates.
Time will tell if Demme can pull off a romantic suspense thriller than can equal or top the original Charade but The Truth About Charlie has a lot to overcome - an interrupted shooting schedule, an emergency replacement of the director, script changes and two leads - Wahlberg and Newton - who have yet to prove they have the romantic chemistry to match the Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn's charisma. The supporting cast promises to be interesting though with cameos by former French New Wave siren Anna Karina and Magali Noel, a Turkish actress who was prominently featured in Fellini's Amarcord and other Italian and French films.
For more information on The Truth About Charlie, visit The Official Web Site.
By Jeff Stafford
MR. DEEDS & OTHER REMAKES YOU CAN LIVE WITHOUT
Most classic movie fans will probably admit that Frank Capra's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) isn't exactly a comic masterpiece but nobody expected Sony Pictures to retool it as an Adam Sandler vehicle entitled simply, Mr. Deeds. The basic premise is essentially the same as the original - a naive, good-natured country boy by the name of Longfellow Deeds inherits a fortune from a relative and moves to the big city where various sharpies try to take advantage of him. But whereas the Capra version was corny but sweet-natured, the remake by Steven Brill (he also helmed Sandler's Little Nicky (2000) has been revived up with a non-stop stream of violent sight gags and body crunching physical slapstick. Just watching the trailer will make your head hurt. There is also an official web site for Mr. Deeds at http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/mrdeeds/ which features a "whack the foot" game which should give you some idea of the film's target audience. If you loved Dudley Do-Right (2000) with Brendan Fraser, you'll probably love this too. By the way, Mr. Deeds isn't the first time that Sandler has ripped off somebody else's movie without acknowledging it. Did anyone notice that his 1998 comedy The Waterboy was practically a scene for scene remake of Harold Lloyd's The Freshman (1925)?.
The fact that Hollywood continues to cannibalize its past for original ideas is nothing new and seeing Mr. Deeds Goes to Town recycled for Mr. Sandler isn't as bad as some of the other projects rumored to be in the works. For example, Steven Soderberg's much-delayed remake of Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris (1972), a moody, dreamlike tale about a disastrous space mission that is set in an unspecified future. It's hard to imagine a more wrong-headed project. Despite the fact that the film has been attached to Soderberg's name (as director) with George Clooney heading the cast, it's hard to get excited about an English language remark of Tarkovsky's poetic meditation on the human race. Another "why bother?" idea is director Neil LaBute's rumored remake of The Wicker Man (1973), a suspense thriller about a pagan cult which was written by Anthony Schaffer and directed by Robin Hardy. Of course, a lot of people never got to see the original Wicker Man (1973) during its initial American release (in a drastically edited version) so LuBute's version might seem like a fantastic new idea to many.
More blasphemous is the possible remake of The Manchurian Candidate (1962), John Frankenheimer's witty, super-paranoid thriller about political assassins that prefigured John F. Kennedy's murder. Tina Sinatra, daughter of Frank (who starred in the film), now controls the rights (which her father passed on to her) and is rumored to have greenlighted a remake. Equally cringe-inducing is a possible remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) from filmmaker Michael Bay. That's right, the guy who directed Armageddon (1998) and Pearl Harbor (2001). Variety reported that Chainsaw's original director, Tobe Hooper, and screenwriter Kim Henkel are working on a first draft rewrite.
By Jeff Stafford
MURDEROUS MAIDS - The Mad Sisters of Le Mans
In 1933, the French public was shocked and fascinated by a brutal double murder committed by two sisters in the provincial town of Le Mans. Christine and Lea Papin, who were working as servants, attacked and killed their employer, Madame Lancelin, and her daughter, during a power outage in the house. Even the police were shocked by the extreme violence of the crime; the victims' bodies had been horribly mutilated and their eyes clawed out. When Christine and Lea were brought to trial, their case was highly publicized and created further controversy when it was discovered that the two sisters were lovers. This infamous incident is now the subject of a new film, Murderous Maids (2001), directed by Jean-Pierre Denis.
For years, the Lancelin murders have held a strange fascination for the French, particularly those in the arts. Jean Genet wrote The Maids in 1947 and based his play on the Le Mans case (It was later made into a film in 1974 starring Glenda Jackson and Susannah York). More significant are the number of films inspired by Christine and Lea Papin. First, there was Les Abysses (1963), directed by Nico Papatakis; then, A Judgment in Stone (aka The Housekeeper) appeared in 1986 starring Rita Tushingham and Jackie Burroughs (It was a Canadian film directed by Ousama Rawi). More recent versions include Sister, My Sister (1993), Nancy Meckler's version of the Wendy Kesselman play that emphasized the sexual politics (Joely Richardson and Jodi May played Christine and Lea, respectively) and Claude Chabrol's Le Ceremonie (1995) starring Sandrine Bonnaire and Isabelle Huppert; it presents the tragedy as a class struggle between the upper class bourgeoisie and the working class.
For Murderous Maids (2001), director Denis has chosen to focus closely on the true facts in the case, making it the most faithful film recreation yet of the Papin sisters' relationship and subsequent crime. In a New York Times article by Leslie Camhi, Denis was quoted as saying, "It's a story that touches upon our deepest, darkest impulses. These two women were presented as monsters in the press of the day. Well, I wanted to follow the path from monsters back to human beings." He also added, "During the trial, there were massive demonstrations of people from all social classes, calling for the death of the Papin sisters. Well, recently they were listed in a poll as among the best-known celebrities in the region. Le Mans is known for its 24-hour car race, its rillettes [a kind of meat spread] and the Papin sisters. History had digested their crime and made it a part of the patrimony."
Although the film is currently in limited release in the U.S., it is receiving excellent critical notices. J. Hoberman of The Village Voice wrote: "Revolution for the hell of it? The Papin sisters, who provided no motive for their homicidal mania, let alone its gruesome details of eye-gouging, corpse-mutilating brutality, did seem to embody a particularly extreme vision of class warfare, albeit in a realm beyond articulation. (Afterward, the women dutifully cleaned their
implements and took to their bed.) Director Jean-Pierre Denis, returning to filmmaking after 12 years as a customs inspector, reconstructs what he can of the sisters' background, locating them in an oppressive context of household drudgery and authoritarian abuse, while suggesting that their liberation fantasy was a dream of impossible symbiosis....Murderous Maids dramatizes, but it doesn't explain. The inference in this genuinely unnerving movie is that nothing can."
For more information about Murderous Maids and to see if it is playing at a theatre in your area, visit RIALTO PICTURES.
By Jeff Stafford
The Truth About Charlie
Brief Synopsis
Read More
Regina ('Reggie') Lambert meets the charming Joshua Peters while vacationing in Martinique, just as she contemplates ending her whirlwind marriage to the enigmatic Charlie. But upon her return to Paris, she finds that both her apartment and her bank account have been emptied and that her husband has
Cast & Crew
Read More
Jonathan Demme
Director
Simon Abkarian
Cassius Kumar Wilkinson
Christine Boisson
Frederique Meininger
Charles Aznavour
Himself
Film Details
Also Known As
Charade, Truth About Charlie
MPAA Rating
Genre
Adaptation
Drama
Thriller
Release Date
2002
Distribution Company
Universal Pictures
Location
Paris, France
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 44m
Synopsis
Regina ('Reggie') Lambert meets the charming Joshua Peters while vacationing in Martinique, just as she contemplates ending her whirlwind marriage to the enigmatic Charlie. But upon her return to Paris, she finds that both her apartment and her bank account have been emptied and that her husband has been mysteriously murdered. A trio of his old cohorts has begun shadowing her in hopes of answering their own questions about Charlie. Joshua is in Paris now, too and is ready to offer any help he can. However, the more Reggie learns the more she must find out to fill in the missing pieces of this puzzle and to protect herself from ever-increasing danger. Joshua lays a growing claim on her affection, even as disturbing information about him surfaces and undermines her trust. Hard-edged Commandant Dominique thinks Reggie herself is the most likely suspect. The attention of a straight-laced embassy official makes Reggie's situation even more complicated. But all she can do is carry on with the knowledge that in life, as in love, nothing is ever as simple as it seems.
Director
Jonathan Demme
Director
Cast
Simon Abkarian
Cassius Kumar Wilkinson
Christine Boisson
Frederique Meininger
Charles Aznavour
Himself
Agnes Varda
Michel Cremades
Pierre Carre
Kenneth Utt
Hubert Ravel
Olivier Broche
Thandie Newton
Philippe Fretun
Robert Castle
Christophe Salengro
Loeiza Jacq
Anna Karina
Catherine Chevron
Sir Samuel
Simion Stanciu Syrinx
Performer
Tony Amoni
Mark Wahlberg
Stephen Dillane
Kate Castle
Manno Charlemagne
Leeroy Kesiah
Joong-hoon Park
Jean-marc Bihour
Olga Sekulic
Magali Noel
Mustapha Bensiti
Paula Moore
Denis Jousselin
Sakina Jaffrey
Pascal Parmentier
Wilfred Benaiche
Raphaelle Gallizzi
Cheikna Sankare
Ted Levine
Marine Danaux
Lionel Elie
Ramona Demme
Francoise Bertin
Natacha Atlas
Voice
Philippe Duquesne
Eric Aufevre
Rene Comte
Chantal Banlier
Patrice Keller
Christian Wojtowicz
Tim Robbins
Lisa Gay Hamilton
Georges Trillat
Sotigui Kouyate
Philippe Katerine
Crew
Marion Abadie
Assistant
Jean-marc Abbou
Unit Manager
Samuel Adebiyi
Song
Betsy Alton
Production Coordinator
Deva Anderson
Music Supervisor
David Arch
Music Conductor
Jean Bertrand Aristide
Song
Jean Bertrand Aristide
Song Performer
Neda Armian
Coproducer
Natacha Atlas
Song Performer
Natacha Atlas
Song
Eric Aufevre
Location Manager
Charles Aznavour
Song Performer
Charles Aznavour
Song
Charles Aznavour
Other
Charles Aznavour
Music Lyrics
Ted Bafaloukos
Unit Director
Jamie Baker
Foley Editor
Pit Baumgartner
Song
Cedric Belise
Song
Jessica Bendinger
Screenplay
Howard Bernstein
Song
Ron Bochar
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Ron Bochar
Supervising Sound Editor
Aude Boedec
Production Coordinator
Aline Bonetto
Set Decorator
Eric Bourges
Construction Manager
Khaled Hady Brahim
Song Performer
Khaled Hady Brahim
Song
Jeb Brody
Assistant
Gary Burritt
Negative Cutter
David Campi-lemaire
Assistant Director
Patrick Capone
Camera Operator
David Carbonara
Music Editor
Pierre Carre
Song Performer
Jose Lucas Casas
Hair
Kam Chan
Foley
Steven Chandra Savale
Song
Manu Chao
Song Performer
Manu Chao
Song
Michel Cheyko
Coproducer
Michel Cheyko
Assistant Director
Bertrand Clercq-roques
Art Director
Arnaud Codet
Song
Samuel Cohen
Boom Operator
Philippe Cohen-solal
Song
Francoise Combadiere-stern
Casting
Marko Costanzo
Foley Artist
M Crespin
Song
Andrew Cronshaw
Song
Mario D'orio
Best Boy Grip
Aniruddha Das
Song
Lhasa De Sala
Song Performer
Lhasa De Sala
Song
Mercan Dede
Song
Mercan Dede
Song Performer
Khalid Dehbi
Song
Thierry Delettre
Costume Supervisor
Jonathan Demme
Producer
Jonathan Demme
Screenplay
Ted Demme
Song
Ted Demme
Song Performer
Jean-pierre Deschamps
Key Grip
Tom Desisto
Song
Yves Desrosiers
Song Performer
Chris Dibble
Music Engineer
Laetitia Dom
Production Secretary
Peter Donen
Visual Effects Supervisor
Mary Donohue
Assistant
Kate Dowd
Consultant
Dianne Dreyer
Script Supervisor
Joe Dunne
Stunt Coordinator
Syd Dutton
Visual Effects
Otto Engelhardt
Song
Mark Ernestus
Song
Michel Estrade
Song
Benjamin Euvrard
Assistant
Chaba Fadela
Song Performer
Zelmat Fadela
Song
Mehdi Felicite
Song
Pablo Ferro
Titles
Tom Fleischman
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Dominique Fouassier
Stunt Coordinator
Tak Fujimoto
Director Of Photography
Tak Fujimoto
Other
Carl Fullerton
Makeup
Chris Gandois
Choreographer
Olivier Garabedian
Location Manager
Denis Gastou
Special Makeup Effects
Lewis Goldstein
Sound Effects Editor
Karen Gordon
Production Accountant
Leigh Gorman
Song
Leigh Gorman
Song Performer
Finian Greenall
Song
Richard Guay
Post-Production Supervisor
Sanjay Gulabbhai Tailor
Song
Angela Harmon
Assistant
Ilona Herzberg
Executive Producer
Ilona Herzberg
Line Producer
Robyn Hitchcock
Song
Bonnie Hlinomaz
Assistant
Gilles Husson
Grip
Georges Jeannot
Song
Silver Johnson
Song
Peter Joshua
Screenplay
Anna Karina
Song
Anna Karina
Song Performer
Kevin Keefe
Transportation Captain
Michel Kharat
Sound
Angelique Kidjo
Song Performer
Buzz Kilman
Song Performer
Steve Kirshoff
Special Effects Coordinator
Peter Kohn
Unit Director
Marty Kornblum
Song
Michael Kosarin
Music Conductor
G Krier
Song
Kevin Ladson
Property Master
Olivier Lambert
Location Manager
George Lara
Foley Recordist
Anne Le Van Ra
Art Department Coordinator
Hamilton Lee
Song
Catherine Leterrier
Costume Designer
Ellen Lewis
Consultant
Mark Linkous
Song Performer
Mark Linkous
Song
Carol Littleton
Editor
Hugo Luczyc-wyhowski
Production Designer
Delphine Mabed
Art Director
Didier Makaga
Song Performer
Didier Makaga
Song
Eduardo Makaroff
Song
Polly Mallinson
Music Coordinator
Henry Mancini
Song
Malcolm Mclaren
Song
Malcolm Mclaren
Song Performer
I Mellino
Song
Glenn Mercer
Song
Johnny Mercer
Song
Raz Mesinai
Song
Nick Meyers
Music Editor
William A Miller
Key Grip
Bill Million
Song
Jean-marc Miroglio
Song
Sahraoui Mohamed
Song
Mikael Monod
Gaffer
Pierre Morel
Camera Operator
Donald J. Mowat
Makeup
Branka Mrkic-tana
Dialogue Editor
Christoph Muller
Song
Jennifer Mulot
Other
Patrice Musson
Storyboard Artist
Jennifer Alex Nickason
Set Decorator
Gerard Nubui
Song
Claire O'neil
Rights & Clearances
Peter Owen
Wig Maker
Nicholas Page
Song
John Ashok Pandit
Song
Krista Parris
Assistant
J M Paulus
Song
Suzana Perl
Music Editor
Ron Petagna
Construction Coordinator
Fabien Philetas
Song
Dominique Piat
Script Supervisor
Patricia Pierangeli
Dialogue Coach
Gilbert Pieri
Property Master
Denise Pinckley
Production Manager
Rachel Portman
Music Composer
Rachel Portman
Original Music
Rachel Portman
Song
Rachel Portman
Music Producer
Trevanna Post
Post-Production Accountant
Julien Pruvot
Transportation Captain
Scott Ramsey
Gaffer
Ken Regan
Photography
Christine Richard
Script Supervisor
Emmanuel Rigaut
Assistant
Marie-ange Ripka
Hair Stylist
Pete Romano
Director Of Photography
Pete Romano
Other
Fred Rosenberg
Dialogue Editor
James Sabat
Sound Mixer
Michel Sabourdy
Best Boy Electric
Cheb Sahraoui
Song Performer
Peter Saraf
Producer
Edward Saxon
Producer
Steve Schmidt
Screenplay
Oona Seiler
Assistant
Dee Shipman
Music Lyrics
Tjinder Singh
Song
David Snell
Music Conductor
Suzanne Spangler
Editor
Mike Stanwick
Color Timer
Peter Stone
Source Material
Catherine Sudolcan
Visual Effects Producer
Rachid Taha
Song
Rachid Taha
Song Performer
Bill Taylor
Visual Effects
Manuel Teran
Camera Operator
Olivier Thaon
Unit Production Manager
Nathalie Tissier
Makeup Designer
Film Details
Also Known As
Charade, Truth About Charlie
MPAA Rating
Genre
Adaptation
Drama
Thriller
Release Date
2002
Distribution Company
Universal Pictures
Location
Paris, France
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 44m
Articles
Remake - The Truth About Charlie
Remake - The Truth About Charlie
THE TRUTH ABOUT CHARLIE - the remake of CHARADE
If you had to pick a current leading man who could pass as the modern day equivalent of Cary Grant, Mark Walhberg probably wouldn't be the first actor that comes to mind. Yet Walhberg is stepping into Grant's shoes for a remake of the 1964 Stanley Donan mystery-romance, Charade. Now titled The Truth About Charlie, the film went into production earlier in the year but was halted when director Ted Demme died unexpectedly during a recreational game of basketball. Ted's brother, Jonathan, has since been enlisted in the project and the film is now gearing up for an October release.
Like Charade, The Truth About Charlie is also set in Paris with a very similar storyline (based on a screenplay by Peter Stone with additional material from Jonathan Demme): Regina (Thandie Newton) returns home from a vacation and finds her Parisian flat stripped bare and swarming with police bearing news that her husband, Charles Lambert, is dead. Regina's life quickly takes a darker turn as several rather dubious former acquaintances of her husband began to watch her every move. Yet whenever Regina finds herself in a threatening situation, a complete stranger who calls himself Joshua Peters (Mark Wahlberg) always shows up to rescue her. There's also a quirky investigator named Mr. Bartholomew (Tim Robbins) who is no less mysterious than Peters or Lambert's shady associates.
Time will tell if Demme can pull off a romantic suspense thriller than can equal or top the original Charade but The Truth About Charlie has a lot to overcome - an interrupted shooting schedule, an emergency replacement of the director, script changes and two leads - Wahlberg and Newton - who have yet to prove they have the romantic chemistry to match the Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn's charisma. The supporting cast promises to be interesting though with cameos by former French New Wave siren Anna Karina and Magali Noel, a Turkish actress who was prominently featured in Fellini's Amarcord and other Italian and French films.
For more information on The Truth About Charlie, visit The Official Web Site.
By Jeff Stafford
MR. DEEDS & OTHER REMAKES YOU CAN LIVE WITHOUT
Most classic movie fans will probably admit that Frank Capra's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) isn't exactly a comic masterpiece but nobody expected Sony Pictures to retool it as an Adam Sandler vehicle entitled simply, Mr. Deeds. The basic premise is essentially the same as the original - a naive, good-natured country boy by the name of Longfellow Deeds inherits a fortune from a relative and moves to the big city where various sharpies try to take advantage of him. But whereas the Capra version was corny but sweet-natured, the remake by Steven Brill (he also helmed Sandler's Little Nicky (2000) has been revived up with a non-stop stream of violent sight gags and body crunching physical slapstick. Just watching the trailer will make your head hurt. There is also an official web site for Mr. Deeds at http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/mrdeeds/ which features a "whack the foot" game which should give you some idea of the film's target audience. If you loved Dudley Do-Right (2000) with Brendan Fraser, you'll probably love this too. By the way, Mr. Deeds isn't the first time that Sandler has ripped off somebody else's movie without acknowledging it. Did anyone notice that his 1998 comedy The Waterboy was practically a scene for scene remake of Harold Lloyd's The Freshman (1925)?.
The fact that Hollywood continues to cannibalize its past for original ideas is nothing new and seeing Mr. Deeds Goes to Town recycled for Mr. Sandler isn't as bad as some of the other projects rumored to be in the works. For example, Steven Soderberg's much-delayed remake of Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris (1972), a moody, dreamlike tale about a disastrous space mission that is set in an unspecified future. It's hard to imagine a more wrong-headed project. Despite the fact that the film has been attached to Soderberg's name (as director) with George Clooney heading the cast, it's hard to get excited about an English language remark of Tarkovsky's poetic meditation on the human race. Another "why bother?" idea is director Neil LaBute's rumored remake of The Wicker Man (1973), a suspense thriller about a pagan cult which was written by Anthony Schaffer and directed by Robin Hardy. Of course, a lot of people never got to see the original Wicker Man (1973) during its initial American release (in a drastically edited version) so LuBute's version might seem like a fantastic new idea to many.
More blasphemous is the possible remake of The Manchurian Candidate (1962), John Frankenheimer's witty, super-paranoid thriller about political assassins that prefigured John F. Kennedy's murder. Tina Sinatra, daughter of Frank (who starred in the film), now controls the rights (which her father passed on to her) and is rumored to have greenlighted a remake. Equally cringe-inducing is a possible remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) from filmmaker Michael Bay. That's right, the guy who directed Armageddon (1998) and Pearl Harbor (2001). Variety reported that Chainsaw's original director, Tobe Hooper, and screenwriter Kim Henkel are working on a first draft rewrite.
By Jeff Stafford
MURDEROUS MAIDS - The Mad Sisters of Le Mans
In 1933, the French public was shocked and fascinated by a brutal double murder committed by two sisters in the provincial town of Le Mans. Christine and Lea Papin, who were working as servants, attacked and killed their employer, Madame Lancelin, and her daughter, during a power outage in the house. Even the police were shocked by the extreme violence of the crime; the victims' bodies had been horribly mutilated and their eyes clawed out. When Christine and Lea were brought to trial, their case was highly publicized and created further controversy when it was discovered that the two sisters were lovers. This infamous incident is now the subject of a new film, Murderous Maids (2001), directed by Jean-Pierre Denis.
For years, the Lancelin murders have held a strange fascination for the French, particularly those in the arts. Jean Genet wrote The Maids in 1947 and based his play on the Le Mans case (It was later made into a film in 1974 starring Glenda Jackson and Susannah York). More significant are the number of films inspired by Christine and Lea Papin. First, there was Les Abysses (1963), directed by Nico Papatakis; then, A Judgment in Stone (aka The Housekeeper) appeared in 1986 starring Rita Tushingham and Jackie Burroughs (It was a Canadian film directed by Ousama Rawi). More recent versions include Sister, My Sister (1993), Nancy Meckler's version of the Wendy Kesselman play that emphasized the sexual politics (Joely Richardson and Jodi May played Christine and Lea, respectively) and Claude Chabrol's Le Ceremonie (1995) starring Sandrine Bonnaire and Isabelle Huppert; it presents the tragedy as a class struggle between the upper class bourgeoisie and the working class.
For Murderous Maids (2001), director Denis has chosen to focus closely on the true facts in the case, making it the most faithful film recreation yet of the Papin sisters' relationship and subsequent crime. In a New York Times article by Leslie Camhi, Denis was quoted as saying, "It's a story that touches upon our deepest, darkest impulses. These two women were presented as monsters in the press of the day. Well, I wanted to follow the path from monsters back to human beings." He also added, "During the trial, there were massive demonstrations of people from all social classes, calling for the death of the Papin sisters. Well, recently they were listed in a poll as among the best-known celebrities in the region. Le Mans is known for its 24-hour car race, its rillettes [a kind of meat spread] and the Papin sisters. History had digested their crime and made it a part of the patrimony."
Although the film is currently in limited release in the U.S., it is receiving excellent critical notices. J. Hoberman of The Village Voice wrote: "Revolution for the hell of it? The Papin sisters, who provided no motive for their homicidal mania, let alone its gruesome details of eye-gouging, corpse-mutilating brutality, did seem to embody a particularly extreme vision of class warfare, albeit in a realm beyond articulation. (Afterward, the women dutifully cleaned their
implements and took to their bed.) Director Jean-Pierre Denis, returning to filmmaking after 12 years as a customs inspector, reconstructs what he can of the sisters' background, locating them in an oppressive context of household drudgery and authoritarian abuse, while suggesting that their liberation fantasy was a dream of impossible symbiosis....Murderous Maids dramatizes, but it doesn't explain. The inference in this genuinely unnerving movie is that nothing can."
For more information about Murderous Maids and to see if it is playing at a theatre in your area, visit RIALTO PICTURES.
By Jeff Stafford
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States Fall October 25, 2002
Released in United States on Video April 1, 2003
Remake of "Charade" (USA/1963), directed by Stanley Donen and starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant.
Kodak
Released in United States Fall October 25, 2002
Released in United States on Video April 1, 2003
