16/03/2005

Gabrielle, Patrice Chéreau’s ninth film —but the first he has ever made with the actress Isabelle Huppert—, also starring Pascal Greggory, is now ready since sound mixing was finished a couple of weeks ago. Quite a good timing, considering the selection for the next Cannes Film Festival is about to be made, and Chéreau knows the Festival well for bringing three films there —L’Homme blessé (1983), La Reine Margot (Jury’s Prize1994), and Ceux qui m’aiment prendront le train (1998)— and presiding the jury in 2003.
Gabrielle, adapted from Joseph Conrad’s The Return, is about an upper-middle-class couple who have lived a loveless marriage for 10 years. However, the husband’s unquestioned routine is suddenly shattered when his wife leaves him, even if she comes back after that. This film, originally entitled Trois soirées, was shot last summer ; it is the fourth time Patrice Chéreau has worked with the famous picture director Eric Gautier. As for the script, he co-wrote it with his usual partner in crime Anne-Louise Trividic. Isabelle Huppert and Pascal Greggory have already worked together twice : in La Vie Promise(2002) and Les Sœurs Brontë(1979).

This European coproduction involved Azor Films (France - 90 %), the director’s company, and Albachiara (Italy - 10 %). Gabrielle gathered 5.32 million euros and benefitted from the new credit-on-tax system launched by the Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) to encourage relocation of film sets within France. In terms of public support, the film also got 580 000 euros from Eurimages, 280 000 euros from the French region Ile-de-France, and 600 000 euros from Arte France Cinéma acting as a co-producer. Canal + has already bought the rights, and Studio Canal, which deals with international sales, has signed preliminary agreements with Spain, Switzerland, the Benelux, Greece, and Italy (Mikado) and hopes to convince many more buyers under the sun of Cannes.

(Translated from French)