Highly original, 8 Women, the French comedy-musical film, was written and directed by François Ozon, the openly gay filmmaker.
The source material is old, but the approach is not. Based on the 1958 play by Robert Thomas, it features a cast of high-profile actresses, including Danielle Darrieux, Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Emmanuelle Béart, Fanny Ardant, Virginie Ledoyen, Ludivine Sagnier, and Firmine Richard.
Set in the 1950s, the tale centers on an eccentric family of women and their employees.
The film follows eight women as they gather to celebrate Christmas in an isolated, snowbound cottage – only to find Marcel, the family’s patriarch, dead with a knife in his back.
Trapped in the house, every woman becomes a suspect, each having her own motive and secret.
Ozon initially envisioned to film a remake of George Cukor’s 1939 cult classic The Women, but eventually settled on Thomas’s Huit femmes due to the complicated legal concerns.
My Biography of George Cukor
Ozon draws inspiration from Cukor’s screwball comedies of the late 1930s, and the work of stylish directors such as Douglas Sirk and Minnelli of the 1950s.
8 Women addresses themes like murder, greed, adultery, sexuality, while mixing the genres of farce, melodrama, musical, and murder-mystery.
Primarily set in a manor-house, the film retains the play’s original theatrical feel. It also references as a pastiche of and homage to film history, especially films revolving around actresses.
8 Women competed for the Golden Bear at the 52nd Berlin Film Fest, where its all-female cast was awarded the Silver Bear. Released to critical acclaim, with major praise for the stars, the film was nominated for 12 César Awards (French Oscars) including Best Film.
At the 2002 European Film Awards, 8 Women was nominated for six awards including Best Film and Best Director; it won the Best Actress for the eight main actresses.
Cast
Danielle Darrieux as Mamy, the matriarch
Isabelle Huppert as Augustine, her tachycardiac daughter
Catherine Deneuve as Gaby, her other daughter, the victim’s wife
Virginie Ledoyen as Suzon, the victim’s eldest daughter
Ludivine Sagnier as Catherine, the victim’s youngest daughter
Fanny Ardant as Pierrette, the victim’s sister
Emmanuelle Béart as Louise, the new chambermaid
Firmine Richard as Madame Chanel, the cook
Dominique Lamure as Marcel, the victim, Gaby’s husband
