Romance (1999 film)
| Romance | |
|---|---|
 French film poster | |
| Directed by | Catherine Breillat |
| Produced by | Jean-François Lepetit |
| Written by | Catherine Breillat |
| Starring |
Caroline Ducey Sagamore Stévenin François Berléand Rocco Siffredi |
| Music by |
Raphaël Tidas DJ Valentin |
| Cinematography | Yorgos Arvanitis |
| Edited by | Agnès Guillemot |
| Distributed by |
Rézo Films (France) Trimark Pictures (US) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 99 minutes[1] |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | $2.7 million |
| Box office | $3.9 million[2] |
Romance (Romance X) is a 1999 French art house drama film written and directed by Catherine Breillat. It stars Caroline Ducey, pornographic actor Rocco Siffredi, Sagamore Stévenin and François Berléand. The film features explicit copulation scenes,[3] especially one showing Caroline Ducey's coitus with Rocco Siffredi. Romance is one of several arthouse films featuring explicit, unsimulated sex, such as The Brown Bunny (2003), 9 Songs (2004), All About Anna (2005), and Shortbus (2006).
Plot
A young woman, Marie lives with her boyfriend Paul who refuses to have sex with her. She searches for intimacy beyond the bounds of traditional sexual limitations, a journey that proves to be both fulfilling and empowering. She has a sexual relationship with Paolo, whom she meets in a bar. Her frustration also drives her to a series of relationships, until she engages in sadomasochism with an older man.
Cast
- Caroline Ducey as Marie
- Sagamore Stévenin as Paul
- François Berléand as Robert
- Rocco Siffredi as Paolo
- Ashley Wanninger as Ashley
- Emma Colberti as Charlotte
- Fabien de Jomaron as Claude
Broadcasting and ratings
In Europe, Romance was shown in mainstream cinemas; in the United States, it was reduced to a mainstream-acceptable R rating, and the European original version is un-rated. In the UK the BBFC passed the film uncut for cinemas, though home releases suffered a brief cut to an ejaculation shot. In March 2004, the original version was broadcast, late-night on German public television. In Australia, the original version of Romance was broadcast uncut on the cable television network World Movies. The film was initially refused classification in Australia, before it was awarded an R18+ on appeal.[4] It single-handedly paved the way for actual sex to be accommodated in the R18+ classification in Australia.[4]
In Canada, particularly in Alberta and the Maritimes, the sexuality was seen as gratuitous to the film and it was given an A rating and XXX rating in those regions.[5][6] In June 2008, in the Netherlands, the original version of Romance was broadcast on Dutch public TV, by VPRO, as one of a series of Erotica art house cinema.
See also
References
- ↑ "ROMANCE (18)". British Board of Film Classification. 19 July 1999. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ↑ http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=2792
- ↑ Anne Gillain, "Profile of a Filmmaker: Catherine Breillat" Beyond French Feminisms: debates on women, Politics and Culture in France, 1981 – 2001, edited by Roger Célestin et al. New York: Macmillan (2003): 202. Catherine Breillat's "film Romance had received much praise—and criticism—the previous year for using a porn-film actor and a scene showing a nonsimulated sexual act, including a shot of an erection in the foreground."
- 1 2 "Romance (1999)". Refused-Classification.com. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
- ↑ Film classification listing for Romance at Alberta Film Ratings
- ↑ Film classification listing for Romance at Maritime Film Classification Board (Rating is listed at bottom)
External links
- Romance at the Internet Movie Database
- Romance at Box Office Mojo
- Romance at Rotten Tomatoes
- Romance at Metacritic