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Kate > Films

LE DIVORCE (2003)
Everything sounds sexier in French
A comedy of manners...both good and bad

Le Divorce tells the story of American sisters Roxanne and Isabel - Isabel is visiting Paris to take care of her pregnant sister Roxanne, but as she arrives she finds Roxanne's husband leaving her. The sisters head out into the Paris social scene, and Isabel embarks on a relationship with the uncle of Roxanne's soon-to-be ex-husband, who also happens to be a French diplomat. Isabel and Roxanne's new relationships teach them about the difference between French and American cultures...

Kate plays Isabel Walker

GENERAL INFORMATION
Directed by: James Ivory
Written by: Diane Johnson (novel), Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (film screenplay)
Co-stars: Naomi Watts as Roxeanne de Persand, Melvil Poupaud as Charles-Henri de Persand, Leslie Caron as Suzanne de Persand, Thierry Lhermitte as Edgar Cosset, Nathalie Richard as Charlotte de Persand, Sam Waterston as Chester Walker, Stockard Channing as Margeeve Walker, Glenn Close as Olivia Pace, Bebe Neuwirth as Julia Manchevering, Matthew Modine as Tellman, Stephen Fry as Piers Janely
Genre: Drama, Romance, Comedy
Filming: Filmed in Paris, France from March 2002 to June 2002
Budget: $?m
Box Office: US - $9,074,550 ; UK - Ł93,061. Grossed $516,834 in it's opening weekend in the USA showing on 34 screens
Runtime: 117mins / 1hr 57mins
Released: US- 8th August 2003 (limited) 29th August 2003 (wide); UK- 19th September 2003; France- 8th October 2003; Australia- 6th November 2003
Official site: le-divorce.com / foxsearchlight.com/ledivorce

MEDIA
Trailers: Videos at KHH
Clips: -
Gallery: at KHH
Quotes: at KHH

full gallery...

KATE SAYS...
» "We had so much fun. That was probably my first experience enjoying another actress and becoming really good friends, other than working on Bob Altman's movie."
» "I felt like I was in a Victoria's Secret ad, which was fun. Garter belts and all. But sex scenes are always difficult, and Thierry's so much older than me. He's very handsome, striking - but he was also uncomfortable. Because, yeah, I could be his daughter. But it's so French, bien sűr."
» "If we had any questions about the script or about dialogue or stuff like that, that's what we used rehearsal for. And on set it was very much by the script."
» [about Leslie Caron] "We talked about dancing, because she was an incredible dancer. She stills walks like a dancer--beautiful, with grace. And I dance--nothing like her."
» "I kind of feel like it has a lot of things to say about love and relationships. At least for my character, as far as I'm concerned, in the book it was like that and in the film it's like that. She makes her decision [and] she's spontaneous about it. She knew what she was getting into before it started. She's young [and] she's got many affairs ahead of her. This is just the beginning of a long life lesson, you know."
» "I was experiencing it as the character was experiencing it, and it felt very similar to what I saw in the movie. It's like me except I wasn't having affairs,"
» "Now, it might not necessarily be a place that as a young girl in Paris you'd actually go, but nobody asks the questions because it's so beautiful and that to me was a big part of a Merchant/Ivory type picture. It's very rich. We were in every famous restaurant that was ancient and that to me kind of defined Merchant/Ivory to me. When I see Merchant/Ivory pictures or the ones that I love, I think of very rich scenery."
» "Working on that movie was like a dream come true. I was living in Paris, in this house. I've always spoken French, but I've never had a chance to use it. And I was learning even more. And the great thing about the character Isabelle I play in Le Divorce is what she found in Paris. And so I was really experiencing it as the character was experiencing it. And if I could have been Isabelle, I would have stayed like she did!"
» "Really, the reason I came to do this film was to work with James [Ivory, director] and Ismail [Merchant, producer], and be a part of their body of work. To be able to say that I could be a little sliver in their world."
» [on the final scene up the Eiffel tower] "I took a little thing for vertigo, an anti-anxiety drug. My knees buckled, my head started spinning. It's funny, because I'm not afraid of heights - I rock-climb! It was about being in a very small space. It was very bizarre. I went into a cold sweat. It was the first time I realised what vertigo was like. It was scary. "
» [on working with Naomi] "We were two girls who really liked each other. I started working three weeks before Naomi came. When she showed up, I was really excited to have a girl with me. Usually, I work with guys! Naomi's a very hard worker, and very interested in the character. I am, too. I think that, when you're doing a picture, you know it's important for the role, and for the characters, and for the story, to be able to tell that story. And part of that is that these two women are very close, and in each other's lives at times."

REVIEWS
Rolling Stone: "Kate Hudson is a firecracker as Isabel, a California girl new to Paris."
ReelViews.net: "The performances by Kate Hudson and Naomi Watts are solid, but not the kind of work likely to cause viewers to take notice. Both actresses have shone brighter in the past, although Hudson's work as Isabel represents a slight broadening of her range."
IndependentCritics.com: "The acting is solid from top to bottom... Watts and Hudson are two of the best young actresses that we have. The locations, fashions, and overall visual tone of the film is quite lovely to behold. And I really liked the witty and truthful observations that are levied throughout the script."
ReelMovieCritic.com: "But Kate Hudson owns the film, and she walks through the American in Paris plot with such charm, sweetness and good nature that you can't help falling in love with her. Whether she's consoling her ailing sister, casually drifting into a no-frills fling, butchering her French in the local market or just showing off the Hermes with American abroad exuberance, she's a gem."
Urban Cinefile: "Our attention is instantly captured – even before the film begins – with an intriguing cast list comprising American, French and English actors of considerable talent. How can they all fit together? ... As for the leads, they are all exceptional, Kate Hudson shining in the lead role of Isabel, the irrepressible young American in irresistible Paris. Her ability to convey the emotional complexity of her journey is matched by her ability to portray her character in a variety of ‘looks’ from glamorous to plain."
Urban Cinefile: "Hudson embodies Isabel with voracity, and sparkles at every turn. The speed with which she embraces the notion of becoming womanising Edgar’s mistress is almost shocking. Le Divorce is a most enjoyable affair and those who are attuned to the cultural nuances that divide the nationalities will especially revel in the experience."

AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
-

TRIVIA
{1} Continuity: When Isabel and Edgar have their last outing together, Isabel is clearly wearing red nail lacquer in the restaurant. When they say goodbye outside, her nails are no longer red.
{2} Continuity: When Isabel gets out of the taxi the driver closes the back, but when Charles-Henri hands the driver his bag the back is open again.
{3} When Isabel is setting up chairs at the poetry reading and is confronted by Tellman, there are copies of "Le Divorce" on the bookshelf behind them.
{4} Winona Ryder and Natalie Portman were originally meant to play the roles of the sisters. {5} Kate fell in love with Paris while shooting this movie, and learnt some of the French language.
{6} Kate and Naomi became good friends while filming the movie. They had previously met when Naomi crashed Kate's Christmas party a few years before.

WORTH WATCHING FOR...
... Kate and Naomi Watts playing sisters in a France-set romantic comedy. Kate and Naomi make a great sister-team on screen and it's interesting to see such different actresses together in one film. Plus Kate gets to act alongside such film greats as Glenn Close, Leslie Caron and Stockhard Channing. If that's not enough for you, this film looks gorgeous - both the French locations and the stylish clothes the sisters wear - and the way it highlights the difference between Europeans and Americans is amusing. Le Divorce is not for everyone (some may find it a bit slow) but combining the fabulous ensemble cast and the film's stylish look, it makes a good watch.

DISCUSS
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Buy It
DVD: US (Region 1) | UK (Region 2)
Video: US (NTSC) | UK (PAL)

Promotional Events

Last Updated: August 30th 2006

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