Esther Kahn (2000)
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50% of critics liked it
(24 reviews) -
56% of users liked it
(677 ratings)
The English-language debut of French director Arnaud Desplechin, Esther Kahn charts the ascension of a lower-class Jewish girl from a turn-of-the-century London ghetto to one of the stage's leading actresses. Esther (Summer Phoenix) feels set apart from her large, raucous family, who are all… More The English-language debut of French director Arnaud Desplechin, Esther Kahn charts the ascension of a lower-class Jewish girl from a turn-of-the-century London ghetto to one of the stage's leading actresses. Esther (Summer Phoenix) feels set apart from her large, raucous family, who are all employed in the garment business. Her life is changed when she attends a Yiddish theatre performance, and she is suddenly determined to become an actress. After joining a small theatre company, she becomes the protégé of Nathan (Ian Holm), a stage veteran who instructs her in her chosen craft. Esther gradually works her way up in the ranks -- taking a lover, brainy French theatre critic Philippe (Fabrice Desplechin), along the way -- until she is cast in the title role of Hedda Gabler, which she performs to great acclaim. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
- Directed By
- Arnaud Desplechin
- Written By
- Arnaud Desplechin, Emmanuel Bourdieu, Arthur Symons
- Genres
- Drama
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Mar 1, 2001 Limited
- Studio
- Le Studio Canal Plus
Critic Reviews
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Rasmi Simhan, Dallas Morning News
The narrator and the other characters try to convince us that acting transfigures Esther, but she's never seen speaking on stage; one feels cheated, and Esther seems to remain an unchanged dullard.
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Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
What makes Esther Kahn so demanding is that it progresses in such a low-key manner that it risks monotony. But it's worth the concentration.
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Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
Ms. Phoenix is completely lacking in charm and charisma, and is unable to project either Esther's initial anomie or her eventual awakening.
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Gene Seymour, Newsday
It's a lot to ask people to sit still for two hours and change watching such a character, especially when rendered in as flat and impassive a manner as Phoenix's.
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Megan Turner, New York Post
The French director has turned out nearly 21/2 hours of unfocused, excruciatingly tedious cinema that, half an hour in, starts making water torture seem appealing.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Summer Phoenix
as Esther Kahn
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Ian Holm
as Nathan Quellen
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Fabrice Desplechin
as Philippe Haygard
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Frances Barber
as Rivka Kahn
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Laszlo Szabo
as Ytzhok Kahn
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Emmanuelle Devos
as Sylvia L'Italienne
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Akbar Kurtha
as Samuel Kahn
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Paul Regan
as Joel
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Ian Bartholomew
as Norton
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Kika Markham
as Trish
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Anton Lesser
as Sean
- Berna Raif
- Claudia Solti
