La Cérémonie (A Judgement in Stone) (1995)
-
93% of critics liked it
(28 reviews) -
84% of users liked it
(2,918 ratings)
When Catherine Lelievre (Jacqueline Bisset) hires mousy and taciturn Sophie (Sandrine Bonnaire) as a housemaid, she thinks that she found a treasure. Mr. Lelievre (Jean-Pierre Cassel) seems to agree with her, pointing out that the maid just has yet to learn how to serve dinner correctly. Wealthy… More When Catherine Lelievre (Jacqueline Bisset) hires mousy and taciturn Sophie (Sandrine Bonnaire) as a housemaid, she thinks that she found a treasure. Mr. Lelievre (Jean-Pierre Cassel) seems to agree with her, pointing out that the maid just has yet to learn how to serve dinner correctly. Wealthy liberals, they treat her generously enough and expect diligence and reliability in return. However, Sophie didn't tell her new employers that she is dyslexic, and very soon she has terrible troubles with even such supposedly ordinary things as shopping lists. She befriends outspoken postal clerk Jeanne (Isabelle Huppert), who occasionally helps her with the above-mentioned lists and tells her all sorts of gossip about the Lelievre family. Mr. Lelievre, who suspects that Jeanne opens their mail, tells Sophie that Jeanne was charged with the murder of her four-year-old daughter and though she was later acquitted, he can't believe in her innocence. Thus he forbids Sophie to invite Jeanne to the Lelievre house, and the tension between Sophie and her employers increases. What could have been a thriller in the hands of a different director, in the case of Claude Chabrol has become another witty and observant social commentary about the eternal confrontation between the rich and the poor. Ruth Rendell's novel A Judgement in Stone was previously filmed in 1986 in Canada. ~ Yuri German, Rovi
- Directed By
- Claude Chabrol
- Written By
- Ruth Rendell, Claude Chabrol
- Genres
- Art House & International, Drama
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Aug 30, 1995 Wide
- Studio
- Criterion Collection
Critic Reviews
-
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
As the movers and shakers of this peculiar saga, Bonnaire and Huppert are unnerving and fascinating to watch together.
-
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Elegant, brisk and lethal in its assault on the obliviousness of the haute bourgeoise.
-
John Hartl, Film.com
Chabrol's most accomplished and popular movie in decades.
-
Robert Horton, Film.com
Chabrol's metier has always been tracing the cracks in the old family china, and this movie presents a brittle set, indeed.
-
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Watching the film, you think maybe you know where it's headed. Or maybe not. Not every ceremony ends in the way we anticipate.
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)
Featured Audience Ratings
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
Other Retailers
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Subscription Services
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Cast
-
Isabelle Huppert
as Jeanne
-
Sandrine Bonnaire
as Sophie
-
Jacqueline Bisset
as Catherine Lelievre
-
Jean-Pierre Cassel
as Georges Lelievre
-
Virginie Ledoyen
as Melinda
- Valentin Merlet
- Claire Ifrane
-
Jean-François Perrier
as Priest
- Serge Rousseau
-
Yves Verhoeven
as Delivery Boy
- David Gabison
-
Dominique Frot
as Madame Lantier
