| Directed by | Stephen Frears |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Bill Kenwright Thom Mount |
| Written by | Christopher Hampton |
| Based on | Chéri by Colette |
| Narrated by | Stephen Frears |
| Starring | Michelle Pfeiffer Rupert Friend Felicity Jones Kathy Bates |
| Music by | Alexandre Desplat |
| Cinematography | Darius Khondji |
| Editing by | Lucia Zucchetti |
| Studio | UK Film Council |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films (USA) Pathé (France) |
| Release date(s) | 10 February 2009(Berlinale) 8 April 2009 (France) 8 May 2009(United Kingdom) |
| Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | France United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Gross revenue | $9,366,227 [1] |
Cast
- Michelle Pfeiffer as Léa de Lonval
- Rupert Friend as Fred 'Chéri' Peloux
- Kathy Bates as Madame Charlotte Peloux
- Felicity Jones as Edmée
- Frances Tomelty as Rose
- Anita Pallenberg as La Copine
- Harriet Walter as La Loupiote
- Iben Hjejle as Marie Laure
Plot
Set in 1900s Belle Époque Paris, Chéri tells the story of the end of a six-year affair between an aging retired courtesan, Léa, and aflamboyant young man, Fred, nicknamed "Chéri" ("Dear"). Turning stereotypes upside-down, it is Chéri who wears silk pyjamas and Léa's pearls, and who is the object of gaze. The two believe their relationship is casual until they are separated by Chéri's arranged marriage, at which point they realize they are in love. They spend a miserable nine months apart, at which point Chéri appears at Léa's home. They spend the night together and Léa begins to plan their new life together. However, when she learns that Chéri had returned for the moral strength to be a husband, she releases him to return home. The final scene shows Chéri leaving Léa's home to walk down the street towards his home. Léa watches him leave, sure that he will turn and come back. When he doesn't, she returns to her vanity table to gaze at herself in the mirror. The narrator cuts in that after many years Chéri will realize that Léa was the only woman he could ever love, but she was too old for him. Chéri will kill himself after this realization.
Review:
After having watched this movie 3 times now I have absolutely fallen in love with it. The mysterious and absolutely non-existent personality of Fred (Chéri) has me itching to find out more about who he really is. Being stuck between your true love and a marriage you are arranged to have must be one of the toughest things he will ever go through. And after becoming so attached to Fred it absolutely wrenched my heart out to hear that he killed himself because he could not love anyone but Lea.
I definitely recommend this movie to anyone looking for anyone looking for a breathtaking film. Anyone who falls in love with characters easily would easily fall in love with Fred.
That's all for now...
*Rosie*
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