Bon voyage

Genre: suspense

With: Isabelle Adjani (Viviane Denvers), Gérard Depardieu (Jean-Étienne Beaufort), Grégori Derangère (Frédéric Auger), Virginie Ledoyen (Camille), Yvan Attal (Raoul), Jean-Marc Stehlé (Professor Kopolski), Peter Coyote (Alex Winckler)

Director: Jean-Paul Rappeneau

Release: 2003

Studio: ARP Sélection et al.

Rating: PG

MBiS score: 8.1/10

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Story-line: Paris, 1940. While Hitler’s army threatens France, Viviane Denvers, a celebrated actress, attends the premiere of her new movie in the company of a cabinet minister and assorted hangers-on. Coming home afterwards, she eludes one more admirer with the help of Frédéric Auger, a childhood friend. And that’s when things get rather complicated for the beautiful star and the gallant Frédéric…

Pluses: a luxurious and well-crafted production, a tight, fast-paced and twist-filled screenplay that features splendid characters and allows them to evolve as circumstances warrant, a balanced mix of drama and humour, top-grade performances by Isabelle Adjani (her Viviane is a complicated woman who puts her charms to good use), Gérard Depardieu (alternately austere and delicate), Grégori Derangère, Virginie Ledoyen and Yvan Attal. 

Minuses: none I can think of.

Comments: the synopsis above may not seem very inviting but it only covers the first ten minutes of the movie. As a whole, BON VOYAGE is an old-fashioned cliffhanger about one very important man who must be shielded from the Nazis. Noble sentiments, political intrigue, love and dastardly dealings … there’s something for everyone in this memorable picture by Jean-Paul Rappeneau.   

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