Colonel Chabert

1994

Colonel Chabert

Critics Consensus

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Colonel Chabert Photos

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Movie Info

This metaphorical drama, about the changes brought to French society by revolution, stars Gérard Depardieu as Chabert, a French soldier who served under Napoleon in 1807 and was thought to have died in battle. In fact, Chabert was nearly buried in a mass grave with a large number of deceased soldiers, but he managed to crawl from the pile of corpses and has been wandering through the French countryside ever since. In the ten years since his "death," Chabert's wife (Fanny Ardant) has spent his fortune and gone on to marry Count Ferraud (Andre Dussolier), which has made her a woman of wealth and power. When Chabert, now a lumbering tramp, confronts the Countess, she refuses to admit that he was once her husband, and Chabert takes her to court to recover his money and property. Colonel Chabert was based on a novella by Honoré de Balzac, and it marked the directorial debut of Yves Angelo, previously one of France's top cinematographers.

Rating:

PG
Genre:

Art House & International, Drama
Directed By:

Yves Angelo
Written By:

Yves Angelo, Jean Cosmos, Veronique Lagrange
In Theaters:

Nov 23, 1994 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Jun 20, 1995
Runtime:

110 minutes
Studio:

Republic Pictures Home Video

Cast

Gérard Depardieu
as Chabert

Fanny Ardant
as Countess Ferraud

Fabrice Luchini
as Derville

André Dussollier
as Count Ferraud

Daniel Prévost
as Boucard

Olivier Saladin
as Hure

Maxime Leroux
as Godeschal

Eric Elmosnino
as Desroches

Guillaume Romain
as Simonnin

Patrick Bordier
as Boutin

Claude Rich
as Chamblin

Jean Cosmos
as Costaz

Jacky Nercessian
as Delbecq

Marc Maidenberg
as Servant

Albert Delpy
as Notary

Romane Bohringer
as Sophie

Valerie Bettencourt
as Julie

Florence Guerfy
as Client

Julie Depardieu
as Mathilde

Isabelle Wolfe
as Nun

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Critic Reviews for Colonel Chabert

All Critics (6) | Top Critics (1)

Thought-provoking French psycholgical thriller.

Aug 26, 2002 | Full Review…

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

View All Critic Reviews (6)

Audience Reviews for Colonel Chabert

Feb 09, 2008

First review! Great adaptation of Balzac's famous novel with beautiful visuals and outstanding performances from Gérard Depardieu and Fabrice Luchini. Not much to say about it, specifically: acting, cinematography, story, writing - they're all very good, making for a rock-solid period piece which was nominated for six of France's highest prizes for cinema (the César awards).

Daniel P Super Reviewer