8 Women (2002)

Fantastic!

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

I am a great fan of Ozon and many of the fine actresses in this film but "8 Women" is worse than terrible. It's lazy, self-indulgent, insulting to the intelligence and, well, ultimately plain boring when not infuriating. Really, really, give this a miss and do something of value with your life (if it's only to do your hair and clip your toe-nails).

8 Femmes is a high camp romp that is all about the ensemble cast of three generations of great French actresses, from an 84-year old Danielle Darrieux to a 22-year old Ludivine Sagnier, and that includes world stars Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, and Emmanuelle Beart.Based on the eponymous 1958 play by Robert Thomas, the story is a familiar derivation of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. Marcel, the head of a wealthy country household, is murdered. The eight women in his life — his wife (Deneuve), two daughters (Virginie Ledoyan and Sagnier), sister (Fanny Ardant), mother- (Darrieux) and sister-in-law (Huppert), chambermaid (Beart) and cook (Firmine Richard) — are trapped together in the château by sabotage and a snowstorm. Unable to contact the police, they set about trying to deduce which of them is the murderer. Lies are told; secrets are revealed; alliances are made and broken; and in the end there is a surprising double twist.As a murder mystery, the plot is hardly worthy of, say, Anthony Shaffer. But the plot is not the point, as you realise when the cast first (and entirely unexpectedly) breaks into song. This is not a garden variety country house thriller: This is no-holds-barred family politics, packaged as a tongue-in-cheek imitation of 1950s glam entertainment. Sit back, and enjoy the snappy interaction among the leads, and the gradual revelation of their characters' desires, their petty jealousies, and the gambits they use and have used, against each other and against Marcel, to get what they want. It is occasionally clumsy, always campy, and you might roll your eyes now and then at a particular bit of silliness. But 8 Femmes is worth the ride.

The first time I sat down to watch the DVD, I quit after the first musical intermezzo. I simply could not stand it. There is no reason whatsoever to suddenly have these actresses sing and dance. Let me add that I adore musicals, some of which belong to my personal favourites: West Side Story, Cabaret and (to stay with the French) Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, with the same Cathérine Deneuve we meet here as one of the 8 women. Here, the musical scenes are just silly and spoil everything.The second time, my wife insisted that we watch on, and so we did. Forgetting the silly singing and dancing, I was left with an average Agatha Christie: 1 mansion isolated from the outside world, 1 dead body, x suspects in 1 room. Throw in some great actresses (most performing poorly, some simply pathetic) and some kitschy colours. Add some unexplainable and unexplained side events, like crippled old ladies suddenly and miraculously leaving their wheelchairs. Have them sing and dance. Pff. My wife liked it though. So perhaps it's a "woman's movie", whatever that may be.

There are few films that make you go through the entire gamut of emotions like 8 Women does. The movie deals with the murder of the only man of the household and the corresponding baton passing of allegations and suspicions that the 8 women of the family go through. Suspecting the killer to be one among them, they are all mistrustful of each other, and with each more eager than the other to get to the bottom, all sorts of hidden dirty linen comes forth. There are song and dance sequences distributed throughout the length each devoted to one lady. The movie leaves a lasting impression with the measured acting and direction that is imprinted in every frame. While the cast, all bring in superb performances that keeps you riveted, Fanny Ardant as Pierrette, the murdered man's sister is especially spectacular. Every movement of hers is a lesson in grace and she captures and makes her own every scene she is in. The songs are impressionable to say the least. Each is either intense or pure fun, the writing uniformly deep, and a school of thought in itself. While each revelation in the plot is more condemnable than the last, even the frequent twists and turns don't leave you tired because the serious nature of the film is disguised in a fresh and lively veneer. You find yourself both hating and caring for the characters as the secrets rush forth. There are some which could have been easily avoided especially the one that is disclosed in a sheepish manner in the conversation between the two young sisters. The sadness permeating in the film is reflective of the pensiveness of both the French film industry and the society in general, both of which seem to regard existence as an oner-some chore to go through rather than a joy, both achievable and desirable. Despite these flaws, I would give a big thumbs up to 8 women. Reserve your judgments and enjoy pure cinematic brilliance.