Rent Bel Ami (2012)
2.8 of 5 from 103 ratings
1h 38min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Robert Pattinson plays Georges Duroy, a soldier who claws his way out of poverty by using his irresistible charms on the city's most influential and wealthy women: Madeleine (Uma Thurman), Madame Rousset (Kristin Scott Thomas) and Clotilde (Christina Ricci).
- Actors:
- Robert Pattinson, Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Christina Ricci, Colm Meaney, Philip Glenister, Holliday Grainger, Natalia Tena, James Lance, Anthony Higgins, Thomas Arnold, Timothy Walker, Pip Torrens, Christopher Fulford, Amy Marston, Frank Dunne, George Potts, Eloise Webb, Iain Stuart Robertson, Balázs Czukor
- Directors:
- Declan Donnellan, Nick Ormerod
- Producers:
- Uberto Pasolini
- Narrated By:
- Dorian Lough
- Writers:
- Guy de Maupassant, Rachel Bennette
- Studio:
- StudioCanal
- Genres:
- Drama
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 23/07/2012
- Run Time:
- 102 minutes
- Languages:
- English Audio Description, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.35:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Interviews: Robert Pattinson, Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Ricci, Colm Meaney, Holliday Grainger, Directors Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, Screenwriter Rachel Bennette, Costume Designer Odile Dicks-Mireaux,
- Production Designer Attila F. Kovacs, Make-Up and Hair Designer Denny Shircore
- Behind the Scenes
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Reviews (1) of Bel Ami
Dark Period Drama - Bel Ami review by GI
This period drama is thematically quite dark and probably suffers from the main character being a total cad. There's little, if any, chance that the plot allows you to feel anything but antipathy towards him. This is Georges (Robert Pattinson), who in 1890 Paris, is a former soldier, uneducated, resentful and jealous of the wealthy and more privileged classes of people he sees around him. His only connection is with whores in a rowdy brothel where one day, by chance, he bumps into a former colleague, Charles (Philip Glenister) who charitably invites him to dinner. Georges soon realises that Charles and his male colleagues are strongly influenced by their wives and he sets out to ingratiate himself with them including seducing them and soon finds his way into the society he craves for. But his selfish and immoral appetites soon start to backfire on his plans to gain wealth for himself. Pattinson is certainly an adept leading man here especially up against the renowned cast that includes Uma Thurman, Christina Ricci and Kristen Scott Thomas as the wives he targets as well as Colm Meaney, Glenister and James Lance as the men who gradually see through him. As a steamy period drama this works well and it's an entertaining film mostly as you wait for Georges downfall to happen. You'll wait in vain though as the ending is a little anti-climactic but that aside this is a well produced, very well performed film that has that dark edge making it quite interesting.
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Critic review
Bel Ami review by Melissa Orcine - Cinema Paradiso
‘Bel Ami’ is the 1885 Guy de Maupassant novel about Georges Duroy, a young man who seduces women so he can rise above the ranks and become rich. Yes, during Paris’ Belle Epoque, there were already gold diggers and not all of them are women. In the film adaptation, ‘Bel Ami’ tests Robert Pattinson’s mettle as he lays one woman to the next to reach the summit of his goal. With his leading ladies Uma Thurman, Cristina Ricci, and Kristin Scott Thomas, Pattinson has great options to pick from.
‘Bel Ami’ is opulent with the costumes and set pieces; we do believe it is turn of the century Paris. But it’s hard to believe that ‘Twilight’ hunk Robert Pattinson is great at seduction. As it is, he looks uneasy doing the bedding of women.
In the novel, Georges is fully-equipped with the skills and is confident with what he’s doing. Pattinson’s Georges, however, is somewhat uncertain and disgusted by his chosen vocation. It’s evident on the close-ups of his face on the big screen. Obviously, subtlety is not yet Pattinson’s strong suit. We’ll give him a break; ‘Bel Ami’ was his first foray into adult territory after being crowned the new heartthrob, thanks to ‘Twilight’. The film is not exactly the kind of material you take with such inexperience. The first-time film directors Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, typical theater folk, join Pattinson’s inexperience as well. The film makers got the production design right but forgot about the power of restraint when it comes to cinema.
As for ‘Bel Ami’ and its female cast, this is the best yet. You know that Kristin Scott Thomas can do more but she phoned in her performance here. Uma Thurman is over the top, revisiting her ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ past. But the most impressive is Cristina Ricci, the young wife of a rich and powerful man who can be the only one who totally understands Georges because she is pretty much just like him.
‘Bel Ami’ is worth seeing for its ambition; unfortunately, it stumbles and has a hard time getting up after that.