- The Double Life of Véronique
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The Double Life of Véronique 
Directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski Produced by Leonardo De La Fuente Written by Krzysztof Piesiewicz
Krzysztof KieślowskiStarring Irène Jacob Music by Zbigniew Preisner Cinematography Sławomir Idziak Editing by Jacques Witta Distributed by Miramax (USA) Release date(s) May 15, 1991 Running time 98 minutes Country Poland
France
NorwayLanguage French / Polish Box office $1,999,955 (USA) The Double Life of Véronique (French: La double vie de Véronique, Polish: Podwójne życie Weroniki) is a 1991 French- and Polish-language film directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, co-written by Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, starring Irène Jacob, with original music by Zbigniew Preisner. The film was Kieślowski's first to be produced partly outside Poland.[1]
A Criterion Collection region 1 DVD was released in November 2006 in the USA and Canada only. It includes an alternate ending which Kieślowski did at the request of Harvey Weinstein of Miramax for the American release.
Contents
Plot
The film follows the lives of a young woman first in Poland, Weronika, and then a young woman in France, Véronique, both played by Irène Jacob. Though unrelated, the two appear identical, share many personality traits, and seem to be aware of each other on some level, as if they are doppelgängers; but except for a brief glimpse through a bus window in Kraków, they never meet. After Weronika sacrifices everything in the pursuit of a singing career, Véronique abandons her own similar goal because of poor health and attempts to find an independent course for her life, while becoming involved with a man who is fascinated by clues to her double nature. The man is a puppeteer and maker of marionettes, helping raise the questions that are central to the film: is there such a thing as free will, or is it up to a creator of some kind, or is it just a matter of chance that one acts and thinks as one does?[2][3][4]
Filming style
The film has a strong fantasy element, though the supernatural aspect of the story is never explained. Like the later Three Colors: Blue, it showcased Preisner's musical score as a major plot element, crediting his work to the fictional Van den Budenmayer. The cinematography is highly stylized, using color and camera filters to create an ethereal atmosphere; the cinematographer, Sławomir Idziak, had previously experimented with these techniques in one episode of The Decalogue, and Kieślowski would later use color for a wider range of effects in his Three Colors trilogy. Kieślowski had earlier used the idea of exploring different paths in life for the same person, in his Polish film Przypadek (Blind Chance), and the central choice faced by Weronika/Véronique is based on a brief subplot in the ninth episode of The Decalogue.
Critical reception
Film critic Marek Haltof sees the film as a political allegory in which Weronika represents Poland and Véronique France, or the West: both are highly cultured, but while Véronique is seemingly free to choose her destiny, Weronika's early death represents the sacrifice of Poland during the Second World War and its subsequent incorporation into the Soviet bloc; Véronique senses this loss without realizing what it is, and that she is incomplete without Weronika.[citation needed]
Film critic Roger Ebert entered the film to his Great Movies collection in February, 2009.[5] The film got 4-stars (out of 5) rating plus "High Artistic Quality" on www.allmovie.com.[6] At the Internet movie database, the film holds user rating of 7.8 (out of 10), based on 9558 votes.[7] Site about.com, which specializes on DVD reviews, gave the film 5 of 5 stars in their critical review.[8] The film got favourable rating (3 of 5 stars) on www.bbc.co.uk/films [9] and holds 84 % rating on www.rottentomatoes.com [10]
Box Office Performance
The film was the 50th highest grossing film of the year with a total of 592,241 admissions in France. [11] In North America the film opened on 1 screen grossing $8,572 it's opening weekend. In total the film grossed $1,999,955 at the North American Box Office playing at a total of 22 theaters in it's widest release which is a respectable result for a foreign art film. [12]
Awards and nominations
The Double Life of Véronique won the FIPRESCI Prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury for Krzysztof Kieslowski, at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. Irène Jacob won the Best Actress.[13]
- Cannes Film Festival (France)
- Won: Best Actress (Irène Jacob)
- Won: FIPRESCI Prize (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
- Won: Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
- Nominated: Golden Palm (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
- César Awards (France)
- Nominated: Best Actress – Leading Role (Irène Jacob)
- Nominated: Best Music Written for a Film (Zbigniew Preisner)
- Golden Globe Awards (USA)
- Nominated: Best Foreign Language Film
- Independent Spirit Awards (USA)
- Nominated: Best Foreign Film
- Los Angeles Film Critics (USA)
- Won: Best Music (Zbigniew Preisner; also for At Play in the Fields of the Lord and Europa Europa)
- National Society of Film Critics Awards (USA)
Cast
- Irène Jacob - Weronika/Véronique (with the voice of Anna Gornostaj for Polish dialogue)
- Halina Gryglaszewska - Aunt
- Kalina Jędrusik - Gaudy Woman
- Aleksander Bardini - Orchestra Conductor
- Władysław Kowalski - Weronika's father
- Guillaume De Tonquédec - Serge
- Jerzy Gudejko - Antek
- Philippe Volter - Alexandre Fabbri
- Bruce Schwartz - Puppeteer
- Sandrine Dumas - Catherine
References
- ^ http://www.criterion.com/films/214 Film overview, cast, credits and information
- ^ http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/14460/The-Double-Life-of-Veronique/overview Film synopsis
- ^ http://www.notcoming.com/reviews/2xveronique/ Detailed film synopsis and overview
- ^ http://www.blockbusteronline.com/movies/the-double-life-of-veronique.html Film synopsis
- ^ Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" review of The Double Life of Veronique
- ^ www.allmovie.com. http://www.allmovie.com/work/the-double-life-of-veronique-14460 Film rating at www.allmovie.com
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101765/ User rating on www.imdb.com
- ^ http://homevideo.about.com/od/dvdrevie2/fr/DoubleLifeDVDVa.htm Critical review
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2006/03/13/the_double_life_of_veronique_2006_review.shtml Film review
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/double_life_of_veronique/ Film review on www.rottentomatoes
- ^ http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=5072&affich=france
- ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=doublelifeofveronique.htm
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: The Double Life of Véronique". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/83/year/1991.html. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ http://www.allmovie.com/work/the-double-life-of-veronique-14460/cast Film cast on www.allmovie.com
External links
- The Double Life of Véronique at the Internet Movie Database
- The Double Life of Véronique at AllRovi
- Criterion Collection release of The Double Life of Veronique
- Criterion Collection essay by Jonathan Romney
Directorial works of Krzysztof Kieślowski Feature films Personnel · The Scar · The Calm · Camera Buff · Short Working Day · Blind Chance · No End · A Short Film About Killing · A Short Film About Love · The Double Life of Véronique · Three Colors: Blue · Three Colors: White · Three Colors: RedThe Decalogue Short films Related topics The Three Colors Trilogy
Cinema of PolandFilms A–Z • Chronology of films • Interwar • Pre 1930 • 1930s • 1940s • 1950s • 1960s • 1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s
Actors • Directors • Cinematographers • Composers • Editors • Producers • ScreenwritersCategories:- 1991 films
- Polish films
- French films
- 1990s drama films
- Films directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski
- Films set in Kraków
- Films set in Paris
- Films set in Poland
- Films set in France
- Films shot in Poland
- Films shot in Kraków
- French-language films
- Polish-language films
- Cannes Film Festival (France)
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