Le Colonel Chabert

Cast: Fanny Ardant, Gérard Depardieu, Fabrice Luchini

Director: Yves Angelo

Running time: 110 min

Release year: 1994

* * * * * * * * * *

Film review by George Sand

"One can very well regret living...", those are the words of Colonel Chabert in this adaptation of Honoré de Balzac's novel. It is a story of Colonel Chabert who returns, ten years later, from the battle at Eylau to reclaim his money and hopes to reestablish his life, despite the belief by everyone, including his wife, that he had been killed. As he later discovers, perhaps it would have been better for him to remain "dead".

This is Depardieu's film, though the delightful performance of Fabrice Luchini as the lawyer almost upstages him. Indeed, the entire cast is outstanding. But I'm really here to talk about Fanny Ardant!

Ardant plays Countess Ferraud, the "widow" of Colonel Chabert who has remarried. She now lives in luxury on her inheritance and the investments she's made from it, which she uses to support her current husband, Count Ferraud, to a peerage under Louis VXII.

Colonel Chabert and Countess Ferraud are both the protagonists and the antagonists. One is never quite sure who to root for, even though we are supposed to sympathize with Chabert. But ultimately, the film is a tragedy about two people vying for control of a fortune that they both have legitimate claim upon. Any feelings between the two have all but vanished.

Countess Ferraud could easily have been portrayed as a cold-hearted woman, but Fanny Ardant brings maturity and vulnerability to the role that, despite her self-serving excuses, one cannot help but understand her dilemma and appreciate the complexity of her character. It is all about survival as a woman living in the early 19th century post-Napoleonic society.

The dinner scene between Countess Ferraud and Colonel Chabert is especially poignant. Countess Ferraud has not been written as a likeable character. However, Fanny's moving performance redeems her. The scene took me by surprise and left me breathless.

With the control of a skilled artist, Fanny lets Countess Ferraud gradually become saddened, humiliated and overcome with complex emotions. Watching her subtle yet mesmerizing transformation in that scene was one of the most breathtaking cinematic highs that I had ever experienced. The emotions come from within, from her heart, and her soul. My only regret is that the focus momentarily switches to Depardieu. I wish the camera is fixed on Fanny/Countess Ferraud during the entire sequence to allow the audience capture the full emotional impact.

If I had to create a montage of Fanny Ardant's film career, that scene would be included in one of her greatest "film moments", and perhaps even the greatest piece of acting she has ever given.

Home  News  Biography  Filmography  Reviews  Photo Gallery  Articles & Interviews  Lyrics  Art Gallery  Forum  Links  Contact Info