Plot: What’s it about?
Sophie (Sandrine Bonnaire) works as a maid for the Lelievre household, a wealthy family that enjoys a comfortable lifestyle. Catherine (Jacqueline Bisset) is the mother of the family, with husband Georges (Jean-Pierre Cassel), son Gilles (Valentin Merlet), and daughter Melinda (Virginie Ledoyen) also in the household. As it happens, Sophie is an excellent maid and keeps the house in pristine condition, but she isn’t very social. The family tries to warm her, with compliments and offers of added perks, but she rebuffs their advances. When she is offered the chance to drive, she claims she has poor vision, but when she is then offered a chance to visit an eye doctor, she skips the appointment and buys an inferior pair of glasses. But this is just one example of strange behavior in Sophie, which can be attributed to a secret of hers. Sophie is illiterate, unable to read and this causes her immense troubles. She hides this secret with her high work ethic and avoidance of situations that could reveal the truth. Soon, Sophie makes a friend in Jeanne (Isabelle Huppert), a postal worker with a dark past and a hatred for Georges. But she knows about Sophie’s dark side as well and soon enough, the two strike up a bond. As time passes, Jeanne lays the framework for a rebellion against the family, but will Sophie agree to the plan?
Claude Chabrol is known as “the French Hitchcock,” as he is a master of suspense and never fails to entertain his audiences. His resume is loaded with effective thrillers, but perhaps none are as well crafted as La Ceremonie. The film is based on real life events and while the premise has been filmed before, such as the excellent Murderous Maids, Chabrol is able to derive a different direction than we’ve seen before. As usual, he pays immense attention to the smallest character traits and spends a lot of time on development. We’re taken inside each of the focal characters to know them inside and out, then we watch as the conflicts arise. Chabrol is a master of relationships, which is due in great part to the great character development. When the heat gets cranked up in La Ceremonie, the dynamics between characters seems natural, whereas a lot of thrillers lean on twists or hard to believe interactions. Chabrol also knows how to build a cast and this film is no exception, with such stars as Isabelle Huppert, Jacqueline Bisset, and Virginie Ledoyen. Huppert is the stand out in this movie, but the entire cast is capable and up to the task. La Ceremonie is a tight, potent thriller that will please all fans of the genre. Home Vision’s disc is solid too, so if you love a good thriller, don’t miss out on La Ceremonie.
Video: How does it look?
La Ceremonie is presented in 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen. As usual, Home Vision has given us a top drawer visual presentation. The print is in excellent condition, so grain isn’t an issue and debris never hampers the visuals. I found colors to be bright, but natural in scope and flesh tones were warm and consistent. No troubles with contrast, as even dark scenes come off as well detailed and refined, thanks to smooth black levels. I knew this would look good, but I didn’t expect such depth and detail to surface. Home Vision should be commended for their work here, as La Cermonie looks downright excellent.
Audio: How does it sound?
The original French soundtrack is preserved here, via a basic, but effective stereo option that never disappoints. The audio is limited in terms of scope, but this is due to the material itself, which has a natural, basic atmosphere. A few scenes do call for more potent audio and in those cases, this soundtrack delivers. But on the whole, the audio is reserved and focused mostly on dialogue, since that is what drives this picture. The vocals sound clean and crisp at all times, with no instances of harshness or distortion to mention. The music sounds terrific also, while sound effects come through as well as can be expected. This disc also includes optional English subtitles, in case you need to brush up on your French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes twenty minutes of cast & crew interviews, a talent file on Chabrol, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
