The French film ‘The Widow of Saint-Pierre’ (La veuve de Saint-Pierre), a story of revenge, fear, and redemption directed by Patrice Leconte will be screened on Tuesday July 13 at 3 pm and Wednesday July 14 at 6.30pm at Alliance Francasie, Barnes Place, Colombo 7.
A film about a convict on the isolated island of Saint-Pierre who becomes a political pawn while awaiting the arrival of a guillotine and an executioner from France, won acclaimed at a number of international film festivals. It made its North American debut at the 2000 Toronto Film Festival where it won the Audience Award and it was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2001 for Best Foreign Language Film.
In 1850, on the isolated French island of Saint-Pierre, a murder shocks the natives. Two fishermen are arrested. One of them, Louis Ollivier, dies in custody. The other, Neel Auguste (Emir Kusturica), is sentenced to death by the guillotine. However the island is so small that it has neither a guillotine nor an executioner. While one is sent for, Auguste is placed under the supervision of army Captain (Daniel Auteuil).
While Auguste is under the captain’s care, the wife of the captain, Madame La, (played by Juliette Binoche) takes an interest in the convict and begins to try to redeem him. Under her auspices, Auguste works hard and carries out a number of good deeds for the good of the community. The locals begin to see that he has changed, and Madame La begins a campaign to stop him from being executed.
When the guillotine and executioner finally arrive on the island, Madame La fights the establishment and the law to save Auguste. Her struggle carries possible consequences for her husband.
The film is suitable for persons of 10 years and over. |
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