James Ivory

  • Le divorce (2003)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, March 2022) Calling a film a blender-mix of elements is rarely an entirely positive qualifier, and that certainly applies to Le Divorce’s mixture of subplots, tones, actors, nationalities and characters flying into Paris. Much of the narrative framework of the film has to do with a mixed-nationality couple breaking up, and the messy aftermath of dividing the conjugal assets… especially when there’s a valuable painting in the lot. There’s an interesting sampling of actors spanning generations and oceans, whether it’s Kate Hudson, Naomi Watts, Glenn Close, Stephen Fry, Matthew Modine, Thierry Lhermite and a late high-profile role for Leslie Caron. Directed by James Ivory, Le Divorce zips from one thing to another, as the ensemble cast interacts in a variety of ways, whether it’s the fallout of the divorce (and the husband’s presentation of his new paramour), the fight over the prized painting, an affair between a French politician and a young American, and plenty of other things along the way. The tone is not constrained—we zip from drama to comedy to romance to a final heavy tragic note—and that’s arguably part of the film’s mosaic. The problem, though, is that we get such a sampling of everything that it’s hard for Le Divorce to make a single impression. It’s watchable enough, but not quite enough to be likable.

  • Call Me by Your Name (2017)

    Call Me by Your Name (2017)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, July 2018) I’m not that fond of the whole summer-of-personal-growth subgenre, and so there are definite limits to how much I can like Call Me by Your Name. This being said, much of the film’s first half is remarkably successful at making us enjoy a summer European holiday in picturesque settings, with bright people enjoying each other’s company. It’s a really interesting atmosphere, and it does much to compensate for the film’s slow pace—in fact, the pacing is part of the film’s charm. Then the plot takes over and the film becomes substantially less interesting, although director Luca Guadagnino does have a good eye in executing a rather good script from veteran screenwriter James Ivory. Pacing and subject matter means that Call Me by Your Name is almost by design an actor’s showcase, with Timothy Chalamet establishing himself in a single film as a young actor to watch. I’m not that comfortable with the romance, although my discomfort has more to do with the maturity difference between the leads. Still, the film wraps up with a decently wistful last five minutes (featuring what may be the most open-minded father in the history of cinema). Call Me by Your Name is clearly designed for another kind of audience, but I liked it more than I thought, and actually quite enjoyed moments of it, even if more as a travelogue than a romance.