Inhaltsverzeichnis
Spring 1912. On her honeymoon on a boat bound for India, Georgette wakes up to the fact that her husband has mostly married her because of her father’s factory.
On the spur of the moment, she trades places with a fearful young woman who is to marry a complete stranger, a missionary in India. Unbeknown to her husband, Georgette disembarks from the steamer in her stead. On the lonely missionary station the wrong bride turns everything upside down. However, almost against their wills the two strangers fall in love, even though – or maybe because? – they are so different from each other.
Suddenly, Georgette’s husband turns up, bringing with him the real bride, and everything falls to pieces.
This is a story of a willful young woman in search of a new life in India at the turn of the century, where she ultimately finds independence and love (based on a true story).
Watch the full movie / lend
French – OV with English subtitles
Festivals & Awards
Filmfestival Los Angeles
Filmfestival Gothenburg (Sweden)
Hofer Filmtage (Germany)
Quality Premium of The Swiss Department of Inner Affairs
Cast
Elodie Bouchez
Laurent Grévill
Sylvie Testud
Bruno Todeschini
Swetlana Schönfeld
Heinz Bühlmann
Elodie Bouchez, Actress
Born 1973 in Montreuil-sous-Bois, France.
A SELECTION OF FILMS
La guerre à Paris (The War in Paris), Yolande Zauberman, 2001
CQ, Roman Coppola, 2000
Being Light, Jean-Marc Barr, Pascal Arnold, 2000
Le petit poucet (The little Finger), Olivier Dahan, 2000
La faute à Voltaire (Voltaire’s Mistake), Abdel Kechiche, 2000
The Beatnicks, Kevin Williams, 1999
Too Much Flesh, Jean-Marc Barr, Pascal Arnold, 1999
Shooting Vegetarians, Mikey Jackson, 1999
Première neige (First Snow), Gaël Morel, 1999, TV
Lovers, Jean-Marc Barr, 1998
Les kidnappeurs (The Kidnappers), Graham Guit, 1998
J’aimerais pas crever un dimanche (I Don’t Want to Die on a Sunday), Didier Le Pecheur, 1998
Zonzon, Laurent Bouhnik, 1997
Louise Take 2, Siegfried, 1997
La vie rêvée des anges (The Dreamt up Life of the Angels), Erick Zonca, 1997
La divine poursuite (The Divine Pursuit), Michel Deville, 1997
Le ciel est à nous (The Sky is Ours), Graham Guit, 1996
Flammen im Paradies (Fire in Paradise), Markus Imhoof, 1997
A toute vitesse (At Full Speed), Gaël Morel, 1995
Clubbed to Death, Yolande Zaubermann, 1995
La propriétaire (The Owner), Isamil Merchant, 1995
Le péril jeune (The Young Peril), Cédric Klapisch, 1994
Le plus bel âge (The Most Beautiful Age), Didier Haudepin, 1994
Mademoiselle personne (Miss Nobody), Pascale Bailly, 1993
Les roseaux sauvages (The Wild Rose Bushes), André Téchiné, 1993
Tango, Patrice Leconte, 1992
Le cahier volé (The Stolen Notebook), Christine Lipinska, 1992
Stan the Flasher, Serge Gainsbourg, 1991
AWARDS
César, Best Actress, for «La vie rêvée des anges», 1999
Lumières de Paris, Best Actress, for «La vie rêvée des anges», 1999
Festival de Cannes, Best Actress, for « La vie rêvée des anges», 1998
European Film Awards, Prize for Female Interpretation, for «La vie rêvée des anges», 1998
César, Best Female Newcomer, for «Les roseaux sauvages», 1995
Laurent Grévill, actor
Born 1961 in Saint-Mandé, France. Acting school «Nanterre-Amandiers» of Patrice Chéreau and Pierre Romans.
A SELECTION OF FILMS
Une affaire privée (A Private Affair), Guillaume Nicloux, 2001
Double Down, Neil Jordan, 2001
Fantômes de Tanger (Phantomes of Tanger), Edgardo Cozarinksy, 1998
Flammen im Paradies (Fire in Paradise), Markus Imhoof, 1997
Jack and Sarah, Tim Sullivan, 1994
Oublie-moi (Forget Me), Noémie Lvovsky, 1993
J’ai pas sommeil (I Am Not Tired), Claire Denis, 1993
Le blanc a lunettes (The White One With Glasses), Eduard Niemans, 1993
Le bateau mariage (The Wedding Boat), Pierre Tessier, 1993
L’écrivain public (The Public Writer), Jean-François Amiguet, 1992
Ruptures, Christine Citti, 1992
The More I See You, Joseph Aichholzer, 1991
L’année de l’éveil (The Year of the Waking), Gérard Corbiau, 1990
Modi, Paolo und Vittorio Taviani (Modi, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani), 1990, TV
Le bal du Gouverneur (The Governor’s Ball), Marie-France Pisier, 1989
Camille Claudel, Bruno Nuytten, 1988
Hotel de France, Patrice Chéreau, 1987
Le rire de cain (Cain’s Laughter), Marcel Moussy, 1985, TV
Sylvie Testud, actress
Born 1971 in Lyon, France. Acting school with Xavier Florent and Raymond Acquaviva, as well as at the «Conservatoire National Supérieur d’Art Dramatique de Paris» (National School of Performing Arts in Paris).
A SELECTION OF FILMS
Sade, Benoît Jacquot, 2002
Les femmes… ou les enfants d’abord … (Women… or Children First), Manuel Poirier, 2002
Jedermanns Fest (Everybody’s Party), Fritz Lehner, 2002
Je rentre à la maison (I Return Home), Manoel de Oliveira, 2001
The Château (The Castle), Jesse Peretz, 2001
Julias Geist (Julia’s Ghost), Bettina Wihlhelm, 2000
Scénario sur la drogue (Scenarios About Drugs) , Emmanuelle Bercot, and others, 2000
Les blessures assassines (The Murderous Wounds), Jean-Pierre Denis, 2000
La captive (The Female Prisoner), Chantal Ackerman, 2000
Pünktchen und Anton («Little Dot» and Anton), Caroline Link, 1999
Karnaval (Carnival), Thomas Vincent, 1999
The Misadventures of Margaret, Brian Skeet, 1998
Flammen im Paradies (Fire in Paradise), Markus Imhoof, 1997
Jenseits der Stille (Beyond Silence), Caroline Link, 1996
Le plus belle âge (The Most Beautiful Age), Didier Haudepin, 1995
Carne (Meat), Gaspar Noé, 1991
AWARDS
César, Best Female Newcomer, for «Les bléssures assassines», 2001
Prix Michel Simon, Best Actress for «Karneval», 2000
German film prize, Best Actress, for «Jenseits der Stille», 1997
Bruno Todeschini, actor
Born 1962 in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Education at the Ecole Supérieure d’Art Dramatique de Genève, Switzerland and the Ecole de Comédiens Nanterre-Amandiers, France with Patrice Chéreau and Pierre Romans.
A SELECTION OF FILMS
Fleur de sang (Blood Flowers), Alain Tanner, 2002
Une affaire privée (A Private Affair), Guillaume Nicloux, 2002
Avec tout mon amour (With All My Love), Amalia Escriva, 2001
Va savoir (Go Out to Know), Jacques Rivette, 2000
Quand on sera grand (When One Will Be Big), Renaud Cohen, 2000
Code inconnu (Code Unknown), Michael Haneke, 2000
Le libertin (The Libertine), Gabriel Aghion, 1999
Civilisées (Civilized Females), Randa Chahal Sabag, 1998
Ceux qui m’aiment prendront le train (The Ones Loving Me Will Take The Train), Patrice Chéreau, 1997
Francorusse (French-Russian), Alexis Miansarow, 1997
Flammen im Paradies (Fire in Paradise), Markus Imhoof, 1997
Territoire Comanche (The Territory of The Comanches), Gérardo Herrero, 1996
Oranges amères (Bitter Oranges), Michel Such, 1997
Haut bas fragile (High Low Breakable), Jacques Rivette, 1995
A cran (To The Skull), Solange Martin, 1994
La Reine Margot (Queen Margot), Patrice Chéreau, 1994
Le nombril du monde (The Navel of The World), Ariel Zeitoun, 1993
Fanfan, Alexandre Jardin, 1993
Ma saison préférée (My Preferred Season), André Téchiné, 1993
Mensonge (Lie), François Margolin, 1993
La sentinelle (The Path), Arnaud Desplechin, 1992
Sans un cri (Without a Cry), Jeanne Labrune, 1991
Outremer (Out Over The Seas), Brigitte Rouan, 1990
L’amoureuse (The Woman in Love), Jacques Doillon, 1987
Hôtel de France, Patrice Chéreau, 987
AUSZEICHNUNG
Festival de Cannes, Prize of The Young People (prix de la jeunesse) for « Sans un cri», 1992
Swetlana Schönfeld, actress
Born 1951 in Siberia, Russia. Education at the Ernst Busch school in Berlin. Engagements among others at the Maxim Gorki Theatre Berlin and German Theatre Berlin, Schaubühne Berlin.
A SELECTION OF FILMS
Grosse Mädchen weinen nicht (Big girls don’t cry), Maria von Heland, 2001
Tanz der Schwestern (Dance of the sisters), Oskar Roehler, 2001, TV
Julias Geist (Julia’s ghost), Bettina Wihlhelm, 2000
Anna Marx, Bernd Böhlich, 1999, TV
Abgehauen (Scrammed), Frank Beyer, 1998, TV
Flammen im Paradies (Fire in paradise), Markus Imhoof, 1997
Landschaft mit Dornen (Landscape with thorns), Bernd Böhlich, 1991 TV
Land hinter dem Regenbogen (Country beyond the rainbow), Herwig Kipping, 1990
SELECTION OF AWARDS
Grimme prize for «Landschaft mit Dornen», 1992
German film prize for «Land hinter dem Regenbogen», 1990
Prize of the critics in the «Berliner Zeitung» (Berlin newspaper), 1991
Ernst Zinner Prize for Excellent Artistical Performance, 1977
Heinz Bühlmann, actor
Education at the «Bühnenstudio» in Zurich; Pantomime with Samy Molcho. Engagements among others: Theatre Flensburg, Germany, Zurich Playhouse.
A SELECTION OF FILMS
Tatort – Russisches Roulette (German Criminal TV Series called «Tatort» = Place where a crime happened – «Russian Roulette»), Walter Weber, 1998, TV
Flammen im Paradies (Fire in Paradise), Markus Imhoof, 1997
Tschäss (Jazz), Daniel Helfer, 1994
Leo Sonnyboy, Rolf Lyssy, 1989
Dünki-Schott (Don Quichote), Tobias Wyss/Hans Liechti, 1988
Der schwarze Tanner (The Black Tanner), Xavier Koller, 1985
Konzert für Alice (Concert for Alice), Thomas Koerfer, 1985
Besuch der alten Dame (Visit of the Old Lady), Max Peter Amman, 1982, TV
Das gefrorene Herz (The Frozen Heart), Xavier Koller, 1979
Team
Pierre-Alain Meier
Lukas Strebel
Judith Kennel
Bruno Coulais
Pierre-Alain Meier, producer
Born 1952 in Delémont, Switzerland. Studies at the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland and at the film school INSAS in Brussels. Founder of the «Thelma Film AG Zurich» and director of the «Ciné Manufacture SA», Paris.
A SELECTION OF FILMS HE PRODUCED
Charmants voisins (Charming Neighbours), Claudio Tonetti, 1999, TV
Karnaval (Carnival), Thomas Vicent, 1999
Un soir après la guerre (One Evening After The War), Rithy Panh, 1998
Blind Date, 12 Swiss Directors, 1997
Balkanisateur (Balcansiator), Sotiris Goritsas, 1997
Flammen im Paradies (Fire in Paradise), Markus Imhoof, 1997
Bye-Bye, Karim Dridi, 1995
Les hommes du port (The Men of The Harbour), Alain Tanner, 1995
Bab el Oued City, Merzak Allouache, 1994
Les gens de la rizière (The People of The Rice Field), Rithy Panh, 1994
Hyènes (Hyenas), Djibril Diop Mambéty, 1992
Laafi – Tout va bien (Laafi – Everything OK), Pierre Yameogo, 1991
Amelia Lopez O’Neill, Valeria Sarmiento, 1990
Yaaba, Idrissa Quedraogo, 1989
FILMS WHERE HE WAS AUTHOR, DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER
Thelma, 2001
La danse du singe et du poisson (The Dance of The Monkey And The Fish) 1994
La femme et la sandale (The Woman And The Sandal), 1990
Douleur d’amour (Pain of Love), 1988
Thelma Lipp, 1988
Ikaria, 1986
A SELECTION OF AWARDS
Festival de Cannes, Prize of The Young People (prix de la jeunesse), for « Bye-Bye», 1995
Festival de Cannes, Prize of The International Critique, for «Bab El-Oued City», 1994
Alpinale Festival Bludenz, Liechtenstein, Grand-Prix, for «Douleur d’amour», 1988
Grand-Prix du Festival de Strasbourg, France, for «Ikaria», 1987
Lukas Strebel, cinematographer
Born 1951 in Mägenwil, Switzerland. At 16 years old played the main role in Markus Imhoof’s Film «Happy Birthday». Studied photography at the School for Arts and Crafts in Zurich, followed by two years as a Lecturer in Photography at the Bath Academy of Art, England. Between 1978 and 1984 director of several documentaries and short films. Several awards for commercial and industry films. Since 1998 has lived in London.
A SELECTION OF FILMS
Case of Evil, Graham Theakston, 2001
Three Guesses, Richard Burridge, 2001
Epsteins Nacht (Epstein’s Night), Urs Egger, 2001
The Bomb maker, Graham Theakston, 2000
Seeing Red, Graham Theakston, 1999
Opern Ball (Opera Ball), Urs Egger, 1998,
Flammen im Paradies (Fire in Paradise), Markus Imhoof, 1997
Die Halbstarken (The Half-Growns), Urs Egger, 1996
Charlies Tante (Charlie’s Aunt), Sönke Wortmann, 1996
Kinder der Landstrasse (Children of The Highroad), Urs Egger, 1992
All Out, Thomas Koerfer, 1990
Der Berg (The Mountain), Markus Imhoof, 1990
Filou, Samir, 1988
Happy Birthday, Markus Imhoof, 1968
Judith Kennel, Co-author
Born 1958 in Root, Switzerland. High school in Lucerne and in the boarding-school Ingenbohl, Switzerland. Assistant director for theatre plays and movies; script year (Drehbuchjahr) with Kristof Kieslowski.
1999 foundress of the «Colibri Film GmbH», since then free-lance director and script writer.
A SELECTION OF FILMS
Das andere Lächeln (The Other Smile), co-author, TV, 2001
Alberta empfängt einen Liebhaber (Alberta Receives a Lover), script, 2000
Zornige Küsse (Enraged Kisses), script and director, 2000
Flammen im Paradies (Fire in Paradise), Markus Imhoof, co-author, 1997
Die Melodie (the Melody), script, director, cut, short film, 1991
Die Frage (The Question), script, director, cut, video, 1991
AWARDS
Swiss Prize for Studies (Eidg. Studienprämie) for «Zornige Küsse»
International Film Festival Moscow 2000 «Zornige Küsse»: Award for Best Female Lead
Prize of The Jury of The Young Europeans for «Zornige Küsse», 2001
Bruno Coulais, composer
Born in France, currently lives in Paris.
A SELECTION OF FILMS
Le peuple migrateur (The Migratory People), Jacques Cluzaud, Michel Debats, 2001
De l’amour (About Love), Jean-François Richet, 2001
Vidocq, Pitof, 2000
Les rivières pourpres (The Purple Rivers), Mathieu Kassovitz, 2000
Epouse-moi (Marry Me), Harriet Marin, 2000
La débande (..), Claude Berri, 1999
Balzac, Josée Dayan, 1999 TV
Himalaya – l’enfance d’un chef (The Childhood of a Boss), Eric Valli, 1999
Le comte de Monte Cristo (The Count of Monte Cristo), Josée Dayan, 1998, TV
Préférence (Preference), Grégoire Delacourt, 1998
Déjà mort (Already Dead), Olivier Dahan, 1998
Combat de fauves (Battle of The Wild Beasts), Benoît Lamy, 1998
Don Juan, Jacques Weber, 1998
Flammen im Paradies (Fire in Paradise), Markus Imhoof, 1997
Microcosmos, Claude Nuridsany, Marie Pérennou, 1996
Adultère – Mode d’emploi (Female Adulterer – A Manual), Christine Pascal, 1994
Le fils du requin (The Son of The Swan), Agnès Merlet, 1993
Vieille canaille (Old ..), Gerar Jourd’hui, 1992
Le petit prince à dit (The Little Prince Has Said), Christine Pascal, 1992
La campagne de Cicéron (Cicero’s Campaign), Jacques Davila, 1990
Zanzibar, Christine Pascal, 1988
La femme secrète (The Secret Woman), Sébastien Grall, 1986
Mexico màgico (Magical Mexico), François Reichenbad, 1979
AWARDS
César, Best Music, for «Himalaya – l’enfance d’un chef», 2000
César, Best Music, for «Microcosmos», 1997
Press and Download
Markus Imhoof has succeeded in filming his movie out of the perspective of an amazed person. It is the view of the European, of the Swiss, of course, but utmost the view of the searcher and careful investigator. Primary in his own cause, but the story of the grandmother becomes the film history, a confrontation of cultures, a discovery of contrasts and a recognition, that experience is not necessarily followed by understanding. Absorbing narrative film.
– Der Bund
More multi-layered and interesting female roles at the movies? The Swiss Markus Imhoof shows how it’s done. In his colorfully photographed melodrama Elodie Bouchez convinces as a young, adventurous woman, who abandons the chains of old role models.
– Blick
Markus Imhoof treats the central problem of being a missionary in a dense and differenciated manner as a problem comparable to almost any form of ideology export.
– Zürcher Oberländer
Markus Imhoof’s movie fascinates in its impressive, quiet way. The critique about the missionary zeal and the business ability of the church is uttered reluctantly, but cannot be overheard. Climate, poetry and magic in Imhoof’s movie can be compared to Powell/Pressburger’s «Black Narcissus»,David Lean’s «Reise nach Indien» (Trip to India), or to Herzog’s «Auguirre, der Zorn Gottes» (Augirre, God’s rage).
– Düsseldorfer Feuilleton
Markus Imhoof found the story through tales of his grandmother. He engages in a psychodrama very quietly, very loveably as well as in the exotical flair: An intelligent, thoughtful, outstanding movie.
– Hofer Anzeiger
Veröffentlichung der Fotos im Zusammenhang mit dem Film frei.