Balzac: A Life of Passion (1999)
Balzac (original title)Reference View | Change View
- PG-13
- 4h 0min
- Biography, Drama
- 23 Oct 2000 (USA)
- TV Movie
Photos and Videos
Cast
Gérard Depardieu | ... |
Honoré de Balzac
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Jeanne Moreau | ... |
Charlotte-Laure
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Fanny Ardant | ... |
Eve Hanska
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Virna Lisi | ... |
Madame de Berny
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Katja Riemann | ... |
Laure d'Abrantès
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Claude Rich | ... |
Maitre Plissoud
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Gert Voss | ... |
Victor Hugo
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Sergio Rubini | ... |
Eugene Sue
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François Marthouret | ... |
Docteur Nacquart
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Marianne Denicourt | ... |
Adèle Hugo
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Gottfried John | ... |
Count Hanska
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Pascal Vannson | ... |
Paradis
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Hervé Briaux | ... |
Charles Sedillot
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Didier Lesour | ... |
Surveillant Bossu
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Enguerran Demeulenaere | ... |
Balzac Enfant
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Cédric Chevalme | ... |
Charretier
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Franck Manzoni | ... |
Sergeant de Ville
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Jean-François Lapalus | ... |
Contremaitre
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Saturnin Barré | ... |
Leon
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Yves Penay | ... |
Marchand de Café
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Cyril Anrep | ... |
Joueur
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Franck de la Personne | ... |
Tailleur Buisson
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Roland Blanche | ... |
Editeur Gosselin
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Michel Pilorgé | ... |
Editeur Gosselin
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Albert Dray | ... |
Imprimeur
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Stephan Midaven | ... |
Ouvrier Imprimerie
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Daniel Dadzu | ... |
Orfevre
(as Dadzu)
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René Smotek | ... |
Employe Journal
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Sébastien Thiery | ... |
Sergent Major
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Jacques Seiler | ... |
Vieil Officer
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Dominique Besnehard | ... |
Editeur Werdet
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Lucie Volmanova | ... |
Anna Hanska Enfant
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Jean Davy |
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Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
Sunnyi Melles | ... |
Baronne von Galvenberg
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Katja Studt | ... |
Anna Hanska (uncredited)
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Directed by
Josée Dayan |
Written by
Didier Decoin | ... | () |
Produced by
Edith Colnel | ... | executive producer |
Jean-Pierre Guérin | ... | producer |
Doris Kirch | ... | co-producer |
Music by
Bruno Coulais |
Cinematography by
Willy Stassen | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
Pauline Casalis | ||
Adeline Yoyotte | ... | (as Adeline Yoyotte-Husson) |
Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte |
Editorial Department
Michel Crivellaro | ... | assistant editor |
Gina Pignier | ... | assistant editor |
Sabine Roch | ... | post-production |
Olivier Veinat | ... | color timer: television version |
Casting By
Martina Kubesova | ||
Shula Siegfried | ||
Cornelia von Braun |
Production Design by
Richard Cunin |
Costume Design by
Jean-Philippe Abril | ||
Emmanuelle Corbeau | ||
Samy Douib |
Makeup Department
Véronique Boitout | ... | hair stylist |
Christophe Danchaud | ... | makeup artist: Jeanne Moreau |
Turid Follvik | ... | key makeup artist / makeup artist (as Turid Follvick) |
Mathilde Humeau | ... | makeup artist |
John Nollet | ... | hair stylist |
Myriam Roger | ... | assistant hair stylist |
Fabie Roger-Clech | ... | makeup artist (as Fabie Roger) |
Production Management
Edith Colnel | ... | production manager |
Marc Jenny | ... | production manager: Czech Republic |
Michal Prikryl | ... | production manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Fabrice Grange | ... | second unit director |
Maurice Hermet | ... | first assistant director |
Tomas Pavlacky | ... | first assistant director: Czech Republic |
Art Department
Jean-Laurent Agrinier | ... | set accessories |
Jean-Claude Allu | ... | carpenter |
Christelle Babonneau | ... | drapery assistant |
Pierre Balducchi | ... | assistant decorator |
Patrick Barry | ... | tapestries |
Jacques Bataille | ... | assistant decorator |
Jean-Claude Bourdin | ... | assistant decorator |
Jean-Pierre Bourel | ... | assistant decorator |
Nicolas Brun | ... | carpenter |
Pascal Chatton | ... | assistant art director |
Jean-François Corneille | ... | set designer |
Bruno Coucoureux | ... | carpenter |
Marcel Daudin | ... | property master: furniture |
Claude de Givray | ... | artistic director: TF1 |
Raphaëlle Desplechin | ... | artistic director: TF1 |
Aurore Dujardin | ... | property master: furniture |
Sylvie Fennec | ... | set designer |
Henri Frèrebeau | ... | construction coordinator |
Mireille Ganagé | ... | assistant decorator |
Marie-Stéphane d' Hérouville | ... | assistant decorator |
André Jallot | ... | construction coordinator |
Radan Kapinos | ... | props |
Xavier Lemesnil | ... | assistant decorator |
Tanty Lokonga | ... | property master: furniture |
Stanislav Luksan | ... | assistant property master |
Guy-Michel Morin | ... | scenic artist |
Olivier Nguyen | ... | art department |
François Pernod | ... | carpenter |
Patricia Ruelle | ... | painter |
Martin Tlamicha | ... | property master |
Michel Vialla | ... | property master: furniture |
Sound Department
Laurent Bluwal | ... | sound |
Jean-Paul Loublier | ... | sound mixer |
Alain Lévy | ... | sound effects |
Laurent Lévy | ... | sound effects |
Muriel Mariey | ... | sound |
Special Effects by
Christophe Messaoudi | ... | special effects |
Jirí Vojtech | ... | special effects technician |
Stunts
Patrick Cauderlier | ... | stunt coordinator / stunts |
Camera and Electrical Department
Johan Apers | ... | camera operator |
Hugues Balagny | ... | electrician |
Marc Baudrillart | ... | electrician |
Michel Chardon | ... | key grip |
Thierry Deschamp | ... | camera operator |
Cyril Granger | ... | grip |
René Haan | ... | electrician |
Roman Hodek | ... | grip: second unit |
Milan Jirsa | ... | electrician: second unit |
Claude Juge | ... | grip |
Michel Karyo | ... | grip |
Elin Kirschfink | ... | electrician |
Renaat Lambeets | ... | steadicam operator |
Philippe Laurent | ... | grip |
Martin Le Moal | ... | grip |
Daniel Leterrier | ... | camera operator |
Dominique Maestracci | ... | still photographer |
Thierry Manhiabal | ... | electrician |
Richard Melloul | ... | still photographer |
Zdenek Mrkvicka | ... | assistant camera |
Olivier N'guyen | ... | grip |
Laurent Passera | ... | grip |
Vincent Piette | ... | chief electrician |
Vincent Plaidy | ... | assistant camera |
Bruno Quemenaire | ... | grip |
Marc Romani | ... | electrician |
Marius Salvatori | ... | camera operator |
Olivier Trouillet | ... | grip |
John Ward | ... | steadicam operator |
Frédéric Witthuhn | ... | grip |
Casting Department
Catherine Deserbais | ... | extras casting |
Cornelia von Braun | ... | casting: Germany |
Tomas Zelenka | ... | casting: second unit |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Petra Barochová | ... | costumer: second unit |
Christophe Cadet | ... | costumer |
Jean Coinel | ... | costumer |
Bela Friedlová | ... | wardrobe |
Marie-Joséphine Gracia | ... | costumer |
Jocelyne Lucas | ... | costumer |
Gil Noir | ... | costumer |
Chantal Poillot | ... | costumer |
Eric Richard | ... | costumer |
Tanya Sayer | ... | costumer |
Jitka Svecova | ... | costumer |
Rosine Vennin | ... | costumer (as Rosine Vennin-Debores) |
Location Management
Benoît Clémenceau | ... | location manager |
Alain Evrard | ... | location manager |
Zdenek Fiala | ... | location manager |
Béatrice Humbert | ... | location scout |
Barbora Jurkovicova | ... | assistant location manager: Czech Republic |
Frédéric Karali | ... | location manager |
Sylvain Montagne | ... | location manager |
Marc Sauveroche | ... | location manager |
Hervé Schrub | ... | location manager |
Music Department
Jean-Philippe Audin | ... | musician: string sextuor |
Stéphane Briand | ... | assistant music mixer |
Raoul Chautereau | ... | musician: percussion |
Raoul Duflot-Vérez | ... | musician: piano |
Régis Dupré | ... | conductor |
Christophe Guiot | ... | conductor / musician: string sextuor |
Paul Lavergne | ... | executive music producer |
Didier Lizé | ... | music mixer / music recordist |
P. Nadal | ... | musician: string sextuor |
Françoise Oneri | ... | musician: string sextuor |
Elisabeth Pallas | ... | musician: string sextuor |
Slim Pezin | ... | music supervisor / musician: guitar |
Stéphanie Reichard | ... | assistant music recordist |
Dideric Suis | ... | musician: string sextuor |
Script and Continuity Department
Jacqueline Granier-Deferre | ... | script supervisor |
Additional Crew
Benoît Arturat | ... | set manager |
Odile Balme | ... | secretary |
Jean-Noël Betzler | ... | set manager |
Christine Bodelot | ... | administrator |
Tahar Boualam | ... | groupman |
Olivier Boudou | ... | set manager |
Michel Boyard | ... | assistant: Gérard Depardieu |
Martina Burgetová | ... | production assistant: second unit |
Emmanuelle Carayon-Lerbret | ... | press attache: TF1 |
Sophie Coulaud | ... | set manager (as Sophie Coulaud-Coulcou) |
Céline Cuvellier | ... | production assistant (as Céline Cuvelier) |
Claude Davy | ... | press attache |
Laurence Dupré | ... | press attache: TF1 |
Anne Ferignac | ... | set manager |
Zdenek Flídr | ... | set manager: second unit |
Fabrice Gay | ... | set manager |
Marie Guillon | ... | administrator |
Martina Götthansova | ... | interpreter |
François Hardy | ... | technical advisor: carriages |
Babette Hauss | ... | production assistant (as Elisabeth Hauss) |
Maurice Hermet | ... | production assistant |
Markéta Hodousková | ... | production assistant: second unit |
Florence Jamin | ... | set manager |
Lubos Jirgl | ... | assistant set manager: second unit |
Marie Kerhoas | ... | production assistant |
Patrick Kesteloot | ... | animals |
Jiri Kotlas | ... | production runner |
Victoire Lefebvre | ... | press attache: TF1 |
Véronique Marchat | ... | production coordinator |
Nicole Miloux | ... | administrator |
Sonia Moyersoen | ... | literary director: GMT Productions |
Emmanuel Murat | ... | set manager |
Fabrice Orange | ... | production assistant |
Laurent Orenaud | ... | set manager |
Tomas Pavlacky | ... | assistant set manager: second unit |
Lenka Pavlakova | ... | production interpreter |
Zbynek Pippal | ... | set manager: second unit |
Michal Prikryl | ... | production assistant: second unit |
Cyril Renard | ... | production assistant |
Joëlle Renault | ... | secretary |
Nicolas Ronchi | ... | production assistant / set manager |
Christophe Roux | ... | set manager |
Yann Saint-Pé | ... | production assistant |
Morgane Soland | ... | production assistant |
Jiri Tichacek | ... | production assistant: second unit |
Suzanne Walter | ... | documentary researcher |
Emily Zinth de Kentzingen | ... | set manager |
Lucile Joly | ... | assistant to producer (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- TF1 (co-production)
- GMT Productions (co-production)
- Taurus Film (co-production)
- Mediaset (co-production)
- DD Productions (co-production)
- Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC) (participation)
- MEDIA Programme of the European Union (support)
- Okko Productions (participation)
Distributors
- TF1 (1999) (France) (tv)
- Bravo Cable (2000) (United States) (tv) (subtitled)
- TF1 Vidéo (2000) (France) (DVD)
- Universum Film (UFA) (2001) (Germany) (VHS)
- NHK-BS2 (2003) (Japan) (tv)
- Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2007) (United States) (DVD)
- Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2009) (Germany) (DVD)
- Fernsehjuwelen (2018) (Germany) (DVD)
- Totem
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Costumi d'Arte (costumes)
- Studio Guillaume Tell (music recording studio)
Storyline
Plot Summary |
Honoré de Balzac was a man who lived to write. His life was a hard, permanent struggle, from his cold relationship with his mother who was unable to give him the love he needed, to his unsuccessful attempts to make money out of printing and publishing books. Balzac never gives up, however--even though his dissolute lifestyle keeps landing him in trouble with his creditors. To finally gain acclaim for his works and earn enough money to survive, Balzac works like a man possessed, day and night, to the brink of exhaustion, drinking liter upon liter of coffee to keep himself awake. The passionate author also tends to go to excess in affairs of the heart; he has several woman friends at the same time, all of them very different from one another. They include kind, caring, elderly Madame de Berny; and egotistical, ambitious Laure d'Abrantès, who introduces Balzac to the salons of upper-class society. Balzac's heart belong to just one woman, however: Eve Hanska, a married Polish woman living in Russia. At first she and Balzac simply have a passionate exchange of correspondence, but then they meet for the first time in Switzerland. On his return to Paris, Balzac is mortified to learn of Madame de Berny's; he's all the more shocked because she was the only person who loved him as a man, rather than as a literary idol. Balzac also has a series of unlucky experiences in his work at that time: whatever he tries to do always turns out to be a naive and unrealistic dream. Although his new works are being well-received socially and do start to bring him a small income, Balzac's financial situation becomes ever more desperate because of his dissolute, excessive lifestyle. When Eve Hanska's husband dies, Balzac wants to fulfill his greatest wish and marry the woman he has loved for so many years. When Eve miscarries their child, Eve has a miscarriage and loses their child, Balzac is totally shaken by this event, while Eve is strangely unconcerned. Does she too only love him for his artistic reputation? The long-awaited marriage finally takes place in Russia after years of delay, but Balzac doesn't have long to enjoy marital bliss: he goes blind, and dies a slow and agonizing death just four months later. Only his friend Victor Hugo remains by his side until the very end. Written by Anonymous |
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Taglines | He burned with ambition. He lived for passion. See more » |
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Parents Guide | Add content advisory for parents » |
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Did You Know?
Movie Connections | Referenced in Spéciale Gérard Depardieu (2022). See more » |