ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

albawhall Reading the single review of the Bonnaire film excites my desire to obtain same (as well as the earlier version of the novella with Joe Dallesandro, filmed in 1977). Is it possible to purchase a copy anywhere, Netflix,Amazon, E-Bay, etc.? The other stars in the Joe Dallesandro version are high-quality: Alida Valli ("The Third Man"); Tina Aumont ("Fellini's Casanova"); Adriana Asti (Bernardo Bertolucci's "Before the Revolution" - "Prima della rivoluzione"); Pierangelo Civera ("The Conformist"); Elvira Cortese ("Conversation Piece"); Jole Silvani (Fellini's "The White Sheik".... There are all top-drawer actors, some of whom are now demised seeing as this version of the Flaubert was filmed in 1977. Hopefully, a copy can be gotten somewhere Region two or otherwise.

guy-bellinger For her first feature film Marion Laine did not choose the easy way out. She dared adapt a classic French writer (Gustave Flaubert, famous all over the world for "Madame Bovary"), she did not shy away from making a period piece (although things are made easier by the fact that the scene is set in the country). And she gave her two main actresses (Sandrine Bonnaire as the kind-hearted naive heroine and Marina Foïs as her emotionally repressed employer) a memorable role.Her main quality, however, and what makes this adaptation a success, is her refusal of sentimentality. Although Félicité goes through misfortune after misfortune, "Un Coeur simple" has nothing of a tear jerker. Marion Laine's touch is sharp, her vision of the rural reality in nineteenth century Normandy naturalistic and documentary-like and her sympathy for Félicité restrained. Which does not mean that this is a cold movie. On the contrary, the unfairness of Félicité's lot is so obvious that it needn't be intensified. Pathetic violins and sniveling would be redundant whereas soberness, by contrast, does reinforce the impact of Flaubert's sad story.Sandrine Bonnaire is literally possessed with her role, a simple woman gifted for life, but prevented by unfavorable circumstances to give free rein to her bursts of passion or tenderness. Marina Foïs, her exact opposite, as repressed in this context as she is naturally exuberant, is frightening as Madame Aubain, who misses out on real life.