Movie of the Week: 8 Femmes
8 Femmes, or 8 Women to my non French speaking readers, is a delightful comedy/murder mystery from across the sea. The film is based on a French musical, which is apparent in the film from the dialogue and more obviously from the musical numbers.
Marcel is the man of the house and has eight women (hence the title) in his life, all of which have some motive for killing him. I won’t go into the details here, as many of them will give away important plot points that I will leave you to discover on your own. One morning, Marcel’s youngest daughter rushes downstairs shouting that she has just found her father in his bed, a knife sticking out of his back. Mayhem ensues as each character’s motive for murder is revealed in classic fashion. Each revelation is done with such style that the melodramaticness of the film is willingly overlooked. That’s about as much I can write about the film without giving the ending away, so to find out more, you’ll just have to check the movie out, which I highly recommend you do.
The musical sequences are all executed with a unique style that fits the character singing. All eight of the women serenade us in a theatrical style befitting their character. The lyrics of each song reveal much about the character who sings them, and helps to make these women sympathetic to the audience. My favorites include the songs performed by Emmanuelle Beart and Ludivine Sagnier.
I was surprised that an American studio had not attempted to adapt this charming and hilarious film into a big budget American film. However, I am glad that no such thing has occurred and hope that it never does. 8 Women could never be pulled off as an American film; it just wouldn’t work. Part of the magic of the film is its European flavor. It might possibly work if the songs were left out, but the musical numbers are such a darling part of the film and the characters that it would be like hacking the film to pieces to leave them out. And America, unfortunately, does not have the wide range of talent in the many generations the film would need. 8 Femmes has talent from the older Catherine Deneuve and Fanny Ardant to the younger generations such as Ludivine Sagnier and Virginie Ledoyan. I cringe just picturing in my mind the cast an American studio would put together, ruining this wonderful film.
4 stars out of 5
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