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Nathalie | 
| Director: Anne Fontaine
Actors: Fanny Ardant, Emmanuelle Beart, Gerard Depardieu, Wladimir Yordanoff, Judith Magre
Studio: Koch Lorber Films
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.98
Buy New: $26.99
You Save: $2.99 (10%)
New (32) Used (17) from $9.27
Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 47274
Format: Color, Content/copy-protected Cd, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: French (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 100 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: KLFDV3077
UPC: 741952307792
EAN: 0741952307792
ASIN: B000ENC73G
Theatrical Release Date: 2003
Release Date: May 2, 2006
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Starring G rard Depardieu and Emmanuelle B art NATHALIE follows an unusual friendship as it awkwardly blossoms between two women. Catherine (Fanny Ardent) discovers that her husband (Depardieu) has cheated on her and hires a prostitute Nathalie (B art) to seduce him. But when Nathalie reports back to Catherine on the liaison the two women bond despite Catherine finding it hard to trust what her hired hand tells her.System Requirements:Running Time: 100 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: FOREIGN/LATIN UPC: 741952307792 Manufacturer No: KLFDV3077
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
A French film in the tradition of Belle de Jour and Romance. October 13, 2007
G. Merritt (Boulder, CO)
Anne Fontaine's Nathalie is a French infidelity story starring Gerard Depardieu and Fanny Ardant (8 Women, Callas Forever) as a Parisian married couple, Bernard and Catherine. Catherine (a gynecologist who knows little about sex) discovers that Bernard is having an affair, which is not so unusual for a French film where an affair such as Bernard's is considered to be little more than a "nuisance." "It doesn't count," Bernard says, shrugging it off; "It's too banal to talk about." What sets Nathalie apart from other such films is Catherine's response to her discovery. After a couple of shots of whiskey, she hires Marlene (Emmanuelle Beart8 Women, Un Coeur en Hiver), the prettiest prostitute she can find, to act as "Nathalie" to seduce her husband, and then report back with all the lurid details. Rather than throwing him out, or ignoring his infidelity, Catherine uses "Nathalie" to learn more about her husband's sexual desires. He "jumped on me like he hadn't done it in years," Marlene at first reports to Catherine. Eventually, Marlene's reports to Catherine grow wilder and wilder, and through their conversations about the hard truths of human sexuality, the two become friends (with a lesbian subtext). Most of the film's action occurs in these conversations. Rather than merely thinking she knows everything about sexuality, Catherine is determined to really know what's going on, making this an interesting sexual-coming-of-age film in the same tradition as Belle de Jour and Romance. Stunning Ardant and extraordinarily beautiful Beart bring great performances to the film, which includes Leonard Cohen in the soundtrack. Except for the predictable ending, this is a nearly perfect French film.
G. Merritt
French style chick flick with some depth and surprises June 16, 2007
Dennis Littrell (SoCal)
Fanny Ardant plays Catherine, a gynecologist of a certain age, who discovers that her husband Benard (Gerard Depardieu) is cheating on her. She wonders if this is a onetime thing or something he does regularly. So she hires a prostitute (Emmanuelle Beart as Marlene/Nathalie) to test him. When the test turns up positive, Catherine wants to hear the intimate details which Marlene agreeably supplies.
The details of exactly what they do would seem a bit hard to take for the spouse who is being cheated on, and Catherine does find some of the descriptions unsavory. However she insists on hearing them. The viewer begins to wonder if Catherine is not being sexually aroused by these details (which is what Marlene thinks) or is of a masochistic frame of mind.
As Catherine and Marlene draw closer together the viewer now begins to wonder if Catherine herself would like to have a sexual relationship with Marlene. Since a lot of the tension in the movie relies on just what it is that Catherine wants, I won't reveal the answer. She claims to love her husband but as the details get seamier and seamier she decides she no longer knows whether she loves him or not.
How this will resolve itself is what kept me watching. The ending is a bit of a surprise. See if you can guess it.
Ardant is excellent, although her long suffering face may become a bit tedious for some. Beart is very good as a skillful and opportunistic prostitute, almost too good perhaps because I found her a bit creepy. She was 40-years-old when this was released and there is nary a line on her face. Ardant's look was natural and, for me anyway, more agreeable. Both women are of course two of the most celebrated stars of the French cinema as is Depardieu, whose part is rather modest. Anne Fontaine's direction is clear and focused.
While not your typical "chick flick"--certainly it is not like American chick flick faire--this is nonetheless very much a woman's point of view movie with the kind of agreeable ending that will please most viewers regardless of sex.
Best line and typical of the kind of psychology presented is this from Catherine as she is talking to Marlene: "Jealousy. For men it's a reflex."
See this for Fanny Ardant who has that Catherine Deneuve quality of growing more beautiful as she gets older, a talented actress who always carries herself well.
French movies must have Spanish subtitles too January 4, 2007
ANDRES PROAL PENKOFF (Mexico City)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I am really pleased with the product.
The only thing I did not like was that it only has subtitles in English.
My native language is Spanish, the movies'audio is in French and imagine how funny and kind of complicated was to read the subtitles in English.
With English spoken films I do not have any problem, but with French...
Thanks, I appretiatte you asked for my opinion.
 Fascinating Story, Brilliant Acting and Directing December 4, 2006
Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States)
The French have a way with steamy films that makes the rest of the cinematic world seem bland in comparison. NATHALIE is fine case in point. Based on an idea by Philippe Blasband and transformed into a superb screenplay by Jacques Fieschi, Francois-Olivier Rousseau and the director Anne Fontaine, this incredibly well acted, subtle, understated film explores the many facets of adultery - from the woman's point of view. The result is a suspenseful, erotic, intelligent film that provides an opportunity for three of France's greatest actors to demonstrate their credentials.
Catherine (the still very beautiful and gifted Fanny Ardant) is a gynecologist married to the successful Bernard (Gerard Depardieu in one of his more subtle roles) and they have a stay-at-home hippy son (Rodolphe Pauly) who goes about his life much the same as his parents: there is superficial companionship but little in depth relationship. The marriage seems satisfactory until Catherine suspects Bernard of having affairs, a fact that Bernard very honestly confesses to having: in his eyes the affairs are sexual dalliances that mean nothing. Catherine is shocked, attempts to gain some support from her insular but worldly mother (a fine Judith Magre) who tells Catherine it is a normal situation in older marriages.
Catherine visits a bar, a private club for consignations, and there she meets Marlene (the extraordinary Emmanuelle Beart) and eventually buys Marlene's services as a prostitute to meet her husband and then tell her all about the encounters. It is agreed that Marlene will be known as 'Nathalie'. From this point on Catherine and Nathalie meet after Nathalie has encounters with Bernard and describes the acts of the encounters in vivid and lurid detail. Catherine is fascinated and continues to pay Nathalie for on going encounters and subsequent voyeuristic descriptions. Catherine even has a one-night stand of her own with bartender Francois (Wladimir Yordanoff) in an attempt to understand her husband's need for infidelity.
Despite the setup of 'private investigator and prostitute detective' the two women become friends. When Catherine realizes she has enough evidence against Bernard to leave him there is a final encounter of the three (Catherine, Bernard, Nathalie) that brings the ingenious surprise ending - an ending to fine to share as it would spoil the film for viewers new to the story.
Ardant is simply radiant as Catherine, playing the role of the victim wife of an adulterous husband with supreme dignity. Likewise Depardieu makes his Bernard so understated and profoundly honest that the conclusion in retrospect should have been suspected. Beart is at once wholly physical in her prostitute role yet maintains the inner core of a confused woman that keeps us on her side as she does her job. The production values are all first rate (except for some ragged editing) and the direction of Anne Fontaine is bristling with intrigue and wholly convincing in her development of this strange tale. Despite the dialogue being X-rated there is very little actual sex in this film: that makes it not only more powerful but as the ending is revealed adds to the solidity of the story. In French with English subtitles. Highly recommended for art film lovers. Grady Harp, December 06
Fanny Ardant gives Emmanuelle Beart a Mission Impossible to forget May 30, 2006
Paige Rules (Castro Valley, USA)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
If you were smitten by Emmanuelle Beart in Mission Impossible and want to see her at her sexiest... Nathalie is the movie for you. This is an intelligent erotic french film which features Marlene(Emmanuelle) as the "other" woman hired by Catherine(Fanny Ardant) to seduce her husband Bernard(Gerard Depardieu).
If you are seeing this movie as a Depardieu fan... his role is secondary. This movie is focused on the women characters.
The story is really about the sexual growth of Catherine as she becomes more obsessed with the erotic details of her husband's affair and her own realization about her inner self. What is so great about Fanny Ardant's performance is that by the end of the movie you become just as fascinated with her on both a human and erotic level as you are with Emmanuelle Beart. Ardant evokes a very intelligent sexual powerful character here and thus reminded me alot of another Catherine (Deneuve) at her best.
There is also an interesting twist to discover.
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