The Dreamers (film)

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The Dreamers
Film poster
Directed by	Bernardo Bertolucci
Produced by	Jeremy Thomas
Written by	Gilbert Adair
Starring	Eva Green Louis Garrel Michael Pitt
Music by	soundtrack
Cinematography	Fabio Cianchetti
Editing by	Jacopo Quadri
Distributed by	USA theatrical Fox Searchlight Pictures USA DVD 20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	September 1, 2003 (Venice Film Festival)
Running time	Italy 130 min. USA 115 min.
Language	English / French
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Ratings
Argentina:	16
Australia:	R
Belgium:	16
Brazil:	16
Canada (Alberta):	16+
Canada (BC/SK):	R
Canada (Ontario):	16+
Canada (Manitoba):	16+
Canada (Quebec):	16+
Denmark:	11
Finland:	K-15
France:	12
Germany:	16
Hong Kong:	III
Hungary:	18
Iceland:	16
Ireland:	18
Israel:	18
Italy:	VM14
Japan:	R-18
Malaysia:	(banned)
Mexico:	C
Netherlands:	16
New Zealand:	R18
Norway:	15
Peru:	18
Portugal:	M/16
Singapore:	R21 (cut)
South Africa:	18 NS
South Korea:	18
Spain:	18
Sweden:	15
Taiwan:	R-18
United Kingdom:	18
United States:	NC-17 (uncut)/R (cut)

The Dreamers, released as The Innocents in some countries, is a 2003 British/French drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. The film is based on Gilbert Adair's novel The Holy Innocents. Adair also wrote the screenplay for the film.

For its United States theatrical release, Fox Searchlight Pictures released this film's original uncut version with NC-17 rating. Even with its NC-17 rating, Fox Searchlight's spokeman said that NC-17 rating didn't give them too much problem on releasing this film (they had no problem booking the film, and only a Mormon-owned newspaper in Salt Lake City refused to take this film's ad);[1] this film grossed $2.5 million in limited theatrical release in the United States, and Fox Searchlight were satisfied with this result.[2]

1 Plot
2 Miscellanea
3 Film references
4 Soundtrack
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Plot

A young American exchange student, Matthew (Michael Pitt), has come to Paris in order to study French. Though he has lived there for several months, and will stay in Paris for a year, he has made no friends. As a huge fan of film, he spends most of his time in the cinema. He comes into a rapid friendship with a Frenchwoman, Isabelle (Eva Green), and her brother, Théo (Louis Garrel). Isabelle and Theo are twins, and were originally conjoined at her right and his left shoulder, respectively. Throughout the film, scars on their shoulders can be seen. All three have an avid love for movies, especially "the classics". As their friendship grows, Matthew learns of the extreme intimacy shared by the siblings and gets pulled into their world. Over time he falls in love with them, and the three seclude themselves from the world, falling further and further from the reality of the 1968 student rebellions. An abrupt ending to this relationship comes when that world is shattered and they are compelled to face the reality of 1968 France.

[edit] Miscellanea

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The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

Jake Gyllenhaal, Jerist Aguilar, Jonathan Brandis, and Leonardo DiCaprio were all offered the role of Matthew, the male lead. Gyllenhaal turned it down because of the explicit nature of the nude scenes (several nude shots throughout the film, even a semi-erect shot of Michael Pitt's character's penis). DiCaprio passed on the role because he was in pre-production with The Aviator.^[1]
Eva Green's hair was not meant to catch fire but the actress reacted so calmly the director decided to leave the scene in.
The music featured in this film is source music from the various films played throughout. However, Michael Pitt sings for the only original score produced for this film ("Hey Joe"—played under the discussion of Hendrix vs. Clapton in the bath).
Director Bernardo Bertolucci was so impressed with how the actors so naturally acted naked, he penned an uncredited lengthy extra scene in the script where all three main actors are overtly nude. It ended up on the cutting room floor.
The first film since Bent (1997) that was released theatrically in the U.S. with an NC-17 rating.
The pink cigarettes smoked throughout the film by Isabelle are most likely Nat Sherman Fantasias, although in the source novel, they are Sobranie Cocktails.
The book had a menage a trois (with explicit gay scenes) in addition to Matthew and Theo having sex alone. However, Bertolucci decided to cut all overt gay references in the film. In spite of fan insistence to the contrary, these scenes were not filmed. ^[2]

[edit] Film references

Bande à part
- Isabelle, Theo, and Matthew race through the Louvre, attempting to break the record depicted in Bande à part of 9 minutes and 45 seconds.
Shock Corridor
- Film Matthew watches at the Cinémathèque Française at the beginning of the movie.
Pierrot le fou
- Music from the film appears in The Dreamers
The 400 Blows
- The main title music by Jean Constantin appears in The Dreamers
Persona
- Matthew has a picture of Liv Ullman and Bibi Andersson from Persona in his apartment
La Chinoise
- A poster of the film hangs on a wall in the twin's apartment.
Blonde Venus
- Isabelle reenacts scene in sexy white painting clothes.
Freaks
- After Isabelle, Theo, and Matthew run through the Louvre, Isabelle and Theo signify their acceptance of Matthew by chanting, "We accept him, one of us," in a reflection of the wedding reception in Freaks.
Scarface
- Theo reenacts the death of the character Tony Camonte played by Paul Muni, challenging Isabelle to name the film.
Queen Christina
- Isabelle reenacts the scene in which Greta Garbo's character Queen Christina "memorizes the room," in Matthew's bedroom, the first night he sleeps over.
Top Hat
- Isabelle challenges Matthew to name a scene in which a tap dancer wakes a woman in the apartment below.
À bout de souffle (aka Breathless)
- Isabelle imitates Jean Seberg's character Patricia the first night she and her brother meet Matthew.
Sunset Boulevard
- Isabelle puts on sunglasses and a head wrap giving an emotionless gaze, imitating Gloria Swanson's Norma Desmond character in the scene where William Holden's Joe Gillis character has entered the run-down mansion and is made to read a script that Desmond has been writing for her planned comeback.
Mouchette
- After Isabelle realizes her mother has seen her sleeping naked with her brother she tries to kill the three of them with natural gas. When she closes her eyes images of the suicide of [[Mouchette {character)|]] from Robert Bresson's film appear.
City Lights
The Cameraman
Rebel Without a Cause