Dieu seul me voit (1998)

Director:

Bruno Podalydès

Writers:

Bruno Podalydès (writer)
Denis Podalydès (dialogue)

Release Date:

3 June 1998 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

A sound engineer who is chronically hesitant has to make a hard choice between three successively charming young women.

Plot Keywords:

Political

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Denis Podalydès	...	Albert
Jeanne Balibar	...	Anna
Isabelle Candelier	...	Sophie
Cécile Bouillot	...	Corinne
Jean-Noël Brouté	...	Otto
Michel Vuillermoz	...	François
Mouss	...	Cruquet
Philippe Uchan	...	Patrick
Daniel Ceccaldi	...	Polling station président
Maurice Baquet	...	M. Crémieux
Pierre Diot	...	Denis Boulet
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Catherine Almeras
Mathieu Amalric	...	Atchoum
Simon Bakhouche
Jean-Luc Bonaventure
Daniel Breton
Aude Briant
Didier Brice
Michel Butel	...	Himself
Christian Courtois
Gérard Dauzat	...	Maire de Verseilles
Patricia Dinev
Philippe Duclos	...	Père de Sophie
Bernard-Paul Ekodo	...	Policeman
David Gabison	...	Maire
Élodie Huber	...	Indira Cruquet
Gisèle Joly	...	Madame Rembrel
Thierry Lièvre	...	Policeman
Patrick Ligardes
Nicolas Lormeau
Dominique Parent	...	Timide
Ariane Pirié	...	Aline
Bruno Podalydès	...	Director (Mayor interview)
Emmanuel Quatra	...	Simplet
Éric Simonnin
Michel Tardieu	...	Employé
Ariane Valadié
Serge Vincent	...	Second Maire
Marc Voinchet	...	Adjoint de maire
Gilbert Zind

Also Known As:

Only God Sees Me (International: English title)
Versailles-Chantiers (France) (subtitle)

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | France:U | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Canal+

Trivia:

The "Klow" restaurant to which Albert goes for dinner with Anna is a tribute to the famous "bande dessinee" (comic book) hero Tintin. The front window, the menu (including the meal's syldavian names), the waiter and the washrooms are all identical to their original version in the book "Tintin et le sceptre d'Ottokar". The position of the waiter listening through the door is the same as Tintin's in the original story. There is at least one other reference to Tintin in the movie: Albert has a miniature replica of Tintin's famous moon rocket on his answering machine.

only God can see you Denis and only love can break your heart

Since "Versailles Rive Gauche" (1992), the Podalydès brothers rank among the darlings of the French press and critic specialized in cinema. This movie "Dieu seul me voit" (1998) confirms it. It achieved a huge success more critic than commercial and it won the Oscar for the Best First Work in France in 1999. I watched it recently and I thought it wasn't bad.

It's obvious that the Podalydès brothers have got a certain talent as a director (Bruno) and as an actor (Denis). Both have concocted a light and subtle movie which isn't however devoid of weaknesses. To sum up this film, someone told me this sentence: "a recording engineer drowned in his loving problems". It can be checked in one sequence, at the end of the film, when Albert (Denis Podalydès) is in front of the Versailles castle after the demonstration with all the women he charmed. Otherwise, I don't think the sentence suits well to the opus. I would have chosen "a recording engineer hesitating between several loving conquests". Moreover, Albert mainly evokes a loving Candide.

Then, "Dieu seul me voit" is supposed to be a comedy. It's rather true. There are, actually two kinds of comic. Firstly, a comic that emanates from the dialogs and secondly, situation comedy. Using these two devices, Bruno Podalydès, let's admit it doesn't always hit the bull's eye but when he succeeds in it, it's a delightful result.

But I also thought that most of the sequences were of varying quality: if the ones that take place in Toulouse turn out to be particularly successful, others are badly mastered: when Albert's having dinner with Anna in the "Klow restaurant".

At the end, the whole gives a nice movie even imperfect.

A remark: the Podalydès brothers are big fans of Tintin and "Dieu seul me voit" contains three nods at the famous reporter: - in Albert's flat, there's a little copy of the red and white rocket. - when Albert eats out with Anna, this is the "Klow restaurant" and the waiter's got the same aspect as the one in the Tintin's album: "King Ottokar's sceptre". - at last when Albert is at the advance poll, he wears nearly the same clothes as Tintin: a white shirt and a blue sweat shirt.