Le Déclin de l'empire américain
Encyclopedia
The Decline of the American Empire (French
Le Déclin de l'empire américain) is a 1986 Québécois
comedy
/drama film
directed by Denys Arcand
. It was followed by a sequel
, The Barbarian Invasions in 2003.
- prepare to have dinner together. The ensuing conversations range from their professional lives to politics, but primarily concern their sexual exploits. The group has plans to gather at a secluded house for dinner. While the four men prepare the food and reflect on their promiscuity, the four women discuss their own affairs at a nearby gym. At the dinner table, conflicts soon arise when Dominique reveals that she herself has had affairs with two of the men there, one of whom is married to Louise (also present).
.
In 2004, the film was honoured as a MasterWork by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada
.
The film was nominated for the 1986 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
Le Déclin de l'empire américain) is a 1986 Québécois
Québécois
The French word Québécois and anglicised as ' , is used in both French and English to refer to different persons or concepts, depending on the language and/or the context in which the word is being used...
comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
/drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Denys Arcand
Denys Arcand
Georges-Henri Denys Arcand, is a Canadian film director, screenwriter and producer. He has won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2004 for The Barbarian Invasions...
. It was followed by a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
, The Barbarian Invasions in 2003.
Synopsis
Eight intellectual friends - four men and four women from the Department of History at the Université de MontréalUniversité de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
- prepare to have dinner together. The ensuing conversations range from their professional lives to politics, but primarily concern their sexual exploits. The group has plans to gather at a secluded house for dinner. While the four men prepare the food and reflect on their promiscuity, the four women discuss their own affairs at a nearby gym. At the dinner table, conflicts soon arise when Dominique reveals that she herself has had affairs with two of the men there, one of whom is married to Louise (also present).
Awards
The film won 9 Genie Awards in 1987, including Best Motion Picture, Best Achievement in Direction, Best Original Screenplay, Best Achievement in Film Editing, and the Golden Reel Award. It also received the International Critic's Prize at the Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
.
In 2004, the film was honoured as a MasterWork by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada
Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada
The Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada was a charitable non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the preservation of Canada’s audio-visual heritage, and to facilitating access to regional and national collections through partnerships with members of Canada's audio-visual community...
.
The film was nominated for the 1986 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Cast
- Rémy GirardRémy GirardRémy Girard is a Canadian actor and former television host from Quebec.-Acting career:He played the role of Rémy, the main character, who is dying of terminal cancer, in the Canadian film Les Invasions barbares by director Denys Arcand. This film was awarded the 2003 Academy Award for best...
as Rémy - Dominique MichelDominique MichelDominique Michel, OC, CQ is a Quebec comedian, actress, singer and artist.- Biography :...
as Dominique - Dorothée BerrymanDorothée BerrymanDorothée Berryman is a noted Canadian actress and singer.- Biography :Born in Quebec City, Quebec, she has played roles in many stage productions, films, and television series including The Red Violin, Rivière-des-Jérémie, Le Déclin de l'empire américain, Les Invasions barbares, Scanners II: The...
as Louise - Louise PortalLouise PortalLouise Portal is a Canadian actress, film director, singer and writer. She won the Genie Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film The Decline of the American Empire, and was a nominee for Best Actress for Sous-sol.Her other film roles have included Séraphin: un homme et son...
as Diane - Pierre CurziPierre CurziPierre Curzi is an actor, screenwriter and politician in Quebec, Canada. He is the Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Borduas in the Montérégie region south of Montreal...
as Pierre - Yves JacquesYves JacquesYves Jacques is a Québécois actor.- Biography :Since 2001, he has toured the world in two shows by Robert Lepage, La face cachée de la lune and Le Projet Andersen, where he played all the roles....
as Claude - Geneviève Rioux as Danielle
- Daniel Brière as Alain
- Gabriel ArcandGabriel ArcandGabriel Arcand is a Canadian actor. He is the brother of film director Denys Arcand.He won the Genie Award for Best Actor at the 6th Genie Awards in 1985, for his performance in Le Crime d'Ovide Plouffe....
as Mario