Le Divorce: An American In Paris

Le Divorce (2003), directed by James Ivory, tells the story of Isabel Walker (Kate Hudson), a young American woman who comes to Paris to help her pregnant sister Roxy (Naomi Watts) only to find upon her arrival that her sister's husband has left her to be with his married lover.  

For me, one of the primary pleasures of Le Divorce is its cast. Leads Kate Hudson and Naomi Watts, are cast well as sisters.  The supporting cast is filled with great names such as Glen Close, Stephen Fry, Stockard Channing, Sam Waterson, Matthew Modine and Leslie Caron. Based on the novel by Diane Johnson, Le Divorce was billed as a comedy but in truth, I am not sure if this is correct because whilst there are indeed humorous moments, the film is also punctuated with moments of tragedy, loneliness and deep sadness.  

This film has two plots.  One plot, which I shall call Roxy's story, is well, about Roxy and her divorce.  Then there is Isabel's story and her journey of self-discovery while in Paris.  

Isabel arrives in Paris, the quintessential California girl.  Very quickly she takes it upon herself to become the mistress of her French uncle-in-law Edgar, of course which can come to no good, because she eventually and unexpectedly falls in love with him.  In order to woo Edgar, a man much older than she, Isabel changes her hair and buys expensive lingerie from La Perla (oh I wish! - H) and calls him up whereby Edgar invites Isabel to lunch where the "frisson" is apparent and the rules of engagement for the affair are laid down by Edgar.  Shortly thereafter she receives a hand-delivered Hermès Kelly bag symbolising the beginning of the affair - a symbol which we later discover Edgar has used many times before.

What I love about this movie - aside from it being set in Paris,is that it so cleverly illustrates some of the cultural clashes between American and French views regarding marriage, divorce and adultery and their inevitable incompatibility.  

Glen Close's character Olivia Pace, is such a great role for her.  She looks more beautiful here than I can every recall her looking and her long grey hair suits her.  As an American expatriate writer living in Paris, it is her wit and intelligence and later as mentor to Isabel that makes me Iike her even more.  One of my favourite scenes is when Glen's character talks about writing a book on French women and how their scarves alone could fill entire chapter.  I love it!

Isabel meets Yves through Glen Close's character Olivia Pace and they become casual lovers, even throughout her affair with Edgar.

Bitter entanglements prevail in Le Divorce with relatives on both sides unashamedly amplifying the conflict.  Charles-Henri's ostentatious family, for example, wish to exert their 50-50 property rights over a valuable La Tour painting belonging to Roxy - a move vigorously contested by her stereotypically brash American family. 

Kate Hudson's character Isabel changes her hair to appear more Parisienne (i.e. sophisticated and womanly) in order to attract the attention of her much older uncle-in-law, Edgar who later becomes her lover and heart-breaker.  I hate this look on her, it ages her and I feel that this shows her losing her sense of self as she struggles to achieve status.  I am so relieved when she grows out her haircut in the end and lets it return to its naturally curly state!

Sam Waterson, Stockard Channing, and Thomas Lennon are each excellent as members of Roxy and Isabel’s Santa Barbara-based family. 

The film is a veritable love letter to Paris, which is of course one of the reasons why I enjoy watching it so much.  Director James Ivory presents a portrait of the city that’s so infused with romance that it’s impossible for Isabel to feel terribly displaced for too long.  It embraces the city’s food, culture and language enthusiastically. 

As we watch Roxy and Isabel ride through their individual romantic roller coasters, the two plots complement each other well. Isabel’s might superficially feel a bit frivolous, but the seriousness of her sister’s life diffuses some melancholy throughout her scenes. 


By crosscutting between the two narrative threads, the film seems to be both commenting on the inevitable fall that awaits the younger, more idealistic sister and suggests new possibilities for Roxy.
James Ivory creates a vividly transporting Parisian atmosphere and even though one could be forgiven for thinking that with the climax taking place atop the Eiffel Tower is a tad clichéd; when the film does end, I always feel that I am not ready yet because I would like to follow the characters around a little more as some of them were just beginning to get interesting.
  

Ciao for now,

Hx

Sources: IMBD.com, Google.com