L'Auberge espagnole
| L'Auberge espagnole | |
|---|---|
 French theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Cédric Klapisch |
| Produced by | Bruno Levy |
| Written by | Cédric Klapisch |
| Starring | Romain Duris Judith Godrèche Audrey Tautou |
| Music by | Various Artists |
| Cinematography | Dominique Colin |
| Editing by | Francine Sandberg |
| Distributed by | Fox Searchlight Pictures (USA, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Asia, Scandinavia ) |
| Release date(s) | 17 May 2002 |
| Running time | 122 minutes |
| Country | France Spain |
| Language | French Spanish English Catalan Danish German Italian |
| Budget | €5,300,000 |
| Box office | $31,024,110[1] |
L'Auberge espagnole (/lɵˈbɛrʒ ɛspɒnˈjoʊl/; literally: "the Spanish inn", released in some English-speaking territories[clarification needed] as Pot Luck or The Spanish Apartment) is a 2002 French film directed and written by Cédric Klapisch. It is a co-production between Spain (Mate Producciones S.A., Via Digital) and France (BAC Films, Ce qui me meut, France 2 Cinéma, Studio Canal).[2][3]
It is about Xavier (Romain Duris), an economics graduate student studying for a year in Barcelona, Spain as part of the Erasmus programme, where he encounters and learns from a group of students who hail from all over Western Europe. It is part of a trilogy of films centered around the character of Xavier and his progression from student to family man and friends he initially encounters in a student share-house in Spain.
The film's portrayal is in the first-person perspective of the main character, Xavier, and is hence mainly narrated in French. Some of the dialogue is in English and a significant amount is in Spanish, as well as small amounts in Catalan, Basque, Danish, German and Italian.
L'Auberge espagnole has a sequel, The Russian Dolls. A third film, Casse-tête chinois or Chinese Puzzle, set in New York is in production.[4]
Plot
The story follows Xavier (Romain Duris), a 24-year-old Frenchman, who leaves his girlfriend Martine (Audrey Tautou) and his country for the ERASMUS programme in Barcelona, a prerequisite for a job with the French government. On the flight over, he meets a young "uncool" French couple who let him stay in their flat while he searches for a place to stay. Xavier manages to find an apartment with other people from all around Europe, including England, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Denmark with whom he becomes good friends. Martine pays Xavier a visit and returns sad. Xavier eventually has an affair with the French neurologist's wife (Anne-Sophie), with whom he has been exploring the city. One of his roommates, Wendy from London, has a visiting brother named William who is quite abrasive and rude, resulting in some funny dialogues. Xavier's girlfriend has an affair and breaks up with him over the telephone. Xavier becomes somewhat depressed and asks his friend the neurologist for help. Anne-Sophie tells her husband about the affair and he tells Xavier not to see his wife again. Then Wendy has an affair with an American; her boyfriend Alister makes a surprise visit, and William pretends that the American is his lover. At the end of the film, Xavier returns to Paris and gets the job at the Ministry but runs away on his first day at work and becomes a writer.
About the title
L'Auberge espagnole literally means "The Spanish Inn". It is a very common French expression, which means a place where you can only eat what you brought and, by extension, a place or situation where you only find what you brought.[5]
Primary cast
- Romain Duris as Xavier
- Barnaby Metschurat as Tobias
- Judith Godrèche as Anne-Sophie
- Cécile de France as Isabelle
- Kelly Reilly as Wendy
- Audrey Tautou as Martine
- Cristina Brondo as Soledad
- Kevin Bishop as William
- Federico D'Anna as Alessandro
- Christian Pagh as Lars
Soundtrack
L'Auberge espagnole features a diverse soundtrack, which includes:
- Radiohead - "No Surprises"
- Daft Punk - "Aerodynamic"
- Sonia & Selena - "Que Viva La Noche"
- Marc-Antoine Charpentier - "Te Deum"
- Ali Farka Touré - "Ai Du"
- Frédéric Chopin - "Opus 64 No 2 Waltz in C sharp minor"
- Africando All Stars - "Betece"
- Mala Rodriguez - "La Cocinera"
References
- ^ "L'Auberge Espagnole". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2012-12-07.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283900/companycredits
- ^ "L'Auberge espagnole - Cinémathèque française" (in (French)). La Bibliothèque du film. Retrieved 2012-12-07.
- ^ lefigaro.fr (2012-09-11). "Cédric Klapisch tourne Casse-tête chinois à New York". Le Figaro. Retrieved 2012-12-07.
- ^ Aline Angoustures (2004). L'Espagne. Le Cavalier Bleu. p. 117. ISBN 978-2-84670-078-8.
