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The Lover

"She gave her innocence, her passion, her body. The one thing she couldn't give was her love."

1992-01-22 Drama 1hr 55m

A poor French teenage girl engages in an illicit affair with a wealthy Chinese heir in 1920s Saigon. For the first time in her young life she has control, and she wields it deftly over her besotted lover throughout a series of clandestine meetings and torrid encounters.

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Storyline

A poor French teenage girl engages in an illicit affair with a wealthy Chinese heir in 1920s Saigon. For the first time in her young life she has control, and she wields it deftly over her besotted lover throughout a series of clandestine meetings and torrid encounters.

  • Released
    1992-01-22
  • Revenue
    $5,013,090
  • Budget
    n/a
  • Runtime
    1hr 55m
  • Genre
    Drama, Romance
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    普通话, English
  • imdb-logo
    6.8
  • Production
    Timothy Burrill Productions, Renn Productions, Grai Phang Film Studio, Films A2

Crew

Jean-Jacques Annaud
Director
Gérard Brach
Screenplay
Claude Berri
Producer
Keywords:
lolita virgin vietnam based on novel or book age difference arranged marriage lover saigon indochina loss of virginity love sexual attraction older man younger woman relationship lust desire french girl sexual awakening southeast asia chinese man illicit affair 1920s sex with a minor erotic romance ho chi minh

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Cast

Jane March

Jane March
The Young Girl
Tony Leung Ka-Fai

Tony Leung Ka-Fai
The Chinaman
Frédérique Meininger

Frédérique Meininger
The Mother
Arnaud Giovaninetti

Arnaud Giovaninetti
The Elder Brother
Melvil Poupaud

Melvil Poupaud
The Younger Brother
Lisa Faulkner

Lisa Faulkner
Helene Lagonelle
Jeanne Moreau

Jeanne Moreau
Narrator
Xiem Mang

Xiem Mang
The Chinaman's Father
Philippe Le Dem

Philippe Le Dem
The French Teacher
Ann Schaufuss

Ann Schaufuss
Anne-Marie Stretter
Tania Torrens

Tania Torrens
The Principal
Espérance Pham Thai Lan

Espérance Pham Thai Lan
Femme
Hélène Patarot

Hélène Patarot
The Assistant Mistress
Yvonne Wingerter

Yvonne Wingerter
The Writer (beginning)
Raymonde Heudeline

Raymonde Heudeline
The Writer (end)
Quach Van An

Quach Van An
The Driver
Do Minh Vien

Do Minh Vien
The Young Boy
Frédéric Auburtin

Frédéric Auburtin
Liner Pianist
Alido H. Gaudencio

Alido H. Gaudencio
Anne-Marie Stretters Driver
Vu Dinh Thi

Vu Dinh Thi
Ferry Captain
Truong Thu

Truong Thu
Bus Driver
Thi Cam Thuy Nguyen

Thi Cam Thuy Nguyen
Bride
Lu Van Trang

Lu Van Trang
Bus Controller
Vu Kim Trong

Vu Kim Trong
Young Girls Coolie

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Movie Reviews

Reviews for The Lover
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 6

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2024-01-05

A wealthy man (Tony Leung) is travelling on a ferry when he encounters a pretty young woman (Jane March). It doesn't take long before they a... read more

A wealthy man (Tony Leung) is travelling on a ferry when he encounters a pretty young woman (Jane March). It doesn't take long before they are having a fairly torrid affair, but things are difficult. He is older and a Chinese citizen, she a French girl in what was then French Indo-China. She is also a bit of a gold-digger and quite aware that if she plays her cards right, he can offer her a new, more prosperous, life than that she shares with her mother (Fréderique Meininger) and two brothers. The older brother (Arnaud Giovaninetti) is a bit puritanical when it comes to his sister, her younger (Melvil Poupaud) is more shy and usually content to keep his head down and play his piano. Despite the initially venal nature of her relationship, there gradually develops a bond that is both loving and turbulent as the political situation overtakes their love, with the French leaving Vietnam to local government. This is a well scored and stunning looking film but the story is remarkably thin and repetitive and once we've seen them have sex a few times, I began to wonder if Jean-Jacques Annaud was just a bit bereft of ideas as to how to develop either character beyond the physical or material. It's a slow burn and I'm afraid that I just didn't really engage with either as the story trundled along, narrated occasionally and rather melodramatically by Jeanne Moreau, to a conclusion that was quite a long time coming and not really worth the wait. It's watchable, and illustrates well the gap between rich and poor here in the 1920s, but is very much an example of style over substance.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by CinemaSerf

A wealthy man (Tony Leung) is travelling on a ferry when he encounters a pretty young woman (Jane March). It doesn't take long before they are having a fairly torrid affair, but things are difficult. He is older and a Chinese citizen, she a...

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 6

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2024-01-05

A wealthy man (Tony Leung) is travelling on a ferry when he encounters a pretty young woman (Jane March). It doesn't take long before they are having a fairly torrid affair, but things are difficult. ...

read more