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Esther Kahn (2000)

Director: Arnaud Desplechin

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From Time Out Film Guide

A distinct disappointment after Desplechin's earlier work, this is an ambitious but misguided adaptation of a novel about a young and wholly unremarkable Jewish girl, emerging from London's East End towards the close of the 19th century to become, through sheer determination, a celebrated actress. The film founders mainly on Desplechin's shaky grasp of English: the dialogue is full of implausible profanity, the director's brother is less than convincing as a theatre critic, while Summer Phoenix, shaky accent, awkward intonation, shallow performance and all, never convinces for a moment, let alone as a triumphant Hedda Gabler. Holm and Barber, and Howard Shore's score briefly counteract the overall clumsiness, but in the end that's nowhere near enough to save a doomed project.

Author: GA 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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Cast & crew

Director: Arnaud Desplechin

Producer: Pascal Caucheteux, Grégoire Sorlat, Chris Curling

Cast: Summer Phoenix, Ian Holm, Fabrice Desplechin, Frances Barber, László Szabó, Emmanuelle Devos full cast

Duration: 157 mins


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