Trois Vies et une Seule Mort DVD 1996 Three Lives and Only One Death / Directed by Raoul Ruiz / Starring: Marcello Mastroianni, Anna Galiena, Marisa Paredes

UPC 3530941025345

MADE IN EU

REGION 2 PAL DVD

AUDIO: French 2.0

Subtitles: English, Portuguese

TOTAL RUNTIME: 123 MINUTES

English Summary:

Three Lives and Only One Death (French: Trois vies et une seule mort) is a 1996 French film directed by Chilean filmmaker Raúl Ruiz. It was entered into the 1996 Cannes Film Festival, and was the penultimate film to star Marcello Mastroianni, before his death in 1996.

Pierre Bellemare, a French radio personality appears to recount four strange, seemingly non-coexisting, tales that make up the complex narrative structure of Three Lives and Only One Death. In the first tale we are introduced to Andre Parisi, a family man who has woken up with a terrible headache. Andre leaves to a local cafe where he meets one of the multiple enigmatic central characters, Matteo Strano (Marcello Mastroianni). Matteo offers Andre champagne and 1000 francs to listen to his story. Prior to the scene of Matteo's own storytelling, he reveals he was once married to Andre's wife. Matteo recounts the day he went out, on a whim, and rented out an apartment. Matteo insists this apartment is inhabited by fairies who eat time and who ultimately devoured 20 years of his life in one night. Matteo uses the story of his “strange journey in time” to entice Andre into going to his “fairy house.” Andre accepts Matteo's request and is surprised to find that the apartment actually exists. Matteo takes Andre's fondness for the apartment as an acceptance of a deal that allows Matteo to go home, leaving Andre to remain in the bewitched apartment. When Andre refuses to take Matteo's place “he finds himself with a hammer in his head, thus retrospectively explaining his headache as a premonition.” After a 20-year hiatus Matteo returns to his former home and his former wife, Maria, as if nothing had changed.

French Summary:

Tantôt riche personnage qui aide un jeune couple, professeur en Sorbonne qui devient clochard ou maître d'hôtel, Marcello Mastroianni campe un personnage affecté par le syndrome de la multiplication de la personnalité. Pris dans le tourbillon de ce conte fantastique, Mastroianni vit trois vies et assume trois destins qui ne cesseront de s'entrecouper tout au long du film.

Histoires multiples qui n'en forment qu'une, car c'est celle d'un même homme.Ce sont des histoires que tout le monde connait et auxquelles personne ne croit : l'histoire d'un jeune homme qui part pour un court voyage, va habiter en face de chez lui, y reste vingt ans et puis rentre un jour sans explication. L'histoire d'un homme riche qui devient un mendiant, ce qui ne l'empêche pas de rester riche. L'histoire d'un couple de jeunes amants réduits à la misère, qui reçoit soudain en héritage une belle maison. L'histoire d'un homme d'affaires qui pour justifier certaines opérations, s'invente une famille à l'étranger.

Cast / Distribution

• Marcello Mastroianni - Mateo Strano / Georges Vickers / Butler / Luc Allamand
• Anna Galiena - Maria Gabri-Colosso, "Tania la Corse"
• Marisa Paredes - María
• Melvil Poupaud - Martin
• Chiara Mastroianni - Cecile
• Arielle Dombasle - Helene
• Féodor Atkine - Andre
• Jean-Yves Gautier - Mario
• Jacques Pieiller - Tania's Husband
• Pierre Bellemare - Radio Narrator
• Smaïn - Luca
• Lou Castel - Bum #1
• Roland Topor - Bum #2
• Jacques Delpi - Bum #3
• Jean Badin - Antoine José
• Guillaume de Tonquédec