Variety, July 17-23, 1995, by Derek Elley
"Innocent Lies (British French)"
-----------------------------------------------------------

A Polygram Filmed Entertainment release (in U.K.) of a PFE 
presentation of a Red Umbrella Films (U.K.)/Septieme 
Production (France) production, in association with Cinea 
and Polygram DA, with participation of Canal Plus and Sofica 
Investimage 4. Produced by Simon Perry, Philippe Guez. 
Executive producer (for Umbrella Films), Marvin J. 
Rosenblum.   

Directed by Patrick Dewolf. Screenplay, Kerry Crabbe, 
Dewolf. Camera (color, widescreen), Patrick Blossier; 
editors, Chris Wimble, Joelle Hache; music, Alexandre 
Desplat; production design, Bernd Lepel; art direction, 
Nicolas Prier, Charlie Smith; costume design, Tom Rand; 
sound (Dolby SR), Ivan Sharrock, Colin Ritchie, John 
Hayward, Robin O'Donoghue; associate producer, Philippe 
Carcassonne; assistant director, Vincent Canaple. Reviewed 
at Odeon Haymarket Theater, London, July 11, 1995. Running 
time: 89 MIN. 

     Jeremy Graves ........ Stephen Dorff 

     Celia Graves ......... Gabrielle Anwar 

     Alan Cross ........... Adrian Dunbar 

     Solange Montfort ..... Sophie Aubry 

     Lady Helena Graves ... Joanna Lumley 

     Louis Bernard ........ Melvil Poupaud 

     Georges Montfort ..... Bernard Haller 

     Maud Graves .......... Marianne Denicourt 

     Angela Cross ......... Florence Hoath 

     Christopher Wood ..... Alexis Denisof 

Style almost triumphs over content in "Innocent Lies," an 
arty whodunit-cum-thriller that completely unravels in the 
third act but has a kind of anything-goes bravura that has 
to be admired. File this one under "interesting failures." 

Too outre for mainstream auds, and with a plot that requires 
heavier star power to hit the high notes, this Anglo-French 
co-production bombed in the U.K. following a critical 
mauling. It could tick over, however, as a homevideo item, 
where its quirky qualities may be more appreciated. 

Inspired by Agatha Christie (per movie's end crawl) but not 
based on a specific work, film gets off to a pacey start 
with the death of Britisher Joe Green (Donal McCann, 
uncredited) near a cliff-top manse "somewhere on the French 
coast" in September '38. On the next plane from Blighty 
comes Inspector Cross (Adrian Dunbar), bent on discovering 
the truth behind his best friend's apparent suicide. 

A whole raft of characters are rapidly intro'd, starting 
with the owner of the avant-garde pile, Lady Helena Graves 
(Joanna Lumley), a snooty, acid-tongued widow with Nazi 
connections who admits she was close to Green but didn't 
murder him. 

In true whodunit style, the other inhabitants of the house 
are a shifty bunch with secrets to spare. Lady Helena's 
daughter, Celia (Gabrielle Anwar), is a pouty sexpot about 
to marry a bemused American (Alexis Denisof). Her brother 
Jeremy (Stephen Dorff) labors under the guilt of having 
accidentally killed his brother when a kid, and is married 
to a Jewish woman (Marianne Denicourt), whom Mom loathes. 
Just to complicate matters, Celia and Jeremy appear to have 
a closer relationship than simply sister and brother. 

French helmer/co-scripter Patrick Dewolf, who co-wrote 
several of Patrice Leconte's successes ("Monsieur 
Hire,""Tandem") as well as directing the noirish English-
lingo "Lapse of Memory" (1991), sets up a simmering 
atmosphere in the opening reels, cross-cutting between 
characters' suspicious looks and letting Alexandre Desplat's 
moody score go to work. 

Complications ensue as Cross becomes enamored of the sultry 
Celia and Lady Helena is found strangled one day with catgut 
from Jeremy's tennis racquet. After the police release 
Jeremy due to lack of evidence, Cross finally learns the 
truth (or part of it) while having sex with Celia. The coda 
to all this stoked-up passion has to be seen to be believed. 

Despite the nod to Christie, the script soon abandons any 
attempt at cross-pollinating a rigorous Brit whodunit with a 
tale of Gallic amour fou. For a start, the initial crime 
gets lost in a mass of swirling sexual passions. And despite 
the French setting, all the main characters are English-
speakers, with Gauls relegated to supports. One role, that 
of Cross' interpreter, Solange (Sophie Aubry), seems 
especially to have suffered in the editing. 

Result is a movie that falls uneasily between two stools, 
convincing neither as a murder mystery nor as a sexually 
charged meller. Though Anwar is well cast physically as the 
central femme, and plays her mildly hot sex scenes with 
conviction, she lacks a commanding enough screen presence to 
carry a movie of this sort. Dunbar is OK as the lovelorn cop 
but is more a character actor than a leading man. 

Other thesps are solid, with Dorff slipping easily into a 
British accent and the part of the incestuous bro without 
leaving much of a dramatic mark. Lumley vamps briefly in a 
tailor-made viperish role. 

Dewolf's helming features lotsa pregnant visuals, big close-
ups and editing that's so tight that the pic has an almost 
surreal quality, with all transitions ruthlessly excised. 

Patrick Blossier's noirish lensing, heavy on blacks, and 
Bernd Lepel's evocative production design, especially for 
the Graves' mansion, pile on the style, with Desplat's 
churning score a constant companion. Dialogue is sometimes a 
tad indistinct, with French actresses Aubry and Denicourt 
badly in need of re-looping. 



-----------------------------------------------------------
                     Bentley's Bedlam
            http://www.BetsyDa.com/bedlam.html

This website is for information and entertainment purposes only 
and is not intended to infringe on copyrights held by others.