Les invasions barbares (2003)

Director:

Denys Arcand

Writer:

Denys Arcand (writer)

Release Date:

24 September 2003 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

A provocative new comedy about sex, friendship, and all other things that invade our lives.

Plot:

During his final days, a dying man is reunited with old friends, former lovers, his ex-wife, and his estranged son.

Plot Keywords:

Dying | Friend | Ex Wife | Cancer | Past

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 37 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Rémy Girard	...	Rémy
Stéphane Rousseau	...	Sébastien
Dorothée Berryman	...	Louise
Louise Portal	...	Diane
Dominique Michel	...	Dominique
Yves Jacques	...	Claude
Pierre Curzi	...	Pierre
Marie-Josée Croze	...	Nathalie
Marina Hands	...	Gaëlle
Toni Cecchinato	...	Alessandro
Mitsou	...	Ghislaine (as Mitsou Gélinas)
Sophie Lorain	...	First Lover
Johanne-Marie Tremblay	...	Sister Constance Lazure (as Johanne Marie Tremblay)
Denis Bouchard	...	Duhamel
Micheline Lanctôt	...	Nurse Carole
Markita Boies	...	Nurse Suzanne
Isabelle Blais	...	Sylvaine
Sylvie Drapeau	...	Second Lover
Yves Desgagnés	...	Olivier
Denys Arcand	...	Unionist
Daniel Brière	...	Alain Lussier
Dominic Darceuil	...	Maxime
Roy Dupuis	...	Gilles Levac
Rose-Maïté Erkoreka	...	Student
Macha Grenon	...	Arielle
Sébastien Huberdeau	...	Vincent
Gaston Lepage	...	Security Guard
Sean Lu	...	Pharmacist
Bonnie Mak	...	Nurse
Jean-René Ouellet	...	Dr. Dubé
Jean-Marc Parent	...	Ronald the Syndicalist
Gilles Pelletier	...	Priest Raymond Leclerc
Sébastien Ricard	...	Jérôme
Lise Roy	...	Mme. Joncas-Pelletier
Anna-Marie Sutherland	...	Bulgarian Nurse
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Julie Beauchemin
Daisy Bhui-Khac
Alain Bruno
Jacques Caron
Jean Antoine Charest
Sofia de Medeiros
François Domerc
Kenneth Fernandez
Frédéric Gilles	...	Cowboy
David Gow
Karen Hader
Valérie Jeanneret
Janique Kearns
Dawn Lambing
Shawn McPherson
Inés Orsini	...	Lúcia (also archive footage)
Eric Paulhus	...	Réparateur télé
Hélène-Manon Poudrette
Yvette Thuot
Stéphane Touzin
Nhu Tram Nguyen
Julie Tu
Valérie Wiseman
Chris Evert	...	Herself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Françoise Hardy	...	Herself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
Denys Arcand

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Denys Arcand		writer

Produced by
Daniel Louis	....	producer
Denise Robert	....	producer
Fabienne Vonier	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Pierre Aviat

Cinematography by
Guy Dufaux

Film Editing by
Isabelle Dedieu

Casting by
Lucie Robitaille

Production Design by
François Séguin

Art Direction by
Caroline Alder
Normand Sarazin

Set Decoration by
Patrice Bengle
Annika Krausz

Costume Design by
Denis Sperdouklis

Makeup Department
Betty Belmore	....	makeup artist
Evelyne Byot	....	key makeup artist
Ginette Lajeunesse	....	key hair stylist
Martin Lapointe	....	hair stylist: extras
Christel Piazzolla	....	assistant hair stylist
Diane Simard	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Hélène Grimard	....	production manager
Stéphane Jacques	....	assistant unit manager
George Jardon	....	post-production supervisor (as Georges Jardon)
Jaime Tobon	....	unit manager
Fabienne Vonier	....	production manager: France

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jacques W. Benoit	....	first assistant director (as Jacques Wilbrod Benoit)
Pierre Bouchard	....	second assistant director
Yanick DiVito	....	additional third assistant director
Simon Dugas	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Alexandre Beauregard	....	carpenter
Félix Bélanger	....	carpenter
Pascal Bélanger	....	carpenter
Renée Belley	....	painter
Jacques Bertrand	....	painter
Daniel Blais	....	painter
François Bouchard	....	scenic technician
Anthony Bourgouin	....	scenic technician (as Anthony Bourgoin)
Michel Bousquet	....	carpenter
Jocelyn Charbonneau	....	scenic technician
Jean-Pierre David	....	scenic technician
Jean Fiset	....	carpenter
François Gagnon	....	carpenter
François Gascon	....	assistant props
Odette Gauvreau	....	painter
France Goulet	....	carpenter
Eric Guindon	....	carpenter
Daniel Huysmans	....	set props
Helene Lamarre	....	art coordinator
Helene Lamarre	....	coordinator (as Hélène Lamarre)
Jacynthe Leclair	....	painter
Olivia Levêque	....	assistant set dresser
Steve Louis	....	graphic designer
Daniel Morin	....	carpenter
Priscilla Morneau	....	prop buyer
Serge Nadon	....	scenic technician
Fabienne Perry	....	carpenter
Luc Potvin	....	carpenter
Gabriel Siry	....	carpenter
Pascal Tremblay	....	scenic technician

Sound Department
Diane Boucher	....	post-synchronization supervisor
Jocelyn Caron	....	adr foley recordist
Jérôme Décarie	....	foley artist
Michel Descombes	....	sound re-recording mixer
François Domerc	....	boom operator
Alexis Duceppe	....	sound trainee
Gavin Fernandes	....	sound re-recording mixer
Marie-Claude Gagné	....	sound designer
Marie-Claude Gagné	....	sound editor
Nicolas Gagnon	....	assistant foley artist
Shaun-Nicholas Gallagher	....	foley recordist (as Shaun Gallagher)
Réjean Juteau	....	sound mixer
Thomas Kodros	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Yves Laferrière	....	additional sound designer
Pierre Laroche	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer
Mireille Morin	....	adr editor
Claire Pochon	....	sound editor
Patrick Rousseau	....	sound
Bruno Ruffolo	....	adr recordist
Jean Philippe Savard	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Guillaume Murray	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Jean-François Bachand	....	digital supervisor
Benoit Brière	....	visual effects supervisor
Sophie Chometton	....	compositor
Sophie Chometton	....	digital compositor
Stéphane Paradis	....	compositor
Josh Pines	....	technical director
Mario Rachiele	....	visual effects producer
Jennifer Lee	....	digital intermediate editor (uncredited)

Stunts
Stéphane Lefebvre	....	stunt driver

Camera and Electrical Department
Christopher Ball	....	director of photography: additional photography
André Bélaieff	....	generator operator
Diane Boisvert	....	third assistant camera
Michael Boulonne	....	best boy
Ian Brabant	....	grip
Mario Brabant	....	grip
Julien Brisbois	....	electrician
André Caron	....	electrician
François Daignault	....	Steadicam operator
François Daignault	....	camera operator
Jean-Maurice de Ernsted	....	key grip
Attila Dory	....	still photographer
Amelie Duceppe	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Claude Fortier	....	gaffer
Vytaitas Gudlevicius	....	key grip
Martine Guillard	....	electrician
Alain Jolicoeur	....	generator operator
Martin Lebel	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Isabelle Lecompte	....	second assistant camera
Marion Mailhot	....	best boy
Denis Martel	....	electrician
Nathalie Moliavko-Visotzky	....	director of photography: additional photography
Dany Racine	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera

Casting Department
Mike Migliara	....	extras casting
Nicolas Ronchi	....	casting: France
Bruno Rosato	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Hélène Bélanger	....	costumer
Louise Dube	....	costumer (as Louise Dubé)
Diane Groulx	....	costume coordinator
Nicole Langlois	....	seamstress
Richard Lanthier	....	dresser
Michel L'Heureux	....	costumer
Francine Richard	....	key costumer
André Valade	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Genevieve Clermont	....	assistant editor (as Geneviève Clermont)
Pascale Dubé	....	post-production assistant
Marie-Neige Forget	....	assistant editor
Francine Gauthier	....	color timer
Melanie Gauthier	....	post-production assistant
Trent Johnson	....	colorist
Elizabeth Ostermann	....	post-production coordinator
Louis-Martin Paradis	....	assistant editor
Marie-Eve Talbot	....	assistant editor

Transportation Department
Mark Barsalou	....	transportation coordinator (as Marco Barsalou)
Pierre Chalifoux	....	driver
Mélanie Dubois	....	driver
Réal Hamel	....	picture car coordinator
Martin Lebrun	....	driver
Cédric Lévesque	....	production driver
Christian Ménard	....	driver

Other crew
Véronique Arcouette	....	production assistant
Doriane Benzakein	....	subtitler
André Boivin	....	production assistant
Claude Brinet	....	legal consultant
Philippe Cadieux	....	production assistant
Brigitte Chabot	....	publicist
Gabbie Corrente	....	publicist
André Côté	....	caterer
Martine Curly Salvas	....	courier
Alana Cymerman	....	location manager
Julie Cyrenne	....	assistant accountant
Manon Delorme	....	consultant
Mélanie Dubois	....	production assistant
Danielle Duperreault	....	assistant location manager
Christian Fluet	....	production administrator
Bettina Forget	....	credits
Anik Fortin	....	assistant caterer
Patrick Galipeau	....	production assistant
Robert Gray	....	subtitler
Robert Jacques	....	production assistant
Eric Lagesse	....	world sales executive
Marie La Haye	....	script supervisor
Suzanne Laverdière	....	radio canada executive
Jean-Claude Lemire	....	consultant
Marie-France Long	....	production coordinator
Zénaïde Lussier	....	legal consultant
François Macerola	....	legal consultant
Tara Markus	....	assistant location manager
Guillaume Murray	....	mechanical effects technician
Eric Nobileau	....	consultant
Minou Petrowski	....	publicist
Denis Proulx	....	medic
David Quinton	....	production assistant
Barbara Rivard	....	consultant
Geneviève Rousseau	....	production secretary
Sally Steele	....	publicist
Marie-Pierre Tétreault	....	24 frame video coordinator

Thanks
Viviane Adam	....	thanks
Jean-Marc Bakouch	....	thanks
Pierre Beaudoin	....	thanks
Nadia Belali	....	thanks
Marc Béland	....	thanks
Geneviève Benoît	....	thanks
Jacques Bensimon	....	special thanks
Dominique Besnehard	....	thanks
Anne-Marie Caron	....	thanks: Bombardier Aérospace
Kevin Caron	....	thanks: aéroports de Montréal
Pierre Chagnon	....	thanks
Laurent Champoussin	....	thanks
Martin Desroches	....	thanks
Nathalie Desrosiers	....	thanks
Geneviève Dessureault	....	thanks
François Dompierre	....	thanks
Dominique Dupuis	....	thanks
Chris Evert	....	thanks
Valérie Farthouat	....	thanks
Brigitte Faure	....	thanks
Denise Filiatrault	....	thanks
Jean-Louis Fontaine	....	thanks
Roger Frappier	....	thanks
Guy Gagnon	....	thanks
Françoise Hardy	....	thanks
Pascale Hébert	....	thanks
Karen Kain	....	thanks
Michel Lemay	....	thanks: CLSC du Vieux La Chine
Suzanne Lévesque	....	thanks
Bénédicte Linard	....	thanks
René Malo	....	thanks
André Parisé	....	thanks: CLSC du Vieux La Chine
Nicolas Ronchi	....	thanks
Patrick Roy	....	thanks
Robert Roy	....	thanks
Michel Trudel	....	thanks
Réjean Villeneuve	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Pyramide Productions (co-production)
• Cinémaginaire Inc. (co-production)
• Astral Films
• Canal+
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC)
• Harold Greenberg Fund, The
• Production Barbares Inc.
• Société Radio-Canada
• Société de Développement des Entreprises Culturelles (SODEC)
• Téléfilm Canada

Distributors

• Pyramide Distribution (2003) (France) (theatrical)
• Vivafilm (2003) (Canada) (theatrical) (Quebec)
• Artificial Eye (2004) (UK) (theatrical)
• BIM Distribuzione (2003) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Comstock (2004) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2004) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• EDKO Film (2004) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
• Filmcooperative (2003) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Films de l'Elysée, Les (2003) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Hopscotch Films (2004) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (2003) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Playtime S.A. (2003) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Prokino Filmverleih (2003) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2004) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (2004) (Greece) (video)
• Europa Filmes (2004) (Brazil) (video)
• Gateno Films (2004) (Peru) (all media)
• Impuls Home Entertainment (2004) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands)
• Universal Pictures (2004) (Germany) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Big Bang/FX Animation (mechanical and visual effects)

Other Companies

• Ace Drive  thanks
• Air Canada  thanks
• Appalaches Entrepreneurs en Architecture du Paysage  thanks
• Bluenose II Preservation Trust  thanks
• Canal+ Image UK  archive
• Ciello sulla Palude  archive
• Communications Rivage  archive
• Corporation d'Urgences Santé  thanks
• Inter-Tel  thanks
• Kodak Canada  film stock
• L'Office National du Film du Canada  special thanks
• Les Productions Charade  archive
• Location Michel Trudel Inc.  electric equipment
• Louis René Lamarche Opticien  thanks
• Modulations  sound
• Montreal Casting House  extras casting
• Montreal Casting  extras casting
• Rudsak Collection  thanks
• Salon de Fourrure Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson  thanks
• Sherpa Games et Beenox  thanks
• Société Radio-Canada  archive
• Sony Pictures Releasing Canada  thanks (as Sony du Canada Ltée)
• Splice Post-Production  editorial facilities
• Stock Video Rélévision Suisse Romande  archive
• Swiss International Air Lines  thanks
• Taillefer Desjardins  insurance company
• Torstar Media Group Television  archive
• Ubisoft Divertissements  thanks
• Video Assist Inc.  video assist
• Vision Globale  video transfer

Also Known As:

The Barbarian Invasions (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
Invasion of the Barbarians (International: English title)
Las invasiones bárbaras (Argentina) (Peru) (Spain) [es]
As Invasões Bárbaras (Brazil) [pt]
Barbaarien invaasiot (Finland) [fi]
Barbarernes invasion (Denmark) [da]
Barbarlarin istilasi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
De barbariska invasionerna (Sweden) [sv]
Die Invasion der Barbaren (Germany) [de]
I epelasi ton varvaron (Greece) [el]
Inwazja barbarzynców (Poland) [pl]
Le invasioni barbariche (Italy) [it]
Mina-san, sayônara (Japan) [ja]

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sexual dialogue and drug content.

Runtime:

99 min | Canada:112 min (DVD version)

Country:

Canada | France

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | Dolby SR

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | France:U | Malaysia:18PL | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A | Denmark:7 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Italy:T | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R | Spain:13 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Pyramide Productions

Trivia:

It is the first Canadian film ever to win The Best French Film of the Year award at the Cesars (France's national film awards).

Goofs:

Continuity: The position of the cars outside the window changes when Sébastien first meets Nathalie in the restaurant.

Quotes:

Rémy: I wish that one day you will have a son like you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Concerto Op. 6 No. 6 in G minor

Recommended

I rented this movie last weekend. Not having heard anything about it, I was prepared for a middling effort and some mild entertainment.

I have to say that I was happily surprised by the quality of this film. It is a very moving piece. It touched upon so many facets of every day life - love, death, sex, fidelity, family, ambition, religion, loyalty, forgiveness, and redemption. It was handled in an understated way that allows the audience to think about the themes introduced without hitting them over the head with a message. The cast was really terrific, too. I would definitely recommend this for an indie-foreign film aficionado.