La Dormeuse Duval ? I Lived in the Ardennes Since I Left Paris

a production quizÀs and cantina studio adapted by the novel «the franz bartelt’s red boots». Ed. Gallimard

THE SLEEPER BY THE RIVER a film by manuel sanchez

co-producers: manuel sanchez, jeremy banster, alain depardieu and Marilyse Den Hollander SYNOPSIS

In a village by the Meuse river, located near the French-Belgian border, a factory storekeeper named Basile Matrin leads a dreary life with his wife, Rose. The young Maryse Duval, who had just come back from Paris, has abandoned her dreams of becoming an actress. She will unwittingly turn their life upside down. Basile’s great friend and neighbour, who is a reporter for a local newspaper « Le Quotidien de la Meuse», witnesses the comical drama that is unfolding on the street outside his house,and will unwillingly be drawn into this «Dramedy» ...

« The first one both who sees a trout kisses the other one »

1 Interview with the director Manuel Sanchez

Where did you get the idea of La DorMeuse Duval ? I lived in the Ardennes since I left Paris. I came to write with Muriel Harrar, my wife and co-writer, a script inspired by the life of Mrs Rimbaud. This project was put on hold and I left like doing an italian-style comedy. I reread all of Rimbaud’s poems -who was born in Charleville-Mézières- and I was intrigued by all the amazing images of the two poems : Le Dormeur du val’ and Ophélie. There is also the discovery of the Frank Bartelt’s work who’s a writer and poet who lives in the Ardennes in the edge of the Meuse. After reading his novel les Bottes Rouges, I reached out to him to tell him how much I liked his writing, his sense of humor and the poetic pattern which goes through his novel. La DorMeuse Duval is an adaptation of this book which stages a reporter of a local newpaper who linked himself with his neighbor, a factory worker. I come from the working class and so I can relate in a comical way to a drama set among the working class. Frank Bartelt totally trusted us and we did with Muriel Harrar a faithful adaptation of the spirit of the novel which is focalized on the disappearance of the young Maryse Duval whose name is Marise Caillois in the book.

It’s your second full-length feature film. In your first film Les Arcandiers the river ‘’la Loire’’ was very present. Why choose ‘’la Meuse’’ this time ? I spent all my childhood on the edge of la Loire. Now I live in the ardennes which is crossed by another big river : la Meuse. I like everything that flows : rivers, rain, words just like Maryse Duval in the movie. It rains a lot in the Ardennes. Rain is a part of the landscape and the lives of people here. Though, i don’t see it in a negative way. Rain has its erotic dimension just like the river which penetrates into the valley of the Meuse by mixing with the collins whose curves are gracious. In my first film Les Arcandiers, the Loire is associated with death, in La DorMeuse Duval the Meuse is both Eros and Thanatos. We discover through the character of Matrin played by Dominique, a kind idealistic man... Matrin’s character is idealistic in contrast with the character played by Pascal Turmo the newspaper guy. His character appears as a cynic and disappointed man. But Matrin is an obsessional person, maybe like all idealists, in love with his wife for sure but his dream of purity will make him drift. It’s the first time Pascal Turmo has the leading rôle in a film, how did you ‘’cast’’ him ? I had never met Pascal Turmo until the first day of shooting. I saw him in a small rôle in the movie Omar m’a tuer. Alain Depardieu, one of my associate producers in this film la DorMeuse Duval with Marylise Den Hollander, once showed me a short film called Le Vent des regrets by Olivier Vidal and Sébastien Maggiani. Alain Depardieu played in that short film, the rôle of a convicted man because of a parricide committed when he was a child. Pascal Turmo played his lawyer with so much conviction and presence. I didn’t cast him but I chose him after the last minute cancellation of the actor who was to play the reporter of the local newspaper Quotidien de la Meuse. Pascal Turmo told me I was crazy because choosing an unknown person to play the leading rôle was taking a risk. I have no regrets. Cinema has to be an adventure and taking risks allows to bring out cinema from a couple of annuitant.

2 In La DorMeuse Duval there are a few references to Flaubert. The reporter’s god is named Flaubert and he’s reading Salammbô. I have a great admiration for Flaubert who knew how to portray the mediocrity, the weakness and the cowardice of men. What seduced Alain Depardieu is the Down and Dirty side, the movie of Ettore Scola which I didn’t think about but is a reference film to me. The character of Rose who is played by Marina Tomé can be affiliated with ‘’Madame Bovary’’. Rose, Matrin’s wife, reads sentimental novels, listen ‘great musique’ while watching on tv ‘the young and the restless’ during the time her husband is at the factory.

Was Delphine Depardieu who plays Maryse Duval, imposed to you by the production ? Not at all. I have seen Delphine Depardieu in a documentary dedicated to his father L’homme de l’ombre and I had been seduced by her truthfulness and the texture of her voice. Maryse Duval’s character is an amateur actress who left the Ardennes for Paris to become a professional. She comes back to her village with a broken dream and got hired in a factory while she continues to play in a troup of amateur actors whose director is a nutcase played by the excellent Fabrice Eberhard.

There is a lot of ‘small’ roles in La DorMeuse Duval and we recognize a few personalities from the tv and the cinema... There aren’t small roles but a mosaic of character which constitutes the community of a village. The father Duval is played by Charles Schneider who acts in a very popular series. Charles acted in my first short film and has one of the leading roles in ‘Les Arcandiers’. He is a part of my universe and so are Dominique Pinon and Toni Librizzi. I was flattered that Pierre-Lou Rajot and Didier Kaminka agreed to participate in La DorMeuse Duval’s adventure in what you call ‘small roles’. It’s true they are friends and excellent actors.

3 Basile Matrin Dominique Pinon Selective filmography : - God bless the loser by Manuel Sanchez - Delicatessen by J-P Jeunet and Marc Caro - My Old Lady by Israel Horovitz - The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet by J-P Jeunet - Holidays by the Sea by Pascal Rabaté - L’Orpheline avec en plus un bras en moins by Jacques Richard - Micmacs by J-P Jeunet - Crossed Tracks by Claude Lelouch - Dikkenek by Olivier Van Hoofstadt - A Very Long Engagement by J-P Jeunet - Mortadelo & Filemon: The Big Adventure by Javier Fesser - Violetta, the Motorcycle Queen by Guy Jacques - Mordbüro by Lionel Kopp - La Gotera by Edouardo Giménez Rojo - The City of Lost Children by J-P Jeunet and Marc Caro - Je m’appelle Victor by Guy Jacques - Alberto Express by Arthur Joffé - La Révolution française by Robert Enrico - The Legend of the Holy Drinker by Ermanno Olmi - Frantic by Roman Polanski - Devil’s Paradis by Vadim Glowna

4 Rose Matrin Marina Tomé

- Ceci est mon corps by Jérôme Soubeyrand - Tatie Danielle (Auntie Danielle) by Étienne Chatiliez - Riens du tout (Little Nothings) by Cédric Klapisch - La Crise (The Crisis) by Coline Serreau - The Good Old Daze by Cédric Klapisch - When the Cat’s Away by Cédric Klapisch - La vie ne me fait pas peur by Noémie Lvovsky - Les Rois mages ( The Three Magis) by Didier Bourdon et Bernard Campan - Monique : toujours contente by Valérie Guignabodet - Stormy Weather of Sólveig Anspach - A Common Thread by Eléonore Faucher - Albert est méchant by Hervé Palud - Éros thérapie by Danièle Dubroux - Tout pour plaire by Cécile Telerman - Quelque chose à te dire by Cécile Telerman - La Grande Vie by Emmanuel Salinger - Belle épine by Rebecca Zlotowski - Crimes en sourdine by Joël Chalude and Stéphane Onfroy - Another Woman’s Life of Sylvie Testud - Friends from France by Anne Weil and Philippe Kotlarsky

5 Maryse Duval Delphine Depardieu film

- Hasta Manana by Sébastien Maggiani and Olivier Vidal - State Affairs by Eric Valette - Equinoxe by Laurent Carcélès - Asterix at the Olympic Games by Thomas Langmann - Antonio Vivaldi, un prince à Venise by Jean-Louis Guillermou stage

- La Pèlerine écossaise by Sacha Guitry, staged by Pierre Laville, Théâtre Daunou - La chanson des nuages by David Friszman, staged by David Friszman Théâtre Au coin de la Lune (Avignon 2015) - Un Deux Trois... Soleil, STAGED by Christelle George, Théâtre du Ranelagh - PLUS VRAIE QUE NATURE by Martial Courcier, Théâtre Comédie Bastille - DE FILLES EN AIGUILLES by Robin Hawdon, Théâtre de la Michodière - MENAGE A TROIS by Roberto Traverso, Théâtre Parenti (Milan) - AIMER by Paul Géraldy, Théâtre Espace Comedia - UN OREILLER OU TROIS by Olivier Belmondo, Théâtre des Nouveautés - JUPE OBLIGATOIRE by Nathalie Vierne, Palais des Glaces - DELIT DE FUITE by Jean-Claude Islert, Théâtre de la Michodière

6 Le Journaleux Pascal Turmo

film

- Omar Killed Me by Roschdy Zem - Le job by Frédéric Astruc - Le vent des regrets by Sébastien Maggiani et Olivier Vidal

stage

- Antigone, staged by J.M Bourg - Le roi Lear, staged by J. Kraemer - Les banquets anarchistes, staged by Dag Jeanneret - Les fiancés du Tigre, staged by A. Baladjan

7 Intierwiew with the writer Franz Bartelt

It’s the first adaptation of one of your novels. How do you like it ? With distance and confidence. I’m mostly curious to see what story can be told with the story first made for the book. And see how an imaginary world can create another one, which definitely will enhance it. With that said, Many of my novels were staged in theater and a couple of my short stories served as support for short movies. Others of my writings didn’t pass the stage of script for now. This movie is indeed the first full-length feature film.

Did you already knew Manuel Sanchez’ work ? I was an admirer and still am of Les Arcandiers. It’s a universe which mixes with finesse reality and poetry (…) and a humor which corresponds to the definition of Chris Marker : Humor, manners, distress. After, it’s based on chance and other circumstances that allowed me to work on two scripts for short movies with anecdotal budgets, directed by Manuel Sanchez, which gave me the opportunity to notice and appreciate his ability to go through all his projects, whatever the difficulties he will be confronted to. It’s the best guarantee.

You were present during the filming, what were your impressions ? Actually, I wasn’t present during the filming. I went for two or three courtesy visits, like a neighbor. For a man who is used to work alone and peaceful, a shooting seems to be like a general madness. Probably you have to be mad to go in such an adventure. But without madness, we would still be believing the planet isn’t round.

8 Interviews with co-producers

Jeremy Banster - Cantina Studio I met Manuel Sanchez thanks to the shooting of the franco-moroccan movie Julie-Aicha by Ahmed El Maanouni that I did as the executive producer in the Ardennes. We had a mutual friend Toni Librizzi who plays the piano professor in La DorMeuse Duval. I did my first film La Vie Pure with the same financial conditions. It wasn’t about damaging the artistic ambition but finding this ambition. I trusted Manuel and he trusted me. The script was convincing because the technical and the artistic team worked the game. Everyone gave the best of himself because we all wanted to see the film finished. We are to underline the support we received from an entire population. The movie was about the Ardennes and Manuel Sanchez, Muriel Harrar and Franz Bartelt live in that region. The film gives you the desire to feel the nature and the relation of tenderness between Manuel and the ‘normal’ people in this mad comedy. The society Cantina Studio is proud to be a co producer of La DorMeuse Duval.

Alain Depardieu

My career as producer really begun with Roman Polanski who convinced me that I could make myself a name in the world of production. I produced for CIBY 200 movies which received many rewards, specifically La leçon de piano by Jane Campion. When I read the script of La DorMeuse Duval, I immediately called Manuel and I saw he was a man with who I could get along. We both are from the Loir-et-Cher. His mother and my father are from Berry. We have the same admiration for Rimbaud and the same taste for italian comedy. La DorMeuse Duval is a popular comedy with a poetic dimension. This kind of movie is absent from nowadays cinema. For all these reasons I wanted to produce with the society Quizas Productions.

Marylise Den Hollander

I’m not a cinema professional. I wanted to participate to the financing by conviction. I was convinced that Manuel sanchez was carrying in him a film which corresponds to his humanist values. During the shooting, everybody was going in the same direction and worked in good mood despite the long days of work. I’m honored to have been part of this cinematic adventure.

9 CAST

Basile Matrin Rose Matrin The reporter Maryse Duval Marcel Duval Dominique Pinon Marina Tomé Pascal Turmo Delphine Depardieu Charles Schneider

Marcelle Duval The piano teacher The editor-in-chief Rose’s mother The lecherous painter Marie-Pascale Grenier Toni Librizzi Philippe Rigot Paulette Frantz Didier Kaminka

The factory’s Director of Mayor of La Beuquette sur Meuse The owner of the bar Doctor Robin Maryse Duval’s brother Human Resources « Le guet apens » Christian Van Tomme Jérémy Banster Filip Miocic Pierre-Loup Rajot Patrice Guillesser

The parish priest The gigolo The young reporter The producer The cynical policeman Sylvain Machinet Christophe Tinturier Grégoire Duez Fabrice Eberhard Richard Valentini

10 crew Manuel Sanchez Director: « Her feet in the yellow flags, she lies sleeping. Smiling as First assistant director: Michael Ben Hammouda A sick child might smile, she is having a nap: Second assistant director: Christophe Tinturier Cradle her warmly, Nature: she is cold. » Third assistant director: Grégoire Duez Script supervisor: Mélanie Parent-Chauveau Screenplay: Muriel Sanchez-Harrar et Manuel Sanchez Director of photography: Sophie Cadet First assistant camera: Océane Skarica Second assistant camera: Alexa Marloi Second crew camera operator: Nicolas Fluchot Gaffer: Richard Valentini Electrician: Romain Ruef Key grip: François Dupuis Best boy: Guillaume Esprit Sound: Maxime Roy Assistant sound: Victor Loeillet Assistant sound: Benjamin Silvestre Composer: Etienne Perruchon Production designers: Baptiste Dequet, Corinne Klein Property masters: Fabien Dolbeau, Sophie Demaline Costume designer: Muriel Sanchez-Harrar Dressers: Marie-claude Martinot, Martine Gallet, Juliette Sanchez Make-up artists: Anne Chopineaux, Ghyslaine Zay Key hair: Romain Marietti Editing: Fabien Montagner Location manager: Justin Pipino Assistant location manager: Christophe Pineau Afonso Assistant location manager: Lionel Soam

Assistant producer: Guillaume Fabre Assistant producer: Sarah Sanchez Making Of : Arnaud Heidsieck Executive producer: Manuel Sanchez Line producer: Jeremy Banster Film producers: Alain Depardieu, Marylise Den Hollander Graphic artist: Aymeric Galisson The Sleeper by the river was adapted from the novel ‘Les bottes rouges’ of Franz Bartelt (Editions Gallimard)

11 Have participated to the financing and are the ambassadors of the film «The Sleeper by the river»

Jean MICHON Biilex Florian LECOULTRE Bistrot de la Potinière Roland LIGIER Christophe LÉONARD Amélie BURY Gérard FRANÇOIS Michel AUBOIN Marianne AGBO Frederic MONIOT TEVISSEN Corinne BOQUILLON Annie COMTE La vallée fleurie Nathalie ENO Danielle et Daniel DOYEN Michel TINTURIER Patrick FLASHGO Florence MONACELLI Jean-Claude RENAUD Michel CORBIAUX Jean Claude BENSOUSSAN Daniel GUERIN PONSARD Bernard DEQUET Joel DECAUX Guimael CADOU Daniel GUERIN PONSARD Madame CHAMPENOIS Claire DELANNOY jean-Louis COLIN Elsa CATTELAIN Henri LUDONI Anita et Michel SOMMER Catherine FOURDRIGNIER Nicolas HEBER-SUFFRIN Hubert BERGER Eric PAVEC Ass des amis de l’abbaye ND du val Béatrice CHERRIH Office du tourisme de Mériel Gérard FLEURY Monique MOZET Quentin BARTOSIK Alain AUBERT Karima TINTURIER Annie CELLE Raphaël SANCHEZ Corbiaux MICHEL Juliette SANCHEZ Hélène OTHMANE Raphaëlle SOMMER Houria KADA François Renaud Damien MAUNIT Antonino Librizzi Laurence ANCELET Musée du cinéma Jean Delannoy Christine BRICHET Alain Bozetti Régine CERNIER Denis Marquet et Ingrid Sommer SNC Phie Remaque SCHNEIDER Didier Kaminka Pierrette WOUTERS Emmanuelle SAMMUT

12 partners

13 Production international sales press agent

Christophe Pineau Afonso Quizas CINEXPORT 06.72.50.71.29 [email protected]

Manuel Sanchez Anne-Marie Rombourg Caraco

34, rue Mouffetard 49, avenue Paul Doumer

75005 Paris 75016 Paris 2, rue de l’Aisne 08400 Vouziers 01 45 62 49 45 / 01 45 03 33 43 06.60.08.78.15 06 07 54 33 33 [email protected] [email protected]

The film received support from the region Champagne-Ardenne and from the Departmental council of the Ardennes

14 Imprimerie Bayart Guillemin 08 Charleville-Mézières Imprimerie Bayart

«It’s a shame that the TV never comes to film inside my creative process. They will regret it later. You at least , you will have the merit and satisfaction of having known the great Quartonnier in person» Design dossier