User Reviews

The choice of Robert Pattinson as the hero, or antihero of Guy de Maupassant's novel is probably the main reason for the overall failure of the movie adaptation. Missing the artistic maturity necessary to sustain the depth of a complex character, he seems to feel uncomfortable in his role, and whereas at the beginning his pale, embarrassed face and posture may be suitable for the part of a former poor soldier entering the glittering world of high society, once he is part of it, those same face and posture reveal his true feeling ill at ease in what is a totally unsuitable role for him. That's why the story, centred on his figure, develops in a boring, pedantic way, showing no punch and no real pathos, in search for a bounce that never comes. Nothing to say against the brilliant female performances,the frivolous Christina Ricci is the only one who enlivens the pale and inexpressive face of Georges, but Uma Thurman and Kristin Scott Thomas compete for the best performance, the first perfect in the role of the ambiguous Madeleine, and the latter courageous in her role of an ageing married woman, losing her mind for a young lover, and the last scene with her dressed in black at her daughter's marriage to Georges proves the only vivid moment within the whole picture.

Robert Pattinson is probably trying very hard to shake off his glittering vampire role in Twilight that had earned him millions of fans and followers worldwide, opting to play a shady character who's not very talented, but possessing enough good looks to tempt and seduce his way up the social ladder in 20th century Paris, and to chase fame and fortune by milking the right female connections in his established network. He's a cad with a capital C, without much of a plan except to sleep his way to get what he wants.

The story, by Rachel Bennette based on the 1885 French novel by Guy de Maupassant, deals with the notion of how far good looks can get one ahead in life when one is without much talent or smarts, having a number of doors that can be opened from a simple praise, or a smile, and to have urges satisfied by being emotionally and physically available, even if the former mindset and actions are nothing more than a little play pretense.

This is the classic rags to riches story and the story about insatiable greed in always wanting something more, or someone more beautiful. Pattinson plays Georges Duroy, an impoverished man who just came back from the war front, and given a leg up in life when he runs into an old acquaintance who himself is married to old money. Pattinson almost sets his eye on his friend's wife Madeleine Forestler (Uma Thurman), if not for her to spurn his advances and to set the record straight that she's there only to help him initially in his job as a columnist..

It is Madeleine's doing however, to set him off into the arms of her friend Clotilde de Marelle (Christina Ricci), whose husband is almost always out of town, and soon both Georges and Clotilde become adulterous lovers, made all the more convenient when Clotilde gets their own love nest where they can carry out their illicit affair. In effect Clotilde becomes his sugar mommy, and of course tongues will start to wag and Georges becomes increasingly erratic in not able to control his emotions, before ruining a life that's perfectly set up. But second chances always present themselves, and Georges couldn't get it any better with being reinstated in his job thanks to Virginie Walters (Kristin Scott Thomas), and ultimately being able to get married to Madeleine.

But life isn't all that rosy, with Madeleine spending a lot of time on politics behind the scenes of a revolution spear-headed by the newspaper and editors Georges works for, and herself having her own lovers that Georges was warned way early of, and when Georges starts to plot, things get very ugly indeed as his true colours start to show, emotionally breaking Virginie, and unleashing his vengeance on Madeleine, made all the more worst when he felt he had been played out of a huge chunk of wealth, and going after the innocence of Suzanne Rousset (Holliday Grainger) as revenge against her father and his one-time corporate nemesis.

And the surprise package here is Pattinson. Sure we can take out potshots and laugh at his turn as the glittering, pale vampire involved in a romance that doesn't know when to call it quits, but his effort here as the amorous and the evil Georges Duroy is something to sit up and take notice. But of course the women surrounding him all made him look good as well, with Christina Ricci being relatively underrated here as a woman desperate for true love, while Uma Thurman does quite the about turn now from her early debut during Dangerous Liaisons, progressing from what was once the equivalent of a Suzanne Rousset, to an ambitious woman who will do what it takes to secure a stake in the power play amongst men. Kristin Scott Thomas is perhaps the most underused here, only appearing in a handful of scenes toward the end, playing the most vulnerable of the female characters bearing full brunt of Georges Duroy at his most despicable.

Directors Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod has quite a classy film in their hands, with lush sets and costumes transporting the reader instantly to a period Paris, and with the quality of cast at their disposal, delivered an intensely engaging drama about the temptation and seduction of power, and the incessant obsession with the climbing of the social ladder given the promises of fame and fortune that comes automatically with the ascension of each rung. Recommended!

Twihards insists that critics are unreasonably harsh on the virtues of Robert Pattinson, but notice that they don't rally enough enthusiasm to actually see any of his non-Twilight flicks such, I suspect this is because they realize that there youthful infatuation does not out way the fact that pictures such as Remember Me are not any good, and possibly they also understand that Pattinson himself is no better than the material. In Bel Ami, he is actually given very good material, based on Guy de Maupassant's 1895 novel, but he is merely only the weakest link in speciously poorly made movie.

Pattinson plays Georges Duroy, a literary rogue, a skillfully charming social climber, or as de Maupassant himself subtitled his book, "the history of a scoundrel." Here he is transformed by Pattinson into a thoroughly unlikable reprobate, who's unreasonably smug and arrogant, a womanizer and a manipulator, it would be a stretch to call this guy an anti-hero. Pattinson lacks the necessary charisma to pull off such a role, think of Johnny Depp in The Libertine a few years back, he seems ill-at ease here, as if he understands that the material is staggeringly out of his depth.

A capable supporting cast comes across mostly badly for one reason or another. Uma Thurman is primed and proper, but has to wobble her way through some horrendous dialogue. Kristen Scott Thomas plays frigid better than any other actress I know, oddly enough, a British actress, she has been a lot more warm and human in some recent French language films. Here she has little to do, but does successfully manage to exert great empathy for her repressive and shrewish character, but she also manages to remain unmoving and their for dull. Colm Meaney and Philip Glenister, two good actors, play the other men in Pattinson's vehicle, this may explain why they fail to get any dynamic scenes or many scenes for that matter away from the dull lead. Only Christina Ricci adds any spark in a spirited supporting turn, but her role is only one dimensional, she comes across more like someone's pet than as a fully developed human being.

The proceedings unfold so monotonously, that at one point Pattinson utters the line "this is so boring this endless to and fro." You don't get any more surreal than when movie characters start uttering your own inner thoughts. Everything fails to liven the surroundings, the sex is passionless, the character's motivations either unpleasantly despicable or maidenly vague. No wonder Pattinson is famous for playing a vampire, he is perhaps the most bloodless actor I have seen in ages, these days he's outclassed by Daniel Radcliffe.

Adapted by Rachel Bennette and directed by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, first time directors, who like most virgins know the basic moves, but lack the skills to be fully satisfying. Set in and around Paris at the end of the 19th century, the details look good, though pretentiously photographed by Stefano Falivene, it is filled with what one character calls "astonishing depths of emptiness." Pattinson has recently formed a partnership with legendary cult director David Cronenberg, they have a finished film title that I greatly anticipate titled Cosmopolis set for US release in August, after that they have another film in development. Maybe Cronenberg sees something in Pattinson that has been missing up until now on screen, but will fans ever warm to the actor outside of his popular franchise, I don't have the answer, but one thing that is for sure, it wont start with Bel Ami, a beggar's version of Dangerously Liaisons.

There is something to be said about a character we know we're not going to like from the very start, and who spends an entire film working towards making us like him even less. Such a man is Georges Duroy (Robert Pattinson), who, in "Bel Ami," connives his way up the social ladder of late nineteenth century Paris in a selfish and cruel effort to not be poor. Never once does he tempt us to see things from his perspective or to sympathize with him, for he makes it clear that his sense of morality has been permanently warped. From the audience's point of view, that does not make him any less fascinating or hypnotic a character; the filmmakers understand that his handsome features and unrelenting coldness can be used as weapons against us, inspiring curiosity and perhaps even lust in the minds of the decent. He's alluring by virtue of the fact that he's heartless.

You can sense throughout the film an undercurrent of Choderlos de Laclos' novel "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" and the stage and screen adaptations it has inspired, most notably Stephen Frears' 1988 film "Dangerous Liaisons." But unlike the Vicomte de Valmont, who destroyed love lives purely for the sport of it, Georges Duroy's uses his amorality as a defense mechanism against his own upbringing. As the son of peasants, he has seen the indignity of scraping together a worthless existence. He uses his unseen father as an example, a man he claims worked his fingers to the bone with only the hope that the next life will be better. "It's not enough to be loved," he says in a controlled fury to one of his lovers. She does not understand where he's coming from. "I've seen a man die," he tells her. "I am going to live. It's so clear to me."

At the start of the film, Duroy is a lowly railway clerk who barely makes enough to get a beer at the local can-can bar. This is after having served several years in the military, which included a tour in Algeria. One night, while prowling the bar for an opportunity, he just happens to bump into his former comrade, Charles Forestier (Philip Glenister), now the successful political editor of "La Vie Française" – the newspaper, he claims, that brings down the government. Duroy is gentle but direct as he attempts to manipulate Forestier into sharing his financial connections. Taking the bait, Forestier gives Duroy his business card with his home address, two coins for buying an evening suit, and a verbal invitation to dinner. Although Duroy does come to dinner dressed to the nines, we clearly see him using Forestier's money on a prostitute.

When he first arrives at Forestier's opulent townhouse, Duroy all at once meets the three women that will in one form or another prove beneficial to him on his ascent to power and wealth. One is Forestier's wife, Madeleine (Uma Thurman), whose political connections are just as dangerous as they are extensive. Another is Madeleine's friend, Virginie Rousset (Kristen Scott Thomas), the wife of Monsieur Rousset (Colm Meaney), the owner and chief editor of "La Vie Française." And then there's another friend, Clotilde de Marelle (Christina Ricci), who in due time will become Duroy's main lover, despite having absolutely no interest in politics. Clotilde's unseen husband, apparently a man of great wealth, is usually away from home for long periods, making liaisons between Clotilde and Duroy possible. Her young daughter comes to like Duroy almost immediately and bestows him with the nickname Bel Ami.

Because of a convenient twist of fate I won't reveal, Duroy and Madeline are able to marry. It's because of her that he's able to land and maintain a writing position at "La Vie Française"; he's barely literate, so she writes his articles for him, feverishly taking cues from the latest political gossip regarding an upcoming invasion of Morocco. Their mutual attempts at one-upsmanship are surprisingly difficult to make sense of, and it only gets more complicated with the addition of a prominent political figure named Francois Laroche (James Lance). As their marriage grows increasingly icy, Duroy continues his affair with Clotilde, the one woman he seems genuinely interested in. As a form of revenge against his wife, Duroy will start an affair with the insecure Virginie, made all the more scandalous by the fact that she has never been someone's mistress.

Although the plot is apt to meander and is not especially compelling, especially when yet another romantic subplot is added to the mix during the final act, "Bel Ami" does possess a certain seductive charm. In part it's because of the elegant set and costume designs, but mostly it's because of the performances. Pattinson's take on a mannered scoundrel is intriguingly nuanced; we pay more attention to the malicious words his character isn't speaking, betrayed by the slightest smirks and subtlest nods of the head. Ricci is in especially good form, which is nothing short of amazing given the fact that her character is hard to read. No one – not her, not Duroy, and certainly not the audience – understands why she keeps coming back to him. All we do know is that, given his complete lack of scruples and his callous toying of the human heart, he does not deserve her.

-- Chris Pandolfi (www.atatheaternearyou.net)

The movie is centered in life of a young man in the city of Paris, whose characterization is made by Robert Pattinson. The first half of the story seems to be a little slow paced, and made me wonder if it would ever engage, since apparently there was no interesting character or situation. However, after the first half, it seems that everything starts to work very well, and the film finally involves the audience-- mainly after Mr. Forestier's death. Mostly of that is due to the good acting of Pattinson, who proves to have improved considerably since his inexpressive acting in 2011's "Water for Elephants". Also, directing is something to be appreciate in here; directors are professional in delivering some tense scenes that suggest much of characters' thoughts. The sex scenes feel real, and I like the way characters touch each other before the "act" itself-- you know what I mean. The supporting cast is maybe better than average, and Clotilde's character was professionally played by Christina Ricci. It is indeed interesting to notice how the society was chauvinist; Duroy could sleep with as many women as he wanted to, but once he finds out that Madeleine was also cheating on him, he just freaks out. Even thought society has changed a lot in that aspect since the year this movie is supposed to represent, the situation I just mentioned still happens a lot-- at least where I live. All in all, "Bel Ami" proves to be a decent piece of work that didn't have the attention it deserved, to say the least.

The quote used in the caption for this review is form the writer of the novel on which this film BEL AMI is based - Guy de Maupassant, whose stories are characterized by their economy of style and efficient, effortless dénouement. In many ways that quote summarizes the plot of this story.

BEL AMI is set in Paris in the upper-middle class environment of the leading journalists of the newspaper La Vie Française and their friends. It tells the story of Georges Duroy (Robert Pattinson), who has spent three years of military service in Algeria. After six months working as a clerk in Paris, an encounter with his former comrade, Forestier (Philip Glenister), enables him to start a career as a journalist. From a reporter of minor events and soft news, he gradually climbs his way up to chief editor. Duroy initially owes his success to Forestier's wife (Uma Thurman) who helps him write his first articles and, when he later starts writing lead articles, she adds an edge and poignancy to them. At the same time, she uses her connections among leading politicians to provide him with behind the scenes information which allows him to become actively involved in politics. Duroy is also introduced to many politicians in Madame Forestier's drawing-room. Duroy becomes the lover of Forestiers' friend Clotilde Marelle (Christina Ricci), another influential woman. Duroy later tries to seduce Madeleine Forestier to get even with her husband, but she repulses Duroy's sexual advances and offers that they become true friends without ulterior motives instead. In a few months, Charles Forestier's health deteriorates and he travels to Cannes to regain it. Soon afterwards, Duroy receives a letter from Madeleine imploring him to come to join her and help her bear the last moments of her husband's life. As Forestier dies, Duroy asks Madeleine to marry him. After a few weeks to consider, she agrees. Georges now signs his articles Du Roy (an aristocratic style of French name) in order to add prestige to his name. The married couple travel to Normandy, the region of Georges's childhood, and meet his peasant parents. Finding the reality different than her romantic expectations, Madeleine feels very uncomfortable with his parents and so their stay with them is short. In the newspaper office, Duroy is ridiculed for having his articles written by his wife, just as the late Forestier had his articles written by her. His newspaper colleagues call him 'Forestier', which drives Georges mad and he suddenly becomes heavily jealous of Madeleine, insisting that she admit having been unfaithful to Forestier, but she never does.

In order to suppress the stings of jealousy, Duroy starts an affair with Mme Virginie Walter (Kristin Scott Thomas), the wife of the owner of the newspaper. He especially enjoys the conquest as he is her first extramarital lover. Later on, however, he regrets the decision, for he cannot get rid of her when he does not want her. Duroy's relations with his wife become chillier, and at one point he takes a police superintendent to a flat in which his wife is meeting a minister. They catch the two in the act of adultery, which was then a crime punishable under the law.

Duroy's ascent to power continues. Duroy, now a single man, makes use of his chief Rousset (Colm Meaney) daughter's (Holliday Grainger) infatuation with him, and arranges an elopement with her. The parents then have no other choice but to grant their assent to the marriage. The last chapter shows Duroy savouring his success at the wedding ceremony at which 'all those who figured prominently in society' were present. His thoughts, however, chiefly belong to Mme de Marelle who, when wishing him all the best, indicates that she has forgiven him for his new marriage and that their intimate meetings can be taken up again.

Directors Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod are novices and the pacing of the film could use some polish. The sets and costumes are the stars and the musical score by both Rachel Portman and Lakshmam Joseph De Saram and cinematography by Stefano Falivene mange to create the atmosphere of La Belle Epoque well. The cast is strong, though the title role of Georges Duroy (aka Bel Ami) feels undercast: Robert Pattinson lacks the depth of subtlety in his current acting skill to be convincing as the poor cad of this rags to riches via abuse of women role. It will be interesting to see if this film will last once it is released in theaters. Grady Harp, May 12

No person can like this movie if they have even hint of an idea of the character portrayed in the novel. It was a bad casting job specially Robert Pattinson, he acted as there is a grief or dark secret he is hiding rather than that of determination (I think he is still living as Edward Cullen). I would have preferred Jude Law playing this role. Rest of the actors do an OK job, the only outstanding acting bit is seen by Kristen Scott Thomas and a surprise role by Christina Ricci. The director of the movie didn't establish that Buroy wanted to go up in the social stature rather than it more looked like a money issue only. Moreover, throughout the movie it appeared that Duroy is having sex with other women because he is not sure of his wife's loyalty rather than to gain favors and power. A disappointing rendition of the novel.

Bel Ami is an intriguing film. To me, its most interesting aspect is the Uma Thurman character's need to express herself and her frustration at being blocked career-wise from doing so. She very creatively uses Pattinson,the male lead, as a conduit /front for her ideas and insights. While he is busy fooling around with the ladies in some foolish attempt to get back at the rich guys he envied, he is oblivious to how bright, insightful and liberated Uma Thurman is and how creatively she is using him. The scene where he is ignoring her pain at losing her good friend (the Count) and is focused only on his pride and money, was beautifully done. Guy DeMaupassant wrote Bel Ami in the late 1800s. It's impressive how insightful he was about the plight of women at that time. Pattinson surprised me. He showed a bit of range and texture--a nice step up from his insipid work in the vampire series (albeit the poor scripts were tough to work with).

Talking to a friend recently about films she was keen on taking a look at,I got told about an interesting-sounding Costume Drama starring Robert Pattinson.With having recently been impressed by Pattinson's performance in the gritty Post-Apocalypse film The Rover,I decided that it was the perfect time to uncover The History of a Scoundrel.

The plot:

Paris 1890-

Penniless since he left the battle field, soldier Georges Duroy is happy to run into his wealthy old friend Charles Forestier.Sad to see how poor his friend has become,Forestier decides to invite Duroy to stay with him and his wife Mrs. Madeleine Forestier.Taken by Duroy's charms,Madeleine introduces Duroy to her friends Clotilde de Marelle & Virginie Rousset.Learning that Charles now edits a newspaper,Duroy decides to take advantage of Madeleine and her pals attraction to him,as Duroy sets his sights on leaving his penniless life behind.

View on the film:

Whilst some of the dialogue sounds far too modern for late 1800s Paris, Rachel Bennette's adaptation of Guy de Maupassant's novel,does well at painting a cruel atmosphere,thanks to Bennette showing the desire for power to be the fuel behind all of Georges Duroy's relationships.Taking a slightly anthology style approach to each of Duroy's liaisons, Bennette is disappointingly unable to give the relationships any feeling of depth,due to Bennette giving the characters an outline which is only skin deep,which also causes Duroy's rise to power to feel rather abrupt,and not reaching the dark dramatic notes that the film desires.

Transferring from the stage to the cinema, directors Nick Ormerod & Declan Donnellan superbly use deep rich blues to show the riches that Duroy is gathering for himself,which are haunted by a dark charcoal blacks,which are slowly draped over the film,as Duroy discovers the lies behind his riches.Along with the strong blues & blacks,the directors also give the movie an elegant sheen of light greens and yellows,which make the surprisingly graphic sex scenes sparkle.

Surrounded by a dazzling array of girls, (all of whom look stunning,esp when naked!) Robert Pattinson (who makes sure that it is not all one-sided,by also appearing naked in the film) gives a very good performance as Georges Duroy,thanks to Pattinson showing Duroy's swagger to be one that hides a fear over returning to the bottom of the ladder.Giving Duroy a major bed/step up to power, Uma Thurman gives a wonderful performance as Madeleine Forestier,with Thurman bringing a dominating sass out of Forestier,as Duroy discovers that he has become a scoundrel of history.