The Eighth Day (film)
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| The Eighth Day Le huitième jour |
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|---|---|
| Directed by | Jaco Van Dormael |
| Produced by | Philippe Godeau Dominique Josset Eric Rommeluere |
| Written by | Jaco Van Dormael |
| Starring | Daniel Auteuil Pascal Duquenne Miou-Miou |
| Music by | Pierre Van Dormael |
| Cinematography | Walther van den Ende |
| Editing by | Susana Rossberg |
| Running time | 118 min |
| Country | Belgium |
| Language | French |
| IMDb profile | |
The Eighth Day (French: Le huitième jour) is a Belgian 1996 film that tells the story of the friendship that develops between two men who meet by chance. Harry (Daniel Auteuil), a divorced businessman who feels alienated from his children, meets Georges (Pascal Duquenne), an institutionalised man with Down syndrome, after Georges has escaped from his mental institution and is nearly run over by Harry.
The film was written and directed by Jaco Van Dormael. Some scenes in the film appear as dream sequences. The music of Luis Mariano is used in these scenes, with actor Laszlo Harmati playing Luis. (Luis died in 1970.) The original music score is from Pierre Van Dormael, Jaco's brother.
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[edit] Plot Summary
The film starts out with Georges giving viewers a brief description about what he believes to be the events of the seven days of creation. He believes that on the first day, "Il" (He/God) created the sun; on the second day, He created the sea and the earth; on the third day, He created music records; on the fourth day, He created television; on the fifth day, He created grass; on the sixth day, He created man; and on the seventh day, He rested. After the narrative, the title flashes across the screen in bold blue letters: The Eighth Day. The story unfolds how Harry meets Georges, and how Harry changes from a complicated man, to be fairly simple, like Georges. In the end however, Georges realizes he is being a liability, climbs to the roof with a case of chocolates (to which he is viciously allergic), and eats them. Then, having overdosed, he falls off the edge, yet laughing even in his last moments. The story ends with Harry reciting the lines said by Georges in the beginning, but adding the line, "On the eighth day, God created Georges, and he saw that it was good."
[edit] Cast
- Daniel Auteuil - Harry
- Pascal Duquenne - Georges
- Miou-Miou - Julie
- Henri Garcin - The director of the bank
- Isabelle Sadoyan - Georges' Mother
- Michele Maes - Nathalie
- Fabienne Loriaux - Fabienne
- Hélène Roussel - Julie's mother
- Alice van Dormael - Alice
- Juliette Van Dormael - Juliette
- Didier De Neck - Fabienne's husband
- Marie-Pierre Meinzel
- Sabrina Leurquin - Waitress in fast food restaurant
- Laszlo Harmati - Luis Mariano
[edit] Awards
This film was nominated for the Palme d'Or award, the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, in 1996. It did win the Best Actor award at the festival, which was given to both Pascal Duquenne and Daniel Auteuil. This was the first time in the festival's history that two actors had shared the award.
The film was also nominated for a César Award and a Golden Globe award.
