Center of Attention
Friday, June 27, 2003 - by Liz Smith

And another kind of movie has also been heard from this week although it won't be released until August. This one from the super successful and culturally upscale Merchant-Ivory/Radar team is "Le Divorce," based on the popular novel by Diane Johnson.

Ms. Johnson's agent, the elegant Lynn Nesbit, gave a special viewing of this delightful, beautiful movie the other eve before opening her new Park Avenue apartment to an all-Indian dinner laid on by the genial Ismail Merchant himself. Such worthies as Leslie Marshall and William Weld, Liz and Felix Robstyn, Shirlie and Abe Rosenthal, Carolyne Roehm, Alexandra and Arthur Schlesinger, and Sam Waterston, the "Law & Order" man, attended.

Set in Paris, "Le Divorce" has a cast to die for - Kate Hudson and Naomi Watts as all-American sisters, Jean-Marc Barr, Leslie Caron, Glenn Close, Stockard Channing, Romain Duris, Stephen Fry, Thomas Lennon, Thierry Lhermitte, Matthew Modine, Babe Netrwirth, Melvil Poupaud, Nathalie Richard and the great Mr. Waterston. Between them, these actors have four Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, one French Cesar and 10 Oscar nominations.

The Johnson novel has been worked for the screen by the brilliant Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and what we get is a froth of fun and heartbreak, a fantastic view of the French, the gorgeous mise en scene of Paris, and some of the funniest stuff I've ever enjoyed on screen. This is a simply exquisite, compelling film; your eyes never stray from the screen. The acting is top drawer and director James Ivory deserves kudos once again. Don't miss "Le Divorce" because they don't make' em like this anymore.