Esther Kahn

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Esther Kahn
Esther Kahn FilmPoster.jpeg
Directed by Arnaud Desplechin
Written by
Produced by Alain Sarde
Starring
Narrated by Ramin Gray
Cinematography Eric Gautier
Edited by
Music by Howard Shore
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • BAC Films (France)
  • Feature Film Company (United Kingdom)
Release dates
  • 18 May 2000 (2000-05-18)(Cannes)
  • 1 March 2002 (2002-03-01)(U.S.)
Running time
142 minutes
CountriesFrance
United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Esther Kahn is the first English-language film by the French director Arnaud Desplechin. It premiered at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival where it competed for the Palme d'Or, [1] but was not distributed to the United States for two years until it played in New York City in 2002. It stars Summer Phoenix as Esther and Ian Holm as her friend and teacher, Nathan Quellen.

Contents

Synopsis

Esther Kahn lives in London's East End at the end of the 19th century. She works as a seamstress with her Jewish family, but finds no satisfaction in it. Withdrawn and the target of her siblings' mockery, she remains uncertain about her future. One day, after attending a play, she decides to become an actress. Starting with background roles, minor parts, and understudy work, she gradually becomes self-sufficient. Under the mentorship of Nathan Quellen, a washed-up actor, she hones her skills—but still lacks real-life experience.

Cast

Production

Deplechin adapted the screenplay with regular collaborator Emmanuel Bourdieu from a short story by Arthur Symons of the same name from his book Spiritual Adventures. Summer Phoenix auditioned three times before she was offered the role of Esther. [2]

Reception

Initial reviews of the film were mixed. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 52%, based on 25 reviews. [3] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on 12 critics. [4]

Cahiers du cinéma named it the best film of 2000. [5] In 2010 it ranked 52nd on Film Comment's end of the decade critics poll. [6]

References

  1. "Festival de Cannes: Esther Kahn". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
  2. Rubin, Lauren (23 February 2002). "SUDDENLY, IT'S SUMMER The youngest of the Phoenix acting clan makes her mark in 'Esther kahn'". New York Daily News. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  3. "Esther Kahn". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  4. "Metacritic Esther Kahn Reviews". CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  5. Johnson, Eric C. "Cahiers du Cinema: Top Ten Lists 1951-2009". alumnus.caltech.edu. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  6. "Film Comment's End-of-the-Decade Critics' Poll". Film at Lincoln Center. Retrieved 2 June 2022.