LE MONDE À L'ENVERS

LE MONDE À LE'NVERS

By Rolando COLLA

PEACOCK - as PROD

Drama - Completed 1998

The film tells the story of a young woman in the 18th century, who sets off wearing mens’ clothes to discover the world and herself.

    • Year of production
    • 1998
    • Genres
    • Drama, Historical, Animation
    • Countries
    • SWITZERLAND, FRANCE, ITALY
    • Languages
    • FRENCH
    • Budget
    • 1 - 3 M$
    • Duration
    • 100 mn
    • Director(s)
    • Rolando COLLA
    • Writer(s)
    • Rolando COLLA, Hansjörg SCHERTENLEIB, Jean JOURDHEUIL
    • EIDR
    • 10.5240/0666-4574-1492-786A-2295-4
    • Producer(s)
    • Elena PEDRAZZOLI (Peacock AG), Hubert TOINT (Gaïa Film), Domenico PROCACCI (Fandango)
    • Synopsis
    • "Le monde à l'envers" begins in a Breton village in 1745, where the eight year-old Anne attends the public execution of a cockerel, who is accused of having laid an egg.
      Sixteen years later, the shepherd Yann Kérébel asks for her hand in marriage. Instinctively, Anne spurns him and runs away. Her father hurries after her, stick in hand, but it is Yann who finds her amid reeds on the banks of a swamp and wins her heart.
      When, however, Yann fails to appear on the day of the wedding because he has fallen into a well whilst drunk, Anne leaves the village feeling insecure and humiliated. She does so wearing her bridegroom's clothes; wearing men's clothes. With a piece of fabric torn from her wedding dress, she bandages her breasts.
      Later, having reached the coast, she is hired as a ship's boy by Jean-Pierre and gradually takes on the identity of a man.
      She befriends Nasser, a young Arab, and develops an ambiguous relationship to him.
      Doc, the ship's doctor discovers her true gender and informs the captain, who has handed over the command of the ship to Jean-Pierre in order to dedicate himself to the dictation of a fictitious travel journal. The captain has Anne brought to him. He locks her up and by twisted means offers her to become the woman of his dreams.
      But Anne starts a fire, threatens to destroy the captain's manuscript, and flees from the ship with Nasser.
      Anne and Nasser end up in a brothel in Marseilles, where they are tracked down by Jean-Pierre and where Anne kills a sailor in a knife fight. She flees with the prostitute Magali while Nasser is left behind, dead.
      The search for Anne begins. She, however, dons another set of men's clothes and enters into a feigned marriage with Magali. Anne becomes increasingly ambivalent and confused.
      When she finally confides in Magali, she is discovered asleep the next morning, naked, and is denounced by the neighbours. Anne Bruneau is condemned to death on counts of subversion, murder and homosexuality.
      Yann Kérébel has discovered that Anne has gone to sea. He crosses France on foot from Brittany to Marseilles to find his bride. Outside the prison, he knocks down Anne's confessor and penetrates into Anne's cell dressed as a monk. Anne has slit her wrists, but she is still alive when Yann finds her, takes her into his arms, and with her leaves the city.
    • Beginning of shooting
    • Jun 01, 1997