''The Old Lady Who Walked in the Sea'' (French: ''La vieille qui marchait dans la mer'') is a 1991 French crime

comedy-drama film Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, illness, betrayal, grief, etc. ...

directed by

Laurent Heynemann Laurent may refer to: *Laurent (name), a French masculine given name and a surname **Saint Laurence (aka: Saint ''Laurent''), the martyr Laurent **Pierre Alphonse Laurent, mathematician **Joseph Jean Pierre Laurent, amateur astronomer, discoverer ...

and based on the novel by San Antonio ( Frédéric Dard.)

Jeanne Moreau Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. Mo ...

won the 1992

César Award for Best Actress Cesar or César may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''César'' (film), a 1936 French romantic drama * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt Places * Cesar, Portugal * Cesar Department, Colombia * Cesar River, in Colombia * Cesa ...

for her performance.

Cast

as Lady M *

Michel Serrault Michel Serrault (24 January 1928 – 29 July 2007) was a French stage and film actor who appeared from 1954 until 2007 in more than 130 films. Life and career His first professional job was in a touring production in Germany of Molière's '' Les ...

as Pompilius * Luc Thuillier as Lambert * Géraldine Danon as Noemie *

Jean Bouchaud Jean Bouchaud (1891 in Saint Herblain near Nantes – 1977 in Nantes) was a French painter. He was fascinated by travel since his childhood seeing ships from Africa call at Nantes. Apart from his travels in Africa and elsewhere, he also rece ...

as Mazurier * Marie-Dominique Aumont as Muriel * Hester Wilcox as Director's daughter * Léa Gabriele as Girl in Blue * Lara Guirao as Librarian *

Mattia Sbragia Mattia Sbragia (born 17 April 1952) is an Italian character actor. The son of the actor and stage director Giancarlo Sbragia and the actress Princess Esmeralda Ruspoli. He made his motion picture debut in 1974, in Franco Rossetti's ''Nipoti ...

as Stern

Reception

The film was not commercially successful in France, selling only 526,018 tickets. It received mixed reviews from critics. ''The New York Times'' called the film "cheerfully depraved", and said Moreau's performance "is a classic star turn that lends an essentially frivolous movie a surprising soulfulness." ''Empire'' said "Moreau sparkles as the domineering, violent but ironically godly Lady M: by turns becoming beautiful, tragically little-girl-lost, and almost frightening. Serrault is in equally fine fettle, as a kind of devious old innocent" but their verbal sparring "soon becomes really a tad tiresome." ''TV Guide'' called it "an entertaining character study that leans too heavily on Moreau's physical ruin but compensates with the sharp -- but seldom bitter -- dialogue." ''Time Out'' remarked that "Heynemann's mainstream comedy has surprisingly dark undercurrents - it's a caper movie which dares to ebb from time to time."

Awards and nominations

César Awards The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Min ...

**Won: Best Actress – Leading Role (Jeanne Moreau)

References

1991 films 1990s French-language films Films featuring a Best Actress César Award–winning performance Films about con artists Films scored by Philippe Sarde 1990s crime comedy-drama films French crime comedy-drama films 1990s French films {{1990s-France-film-stub