The Decline of the American Empire

1986 [FRENCH]

Action / Comedy / Drama

4
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 86% · 14 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 82% · 5K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.1/10 10 9075 9.1K

Director

Denys Arcand Photo
Denys Arcand

Top cast

Dominique Michel Photo
Dominique Michel as Dominique St. Arnaud
Pierre Curzi Photo
Pierre Curzi as Pierre
Daniel Brière Photo
Daniel Brière as Alain
Jean-Paul Bongo Photo
Jean-Paul Bongo as Mustafa
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
934.02 MB
1280*714
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  fr  
23.976 fps
1 hr 41 min
Seeds ...
1.69 GB
1920*1072
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  fr  
23.976 fps
1 hr 41 min
Seeds 9

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by iamwaitingyouremail 8 / 10

This movie is *not* about sex!

I never had a good reason to add a review to the existing ones on IMDb, but this time I was appalled by the lack of critical thinking displayed by the majority of the reviewers. This movie is *not* about sex, *not* about the sexual lives of the characters, and *not* about the battle of the sexes. As the title explicitly states, It is about the moral decline of a society, which in this particular case is made manifest through the over- indulging of the main characters on their sexual life and on their own personal gratification, at the expenses of their families, friends, and social group at large. This line of thought is made clear at the beginning of the movie. First, we see the main character – Remy – explaining the role of numbers in history, and claiming there is no place for morality in history, and thus drawing a line between personal and public history.We then see Diane – one of the main characters – interviewing Dominique – the chairperson of the History department – who has just written a book entitled "Changing Concepts of Happiness". She draws a parallel between the American society at large/Empire and the Roman Empire, arguing that the search for personal happiness is associated with the decline and fall of a society. When people are too concerned with seeking quick gratification of their appetites while ignoring their responsibilities within family and larger social group, society is doomed to collapse.And what we learn from the dialogues and the interactions that follow proves just that. What we see is that the lives of these so-called intellectuals are only marginally interested in history and the intellect. Their lives are centred around their never ending sex-hunt, and around the lies they consciously tell in order to hide the things that even according to their moral standards are considered rather unacceptable. Their relationships are fundamentally shallow and deceptive, and towards the end of the movie the whole sand castle comes crumbling down, and all is left is a huge nothingness, their nihilism, their lack of moral values and ideals. And so the story comes full circle while the characters sit together and listen to Dominique's interview, which reiterates the theme of decay, and is also the catalyst that will make the castle crumble down.The dialogues are absolutely brilliant, and it is perhaps easy to be absorbed and forget about the broader theme, and when the movie ends you are left with a sense of desolation, even desperation, the same feelings that permeate the character's lives.
Reviewed by dlipman 7 / 10

A Movie that Reflects the Social and Sxual Liberation of Quebec

Having lived and taught at a francophone public university in Montreal in the early 1970's, I found this movie (just recently available through Netflix) accurately reflecting the preoccupation with sexual liberation, sexual experimentation and gender equality among so many Quebecois. Starting in the 60's, and definitely continuing into the 70's, Quebecois totally overthrew centuries of social control exercised by a particularly conservative Catholic church. Except for the 17th century language with its unique pronunciation, and maybe "cabane-a-sucre" (maple syrup) parties in late winter, countless traditions and social hierarchies apparently were scrapped. I believe sexual exploration and questioning of authority went far deeper than in the US, at least among the many urban middle and working class young people I met in that period. Yes, "Decline ..." is wordy, but words have their own eroticism, and mind-body integration is a big part of the sexual liberation the characters were facing, for better or worse. If you like this movie don't miss the sequel, The Barbarian Invasions, which reexamines these characters from a (hopefully) more mature perspective, skillfully weaves death and desire, and is just a great movie.
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