The Decline of the American Empire

The Decline of the American Empire
Directed by	Denys Arcand
Written by	Denys Arcand
Starring	Dominique Michel Dorothée Berryman
Release dates	June 19, 1986
Running time	101 min.
Language	French

The Decline of the American Empire or Le Déclin de l'empire américain (in original French) is a Canadian comedy/drama film directed by Denys Arcand and released in 1986. It was followed by a critically-acclaimed sequel, Les Invasions barbares, released in 2003.

Synopsis

Eight intellectual friends: four men and four women from the Université de Montréal department of history, prepare to have dinner together. The ensuing conversations range from their professional lives to politics, but primarily concern their sexual exploits. The group has plans to gather at a secluded house for dinner. While the four men prepare the food and reflect on their promiscuity, the four women discuss their own affairs at a nearby gym. At the dinner table, conflicts soon arise when Dominique reveals that she herself has had affairs with two of the men there -- one of whom is married to Louise (also present).

Awards

The film won 9 Genie Awards in 1987, including Best Motion Picture, Best Achievement in Direction, Best Original Screenplay, Best Achievement in Film Editing, and the Golden Reel Award.

In 2004, Le Déclin de l'empire américain was honoured as a MasterWork by the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada.

Cast

• Dominique Michel: Dominique
• Dorothée Berryman: Louise
• Louise Portal: Diane
• Pierre Curzi: Pierre
• Rémy Girard: Rémy
• Yves Jacques: Claude
• Geneviève Rioux: Danielle
• Daniel Brière: Alain
• Gabriel Arcand: Mario

See also

• Culture of Quebec
• Cinema of Quebec
• List of Quebec movies
• Quebec

External links

• Le Déclin de l'empire américain at IMDb
• AVTrust.ca - The Decline of the American Empire, MasterWorks (2004) (video clip)