Raoul Ruiz directs this stunning, complex adaptation of the final volume of IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME, Marcel Proust's brilliant, epic masterwork. On his deathbed in 1922, Proust begins reflecting upon his past experiences, but the line between his actual life and the characters in his novels begins to blur together, until the two merges into one magical whole. The film features a seemingly endless barrage of extraordinary performances, as well as gorgeous photography by Ricardo Aronovich.

In 1922 France, the writer Marcel Proust is on his deathbed, scenes from the past flashing before his eyes. But what he is remembering is not his own life; he has become the narrator in a past filled with the characters and places of his fictional world. Director and cowriter Raoul Ruiz has fashioned a multilayered, complex, nonlinear examination of a writer who found more fulfillment in literature than in life. The author of the staggering landmark work REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST, Proust was not a literary success in his lifetime; thus, as he is dying, he looks back not on his own life but the marvelous, exciting life of his characters as they wander through the upper echelons of Parisian social and literary circles. This extended roman-a-clef world that Proust built, based on composites of real people, is rife with complicated family relationships, betrayals, and secret romances amid a fin de siecle aestheticism. Ruiz holds nothing back in interpreting a book that is notoriously difficult to film--as the narrator Marcel wanders through this fictional world, actions repeat, characters come to full stops or float effortlessly in the background, set designs change as the camera sweeps back and forth across rooms, and scenes come and go out of linear sequence. The acting, featuring John Malkovich, Catherine Deneuve, Vincent Perez, Marcello Mazzarella, and Emmanuelle Beart, is as complex and fascinating as the rest of this stunning adaptation.

Theatrical release: June 16, 2000 (NY)

TIME REGAINED was an official selection of the Cannes, New York, and Telluride Film Festivals.

The French title of the film is Le Temps retrouve. (note--acute accent on the final e.)
During the shooting of the film, each day's call sheet included a quote from Proust's writings.

Only one scene in the film was not taken from Proust--the scene in which the cup is broken.

Director Raoul Ruiz sees all of his previous films as having led up to this one; he considers it "an opera, a choral symphony."

Gene Seymour of Newsday, Philip French of The Guardian (U.K.), Armond White of the New York Press, and The Second Annual Village Voice Film Critics' Poll all named TIME REGAINED one of the top ten films of 2000.

DVD Features:

Region 0
Keep Case
Additional Release Material:
Theatrical Trailer
Interactive Features:
Scene Access
Interactive Menus

Catherine Deneuve: French actress
Emmanuelle Beart: French Actress
Vincent Perez: Actor
John Malkovich: American Actor/Producer
Pascal Greggory: Actor
Chiara Mastroianni: Actress
Marcello Mazzarella: NARRATOR OF TIME REGAINED

Raoul Ruiz: Chilean Director/Writer

Paulo Branco: Portuguese Producer

Raoul Ruiz: Chilean Director/Writer
Gilles Taurand: Screenwriter

Jorge Arriagada: Composer

Denise De Casabianca: Editor

"...Ruiz has approached that literarary Godzilla, Marcel Proust's REMEMBERANCE OF THINGS PAST, from the most challenging vantage point possible..."
"...Visually spectacular....Ravishing....TIME REGAINED is a tour de force, gorgeous yet stark..."
"...A poignant and fascinating meditation on the changes brought about by the passage of time. The film ends with scenes of haunting beauty..."
"...Anchored by a faultless, award-winning portrayal by Ahangarani in a most demanding role....[The] film is yet another reason why Iranian cinema is among the most vital and challenging in the world today..."
"...Impeccably filmed....The eternally glowing Beart and Catherine Deneuve make for lovely pieces de resistance..."