User Reviews

Gauthier Valence is a successful actor. He plays in a prime time soap opera which earns him enough glory to be recognized in the streets and markets and enough money to allow him to put on stage the most ambitious production any French actor dreams about – Moliere's Le Misanthtrope. Of course he sees himself in the lead role of Alceste, but for the second role of the play, Philinte, he wants to get the participation of his friend, Serge Tanneur, who retired a few years before in a remote corner of France, on the shores of the Atlantic. When traveling to obtain his friend's (and maybe rival) participation in the production he will find not only that Serge believes that he is the one fit for the lead role, but also that in order to enroll him he will need to engage in a game of rehearsals, first for one day, then for the rest of the week. Did Serge really give up acting, or is he playing a game of power with his old friend and rival, who apparently has so different conceptions about life and acting? Who is the playwright, who is the director, who is the actor in this play?

The series of rehearsals that the two actors play occupy much and the best part of the film. I am just sorry that I did not know how important a role the text of Moliere plays in this film, I would have read it before, as the feelings of the two characters are often expressed by the two actors using the replicas of the play and through the way they act alternatively the roles of Alceste and Philinte. It is amazing how fascinating are the scenes where we see the two men working together and confronting each other. Their role swapping is at the same time a fight for control and a way of marking the differences in their approaches towards acting and towards life, it defines the relation with the other characters (yes, there are several women in the story and one of them plays a relatively small but key role – cherchez la femme), and the complex relations of respect, rivalry and friendship between the two of them.

'Alceste a bicyclette' (English title – Cycling with Moliere) directed by Philippe Le Guay is the second excellent French film that I see in the time of a few weeks (the other one was the Allen-esque 'Dans la maison'), and the lead actor (as Serge Taneur) is again Fabrice Luchini who is also a co-author of the script. His partner is Lambert Wilson whose figure is maybe recognizable from a number of Hollywood productions, but who really gets here a great role in the tradition of the French theater and cinema. There is some good camera work by Jean-Claude Larrieu using the fabulous beaches at the Atlantic and the endless roads with the heroes riding bicycles, but most of the action takes place between the walls of the decrepit and overpriced house where the two actors rehearse Moliere. It may be the dream of any French actor to play Moliere or a play turning around Moliere's texts. It is the dream of any lover of French cinema and theater to see such a film. But better come prepared. Read Le Misanthrope first!

A once great actor, Serge Tanneur (Fabrice Luchini), has retired from the limelight, in the process becoming a misanthrope not unlike Molière's famous character. For the past three years he has lived in solitude on the Île de Ré, spending his time cycling through the windswept landscape. He rejects society so much that he refuses to connect his septic tank to the main sewage pipe network. As a result, his house stinks. (Later, after the movie has been watched, this is revealed to have been a harbinger of the tragedy to come, but at this point of the movie it is comedic.) Fellow actor Gauthier Valence (Lambert Wilson), whose career is flying high, is planning a production of Molière's play Le Misanthrope and wants to offer Serge, first the second role, then, after Serge's insistence that he would only play the title role, the title role in rotation.

Instead of committing, Serge suggests they rehearse together for the week, and Gauthier changes his plans and withdraws from his appointments and obligations for the better part of the week. Almost secluded, the two rehearse the play rotating the title role among them. It is never clear whether Serge will accept, or whether he has really become a misanthrope who relishes at exposing other peoples' real or just made up weaknesses. The scenes where they rehearse together are magnificent ---high quality theater-in-a-movie---, the scenery is superb. The viewer is captivated, and begins to relax enjoying the star actors' theatrical performances. The film is replete with satire to the emptiness of modernity, for example when the young beautiful girl who is currently a rising porn actress (with her family's and boyfriend's approval) is revealed to have real Molière actress potential. For the greater part, it looks and feels like a cultivated bitter-sweet comedy of manners, not unlike Molière's original. But gradually then suddenly, the comedy of manners morphs into a full-blown psychological drama, as Serge is revealed to be less of Molière's charming character and more of a modern-day psychotic intent on destructing the conventions and indeed the basic human empathy that together hold the social fabric. Gauthier is also revealed to have faults, as do all of us (quote Molière), but, unlike Serge and like Molière's character, he gradually acknowledges them (if he had not already done from the beginning), and this makes him human and in the end likable. It helps that the actor's real person naturally emits a subtle melancholic charm.

Alceste à bicyclette pays tribute to France's greatest playwright. It pays tribute to the beauty of 17th century French language (the fact that at this writing there are no French subtitles available is a tribute to the inability of France's cultural bureaucracy to direct a trifle of funds where they might have the greatest effect). And it is a great movie in its own right. It may be acknowledged to have been a piece célèbre of a new cinematic genre, namely a comedy of manners gradually morphing into a psychological drama. Superb scenario. Magnificent performances by Fabrice Luchini and Lambert Wilson: this is a movie based not on special effects but on theatrical acting (content and notion being conveyed by diction) and cinematic acting (content and notion being conveyed by subtle facial expressions). One gets a feeling why the Comédie Française has maintained such a hold on European high culture for so long a time. Blessed be France's cinematic industry for churning out gems like that year after year.

This is an intelligent film, a rather sour, grown-up comedy that captures something of the misanthropic theme of the Molière play that has a large role in it. But you really don't need to be familiar with "The Misanthrope" (1666) to enjoy this film. It does help, however, if you love good acting, are a bit of a francophile, and are prone to occasional bouts of contempt for your fellow human beings.

Once you begin to note the key differences in the temperaments of these two old friends, the scope of the film expands. It's about the continued relevance of classic drama thanks to unchanging human nature. It's about the art of acting itself, the struggle to nail one's character through a peculiar mixture of repetition and imagination. It's about the problem of casting roles, about why actors, however experienced and ambitious they might be, just cannot play certain parts credibly. It's about how popular entertainers are rewarded handsomely for allowing their audience to avoid confronting the flaws in human nature. And it's about the line between success and failure in life and in love, and how, Hollywood notwithstanding, having real talent and genuine feeling is no guarantee of a happy outcome.

The setting on the windswept Atlantic island (Ile de Ré) is used to great effect as a way of concentrating the concealed hostility between the two main characters. And there is a lovely homage to a scene in François Truffaut's most famous film that should please film buffs. This is a literate film and one which Truffaut himself would surely have admired.

A nice story about two friends, acting and relationships. It's a mature theme, with some clichés thrown in of course (like these young kids, no respect for art and stuff like that). But it's about a story that may relate more to some than others. The friendship displayed is always on thin ice, especially when it comes to the theme of love, where people are easily divided.

But it's also about guilt, about humans and behavior as it is about vanity and wanting to have things (greed) that others might get. It's about a lot of things and it juggles them well. It's tough to feel for one more than the other. But it's nicely told, if you are into that thing.

Philippe Le Guay has cut his film to fit the talent of Fabrice Luchini in his 2014 Bicycling with Moliere. Luchini is hardly a household name in the US, but he is a welcome, much appreciated and feted actor in Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals. His distinctive voice is not unknown in Africa, Latin America and Asia. To give the American English speakers an idea of his talent, Luchini measures, as a classical and cinema actor, up to John Gielgud. Serge Tanneur (Luchini), after a long career in theatre, withdraws to splendid solitude in an island off the French coast. Gauthier Valence (Lambert Wilson) comes to the island to woo his friend Serge back to the stage in Moliére's Le Misanthrope, a play that Tanneur has often played during his 30-year career.

Valence suggests that Tanneur play as against type the role of Philint, and he takes the plum role of Alceste, the Misanthrope.

Serge at first rebuffs his friends, but Valance, a star in a successful soap opera, offers a tempting off of alternating roles, a novel idea that would guarantee the play's box-office success.

And so the stage is set as the two friends personify the modern Alceste (Luchini) and Philint (Wilson) in their personal relationship.

And so, Serge puts Valance through his paces whilst bicycling through the high- and byways of the island.

Like Philint, Valence cares for Alceste, his acerbic friend Tanneur. As the film rolls on, it is obvious to everyone but Valence, he is not up to the central role of Le Misanthrope. Still Serge walks him through his paces, correcting his pronunciation to fit the Alexandrine metre the play is written, as well as its complexities of the play. And yet, Valence muddles the script.

In a closing scene, we see Luchini wearing the 16-century dress of Alceste peddling towards a cocktail party to confront Philinth whom he feels has betrayed him.

And he parts company with Valance by refusing to play no role but that of Alceste., thereby underscoring he is a modern Alceste who not only in a vein of irony and bitter-comic relief pointing out flaws in the human character, but also shuts out any reconciliation, not a resolution to the weaknesses of man.

As the camera zooms in on Luchini sitting alone of a beach, he recites with a touch of pathos,

"My hate is general, I detest all men; Some because they are wicked and do evil, Others because they tolerate the wicked, Refusing them the active vigorous scorn Which vice should stimulate in virtuous minds."

A popular TV actor with presumed artistic aspirations, the character of Gauthier Valence, travels to an island off the west coast of France to solicit a former acting companion, the reclusive, ill-tempered character of Serge Tanneur, to join him in a stage production of Moliere's The Misanthrope. Tanneur is retired, and says he hates acting and actors, but eventually agrees to at least rehearse with Valence for four days. Based on a daily coin flip, they will alternate the roles of Alceste (the "Misanthrope" who detests the hypocrisies of social life and rebukes men's dishonesty toward each other) and Philinte (who argues for a necessary role in social life of courtesies and half-truths). One might simplify things by labeling Alceste as the idealist and Philinte as the realist. At the end of the brief rehearsals Tanneur will decide whether he will participate in the production, and if he does the two actors have agreed (are they companions? rivals?) to rotate the parts on a daily basis.

To me, the fascinating part of this film was how the two characters submerged / transformed their interaction and emerging rivalry into the two characters of Moliere's play and the echoed interaction of the play's characters onto their own relationship. As they rehearsed, it seemed like Moliere's lines were reflecting aspects of their own interrelationship, which to me was clever screen writing. We also see during these stimulating two-person readings, a subtle evolution of their acting relationship from one of apparent agreement and collaboration to one of ego tests and indirect humiliations. Does the play come off? I believe you can enjoy this film without being familiar with The Misanthrope. I hadn't seen it performed in 30 years, and yet I could appreciate the juxtaposition of Moliere's play and the interaction of these two actors.

This is a first-rate movie. I've seen it four or five times by now - I am using it in a class - and each time I watch it, I marvel anew at the talent of the two lead actors, two stars of today's French cinema, Lambert Wilson and Fabrice Lucchini, and the quality of the script.

One could summarize it by saying that it is the story of two actors who rehearse for a touring production of Molière's masterpiece, The Misanthrope. One, Serge, played by Lucchini, has become bitter in his lonely retirement. The other, Gauthier, is a financial and romantic success, but wants to accomplish something worthy of his artistic merits as well. In the course of rehearsing the play, both find that the words Molière gave to his misanthropic protagonist, Alceste, allow them to express their own growing hatred of the world around them.

If you don't know the play, I don't know how much of an effect this movie will make. Since the play is one of the classics of French theater, the director and producer could assume that many in their French audience would remember the play from their school days, the way at least some Americans are able to remember something about Hamlet from high school, and so understand what the two male leads are doing. If, because you don't know Molière's play, you can't do that, I don't know what you will get out of this very fine film.

"Alceste à bicyclette" is about two actors. One is Gauthier Valance (Lambert Wilson), a handsome actor who is currently the star of a medical drama on TV. The second is Serge Tanneur (Fabrice Luchini), a retired old school actor who now lives a hermit-like life on a small resort town.

Valance planned to stage celebrated French playwright Moliere's ultimate classic play entitled "The Misanthrope." Valance wanted to play the lead role Alceste, and was coaxing Tanneur out of retirement to play the secondary role of Philinte. Tanneur could not make up his mind and convinced Valance to stay on for a week, so they can practice reading the play, each actor alternating in each role.

However, an Italian divorcée named Francesca (Maya Sansa) gets into the picture and drives the story of the two actors from its multiple scenes of rehearsals to its climax and resolution.

I knew no French, and had to rely on English translations. I am pretty sure that a lot of the humor and drama was lost in the translation. The other problem is the fact that I did not know "The Misanthrope" nor about Moliere himself. So I am sure I am also missing out on a lot of nuances in the conversations between the two guys.

This movie is all about passion -- the consuming passion of Tanneur about Moliere, in particular. I can try to understand it of course, but I am sure I would appreciate it more had I known more about the playwright and his works.

French director Philippe Le Guay's Alceste à Bicyclette / Bicycling with Molière is based on actor Fabrice Luchini's original idea. The film is all about actors, their homes, moods, relationships and worlds. The scenario is written in such a manner that this film is also able to discuss the concepts of "good actor" versus "bad actor". They make viewers discover that all actors are absolutely conscious of their image. There is one major thing which all viewers can easily identify in the film. It is related to some actors and their essential need of personal space especially due to their being popular on television. Apart from actors and acting, Bicycling with Molière throws light on how the presence of a woman impacts male bonding. In many ways, it can be construed as this film's minor yet useful subplot. It gains considerable weight due to the benign presence of Italian actress Maya Sensa. Any discussion about this film would not make much sense unless the importance of actor Fabrice Luchini in French cinema is discussed. He has become an important personality of French cultural life. Apart from films, he is seen on TV talk shows reading excerpts from literary as well as philosophical works. He is the best reason to watch this film as good/poor actor Fabrice Luchini takes his revenge on bad/rich actor Lambert Wilson. Before concluding it can be said that actors riding bicycles is a good sign of people in show business coming out of their comfort zones. This statement is as close in reality as stating that in the field of acting there are no friends as nobody would like to miss the opportunity of playing an important role.

Some friends of mine (not the youngest amongst them, to say the truth) told me this movie was nice, really worth watching. They even chuckled while quoting this title, as if recalling the movie had the effect of cheering them up. So I thought it really should be a lovely film.

I watched it with a considerable delay on its release but I don't see how this could affect the results. And the result was that what pleased them so much seemed to me a most depressing story about two friends in their sixties, whose good qualities (if they ever had any) had long vanished by now leaving them selfish and unhappy.

But what surprised me the most was that instead of treating this matter lightly, in a satirical way, the Authors wrote a pedant piece, devoid of any funny ideas, as if reciting Molière's 'Le Misanthrope' (several times the same pages…) could substitute for them.

Unfortunately, on my opinion, Master's greatness didn't pass into the movie and nothing substituted for the absence of wit.

OK, Francophiles will boo me, but this oh so slow moving movie left me waiting, not so patiently for it to end. I hoped when one of the two actors mentioned another play, "Othello," apparently because the woman in the movie led to tension between them, that maybe there would be a little murder to end the boredom, hopefully of one of the actors, but no. Slow French movies are of two types, good and not-so good. This film belongs to the latter category. Even one brief TV role of one of the actors wasn't any better than the mother movie; nor a second play within the play where they act Moliere's play did not take off the ground. The two actors in the movie just didn't seem to me to be very good actors. Maybe with "Tartuffe" next time they will do better. The English are better at this kind of thing. and they have Shakespeare to work against.

Accepting the world and its ways as they are - however crooked they may be - and be sociable, at the risk of falseness and compromise or sticking to one's moral principles and remaining upright at the risk of keeping a stiff upper lip and becoming estranged from others, such was the problematics in Molière's classic comedy of manners 'The Misanthrope or the Cantankerous Lover', written in 1666.

Verifying the relevance and the permanence of this questioning three centuries and a half later, such is Philippe Le Guay's objective in 'Alceste à bicyclette' (Bicycling with Molière), a contemporary cinematic comedy of manners, which might well become a classic of the genre in the years to come.

Our present-time Alceste goes by the name of Serge Tanneur and is personified in a tailor-made role by Fabrice Luchini. Serge is the very type of the demanding actor who places his art above everything else. He is now retired in his home on the Île de Ré because he refuses to go on playing in inferior commercial products. Face to him meet the Philinte of today, Gauthier Valence, his former friend, a fellow-actor who also thinks high of his art, but who has squandered his talent in basely commercial stuff, especially in a TV soap entitled "Dr. Morange", which has made him a star adored by audiences, especially female.

What brings together the two thespians, one stern and pure, the other wavering and impure, is the latter's wish to clean up his tarnished reputation by grappling with loftier material. To this end he is to direct - what else? - 'The Misanthrope' and to play - who else? - the role of Philinte in a prestigious production of Molière's masterpiece. And who has he considered for the part of Alceste ? Well done, good guess: Serge Tanneur!

The question is: will the misanthropist accept to play 'The Misanthrope' alongside a traitor to his art like Gauthier ? Naturally, nothing is less certain...

Revolving around the improbable reunion of two former friends turned enemies, 'Alceste à bicyclette' could be content to be an amusing ego vs. ego comedy, served by two major actors. Which it is actually: how could it be otherwise with Fabrice Luchini confronting Lambert Wilson, the former haughty, aggressive, never getting off his high horse and the latter charming, cajoling but maybe even more devious than his partner? But a closer look reveals a much more complex work dealing intelligently with various themes among which: - how to play a classic and keep current audiences interested, - purity and intolerance; opportunism and sociability, - the moral's of today's world - friendship and betrayal, - true love and philandering. Be reassured though. Philippe Le Guay is not one of those arty artists worked up about things and always giving lessons. On the contrary, the author does his utmost to help the medicine go down by resorting to the best excipient ever, comedy. For sure, when it comes to humor, Le Guay masters all the ropes to perfection. In this particular movie, he runs the whole gamut of laughter, from the most basic sight gags (Lambert Wilson trapped in a jacuzzi run wild; the same repeatedly falling off his bike) to the most sophisticated ones (Serge's way to avenge himself). And that is not all. Not content to be intelligent and funny, "Alceste à bicyclette" has genuine moments of emotion (I refer, in particular to two really moving sequences, that of Serge's return to life through love for an Italian woman and the other featuring a teenager acting in porn movies unexpectedly transcended by her sensitive reading of Molière's text). French audiences were in no way deterred by a movie dealing essentially with the rehearsals of a play written in the language of the 17th century. Over a million people came to see it. This just shows what wonders Philippe Le Guay and his faithful cohort Fabrice Luchini can work. They already done it with 'L'année Juliette', 'Le coût de la vie' and 'Les femmes du 6ème étage'. Let us hope they will do it again soon.

The French film "Alceste à bicyclette" was shown in the U.S. with the title "Bicycling with Molière" (2013). It was directed by Philippe Le Guay, and co-written ("from an original idea") by Le Guay and one of the stars, Fabrice Luchini.

I'm sure the title was changed in translation because the producers reasoned--correctly, in my case--that U.S. viewers wouldn't recognize that Alceste is a character in "The Misanthrope," a play by Moliere. (Not that Moliere is a household word in the U.S. either, but it's more recognizable than Alceste.)

The basic plot of the movie is set out within the first few minutes. Fabrice Luchini plays Serge Tanneur, a retired actor who now lives alone in a crumbling house near the ocean.

Lambert Wilson is Gauthier Valence, also considered an excellent actor, but now being defined by his role as a neurosurgeon in a French television series. He's truly famous--recognized by everyone, and pictured on the cover of magazines.

Gauthier has enough money to produce Moliere's "The Misanthrope," on the Paris stage. He wants to play the misanthrope, and he knows that the play will succeed if he can get Serge to play opposite him.

Serge protests that he really is retired, doesn't want to do it, but . . . maybe. He convinces Gauthier to stay in the local hotel for a few days while they read the play together. Then he'll decide. Everything else follows from those opening scenes.

I've seen "The Misanthrope" on stage, and it is truly a great play. Of course, those of us that don't speak French are really at a disadvantage. That's because the play is written in rhymed couplets, so the prose translations are just a pale reflection of what Moliere created.

Incidentally, Moliere didn't write in iambic pentameter the way Shakespeare did. He wrote in Alexandrines, which have 12 syllables rather than 10. This is important in the film, because at one point Serge tells Gauthier that he has to pronounce a word with two syllables rather than one, in order to maintain Moliere's "music." Gauthier replies that as long as the line is communicated, the number of syllables doesn't make any difference. Just one of many artistic disagreements between the two men. Both Luchini and Valence are such great actors that they can make us understand how two people--even friends who are truly dedicated to the theater--can still rub each other raw.

The situation is tense enough, and gets more tense when Serge says that he wants to play Alceste. They finally agree to alternate roles.

Things get more complicated with the appearance of Francesca, played by Maya Sansa. She's an Italian woman, living in France after her divorce. There appears to be a certain chemistry between Francesca and Serge, although it's subtle.

At one point, the three characters go for a bicycle ride along the coastline. It's a beautiful scene, clearly meant as an homage to Truffaut's "Jules and Jim."

I thought this was a great movie in many ways. The acting was superb. There's an obvious parallel between Serge as a misanthropic actor who would be typecast as the misanthrope in Moliere's play. The scenes when the two talented actors are rehearsing Moliere are brilliant.

We saw this film on the large screen, where it probably works better than it will on DVD. However, if you have to see it on the small screen, that's OK. For inexplicable--to me-- reasons, the film carries only a 6.7 rating on IMDb. Don't believe it. It's much, much better than that.

Perhaps it's because I am an actor myself with a great love for Moliere, but this gem of a film delighted. The unique Fabrice Luchini is Serge Tanneur, a once renowned actor living in self- imposed retirement in an old inherited house on the Ile de Re'. The living, breathing Alceste of The Misanthrope, he rails against life, the plumbing in his crumbling house, and spends his time cycling along the sea front. Gaulthier Valence, a famous actor, "Dr. Morange" in a TV series in which he plays a brain surgeon who can operate during a hurricane while melting the hearts of French women everywhere, is producing Moliere's Misanthrope so he can play Alceste. he travels to see Tanneur to convince him to return to the stage to play a supporting role. But Tanneur has been working on the role of Alceste for 30 years and isn't about to play a lesser part. And he doesn't want to act anymore anyway. Instead, he wants to rehearse for four days with Valence to gauge whether or not he wants to come back. They flip a coin each day to see who will play who.The relationship between the two is the crux of the story. Mercurial, intense, frustrating, loving, cruel, all the ingredients of Moliere's great play with two very fine actors. I have rarely seen the inner life of actors so revealed. Maya Sansa plays an Italian woman of some mystery who adds a touch of romance. It all ends just the way it would. Exceptional film from Philippe Le Guay.

It is a French tragicomedy, trying to present philosophy with humor, affording much food for thought. Serge is quite misanthropic but much complicated for lacking of sincerity, and Valence is just the opposite. Both of the actors have deficiency comparing to Alceste, and both are conceited. And this is one comic reason leading to tragedy.

Another comic reason is kind of paradox. The perfect Alecste will never show himself on the stage because of his nature, who will instead sit along the river alone and enjoy the pure happiness far away from the city, just as the time of their rehearsal we remember, those pure moments when they forgot the stage.

By the way, I like Lambert Wilson.

This one is for the misanthrope in all of us & much as we would like for it to be untrue, we all feel misanthropy creeping up on us from time to time. Be it the moron in front of us at the superstore queue who moves too slowly or the moron who keeps trying to rush you along while you are checking out your items & paying for those. The temperaments of the two friends, Serge & Gauthier, are almost opposite; with Serge being cynical of all human relationships & Gauthier being a bit too popular with the ladies & the masses in general. What spiced up the movie for me were the brief moments in the movie when it felt like Serge might actually not shun human affection for a change & Gauthier might start feeling a bout of misanthropy coming upon him!

The film draws parallels between Moliere's play 'The Misanthrope' & the story of two actor friends. The beauty of this movie is that there are places where the movie & the play are superimposed so well that it seems difficult to understand where the line from the play ends and the real conversation begins between these two friends. This is interesting film-making! The acting is amazing and as always, Luchini brought his A game.

I loved how the film shows that at our cores, we are all the same! How even the most cynical of us may feel the stirrings of love melting the glacier inside their hearts while the most philanthropic ones may feel a moment of pure hatred for mankind! And how even a once brilliant but now retired actor who doesn't really want to 'cheapen' his art by doing popular but inferior work could still feel jealous of his friend who does exactly that, while the said friend in turn could want the approval of this retired friend who's truly gifted! And of course, how art is timeless & relevant at any day & age!

Oh, and some of the scenes are quite funny.

I've enjoyed Philippe Le Guay's films very much, and love the way he uses Fabrice Luchini, that wonderful French everyman actor. Luchini has played classical roles before (Moliere), and here he sinks delightfully into the part of a washed-up actor who's retired to a run-down house on a damp, hard to reach island off the French coast. A big TV star (Lambert Wilson) arrives with an offer to put on a production of Le misanthrope, the juiciest starring role in French drama. How can he refuse such a part? The script allows the actors to reach into the recesses of their experience in theater, and gives us lots of lore. Luchini even quotes Louis Jouvet on speaking alexandrines: the idea that one can skip a foot in a line and get away with it, it's like ordering 1000 grams of something at the store and getting only 800--a fraud. Maya Sansa contributes a supporting role of an unhappy divorcée; I hadn't seen her before but she is impressive.