Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

Synopsis

A singular work in film history, Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles meticulously details, with a sense of impending doom, the daily routine of a middle-aged widow—whose chores include making the beds, cooking dinner for her son, and turning the occasional trick. In its enormous spareness, Akerman’s film seems simple, but it encompasses an entire world. Whether seen as an exacting character study or one of cinema’s most hypnotic and complete depictions of space and time, Jeanne Dielman is an astonishing, compelling movie experiment, one that has been analyzed and argued over for decades.

Cast

Jeanne Dielman	Delphine Seyrig
Sylvain Dielman	Jan Decorte
First caller	Henri Storck
Second caller	Jacques Doniol-Valcroze
Third caller	Yves Bical

Credits

Director	Chantal Akerman
Writer	Danae Maroulacou
Cinematography	Babette Mangolte
Producer	Evelyn Paul
Art director	Philippe Graff
Editing	Patricia Canino
Assistant directors	Serge Brodsky, Marianne de Muylder and Marilyn Watelet
Sound	Benie Deswarte and Francoise Van Thienen
Sound editing	Alain Marchal
Sound mixer	Jean Paul Loublier

Disc Features

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET

Restored digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Chantal Akerman
Autour de “Jeanne Dielman,” a 69-minute documentary—shot by actor Sami Frey and edited by Agnes Ravez and Akerman—made during the filming of Jeanne Dielman
New interviews with Akerman and cinematographer Babette Mangolte
Excerpt from “Chantal Akerman par Chantal Akerman,” a 1997 episode of the French television program Cinéma de notre temps
Interview with Akerman’s mother, Natalia
Archival television interview excerpt featuring Akerman and star Delphine Seyrig
Saute ma ville (1968), Akerman’s first film, with an introduction by the director
New and improved English subtitle translation
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Ivone Margulies