The Lover
“She gave her innocence, her passion, her body. The one thing she couldn't give was her love.”
A poor French teenage girl engages in an illicit affair with a wealthy Chinese heir in 1920s Saigon. For the first time in her young life she has control, and she wields it deftly over her besotted lover throughout a series of clandestine meetings and torrid encounters.
Your rating
Your review
Cast
24 people
Jane March
The Young Girl
Known for
Color of Night
Grimm's Snow White
Tony Leung Ka-fai
The Chinaman
Known for
The Shadow's Edge
Bodyguards and Assassins
Frédérique Meininger
The Mother
Known for
'Round Midnight
Flic Story
Arnaud Giovaninetti
The Elder Brother
Known for
Candice Renoir
Melvil Poupaud
The Younger Brother
Known for
Laurence Anyways
By the Grace of God
Lisa Faulkner
Helene Lagonelle
Known for
Missing You
The Girl Before
Jeanne Moreau
Narrator (voice)
Known for
Jules and Jim
Elevator to the Gallows
Xiem Mang
The Chinaman's Father
No other roles listed
Philippe Le Dem
The French Teacher
Also in
Mesrine: Public Enemy #1
Le Gendre idéal
Ann Schaufuss
Anne-Marie Stretter
Also in
Love Thy Neighbour
Den lille pige med svovlstikkerne
Tania Torrens
The Principal
Known for
Small Change
Rapt
Espérance Pham Thai Lan
Femme
Known for
Mean Spirit
Jean-Jacques Annaud Director · Gérard Brach Screenplay Marguerite Duras Author
Worldwide gross $5M · Budget $30M · United States release October 29, 1992
Box office
Budget
$30,000,000
Worldwide gross
$5,013,090
Gross vs. budget
0.2×
Production
Timothy Burrill Productions
Production
Renn Productions
Production
Grai Phang Film Studio
Production
Films A2
Production
France · United Kingdom · Vietnam
Produced in
Languages
Original title
L'Amant
Original language
French
Spoken on screen
Chinese · English
Release dates
France · January 22, 1992
Theatrical
United States · October 29, 1992
Theatrical
Denmark
August 17, 1992 · Theatrical
Finland
October 2, 1992 · Theatrical
France
February 21, 1995 · Physical · VHS
November 27, 2001 · Physical · DVD
February 4, 2015 · Digital · VOD
February 4, 2015 · Physical · Blu-Ray
Germany
March 26, 1992 · Theatrical
Netherlands
April 10, 1992 · Theatrical
September 24, 2002 · Physical · DVD
Poland
February 17, 2014 · Digital
Portugal
May 22, 1992 · Theatrical
South Korea
June 20, 1992 · Theatrical
Sweden
October 2, 1992 · Theatrical
United Kingdom
June 19, 1992 · Theatrical
August 22, 2005 · Physical · DVD
More from Jean-Jacques Annaud
Other films they directed, best known first.
If you liked The Lover
Picks that share its genres, themes, cast and crew.
Some details come from TheTVDB.