Le Divorce
N/A
The film earned $13.0M at the global box office.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Le Divorce (2003) demonstrates carefully calibrated story structure, characteristic of James Ivory's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 57 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Isabel Walker
Roxy Walker de Persand
Edgar Cosset
Charles-Henri de Persand
Suzanne de Persand
Olivia Pace
Tellman
Margeeve Walker
Yves
Main Cast & Characters
Isabel Walker
Played by Kate Hudson
Young American woman who arrives in Paris and becomes entangled in French culture, romance, and family drama while her sister's marriage collapses.
Roxy Walker de Persand
Played by Naomi Watts
Isabel's pregnant older sister whose marriage to a Frenchman unravels, forcing her to navigate divorce and cultural differences.
Edgar Cosset
Played by Thierry Lhermitte
Sophisticated older French politician and art collector who becomes Isabel's lover and introduces her to Parisian high society.
Charles-Henri de Persand
Played by Melvil Poupaud
Roxy's philandering French husband who leaves her for another woman, triggering the family crisis.
Suzanne de Persand
Played by Leslie Caron
Charles-Henri's elegant, traditional French mother who fiercely protects family interests and art in the divorce proceedings.
Olivia Pace
Played by Glenn Close
Sharp-tongued American writer and friend who provides commentary on French-American cultural differences.
Tellman
Played by Sam Waterston
Wealthy American art dealer who becomes interested in the valuable painting discovered in Roxy's possession.
Margeeve Walker
Played by Stockard Channing
Isabel and Roxy's protective American mother who arrives in Paris to support her daughters through the crisis.
Yves
Played by Romain Duris
Young French poet and aspiring writer who pursues Isabel romantically as a more age-appropriate alternative to Edgar.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (2% through the runtime) establishes Isabel Walker arrives in Paris from California, naive and excited about experiencing French culture and visiting her pregnant sister Roxeanne who is married to French writer Charles-Henri.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Charles-Henri announces he is leaving Roxeanne for another woman, Magda, devastating the pregnant Roxeanne and plunging the family into crisis.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 28 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Isabel decides to stay in Paris indefinitely, taking a job and committing to help Roxeanne through the divorce. She actively chooses to embrace Parisian life rather than return to California., moving from reaction to action.
At 59 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat The painting is authenticated as a genuine Georges de La Tour worth millions, seemingly solving Roxeanne's financial problems and raising the stakes dramatically. False victory - this will actually intensify the family conflict., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 87 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Roxeanne's husband's lover Magda is shot and killed by Roxeanne's stalker husband (who flew in from America). Violence erupts, shattering the romantic illusions about Paris and European sophistication. The whiff of death is literal., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 94 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Isabel decides to return to America, synthesizing her Parisian education with her American identity. She recognizes she doesn't need to become French to have grown from the experience., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Le Divorce's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping Le Divorce against these established plot points, we can identify how James Ivory utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Le Divorce within the comedy genre.
James Ivory's Structural Approach
Among the 4 James Ivory films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Le Divorce represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete James Ivory filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, Ella Enchanted and The Evening Star. For more James Ivory analyses, see A Room with a View, The Remains of the Day and Howards End.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Isabel Walker arrives in Paris from California, naive and excited about experiencing French culture and visiting her pregnant sister Roxeanne who is married to French writer Charles-Henri.
Theme
A character remarks on the differences between French and American attitudes toward love, marriage, and affairs - foreshadowing the cultural collision that will drive the story.
Worldbuilding
Isabel settles into Parisian life with Roxeanne and her family. We meet the extended French family, learn about the valuable painting Roxeanne owns, and see the sisters' contrasting personalities - Roxeanne practical and anxious, Isabel romantic and adventurous.
Disruption
Charles-Henri announces he is leaving Roxeanne for another woman, Magda, devastating the pregnant Roxeanne and plunging the family into crisis.
Resistance
The sisters navigate the fallout of the separation. Isabel debates staying in Paris to help her sister. They consult lawyers about the divorce, discover the painting may be worth millions, and Isabel begins to understand French cultural attitudes toward infidelity.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Isabel decides to stay in Paris indefinitely, taking a job and committing to help Roxeanne through the divorce. She actively chooses to embrace Parisian life rather than return to California.
Mirror World
Isabel meets Edgar Cosset, a sophisticated older French diplomat and uncle to Charles-Henri, who begins to pursue her romantically, representing the sophisticated European approach to love that contrasts with Isabel's American romanticism.
Premise
Isabel explores Parisian culture through her affair with Edgar, enjoying sophisticated dinners and cultural experiences. Meanwhile, Roxeanne's divorce becomes increasingly complicated over money and the valuable painting. Isabel also attracts attention from a younger suitor, Yves. The promise of romantic Paris is fulfilled.
Midpoint
The painting is authenticated as a genuine Georges de La Tour worth millions, seemingly solving Roxeanne's financial problems and raising the stakes dramatically. False victory - this will actually intensify the family conflict.
Opposition
The de Persand family claims ownership of the valuable painting, creating bitter legal battles. Roxeanne becomes increasingly desperate and erratic. Isabel's affair with Edgar becomes more complicated as his wife returns. Cultural misunderstandings deepen, and both sisters face the darker sides of French sophistication.
Collapse
Roxeanne's husband's lover Magda is shot and killed by Roxeanne's stalker husband (who flew in from America). Violence erupts, shattering the romantic illusions about Paris and European sophistication. The whiff of death is literal.
Crisis
In the aftermath of the shooting, both sisters process the tragedy and what they've learned. Isabel realizes her affair with Edgar was as much about illusion as substance. Roxeanne begins to accept her new reality as a single mother.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Isabel decides to return to America, synthesizing her Parisian education with her American identity. She recognizes she doesn't need to become French to have grown from the experience.
Synthesis
Final resolutions: the painting dispute is settled, Roxeanne finds peace with her new life as a mother in Paris, Isabel prepares to leave. The sisters have both transformed through their encounters with French culture, neither fully American nor French but something new.
Transformation
Isabel departs Paris carrying a Kelly handbag (a symbol of her transformation), more sophisticated and self-aware than when she arrived. She has learned about love, culture, and herself without losing her essential American identity.