`Intersection' Is American Remake That Doesn't Translate

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XX 1/2 "Intersection," with Richard Gere, Sharon Stone, Lolita Davidovich. Directed by Mark Rydell, from a screenplay by David Rayfiel and Marshall Brickman. Crossroads, Everett 9, Gateway, Grand Cinemas Alderwood, Kirkland Parkplace, Lewis & Clark, Oak Tree, Uptown. "R" - Restricted because of brief nudity, mature themes.

Although American audiences are unlikely to hear the sounds of battle, the European - and particularly the French - film industries have begun to wage a kind of war on Hollywood. It is a war that focuses on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) negotiations, which are being challenged by French-led protests against American domination of the global film market.

None of this will matter to American viewers of "Intersection," but the film offers a subtle example of what the French perceive as a threat to their cherished cinematic culture, because nowhere in the film's advertising or credits is it acknowledged that "Intersection" is virtually a remake of "Les Choses de la Vie," a 1970 film that brought French director Claude Sautet his first widespread recognition.

While this has as much to do with rights acquisition and contract details than anything else, it does illustrate how nonchalantly Hollywood can recycle original material without crediting it.

"Intersection" also has the dubious distinction of being a passionless film about passion, in which a successful Vancouver, B.C., architect (Richard Gere) must choose between starting a new life with his journalist lover (Lolita Davidovich) or working things out with his estranged wife (Sharon Stone).

In both versions, the film's structural linchpin is a severe auto accident that sparks a series of reflective flashbacks, placing Gere's character in the eye of an emotional storm, as memories of his wife and lover illustrate the potential happiness he could have with either woman, and the pain he would cause with any decision he makes.

It's a sublime premise, lending itself well to the kind of nonlinear narrative that was in vogue when the 1970 film was made. With his remake, director Mark Rydell deserves credit for retaining this compelling structure, and even improving its psychological underpinnings to arrive at an ending that, by way of ironic tragedy, brings each character to a point of mutual resolution. The film's personal intersections are carefully balanced, and its thoughtful mood is nicely enhanced by James Newton Howard's subtle score.

But as an emotional tug-of-war, "Intersection" is almost bloodlessly uninvolving, centered on a trio of thinly drawn characters whose lives become less than the sum of their flashbacked parts. While the film works quite well as a cerebral exercise, its heart is vaguely sterile, occasionally saddling Gere, Stone and Davidovich with silly dialogue and even sillier behavior.

If nothing else, the film also suggests that some movies are just better off being French.