Written and directed by Michael Haneke, Happy End is the story of a bourgeoisie family in Calais whose comfortable life is hindered by events relating to them or around them. It’s a film that explores family dysfunction in an upper-class world as they try to deal with their personal lives just as the growing refugee crisis in Europe is happening around them. Starring Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Mathieu Kassovitz, and Toby Jones. Happy End is a chilling and offbeat film from Michael Haneke.
The film follows a year in the life of a family living in Calais as their personal and professional lives start to unravel by a series of unfortunate events relating to tragedy and other matters. It’s a film that doesn’t have much of a plot as it’s more of an exploration of a family told largely by a 12-year old girl in Eve Laurent (Fantine Harduin) who would capture the events of her mother’s drug overdose through her phone as she would later live with her father Thomas (Mathieu Kassovitz) who shares the family estate with his wife Anais (Laura Verlinden), his sister Anne (Isabelle Huppert), and the family patriarch Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant).
Michael Haneke’s screenplay features an opening sequence where a section of a construction site collapses and a man that was inside a port-a-potty where the section had collapsed as Anne’s firm runs the site. It’s among the moments that play into the film that are dramatic but in a low-key approach as Haneke also uses the European migrant crisis as a backdrop with mentions of it on TV and parts of the film surrounding the characters. Notably as Thomas is chatting with another woman making Eve believe he has a mistress while Anne is also dealing with her adult son Pierre (Franz Rogowski) who is getting into trouble that is increased by his alcoholism due to his role in the construction accident. Georges meanwhile is suffering from dementia and is intent on committing suicide.
Haneke’s direction doesn’t really have much style other than long and gazing shots as well as this air of detachment into the direction. While the film opens with images of Eve filming things on her phone including the moment of her mother’s collapse from a drug overdose. The usage of smartphones and laptops play to the film’s visuals including the video tape footage of the construction accident where a section of the site collapses as it’s shown in a wide shot. Haneke’s usage of the wide shots add to the stark tone of the film as he displays of disconnect and detachment for characters and the world they’re in whether it’s Anne and Pierre investigating the site and area where the collapse happened or a shot of Eve and Thomas in the beach where the former is in the foreground seeing her father in the background smiling and talking on the phone.
There are moments where Haneke uses a few close-ups and medium shots in the film as it does play into characters attempting to connect such as Anne and Georges with Eve including one scene late in the film following some intense moments between Eve and Georges where it is this simple conversation that shows Haneke being at his most tender and knowing when to cut during this conversation. The film does feature a lot of long takes in shots that would last for more than a minute or two as it would also include these moments where the characters struggle to deal with a situation as some of it is happening off screen or from afar. The moment of reality that is away from their quaint world would come to ahead in the film’s final sequence as it relates to what is happening in Europe as it is about how these characters react to what is going on as well as what is happening around them. Overall, Haneke crafts a riveting yet eerie film about a year in the life of a bourgeoisie family dealing with tragedy and other unfortunate events.
Cinematographer Christian Berger does excellent work with the film’s cinematography with its vibrant usage of natural colors and lighting for the daytime exterior scenes along with some low-key lights for some scenes set at night. Editor Monika Willi does brilliant work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few stylistic cuts including a few rhythmic cuts for some of the conversations that occur in the film. Production designer Olivier Radot, with set decorator Nathalie Roubaud and art director Anthony Neale, does fantastic work with the look of the home that the Laurent family lives in as well as the home Eve lived with her mother.
Costume designer Catherine Leterrier does nice work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward with the expensive suits that Anne wears or the summer clothes some of the characters wear. Visual effects supervisor Arnaud Fouquet does terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects such as the construction site accident and a few bits of scenes from the phone. The sound work of Guillaume Sciama is superb for its atmospheric sound as it help play into the atmosphere of the locations as well as the emphasis on natural sounds for scenes involving characters from afar though whatever dialogue is spoken is being heard along with the way music sounds on a radio or on a karaoke machine in one scene of the film.
The casting by David El Hakim and Kris Portier de Bellair is incredible as it feature some notable small roles from Hassam Ghancy and Nabiha Akkari as a Moroccan couple who live at the Laurent estate in Rachid and Jamila who both work for the family with the former being Georges’ most loyal servant and the latter being the maid that everyone likes. Loubna Abidar is wonderful in her small role as a musician named Claire who is believed to be Thomas’ mistress through chats that Eve would discover. Toby Jones is superb as British businessman Lawrence Bradshaw whom is in a relationship with Anne as he helps her deal with the accident while watch from afar the chaos of Anne’s family life. Laura Verlinden is terrific as Thomas’ wife Anais as a woman that is trying to get to know Eve while raising a baby as she is unaware of what her husband is doing. Franz Rogowski is fantastic as Anne’s troubled adult son Pierre as someone who is unable to deal with the responsibilities of his actions as he gets himself into trouble and begins to act out believing he’s unable to cope with taking over the family firm.
Fantine Harduin is excellent as Eve as a 12-year old girl dealing with her mother’s drug overdose as well as some of the drama that is going on in her family as she films some things on her phone while trying to understand this air of detachment around her family. Mathieu Kassovitz is brilliant as Eve’s father Thomas as a doctor who is trying to make Eve comfortable at his home while hiding a secret about his affair with another woman unaware that Eve knows about it as well as question him about ever loving someone. Isabelle Huppert is amazing as Anne as Georges’ eldest child as a woman trying to run a firm that is under scrutiny as she is also dealing with her son’s alcoholism and all sorts of chaos as well as being someone trying to connect with Eve. Finally, there’s Jean-Louis Trintignant in a remarkable performance as Georges Laurent as an old man dealing with dementia who has a death wish for himself where he is tired of his age and life while eventually bonding with Eve about his own feelings of death.
Happy End is a sensational film from Michael Haneke. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, and a compelling story about a family unraveling amidst the chaos of the European migrant crisis as a backdrop. It’s a film that is a study of a family coping with their surroundings as well as being a different film of sorts from Haneke while maintaining his views on the dark aspects of life that is sprinkled with some humor. In the end, Happy End is an incredible film from Michael Haneke.
Michael Haneke Films: (The Seventh Continent) – (Benny’s Video) – (71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance) – (The Castle (1997 TV movie) – Funny Games (1997 film) - Code Unknown – The Piano Teacher - (Time of the Wolf) – Cache` - Funny Games (2007 film) - The White Ribbon - Amour (2012 film)
© thevoid99 2019
Written and directed by Eric Rohmer, Ma nuit chez Maud (My Night at Maud’s) is the story of a devoted-Catholic engineer who spends the night with a divorced woman as his ideas become challenged. The third film (fourth film in order of its release) as part of Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales follows a man coping with his ideals as he meets a woman with a vivacious personality who challenges his beliefs. Starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Francoise Fabian, Marie-Christine Barrault, and Antoine Vitez. Ma nuit chez Maud is an evocative and engrossing film from Eric Rohmer.
Set during the Christmas holidays at the French town of Clemont-Ferrand, the film follows a devoted-Catholic engineer who is invited by an old friend to a show where they spend the night with a divorced woman that would have implications for this engineer whose beliefs and ideals are questioned. It’s a film that play into a man staying one night at the apartment of this woman where he later copes with its aftermath just as he is smitten with another woman he encounters in the town that he would see in church on Sundays. Eric Rohmer’s screenplay has this unique three-act structure where the first act follows the life of its protagonist in Jean-Louis (Jean-Louis Trintignant) as he attends the Sunday service while working as an engineer in this town he’s just arrived in. Upon meeting his old friend in Vidal (Antoine Vitez) who is a university lecturer at the town’s college, Vidal would invite Jean-Louis to attend a concert which would begin the second act that largely takes place at the apartment home of a former lover of Vidal in Maud (Francoise Fabian).
In meeting Maud, discussions about the theories of Blaise Pascal where it leads to an argument between Jean-Louis, Vidal, and Maud about these ideas where Vidal leaves to risk driving in the snow with Jean-Louis staying in as he gets to know Maud as a woman who endured heartbreak while revealing her ex-husband had cheated on her some years ago as it’s been a year since she got divorced. The film’s third act isn’t just about Jean-Louis trying to engage into a relationship with Maud but also have the courage to talk with this young blond woman in Francoise (Marie-Christine Barrault) whom he first sees at the Sunday service.
Rohmer’s direction is very intimate in its presentation and setting where it is shot on location in Clemont-Ferrand during the Christmas holidays. While there are some wide shots on top of the mountains to get a look into the town as well as characters walking the mountains, much of the film has Rohmer use medium shots and a few close-ups as it mainly play into the interaction between characters. Notably the scene at Maud’s apartment where much of the film’s second act takes place as there’s not a lot of camera movements in the film in favor of straightforward compositions where Rohmer show Jean-Louis, Maud, and Vidal discussing the theories of Pascal as well as the difference between Atheism and Catholicism as Maud and Vidal practice the former. It also play into this air of sexual and romantic tension between Jean-Louis and Maud once Vidal leaves the apartment with Jean-Louis not wanting to give in to temptation yet Maud is sympathetic to his morals as she is also still reeling from her divorce. Still, there is this air of attraction of their opposite views where Jean-Louis would sleep on her bed with her though nothing sexual happens.
Rohmer does display that restraint while also showcasing this town that Jean-Louis is new to as there’s some beautiful driving scenes into some of the streets and narrow roads where it’s entrancing as well as the lighting display in some parts of the city. Still, Rohmer uses the city as a character with its winter setting that include the film’s third act where Jean-Louis gets to know Francoise and learn they have a lot in common but she isn’t exactly what she seems to Jean-Louis. Overall, Rohmer crafts an intoxicating yet compelling film about an engineer whose Catholic ideals are challenged upon meeting an Atheist woman who is willing to show him a different world.
Cinematographers Nestor Almendros, Emmanuel Machuel, Jean-Claude Gasche, and Philippe Rousselot do amazing work with the film’s black-and-white photography with Almendros doing much of the work in its approach to low-key lighting for the interiors as well as the usage of grey for the scenes in the street and snowy exteriors in the day. Editors Cecile Decugis and Christine Lecouvette do excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward in its presentation with a few jump-cuts for a few low-key dramatic moments. Set decorator Nicole Rachline does fantastic work with the look of Maud’s apartment with its stylish decoration which is a direct contrast to the more quaint homes of Jean-Louis and Francoise. The sound work of Jean-Pierre Ruh, Jacques Maumont, and Alain Sempe do superb work with the sound to play up its natural setting in its exterior locations as well as how music sounds at a concert hall.
The film’s wonderful cast include a few notable small roles from Marie Becker as Maud’s daughter Marie, Anne Dubot as a date of Vidal in its third act, Guy Leger as the Catholic priest who performs the Sunday sermons, and Leonid Kogan as himself who performs at the concert that Jean-Louis and Vidal attend. Antoine Vitez is fantastic as Vidal as an old friend of Jean-Louis who is fascinated by the ideas of Marxism as he would introduce Jean-Louis to Maud while wanting to challenge Jean-Louis ideals on faith. Marie Christine-Barrault is excellent as Francoise as a biology student that Jean-Louis is smitten with as he would see her at Sunday service where he would later talk to her in the third act thinking she is this ideal women when she’s really far more complex but also shares many of Jean-Louis’ ideals on faith.
Francoise Fabian is brilliant as Maud as a divorced single mother who spends much of her time at home dealing with her divorce and her heartbreak while befriending Jean-Louis despite their different views on the world. Finally, there’s Jean-Louis Trintignant in an amazing performance as Jean-Louis as a devoted Catholic engineer who meets Maud one night as he is challenged by her ideals while trying to comprehend his emotions and morals about embarking on a relationship with Maud and his feelings for Francoise.
Ma nuit chez Maud is an incredible film from Eric Rohmer. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous photography, an intimate setting, and themes of faith. It’s a film that explores a man whose meeting with a woman with different beliefs raises questions into his own self and temptations while dealing with the fact that he’s smitten by another woman who shares his ideals. In the end, Ma nuit chez Maud is a sensational film from Eric Rohmer.
Eric Rohmer Films: (The Sign of Leo) – The Bakery Girl of Monceau - Suzanne's Career - (Paris vu par-Place de l‘Etoile) – La Collectionneuse - Claire’s Knee - Love in the Afternoon (1972 film) - (L’enfance d’une ville) - (The Marquis of O) - (Perceval le Gallois) - (Catherine de Heilbronn) - (The Aviator’s Wife) - (Le Beau Mariage) - Pauline at the Beach - (Full Moon of Paris) - The Green Ray - (Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle) - (Boyfriends and Girlfriends) - (Les Jeux de societe) - (A Tale of Springtime) - (A Tale of Winter) - (L’Arbre, le maire et la mediatheque) - (Le trio en mi bemol) - (Les Rendez-vous de Paris) - (Summer’s Tale) - (Autumn Tale) - (The Lady and the Duke) - (Triple Agent) - (Romance of Astrea and Celadon)
© thevoid99 2019
Directed by Dino Risi and written by Risi, Ettore Scola, and Ruggero Maccari, Il sorpasso (The Easy Life) is the story of a bachelor and a law student who go on a road trip from Rome to Tuscany all in the course of an entire day. The film is an unusual road film that mixes humor but with characters dealing with themselves while trying to have a good time. Starring Vittorio Gassman, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Catherine Spaak, Claudio Gora, and Luciana Angiolillo. Il sorpasso is a riveting and exciting film from Dino Risi.
Told in the span of just over twenty-four hours, the film revolves around an impromptu road trip involving a middle-aged bachelor and a young, introverted law student whom he had just met on that day. That’s all the film is about where it is about something that is unplanned and out of the norm where Bruno (Vittorio Gassman) is driving around Rome looking to do something as he wants to call someone where he meets this shy law student named Roberto (Jean-Louis Trintignant). It is a holiday for all of Italy where Bruno wants to have fun while Roberto wants to study as he has an exam in a few weeks. There, the two go on a trip from Rome to Tuscany with stops in various places in Italy where Bruno wants to show Roberto life as it is and what to expect. The film’s screenplay doesn’t play into any traditional structure as it’s more about characters and their encounters with whatever town or restaurant they stop in and such.
The script also allows moments where Bruno talks about things in his life where is able to roam around anywhere while is just experiencing everything as it is. A complete contrast to who Roberto is as he is someone that likes to plan things yet never has the courage to do anything outgoing. Especially when he is unable to talk to women where Bruno would give him a few pointers while a visit to Roberto’s relatives in the middle would show exactly some of the things Bruno is missing in his own life. Even as Bruno would later reveal to have a family of his own which he doesn’t see very often due to the fact that he is always in Rome and in other places while admits that he’s not a natural husband or father. Through the course of the story, it becomes clear how much these two very different men mean to each other even though had only met in the morning. Yet, the script allows them to evolve where Bruno becomes more responsible and concerned for his family while Robert would also loosen up a bit.
Dino Risi’s direction is very lively as it captures not just a moment in time where Italy is basking in a post-war economic and social boom but also in a world where it’s not just cities in Rome that is alive but also these small towns and beaches. Much of the direction is shot on various locations in Italy such as Rome and small towns in the Tuscan region where Risi does keep things lively as he would shoot the film on the road where the camera would be in front of the car or behind the car or driving beside it. There’s something loose that is evident in the way the scenes on the road is depicted while it also has an air of realism where it showcases something that is very alive where even the old can enjoy themselves on the road.
Risi’s approach to close-ups and medium shots not only capture the sense of intimacy and growing friendship between Bruno and Roberto but also in how different they are. One notable scene in the third act has Bruno and his family be shown through windows while Roberto is the only one seen through a door to play into how much of an outsider he is. The direction also features some unique wide shots and some gorgeous camera angles where it is clear that Risi wants to portray Italy in a state of bliss and exuberance that Bruno is in love with while Roberto is more unsure about how to react. Even as he tries to muster the courage to do something and realize that there’s more to life than just studying and planning for big steps in life. Overall, Risi creates an evocative yet exhilarating film about two men taking an impromptu road trip through Italy.
Cinematographer Alfio Contini does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white cinematography that captures not just some beautiful images for many of the film‘s daytime exteriors but also maintain something very natural and rich while the scenes at night capture that sense of exuberance in the parties with great detail to some of the lighting in some of those scenes. Editor Maurizio Lucidi does excellent work with the editing as it has this great sense of rhythm in its editing with stylish usage of jump-cuts and dissolves to capture the energy of being on the road. Production/costume designer Ugo Pericoli does superb work with the look of some of the homes that Bruno and Roberto go to while keeping the clothes very casual while playing to the style of the times.
The sound effects by Italo Cameracanna are terrific as it plays into the sound of Bruno’s car horn as well as how the tires are heard on the road due to Bruno’s speedy approach to driving. The film’s music by Riz Ortolani is fantastic as it is largely this jazz-based score that plays into the air of excitement and energy of being on the road while its music soundtrack would consist of rock n’ roll and pop tunes of the times as it plays into a sense of joy that is in these small towns.
The film’s amazing cast includes some notable small appearances from Linda Sini as Roberto’s young aunt Lidia, Claudio Gora as a middle-aged man named Bibi that is dating Bruno’s teenage daughter, Catherine Spaak as Bruno’s daughter Lilli who is quite charming with dubbing by Melina Martello, and Luciana Angiolillo as Bruno’s wife whom he is estranged with yet crashes at her place while seemingly content with Bruno’s lifestyle. Jean-Louis Trintignant is incredible as Roberto as a young law student who is in for the experience of his life as he copes with the situation he’s in as he often does voice-over narration to express his uncertainty and such though much of his voice work is dubbed by Paolo Ferrari. Finally, there’s Vittorio Gassman in a remarkable performance as Bruno as this middle-aged bachelor who invites Bruno upon their brief meeting to join him on a road trip as Gassman brings a lot of charm and energy into his role while knowing when to be someone that is actually quite caring though he is a troublemaker in his own way.
Il sorpasso is a sensational film from Dino Risi that features top-notch performances from Vittorio Gassman and Jean-Louis Trintignant. Not only is the film a fascinating portrait of early 1960s Italy in its economic boom but also a look into two men taking on an adventure into an impromptu road trip. In the end, Il sorpasso is an outstanding film from Dino Risi.
Related: Scent of a Woman (1974 film)
© thevoid99 2015
Based on the novel The Long Saturday Night by Charles Williams, Vivement dimanche (Confidentially Yours) is the story of an estates agent who is accused of murder during a hunt as his secretary tries to defend him despite her belief that he is guilty. Directed by Francois Truffaut and written by Truffaut, Jean Aurel, and Suzanne Schiffman, the film is a look into a man whose life starts to fall apart through all sorts of accusations as he is forced to team up with the one person who couldn’t stand him in what is Truffaut’s final film. Starring Jean-Louis Trintignant and Fanny Ardant. Vivement dimanche is a truly glorious and whimsical film from Francois Truffaut.
When a real estates agent learns he’s being accused of killing a man during a hunt as his wife is also killed, he turns to his secretary for help despite the fact that he fired her as she reluctantly helps though she thinks he is guilty. Along the way, several revelations come to ahead when the secretary Barbara (Fanny Ardant) believes that her boss Julien Vercel (Jean-Louis Trintignant) might be telling the truth as it relates to his marriage as well as aspects about his wife. Since Julien is already a fugitive as he is forced to hide out in his own office, it forces Barbara to do the investigation where Julien would eventually help out as they deal with false leads and other things.
The film’s screenplay does play like a whodunit in some respects when it’s really about two people who don’t like each other as they’re forced to work together. Though the outcome into the development of their relationship is obvious, it does manage to be quite fulfilling since Barbara knows that Julien might be telling the truth. Even as she goes on trips to Nice to find out about his wife where it becomes clear that there’s other people doing similar investigations where there’s several people involved that might have something to do with these murders that Julien is accused of. While Barbara may be the driving force of the story as she does a lot to uncover the truth, Julien is an equal part as he is a man that knows he is flawed and despises his wife but he isn’t a killer. Even as he is seen as a guilty man because of the fact that the man who was killed is revealed to having an affair with Julien’s wife.
Francois Truffaut’s direction is definitely stylish in terms of its look where it definitely harkens to an old school feel of 1960s European cinema yet it manages to feel quite vibrant. While many of the compositions in terms of close-ups and medium shots are simple, they have this sense of energy in the way Truffaut presents these shots. Especially in the scenes involving Barbara and Julien in how they interact and work together. Truffaut’s approach to tracking shots as well as in getting the camera to capture the two characters into a scene are quite compelling where it starts off with either Julien and Barbara being dominant towards one another. Once the film progresses as the mystery unfolds with some elements of humor, the two become equal as does their relationship. While there’s also moments where the fourth wall is broken, it plays into how unveiling of the mystery as Truffaut isn’t afraid to put style over substance into a suspense film with bits of humor and romance. Overall, Truffaut creates a very entertaining yet witty film about a secretary helping her boss prove his innocence.
Cinematographer Nestor Almendros does exquisite work with the film’s black-and-white photography with its usage of stylish lights for some of the film’s nighttime exteriors as well as some of the interior scenes at a nightclub where Barbara would go to in a key scene in its third act. Editor Martine Barraque does excellent work with the editing as it definitely plays into an array of styles from jump-cuts, transition wipes, dissolves, and other styles to create something that feels whimsical and fun. Production designer Hilton McConnico does brilliant work with the look of the office that Julien and Barbara works at as well as Julien‘s posh home and the nightclub where Barbara would enter to find some key clues.
Costume designer Michele Cerf does wonderful work with the costumes in the clothes that Barbara would wear from a stage costume to some of the clothes she would wear where she pretends to be a hooker. The sound work of Pierre Gamet and Jacques Maumont is superb for some of the sound effects that occurs for some of the film‘s suspense including a key scene where sounds from Stanley Kubrick‘s Paths of Glory is used as it‘s playing in a movie theater. The film’s music by Georges Delerue is amazing for its mixture of playful orchestral music with some eerie pieces to play into its suspense along with lush pieces for its romance and humor.
The film’s fantastic cast include some notable small roles from Jean-Pierre Kohut-Svelko as a Slavic wanting to become a French citizen, Pascale Pellegrin as a woman Barbara interviews to be her replacement, Castel Casti as a taxi driver from Nice, Georges Koulouris as a private detective Barbara meets who is also investigating a case on Julien’s wife, and Anik Belaubre as a mysterious cashier at a movie theater whom Barbara and Julien believe is connected with the victim. Jean-Louis Richard is terrific as a mysterious nightclub owner whom Barbara sees in Nice and later in the town she and Julien live in while Caroline Sihol is wonderful as Julien’s wife Marie-Christine as this woman who constantly cheats on her husband as she hides a mysterious past. Xavier Saint-Macary is excellent as the photographer Bertrand who constantly shoots photos of events as he’s also a stage actor that Barbara is working with.
Philippe Morier-Genoud is superb as a chief inspector who leads the case as he immediately suspects Julien over the murders. Jean-Pierre Kalfon is brilliant as this mysterious man that Barbara and Julien suspect as he is connected to one of the murdered victims. Philippe Laudenbach is amazing as Julien’s lawyer Clement who initially defends him but later tries to get him to do things that Barbara doesn’t agree with. Finally, there’s Jean-Louis Trintignant and Fanny Ardant in incredible performances in their respective roles as Julien and Barbara. Trintignant brings a sense of humility to his performance as a man frustrated with his life and marriage as he copes with what happened as there’s also bits of humor in his performance. Ardant brings a sense of charm and energy to her role as Barbara as this secretary who reluctantly helps her boss as well as display something quite playful. Trintignant and Ardant have this chemistry that is very electric in the way they despise each other but also manage to have some attraction towards one another as they’re major highlights of the film.
Vivement dimanche is a remarkable film from Francois Truffaut that features phenomenal performances from Jean-Louis Trintignant and Fanny Ardant. The film is a suspense-comedy that features a lot of tropes of Truffaut’s finest works as well as a sense of style that is just engaging to watch. Since this is the last film that Truffaut would make in his lifetime, he at least creates a film that manages to be an absolute winner. In the end, Vivement dimanche is a sensationally rich film from Francois Truffaut.
Francois Truffaut Films: The 400 Blows - Shoot the Piano Player - Jules & Jim - Antoine & Colette - The Soft Skin - Fahrenheit 451 - The Bride Wore Black - Stolen Kisses - Mississippi Mermaid - The Wild Child - Bed and Board - Two English Girls - Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me - Day for Night - The Story of Adele H. - Small Change - The Man Who Loved Women - The Green Room - Love on the Run - The Last Metro - The Woman Next Door
The Auteur #40: Francois Truffaut (Pt. 1) - (Pt. 2)
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski and written by Kieslowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, Trois Couleurs: Rouge (Three Colors: Red) is the third and final film of the Trois Couleurs trilogy where it explores the three colored symbols of the French flag. The film explores the theme of fraternity as a Swiss model meets a retired judge as she helps him while another story about a young judge is unfolding. Starring Irene Jacob, Jean-Pierre Lorit, Frederique Feder, and Jean-Louis Trintignant. Trois Couleurs: Rouge is a sensationally rich film from Krzysztof Kieslowski.
The film explores a model’s encounter with a retired judge after she accidentally ran over his dog where she deals with his bitter attitude as he often listens to people’s private conversations including a young man who is taking exams to be a judge. While the model Valentine (Irene Jacob) is aghast by his actions, she does help Joseph Kern (Jean-Louis Trintignant) find some redemption in an act of solidarity as Kern begins to reminisce about his own life as he ponders about the life of the young man named Auguste (Jean-Pierre Lorit) and the decisions he will make. All of which would play into the idea of fraternity where a woman helps a man to see the good in the world as he would see a young man who would take on the journey that would lead to regret and torment.
The film’s screenplay by Krzysztof Kieslowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz doesn’t just explore the concept of fraternity but tell it in a very simple manner as Valentine is living in Geneva as her boyfriend is currently in London. Her relationship with her boyfriend starts to fall apart as she also worries about her younger brother who has been drifting around a drug addict. Upon her encounter with a dog named Rita, Valentine feels the need to help this dog and ensure its owner that the dog will be OK. Yet, the character of Joseph Kern is a man lost his own bitterness as he passes the time by eavesdropping on his neighbor’s phone conversations. Their encounters would have a profound effect on the two where Kern would do something about his illegal activities while Valentine tries to figure out her own life as she finds a companion of sorts in Kern. One aspect of the script that is unique is the dialogue where it adds a rapport to the relationship between Kern and Valentine.
Notably as the former is a man that has become cynical in the world as he starts to notice the life of Auguste which plays into the same scenario that Kern had been through. Kern would eventually tell Valentine the source of his cynicism just as he is starting to embrace a new lease on life and ensure Valentine of a world with new possibilities. The subplot involving Auguste as this young man who wants to become a judge showcases someone a young man who is unaware of being part of the same misfortunes that humiliated Kern yet what the script does is to see how Auguste would react to these situations and how he could move on from them.
Kieslowski’s direction is very entrancing for not just its simplicity in the way he presents the film but also in his approach to style that just makes the film very unique. The film opens with Valentine’s boyfriend calling her from London to Geneva as it features this very stylistic yet very fast shot of phone lines connecting from London to Geneva as it starts off stylistically. Still, Kieslowski manages to keep things simple with some amazing shots of the city of Geneva where he doesn’t go for landmarks but rather places that makes it feel like a community that is intimate but also quite vast. One of the aspects of Kieslowski’s vision that is very intoxicating is his approach to the use of anamorphic lenses where he slowly pans a scene to showcase the home that Kern lives in or the apartment that Valentine lives in.
That use of anamorphic lenses are among some of the stylistic moments in Kieslowski’s direction as it features a few elaborate tracking shots as well as crane shots to play into the drama. Even as it manages to not overwhelm the story while Kieslowski also uses some visual motifs that he would repeat from his previous film to link them for this trilogy. Notably a shot involving an elderly person trying to put a glass bottle into a recycling bin which had been shown in different forms in the previous films while it is shown once again in this one as it plays to the theme of fraternity. The film’s ending not only plays to the impact of fraternity but it would also combine the three themes of the entire trilogy as it would serve as a fitting end to everything that Valentine and Kern would go through. Overall, Kieslowki creates a very intoxicating yet enchanting film about a young woman who helps a reclusive and bitter man find a new lease on life.
Cinematographer Piotr Sobocinski does phenomenal work with the film‘s cinematography not just in its approach to interior lighting for some of the scenes in Valentine‘s modeling job but also in some of the interior settings as well as the use of the color red which becomes part of the film‘s visual motifs as Sobocinski‘s work is a major highlight. Editor Jacques Witta does brilliant work with the editing as it‘s very straightforward in the way it plays to some of the lighthearted moments while using some unique rhythms to play into its drama as the cutting also features bits of style that also plays into the drama. Production designer Claude Lenoir does fantastic work with the set pieces such as the home of Kern that is a bit shambolic in its look as well as the apartment that Valentine lives in.
The costumes by Corrine Jorry are terrific as it plays to the casual look of Kern as well as the more youthful yet fashionable clothes that Valentine wears. The sound work by Jean-Claude Larreux and mixer William Flageollet is amazing for the sound work from the frequency waves that occurs in the car radio and in Kern‘s stereo equipment to some of the sparse moments in the sound. The film’s music by Zbigniew Preisner is just absolutely magnificent for its bolero-inspired score with lush string arrangements and operatic orchestral arrangements as it plays to the drama along with some somber pieces as it is one of Preisner’s finest scores.
The casting by Margot Capelier is excellent as it features some notable small roles from Jean Schlegel as a neighbor of Kern’s, Teco Celio as a bartender at the bar that Valentine goes everyday, Paul Vermeulen as a friend of Auguste’s girlfriend Karin, and Samuel Le Bihan as a fashion photographer who often flirts with Valentine. Frederique Feder is terrific as Auguste’s girlfriend Karin who also does the weather report by phone as she would play a key role into Auguste’s fate. Jean-Pierre Lorit is superb as Auguste as a young man who is studying to become a judge as his personal life starts to unravel as it mirror the humiliation that Kern would go through as a young man.
Jean-Louis Trintignant is incredible as Joseph Kern as a retired judge whose bitterness towards the world has him becoming a recluse as he eavesdrops on neighbors phone conversations as he comes to term with what he lost and the reasons why he quit being a judge. Finally, there’s Irene Jacob in a remarkable performance as Valentine as this young student/model who is very friendly and kind as she tries to help a dog she accidentally runs over and meet its owner in Kern as she pities him for his own cynicism as it’s really one of her finest performances.
The 2003 Region 1 DVD from the Trois Couleurs box set from Miramax presents in its 1:85:1 theatrical aspect ratio in the widescreen format that is enhanced for 16x9 televisions with Dolby Digital Surround Sound in its French language with English subtitles. The DVD features a full-length audio commentary track from Kieslowski historian Annette Insdorf as she talks about the film’s ending as well as its ambiguities and the performances of Irene Jacob and Jean-Louis Trintignant. The DVD also includes the 20-minute featurette entitled Insights Into Trois Couleurs-Rouge where Insdorff is among the individuals who are interviewed along with Irene Jacob, editor Jacques Witta, sound mixer William Flageollet, filmmaker Agnieska Holland, set photographer Piotr Jaxa, and film critic Geoff Andrew about the film and its production plus some of the events that led to Kieslowski’s eventual passing 2 years after the film’s release.
Other features include a 9-minute cinema lesson from Kieslowski about the concept of plot-point where he reveals what to show and what not to show. The 10-minute conversation with Irene Jacob has the actress talk about her collaboration with Kieslowski as well as her own insights on the film. Jacob also participates in a selected-scene commentary where she talks about her scenes with Trintignant and what she wanted to do but ended up going with what Kieslowski wanted. The 11-minute interview with producer Marin Karmitz has him talking about the film and its release where he revealed that Quentin Tarantino wanted to give the Palme d’Or prize to Kieslowski at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival while Karmitz also talked about his experience at the 1995 Oscars where the film was nominated for three awards.
The thirteen-minute interview with editor Jacques Witta explores many of the technical insights into the film plus some deleted footage that was cut where Witta revealed why they got cut. The 24-minute behind-the-scenes documentary on the film reveals a lot of what goes on in the production where Kieslowski directs his actors into a scene as much of it takes place in a theater where the Valentine character is working as a model. The 15-minute segment about the film’s premiere at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival reveals many interviews with the people involved as well as the press conference where Kieslowski announced that the film would be his last as it would hold true upon his death two years later. The DVD also features a flexography section on the works of Kieslowski plus trailers for the other two films in the trilogy and Tom Tykwer’s 2002 film Heaven that was based on a script co-written by Kieslowski.
The 2011 Region 1 DVD/Region A Blu-Ray from the 4-disc DVD/3-disc Blu-Ray for the trilogy from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a new high-definition digital restoration in its original theatrical ratio with remastered Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound in French with English subtitles. The DVD for the film features Kieslowski’s cinema lesson as well as the short documentary on the film’s premiere at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival as well as interviews with editor Jacques Witta and producer Marin Karmitz. On the fourth disc of the DVD/third disc on the Blu-Ray is the 24-minute behind-the-scenes documentary on the film as well as the 15-minute documentary Kieslowski: The Early Years that previously appeared in the 2003 DVD special feature for Trois Couleurs: Bleu.
Among the new features in the third disc of the DVD is a 22-minute video essay by film critic Dennis Lim about the film. Lim talks about the theme of fraternity as well as the themes of miscommunication and disconnection which is prevalent in the film as Lim also talks about the film’s place in the entire trilogy. Notably in its look and visual motifs where Lim talks about the film’s cinematography and it’s music as it’s an amazing visual essay about the film. A new 16-minute interview with Irene Jacob has the actress talk about her collaboration with Kieslowski as well as his approach to directing actors and to stage a scene. Jacob also talks about some of her own interpretations of the film while also talking about working with Jean-Louis Trintignant who had a blast working on the film and admiring Kieslowski.
The fourth disc of the DVD (that also appears in the third disc of the Blu-Ray) focuses on the trilogy such as the 55-minute 1995 documentary Krzysztof Kieslowsk: I’m So-So. Directed by Kieslowski’s longtime assistant director Krzysztof Wierzbicki, the film is an unconventional portrait of the filmmaker as he discusses about his life as well as some of his film. Even as he talks about a few of his methods and his decision to move from documentary to fictional narrative forms of filmmaking as it’s a must-see for any fan of Kieslowski. The fourth disc also features a trio of short films directed by Kieslowski as the he first is the six-minute short The Tram that is a simple story of a young man meeting a young woman on a bus.
The second is the 16-minute documentary short Seven Women of Different Ages which is about a week in the life of a ballet school as young ballerinas train where some manage to do performances while some are rehearsing. The third and final short is the 15-minute short doc Talking Heads which is an intriguing documentary short that has Kieslowski asking people their names and what to do as he asks an infant to a 100-year old woman these questions in a fascinating short.. Another short film that appears in the fourth disc includes a short Kieslowski is in called The Face which is a thriller of sorts that is inspired by the story of Dorian Gray. The fourth disc also includes trailers for all three films as they’re played back-to-back-to-back.
The DVD set also includes a 78-page booklet that features essays and other text pieces relating to the film and the trilogy as a whole. The first essay is from University of Cambridge lecturer Georgina Evans entitled A Fraternity of Strangers discusses not just about the film and its relation to the trilogy. It also talks about many of its themes as well as ambiguity in its story. Especially in its narrative where it plays to the idea of connection and disconnection as it’s a very engrossing essay. Another piece relating to the film is a brief interview with cinematographer Piotr Sobocinski entitled Show First, Explain After where the cinematographer talks about many of the shooting set-ups and some of intricacies that Kieslowski wanted. Even as he talks about some of its complicated set-ups as well as some of its simpler moments.
Two more text pieces emerge in the booklet as it relates to the entire trilogy as the first entitled A Hymn to European Cinema by University of Pittsburgh English/film professor Colin MacCabe. The essay talks about the trilogy and its importance to European cinema in the aftermath of the fall of Communism. MacCabe talks about some of its themes as well as Kieslowski’s determination to create something that was a hymn to Europe at a time when the continent was still trying to find itself in the three themes that Kieslowski would explore in the trilogy. The second and final text piece that relates to the trilogy is a 1993 interview with Kieslowski from a book of interviews with Kieslowki on his work at the time Bleu was in post-production as he was getting ready for the next film. Kieslowski talks about the trilogy as a whole as well as all of the stories as well as what he hopes to do. Even as he talks about a lot of things he plans as well as the images that are in the works for the upcoming films as it’s an interesting interview with the director.
Trois Couleurs: Rouge is an astonishingly enchanting and evocative film from Krzysztof Kieslowski that features great performances from Irene Jacob and Jean-Louis Trintignant. Not only is it a fitting end to the trilogy but also as a defining final statement from Kieslowski about humanity and the themes of the French flag. Even as it is a film that can stand on its own while also being part of something that will never be equaled or topped. In the end, Trois Couleurs: Rouge is a tremendously powerful and triumphant film from Krzysztof Kieslowski.
Krzysztof Kieslowski Films: (Personal) - (The Scar) - (Camera Buff) - (The Calm) - (Short Working Day) - Blind Chance - (No End) - (A Short Film About Killing) - (A Short Film About Love) - The Decalogue - The Double Life of Veronique - Trois Couleurs: Bleu - Trois Couleurs: Blanc
© thevoid99 2014
Based on the novel by Alberto Moravia, Il Conformista (The Conformist) is the story of an Italian man who is assigned to France to assassinate an old colleague for the Fascist government. Written for the screen and directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, the film is an exploration into a man eager to fit in as he thinks about his action as well as coming to terms with who he is. Starring Jean-Louis Tritnignant, Stefania Sandrelli, Dominique Sanda, Enzo Tarascio, and Gastone Moschin. Il Conformista is a mesmerizing yet provocative film from Bernardo Bertolucci.
Set in 1930s Italy, the film is an exploration into a man wanting to become part of the rising Fascist movement in Italy as he reflects on his life and the decisions he’s made to become a Fascist as he is ordered to kill an old colleague for his government. It’s a film with a narrative that moves back-and-forth where Marcello Clerici (Jean-Louise Trintignant) is about to watch the assassination of his old professor Quadri (Enzo Tarascio) that he orchestrated with the help of his colleague Manganiello (Gastone Moschin). Yet, Clerici would ponder about not just his troubled life which motivated him to find normalcy in Fascism where he would marry the kind yet dim Giulia (Stefania Sandrelli). Upon the moves he makes to meet Quadri, he would also meet Quadri’s wife Anna (Dominique Sanda) who would seduce him and Giulia making things more complicated for Clerici.
Bernardo Bertolucci’s screenplay takes the back-and-forth narrative as a way to explore the mind of Clerici and what is troubling him as he yearns to be part of the world of Fascism. The first act is about Clerici going on the road with Manganiello as they drive to the spot where they will kill Quadri as Clerici talks about the moment he is given a chance to join the party with the help of friend Italo (Jose Quaglio) as it would help his reputation and gain the approval of Giulia’s family. Still, there’s aspects of Clerci that haunts him as his mother (Milly) is a morphine addict while his father (Giuseppe Addobbati) has become mentally-insane. In order for his marriage to Giulia to be approved by the authorities, he confesses to a priest about being molested by his chauffer Lino (Pierre Clementi) whom he had killed.
Just as Clerici tries to come to terms with his troubled past and his eagerness to do what is necessary for the Fascist party. His target in Quadri proves to be complicated as he is an anti-Fascist that is considered dangerous as Clerici has a hard time in wanting him dead since Quadri’s views seem much less controlling. Still, Clerici is being watched by Manganiello and other Fascist officials as he becomes lost in his mission while his own personal life starts to go into disarray. Especially in the women in his life in Giulia and Anna where the former might not be very smart as she tends to a person who holds a certain idea of what Clerici needed to be part of the Fascist movement. Then there’s Anna who is this very liberated and seductive woman who would engage into a homosexual fling with Giulia as she seems to be someone that also carries an innocence that intrigues Clerici as he would be torn by what he needed to do to conform and what he wants in his life.
Bertolucci’s direction is definitely a marvel to watch not just in some of the compositions he creates but also the mood that is conveyed. There’s elements of the film that showcases Clerici’s own internal struggles about what he is about to do as Bertolucci maintains a close-up that doesn’t show too much about Clerici as he is about to take part in his destiny. Much of the film’s flashback scenes are presented with style from the usage of the wide shots as Bertolucci’s approach to framing is very entrancing. Notably a scene where Clerici is about to meet a minister (Benedetto Benedetti) as it’s this wide shot where Clerici is at the first floor at the edge of the frame while a man is on the stairs asking for him. It’s among these shots that plays into Bertolucci’s own sense of style as some of it is quite humorous while others are just chilling that includes this slow tracking shot of Clerici and his mother waiting in their car as leaves blow through the road.
Other moments in the film that showcases Bertolucci’s own unique style are a couple of party scenes where one of them is a blind-dance scene where Clerici attends the party with the blind Italo as it plays to the angles that Clerici needed to play. The other party scene involves Anna and Giulia where Clerici watches as it would showcase his struggle while everyone else around him is having fun. The film’s climax is a very chilling one where it involves a much looser though darker presentation where it’s about the rich photography that contrasts with this element of suspense. All of which would be followed by a more somber epilogue over not just the decision that Clerici has made but also into the question of conformity itself. Overall, Bertolucci creates a very engrossing yet enchanting film about a man trying to fit in as he struggles with his own identity.
Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro does incredible work with the film‘s gorgeous photography from the usage of bluish colors for some of the exterior scenes along with some entrancing lighting schemes and vibrant colors that includes shots in the train where Giulia and Clerici make love. Editor Franco Arcalli does excellent work with the editing with its very stylish approach from its unorthodox match cuts as well as playing with its back-and-forth narrative. Production designer Fernando Scarfiotti and set decorator Osvaldo Desideri do fantastic work with the set pieces from the studio where Clerici and Italo worked at early in the film to the home of Quadri as well as the more oppressive look of the government buildings in Italy.
Costume designer Gitt Magrini does amazing work with the period costumes that includes the stylish and gorgeous dresses that Giulia and Anna would wear along with the suits that the men wear. The sound work of Mario Dallimonti is superb for the way much of the locations are captured as well as in the sound editing to create paralleling scenes in Clerici‘s own flashbacks and what he is going through in the present scene. The film’s music by Georges Delerue is phenomenal for its lush and somber score that is driven by woodwinds and melancholic orchestration as it plays into Clerici‘s own aimlessness as the soundtrack also includes music of the 1930s.
The film’s great cast includes some notable small roles from Milly as Clerici’s morphine-addicted mother, Giuseppe Addobbati as Clerici’s mentally-ill father, Yvonne Sanson as Giulia’s mother, Fosco Giachetti as a Fascist colonel, and Benedetto Benedetti as the minister who interviews Clerici to see if he’s good enough to join the Fascist party. Other noteworthy small roles include Jose Quaglio as the blind Fascist mouthpiece Italo who would prompt Clerici to join the Fascists, Pierre Clementi as the chauffer the young Clerici was molested by as he would play a crucial role to the emotional baggage that Clerici would carry, and Gastone Moschin in a superb performance as Manganiello who is sort of the film’s conscience who watches over Clerici to ensure that the task happens.
Enzo Tarascio is excellent as Professor Quadri as an anti-Fascist intellectual whom Clerici has to kill as he would bring a lot of confusion into Clerici as he talks about the impending doom for the movement that Clerici is a part of. Dominique Sanda is amazing as Quadri’s wife Anna as this seductress who would try to woo Clerici while also woo the more naïve Giulia as it’s a very evocative performance. Stefania Sandrelli is brilliant as Giulia as Clerici’s dim yet loyal wife who has no clue what her husband is doing as she wants to enjoy life as she later understands what he does as it’s a performance that is very charming to watch. Finally, there’s Jean-Louis Trintignant in a remarkable performance as Marcello Clerici as this troubled man who carries the task to kill an old colleague while dealing with his own identity as Trintignant brings a performance where it’s brash at times but also filled with melancholia as he tries to repress his memories as it’s one of Trintignant’s finest roles.
Il Conformista is an outstanding film from Bernardo Bertolucci. Led by an incredible Jean-Louis Trintignant as well as strong supporting performances from Stefania Sandrelli, Dominique Sanda, Enzo Tarascio, and Gastone Moschin plus Vittorio Storaro’s rapturous photography and Georges Delerue’s hypnotic score. The film is definitely not just one of Bertolucci’s finest films but it’s also an entrancing character study of a man trying desperately to fit in so he can feel normal only to be ravaged by his own past. In the end, Il Conformista is a riveting yet sensational film from Bernardo Bertolucci.
Bernardo Bertolucci Films: (La Commare Secca) - (Before the Revolution) - (Partners) - (The Spider’s Stratagem) - Last Tango in Paris - 1900 - (La Luna) - (Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man) - (The Last Emperor) - The Sheltering Sky - Little Buddha - Stealing Beauty - (Besieged) - The Dreamers - (Me & You)
© thevoid99 2014
(Co-Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival)
Directed shot, and co-edited by Claude Lelouch and written by Lelouch and Pierre Uyterrhoeven, Un homme et une femme (A Man and a Woman) is the story about a widow and a widower who both meet at their respective children’s boarding school as they both forge a relationship based on loss as well as memories of the past. The film is an exploration into how a man and a woman meet and fall in love as well as explore the world of grief. Starring Anouk Aimee and Jean-Louis Trintignant. Un homme et une femme is a ravishing and enchanting film from Claude Lelouch.
There’s usually a scenario when it comes to love stories about how a man and a woman meet as it’s often typical of most romantic-based films. Yet, this is a film that is very different since it is about a widow and a widower who are still mourning the loss of their spouses as they meet one day when dropping their respective child at a boarding school as Jean-Louis (Jean-Louis Trintignant) drives Anne (Anouk Aimee) to her home where the two become friends as they would spend weekends together with their kids. It’s a film that doesn’t just explore two people coming together but also in the way they deal with grief as their past with their deceased spouses are shown in flashbacks.
The film’s screenplay doesn’t have much of a plot yet it does take its time to explore this growing relationship between Jean-Louis and Anne as they talk about what they do as the former is a race car driver while the latter is a script supervisor. The flashbacks reveal not just Anne’s life where her husband Pierre (Pierre Barouh) was a stuntman as they worked together on film sets but also Jean-Louis’ life as a driver that often cause worry for his wife Valerie (Valerie Lagrange). While both of them have busy jobs as it’s the major reason why their children are at a boarding school in Deauville, they do make time to see their kids as it becomes clear how much the kids like each other as it would also play to the loneliness they’re dealing with when they’re not with the children. It would lead to the two to come together but there’s a lot of emotional baggage the two would have to deal with.
Claude Lelouch’s direction is very simple not just in terms of the compositions he creates but also in the way he deviates from convention in his approach to two-shots, close-ups, and medium shots. Notably as he often goes for something that plays into Jean-Louis and Anne dealing with their loneliness as they don’t have a lot of conversations while most of the flashbacks don’t have a lot of dialogue. Also serving as the cinematographer and co-editing the film with Claude Barrois, Lelouch aims for a very offbeat style as he shoots the film in color as well as black-and-white and sepia-based tones either to act as a flashback or scenes just involving Jean-Louis and Anne. The editing is also offbeat with its approach to jump-cuts as it plays to some of the film’s emotional tone as it can range from being upbeat to being melancholic. Overall, Lelouch crafts a very engaging and touching film about two people coming together through grief and loneliness.
Production designer Robert Luchaire does nice work with the minimal set pieces from the homes Jean-Louis and Anne live in to the restaurant they eat with their children. Costume designer Richard Marvil does terrific work with the costumes with the stylized clothes that Anne wears to the more straight-laced look of Jean-Louis. The sound work of Jean Barronet and Michel Fano is superb for the simplicity of the sound in many of the film‘s locations such as the beach the characters spend with their children along with the way the engines sound when Jean-Louis is driving. The film’s music by Francis Lai is amazing as it‘s this mix of serene orchestral music with some light-hearted jazz often accompanied by an organ as it includes some songs with lyrics by Pierre Barouh that plays into the emotional aspect of the film.
The film’s incredible cast includes some notable small roles from Simone Paris as the school headmistress, Souad Amidou as Anne’s daughter Francoise, Antoine Sire as Jean-Louis’s son Antoine, Valerie Lagrange as Jean-Louis’s late wife, and Pierre Barouh as Anne’s late husband. Finally, there’s the performances of Jean-Louis Trintignant and Anouk Aimee in their respective roles as Jean-Louis and Anne. Trintignant is brilliant as this man who is a bit of a child yet ponders what he’s lost and the guilt he carries as he starts to fall for Anne. Aimee is radiant as this woman who misses her husband as she also deals with her loneliness as she finds company in Jean-Louis. Trintignant and Aimee have great chemistry in the way they react to each other as they both display sensitivity and charm to their roles as they really are the film’s highlights.
Un homme et une femme is a remarkable film from Claude Lelouch that features outstanding performances from Jean-Louis Trintignant and Anouk Aimee. The film is a very low-key yet mesmerizing film that explores two people coming together through chance and grief while pondering the idea of moving forward. In the end, Un homme et une femme is a sensational film from Claude Lelouch.
© thevoid99 2014
(Winner of the Jury Prize & Best Actor Prize to Jean-Louis Trintignant at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival)
Based on the novel by Vassilis Vassilikos, Z is a loosely-based story on the assassination of Greek left-wing activist Gregoris Lambrakis as a murder is covered up by the government prompting a magistrate to finally uncover the truth. Directed by Costa-Gavras and screenplay by Costa-Gavras and Jorge Semprun, the film is a political thriller set during a tense period of civil unrest as well as exploring a world that is in absolute chaos. Starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Yves Montand, Irene Papas, and Jacques Perrin. Z is a provocative yet intriguing film from Costa-Garvas.
The film is a look into the assassination of a left-wing activist (Yves Montand) who is assassinated during a troubling period in Greece as many around him question about the murder. A government magistrate (Jean-Louis Trintignant) leads the investigation where he uncovers a lot of unsettling things including secret government extremist groups and other things as witnesses to the incident are being targeted as well. It’s all part of a world in which a government is trying to protect themselves from scandal that would ruin the reputation of this country yet a magistrate begins to learn that not only is he working for the bad guys but that the people he’s working for are committing atrocities that forces him to try and do the right thing.
The screenplay has a very unique structure that is traditional but is more about the element of suspense that occurs. The first is about this left-wing activist who arrives to find a place to hold a meeting and on that night of the meeting, he is attacked by mysterious men and eventually given a fatal hit in the head with a club as his personnel try to help him. The second act is about the government covering up while a photojournalist (Jacques Perrin) is trying to conduct his own investigation as he meets up with the activist’s wife (Irene Papas) who ravaged with grief and confusion over what happened. The third act relates to the magistrate’s investigation as well as his own discoveries with the help of the photojournalist about this secret group of right-wing extremists and the people they’re targeting.
It’s not just the structure and the dialogue that makes the screenplay interesting but also the characters as the activist is a man who wants to ensure a world that can be peaceful as he is a major threat to this right-wing, military-driven government. The activist is also a flawed man who is going through his own personal issues relating to his wife as once she arrives following the assassination, she is upset by what happened but also display mixed feelings over what happened. The magistrate is a man who lurks in the shadow for most of the film’s first two acts as he finally comes to his own in the third act as he talks to a few witnesses and doctors where he eventually comes to the conclusion that what happened was a murder as he starts to look towards the people he’s working for.
Costa-Gavras’ direction is very engaging for the way he captures a world of civil unrest in one of the most crucial periods in Greek history. Though it was shot in France and parts of Algeria while the language is spoken in French. The direction still has this element that an incident like this could happen anywhere in Europe where a lot of social changes are happening. There is an element of cinema verite in the way the direction is played out for the protest scenes as well as the assassination scene.
There is also some very entrancing compositions and stylistic shots for some of the film’s drama and suspenseful moments where Costa-Gavras aims for something that adds an air of mystery. The film also features some very intriguing ideas about the world at large as well as an epilogue that is really more in tune with how hard it is to change the world. Overall, Costa-Garvas creates a very intense yet chilling film about government conspiracy and one man’s attempt to do things right in a troubling world.
Cinematographer Raoul Coutard does amazing work with the film‘s photography from the sunny exteriors of the locations to more stylish lights for the scenes in night in its interior and exterior settings to create some dark moods for the film. Editor Francoise Bonnot does brilliant work with the editing as it‘s very stylized with jump-cuts and some flashback montages as it is truly a highlight of the film. Production designer Jacques D’Ovidio does excellent work with the set pieces such as the film‘s hospital operating room as well as the scenes in the hotel and halls where some of the protestors meet.
Costume designer Piet Bolscher does nice work with the costumes as it is a mixture of casual clothing along with military uniforms to present the military men. Sound editor Michele Boehm does terrific work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the protests and meetings as well as some eerie moments in some of the film‘s intimate moments. The film’s music by Mikis Theodorakis is fantastic for its mixture of intense Greek folk music with its string instruments to some bits of rock music as it helps create a chilling mood for the film as it’s another highlight of the film.
The film’s cast is superb as it features some notable small performances from Georges Geret as a witness got attacked, Magali Noel as that witness’ right-wing sister, Marcel Bozzuffi and Renato Salvatori as two assassins, Francois Perier as the public prosecutor, Clotilde Janno as a personnel of the activist, Charles Denner as the activist’s lawyer Manuel, and Pierre Dux as the general whom the magistrate suspects. Jacques Perrin is excellent as a determined photojournalist seeking to show the truth in any way or form as he hopes to do things right. Irene Papas is wonderful as the activist’s wife Helene who is trying to come to terms with her loss as well as all of her feelings towards her husband. Yves Montand is great in a small yet memorable performance as the activist trying to create peace in a period of civil unrest while eager to do things right for everyone including his family. Finally, there’s Jean-Louis Trintignant in an incredible performance as the magistrate as a man who starts off as an observer and then becoming someone trying to do what is right as he is aware of the consequences that he might face.
Z is a phenomenal film from Costa-Gavras that features brilliant performances from Jean-Louis Tringtignant and Yves Montand. The film is a masterfully-crafted thriller that explores the world of government cover-ups and conspiracies as well as a look into one of the most chaotic periods in the history of the world. In the end, Z is a remarkable film from Costa-Gavras.
Costa-Gavras Films: (The Sleeping Car Murders) - (Shock Troops) - The Confession (1970 film) - (State of Siege) - (Special Section) - (Womanlight) - Missing (1982 film) - (Hanna K.) - (Family Business (1986 film)) - (Betrayed) - (Music Box) - (The Little Apocalypse) - (Mad City) - (Amen.) - (Le Couperet) - (Eden is West) - (Le Capital)
© thevoid99 2013
Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro and written by Jeunet,Caro, and Gilles Adrien, La Cite des enfants perdus (The City of Lost Children) is a fantasy-drama film set in a dystopian world where a carnival strongman and a streetwise orphan going to an island to save children from a mad scientist. Featuring Jeunet’s whimsical yet colorful direction along with Caro’s broad visual ideas, it is considered the duo’s finest collaboration of their career. Starring Ron Perlman, Daniel Emilfork, Judith Vittet, Dominique Pinon, Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Rufus, Ticky Holgado, Mathieu Kassovitz, and the voice of Jean-Louis Trintignant. La Cite des enfants perdus is a remarkable yet stunning film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro.
Somewhere on a mysterious island in the middle of the sea, a mad scientist named Krank (Daniel Emilfork) is kidnapping children so he can steal their dreams. Krank, unable to dream, is getting nightmares from the children he kidnaps with the help of his midget-wife Martha (Mirielle Mosse) and a group of cloned men (Dominique Pinon). Yet, all the children are scared of Krank as he hopes to reverse the aging process while is being annoyed by a brain named Irvin (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who the clones admire. Krank continues to look for a child that would give him good dreams so he can stop himself from aging. Meanwhile at a nearby dystopian world, a simple-minded strongman named One (Ron Perlman) is taking care of a young infant child named Denree (Joseph Lucien) who is later kidnapped by a group of men known as Cyclops.
During his search for Denree, One meets a young girl named Miette who helps him as she’s part of a group of orphan thieves who steal for Siamese-twin women known as Octopus (Genevieve Brunet and Odile Mallet) who are connected by one foot. After encountering their guard Peeler (Rufus), One and Miette go on a journey to find Cyclops and its leader Gabriel Marie (Serge Merlin). There, they see a ceremony where Martha and one of the clones get the kidnapped children including Denree where One and Miette are caught. Octopus sends a former circus performer named Marcell (Jean-Claude Dreyfus) to retrieve One for their own reasons where Marcello uses a flea to attack one of the Cyclops to save One while Miette nearly drowns only to be saved by a man in a diving bell suit revealed to be Krank’s former scientist (Dominique Pinon).
When a fuse full of nightmares comes across the ex-scientist, he realizes what is going on while Miette finds One as she also sees one of the nightmares. Realizing where Denree is, they encounter some trouble while finding a man (Ham-Chau Luong) with a tattoo on his head leading to the island. It’s up to a strongman, a young girl, and an ex-scientist to save the kids before its too late.
The film is a fantasy story about a simple-minded yet loving strongman and a young girl try to save a young infant boy from an evil scientist who is trying to steal dreams from children in hopes to reverse the aging process for himself. Yet, it is set in a world where things are hopeless as young infant children are often kidnapped while orphans had to fend for themselves. For this young girl where she meets this childlike strongman, she finds someone who can protect her while this strongman finds someone who can help him. Yet, they face a mad scientist who has become obsessed with becoming young only to lose sight of reality as he becomes dependent on finding infants who aren’t scared of him so he can live in their dreams.
The screenplay that Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Marc Caro, and Gilles Adrien create explores a world that is definitely lost where there are even more crazier things in this mysterious island that is protected by mines and such. Notably as the mainland features an underground army of blind men who can only see through an electronic eye as they’re working for this scientist to kidnap children. When they encounter this strong man and a very determined young girl, all things become troubling for the scientist. Yet, One and Miette also have to deal with the Siamese-twin ladies known as Octopus who are upset over the fact that Miette has become trouble and is turning over a new leaf away from stealing.
While the story is a dystopian-fantasy film, it’s also got a lot of humor as there’s a small subplot about a group of clones trying to figure out who is the original clone. Even in some scenes where there’s a lot of strange scenarios into how One and Miette try to get out of a bad situation that does involve a lot of comedy. Even the character of Krank is comical since he is so delusional about what he wants as he is also annoyed by this talking brain named Irvin who is the film’s conscience.
The direction of Caro and Jeunet is definitely big in terms of its presentation where it is set in a world that is off-kilter and full of things where not everything works. Notably as the mainland is cramped and there’s children running around while there’s a lot of strange things happening where young children have to hide from the Cyclops. The direction is filled with stylish shots from these wide crane shots, dizzying fish-eye lenses, close-ups, and all sorts of things to maintain that sense of whimsy that Caro and Jeunet wants. Even in the way they present funny moments as well as surreal moments where reality and fiction collide such as the climatic scene at the island when One and Miette finally face Krank.
The direction also contains element of darkness in the way dystopia is presented though it’s not overtly bleak. Notably as it features some spectacular action sequences that involves not just some quirky visual effects but also suspense such as face-off between Octopus against Miette and One. There’s also some very strange scenes such as the way an accident is presented where it is this strange mix of humor and action that plays to that world of the whimsical. It’s all part of a world that is very weird that has some element of reality but it is mostly a fantasy. Overall, Jeunet and Caro create a fantastic and adventurous film that plays well to the fantasy genre.
Cinematographer Darius Khondji does brilliant work with the film‘s very stylish photography with its sepia-drenched lighting schemes for many of the film‘s interior and exterior settings in the mainland as well as scenes underwater and some more low-key colors in the island scenes. Editor Herve Schneid does amazing work with the editing by utilizing lots of stylish cuts for some of the film‘s action scenes along with dazzling cuts for some of the dream montages. Production designers Marc Caro and Jean Rabasse do spectacular work with the set pieces created from the look of the mainland with its buildings to the more quirky video cameras at Krank’s island.
Costume designer Jean-Paul Gaultier does excellent work with the costumes as they‘re quite over-the-top in the look of the Cyclops as well as the more colorful clothes most of the characters wear. The visual effects by Pitof and Pierre Buffin are terrific for the way some of the backdrops look as well as the close-ups of Marcello‘s flea that would fly to inject something into a person. Sound designer Jean-Pierre Halbwachs does superb work with the sound to create some unique sound effects in the scenes set in the island as well as other layers of mixing to play up the sense of whimsy that occurs in the film. The film’s music by Angelo Badalamenti is wonderful for its sense of orchestral bombast as well as playfulness in some of the comical moments as it’s one of Badalamenti’s best scores.
The casting by Pierre-Jacques Benichou is incredible for the ensemble that features some notable appearances from Mathieu Kassovitz as a man in the streets, Ticky Holgado as One’s master, Rufus as Octopus’ henchman, Marc Caro as a man becoming a Cyclops, Serge Merlin as the Cyclops leader, and Joseph Lucien as One’s baby brother Denree who is always eating something. Genevieve Brunet and Odile Mallet are great as the conniving Siamese-twin sisters Octopus who are determined to get rid of Miette for rebelling against them. Jean-Louis Trintignant is very funny as the voice of the brain Irvin whom the clones adore and Krank is annoyed by while Jean-Claude Dreyfus is excellent as the former circus performer Marcello who finds himself sympathizing with One and Miette over their situation.
Mirelle Mosse is wonderful as Krank’s diminutive wife Martha who helps Krank out while dealing all of the chaos in the island while Dominique Pinon is amazing as the clones and the mysterious man in the diving bell suit where he brings a lot of humor as the clones while being more quirky as the diver. Daniel Emilfork is terrific as the villainous Krank as he’s a man full of delusions and anger as he is unsure if his experiments will work. Judith Vittet is brilliant as Miette as she’s a determined child who knows how to do things while aiding One in his mission as she realized how important it is. Finally, there’s Ron Perlman in a remarkable performance as the simple-minded strongman One where Perlman gets to show restraint in his role as a man trying to find his baby brother while Perlman doesn’t get to have a lot of dialogue though he does speak French quite adequately. Notably as he makes up for it with his physical presence and ability to be funny and sensitive in his role.
La Cite des enfants perdus is a marvelous film from the duo of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro. The film is definitely among one of Jeunet’s great films as it features amazing performances from Ron Perlman, Judith Vittet, Daniel Emilfork, and Dominique Pinon. It’s a film that is among one of the most imaginative and entertaining fantasy films that plays to the world of reality and fiction that is expected in the genre. In the end, La Cite des enfants perdus is a spectacular film from Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet Films: Delicatessen - Alien: Resurrection - Amelie - A Very Long Engagment - Micmacs - (The Young and Prodigious Spivet) - The Auteurs #20: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
© thevoid99 2013
