Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me

Based on the novel by Henry Farrell, Une belle fille comme moi (Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me) is the story of a woman who tells a young sociologist about her love affairs and how she was accused of murder which led to her incarceration. Directed by Francois Truffaut and screenplay by Truffaut and Jean-Loup Dabadie, the film is a look into a man who falls for a woman whose stories and claims of being innocent has him lose sight of what she really is. Starring Bernadette Lafont, Claude Brasseur, Charles Denner, Guy Marchand, and Andre Dussollier. Une belle fille comme moi is a zany yet very funny film from Francois Truffaut.

The film is about this woman who tells her story to a young sociologist professor who is doing research for a thesis on criminal women. There, the professor falls in love with this woman as he believes that she is innocent though others believe that she isn’t as he does whatever she can to prove her innocence. It’s a film where its simple premise is presented in the form of a black comedy where the lead character of Camille Bliss (Bernadette Lafont) is really a woman who uses her sexuality and charm to get what she wants where the young professor Stanislas Previne (Andre Dussollier) becomes blinded by her as he does whatever to get her out of prison. Yet, he is unaware that there’s more to Camille’s story about all of the things that has happened to her.

The film’s screenplay has a back-and-forth structure though it starts with a scene where a woman asks a librarian about the thesis that Previne was supposed to publish. It then leads to the main story that happened one year before where Previne interviews Bliss for this thesis as he is amazed by all of these claims she’s made while the stuff that actually happened revealed that Bliss is really a woman who can use her sex appeal to cause trouble. Even as the victims she include are an idiotic mama’s boy, a lounge singer, an attorney, and a good-hearted exterminator who are wowed by her charm. It has a back-and-forth narrative of Bliss telling her story to Previne as well as the events of what really happened where Previne would have his secretary Helen (Anne Kreis) write things down though she really knows that Bliss is a manipulative slut.

Francois Truffaut’s direction is pretty simple in the way he presents the interrogations as well as the scenes involving Bliss and her schemes. Much of it involves some close-up and medium shots where it plays to the intimacy of the interrogations as well as some of the light-hearted moments in the schemes and misadventures of Bliss and her many lovers. Some of it features moments such as Bliss talking about her life as a child where her father kicks her in the ass as the young Bliss flies into a heap of hay. There’s also moments where the comedy is very out there but also with some dark moments to play into the suspense. Especially in the third act where it would climax with Previne trying to prove Bliss’ innocence where it would play into a sense of absurdity and dark humor. Overall, Truffaut creates a very lively and witty film about a sociologist professor who falls in love with a dirty slut.

Cinematographer Pierre-William Glenn does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from its colorful look of the saloon that Bliss worked at as well as some of the exteriors in some of the small-town locations in France. Editors Martine Barraque and Yann Dedet do terrific work with the editing from its approach to rhythms for much of the film‘s humor as well as some of the film‘s suspense. Production designer Jean-Pierre Kohut-Svelko does nice work with the set pieces from the look of the interrogation room as well as the saloon where Bliss worked at.

Costume designer Monique Dury does fantastic work with the stylish dresses that Camille Bliss wears in many of the film‘s flashbacks that presents her quirky personality. The sound work of Rene Levert does superb work with the sound from the way some of the records that are played being heard to some of the sounds in the film‘s locations. The film’s music by Georges Delerue is amazing for its mixture of somber orchestral pieces to more upbeat themes that is largely led by the banjo as it’s an instrument that Bliss loves to play.

The film’s brilliant cast includes some notable small roles from Martine Ferriere as a prison secretary, Jacob Weizbluth as a mute musician at the saloon, Jerome Zucca as an amateur filmmaker who provides the key to Camille’s fate, Gaston Ouvrard as an old prison warder, and Daniele Girard as the wife of the lounge singer who despises Camille. Philippe Leotard is terrific as the very dim-witted mama’s boy Clovis with Gilberte Geniat as his very suspicious mother. Claude Brasseur is excellent as the lawyer who falls for Camille as he creates some trouble for her while Guy Marchand is superb as the lounge singer Sam Golden who finds a muse in Camille only to get into a lot of trouble.

Charles Denner is fantastic as the exterminator Arthur who falls for Camille while dealing with his own sense of morality over the things that Camille does. Anne Kreis is wonderful as Previne’s secretary who analyzes everything Previne has taped as she is very suspicious about Camille. Andre Dussollier is amazing as the sociology professor Stanislas Previne as a man who becomes infatuated by Camille as he loses all insight of professionalism where he tries to get Camille free from prison. Finally, there’s Bernadette Lafont in a remarkable performance as Camille Bliss as this very mischievous and manipulative woman who uses her sex appeal to get what she wants while proving to be a very creative storyteller as she tries to maintain her innocence though she is really guilty for her actions as it’s a role that is just so fun to watch.

Une belle fille comme moi is a marvelous film from Francois Truffaut that features a very entertaining performance from Bernadette Lafont. The film isn’t just one of Truffaut’s more accessible films but also one of his funniest for the way he allows a woman to outsmart the men she meets and get them to cause trouble. In the end, Une belle fille comme moi is a hilarious 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 - 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 - Confidentially Yours

The Auteur #40: Francois Truffaut (Pt. 1) - (Pt. 2)

© thevoid99 2014

Micmacs

Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and co-written with Guillaume Laurent, Micmacs is the story of a man who conspire with his friends to try and destroy two weapons manufacturers as an act of revenge. The film is a return to Jeunet’s more comedic style of filmmaking following the more dramatic epic of 2004‘s A Very Long Engagement. The film also serves as Jeunet’s response to the world of arms trades as he chooses to satirize the people who sells arms. Starring Dany Boon, Andre Dussollier, Omar Sy, Dominique Pinon, Julie Ferrier, Jean-Pierre Marielle, and Yolande Moreau. Micmacs is a witty yet whimsical film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

After being hit by a stray bullet, the life of Bazil (Dany Boon) goes into shambles with a bullet stuck on his head as he loses his home and his job as a video clerk. Unable to find work or a place to live, he meets an elderly man named Slammer (Jean-Pierre Marielle) who lives in a dump with other people. Among them is a contortionist named Elastic Girl (Julie Ferrier), a maternal cook named Mama Chow (Yolande Moreau), an ethnographer named Remington (Omar Sy), a young mathematical woman named Calculator (Marie-Julie Baup), a human cannonball named Buster (Dominique Pinon), and an inventor named Tiny Pete (Michele Cremades) who invent things from scraps from the dump.

When Bazil decides to pick up scraps for the people he’s living with, he stops to pick up a few things where he finds himself in the street where the buildings of two weapons manufacturers are. Realizing that one of them in Nicolas Thibault de Fenouillet (Andre Dussollier) is the man who built the landmine that killed Bazil’s father 30 years ago while the other manufacturer across the street in Francois Marconi (Nicolas Marie), who created the stray bullet in his head. Bazil decides to create a plan to get back at both of them as he seeks out the help of everyone to create his plan. Staking out at their respective buildings, Bazil and the gang decide to create a scheme for the two manufacturers to fight each other by destroying whatever deals they have with an African dictator seeking arms.

With the plans becoming more elaborate and comical as de Fenouillet and Marconi starting to fight each other. Bazil starts to fall for Elastic Girl as they work out another plan where something goes wrong as men working for the African dictator break into Marconi’s apartment. With de Fenouillet and Marconi realizes what’s going on, it’s up to Bazil and the team to finally create another plan to nab both of them for their actions.

Throughout the world of arms trading, for the people who create the weapons. It’s all about the money but the real price is in the people who suffer in the hands of it. In this film, it’s about a man who is a victim in the hands of weapons who lost his father when he was just a boy and 30 years later, gets hit by a stray bullet that would affect his entire life. In his approach to revenge, killing these men wouldn’t solve anything so what he and a group of misfits do is essentially create a scheme where these two weapons manufacturers would fight each other and would pay dearly for the crimes they’ve committed against the human race.

What Jean-Pierre Jeunet and co-writer Guillaume Laurent is create a film that is more about giving these two weapons manufacturers their comeuppance through a series of hilarious schemes concocted by the film’s protagonist and his band of hooligans. Yet, the characters that help the protagonists are all outcasts who have suffered some form of loss or alienation as they all band together to fight against two men who have it all. The villains however, are just as interesting for the way they present themselves as well as the quirks they have. Marconi is a guy who has a young son, likes to compare himself to Arthur Rimbaud, and loves to collect vintage cars. In de Fenouillet is a guy who likes to collect body parts of famous people that include Winston Churchill’s fingernails, the heart of Louis XIV, and Marilyn Monroe’s tooth.

The script works because of the way the revenge scheme is planned as well as the motivations for the characters. The reason the people join Bazil is because it gives them a chance for them to do something with their skills in hopes to create a better world. Jeunet and Laurent also allow the film to be very funny for the way things are handled in the planning of these schemes while allow the time for a bit of romantic tension between Bazil and Elastic Girl. The overall script is definitely engaging for the way the revenge story is told through humor and bits of political satire.

Jeunet’s direction is marvelous for the way he creates the world that the characters live in as it’s all heightened and presented in a comical fashion. The cave-dump Bazil and his friends live in is a world unto its own where even though there’s not much. What they can use gives them enough reasons to live while using these pieces of scraps and decayed objects to help them fight against the weapons manufacturers. The objects that are created along with the presentations of the schemes gives Jeunet a lot to do with the compositions and camera movements to see how are things done. Particularly as he goes for some wide shots, close-ups, and lots of shots in the air to give it a worldly feel.

Since it’s shot partially in places in Paris and out of Paris, Jeunet creates dazzling compositions of the locations while avoiding landmarks that has been seen in previous films. He also goes for something that’s a bit more intimate and simple in the use of the locations while keeping the events in the film lively. The film also plays as a homage to other films such as the silent films of Charlie Chaplin, westerns, thrillers, and its opening credits is presented in an old-school style where the film starts off with a scene of Bazil as a kid and his old life as a video clerk as he watches Howard Hawks’ The Big Sleep. It’s all told in a light-hearted approach without being too funny while the commentary on arms trades is presented in a lighter context though the message is out there but not in an overbearing manner. Overall, Jeunet creates a truly sensational yet entertaining film that is really a joy to watch.

Cinematographer Testuo Nagata does a great job with the film‘s colorful yet lush cinematography to exemplify the use of yellow, green, and orange for the scenes in sunny day Paris as well as some of the exteriors in the caves. Nagata also employs a more straightforward yet colorful look to other scenes to set a mood for the scene or to heighten it for humor or suspenseful moments. Editor Herve Schneid does an excellent job with the editing as it’s presented in a straight yet playful presentation with some jump-cuts and other rhythmic cutting style to play up the film’s suspense and humor.

Production designer Aline Bonetto does a fantastic job with the art direction including the creation of the cave, the buildings the manufacturers work at as well as their posh homes, and the objects that is created. Particularly the little robots and inventions that the Tiny Pete character creates that was built by sculptor Gilbert Pyre. Costume designer Madeline Fontaine does a wonderful job with the costumes by playing to the film‘s look including the clothes that Elastic Girl wear to more straightforward clothes that other characters wear. Sound editor Gerard Hardy does a superb job with the sound work to capture the intimate yet crazy world of the dump-cave and the city locations including the sounds of explosions in some of the action scenes of the film.

The film’s score by Raphael Beau is very good as it features some comical, light-hearted orchestral pieces as well as a few, suspenseful pieces that play throughout the film. Yet, the rest of the soundtrack comes from the music of Max Steiner which plays to some of the dramatic and romantic elements of the film in reference to The Big Sleep as the music is a highlight of the film’s technical work.

The casting by Pierre-Jacques Benichou, with additional work by Valerie Espagne, is brilliant as it features some notable appearances from Noe Boon as the young Bazil, Manon Le Moal as Bazil‘s video clerk replacement, and Lara Guirao as Bazil‘s mother that appears early in the film. Other notable performances in the roles of Bazil’s gang includes Michele Cremades as the quiet yet inventive Tiny Pete, Marie-Julie Baup as the statistics-talking yet charming Calculator, Omar Sy as the cliché-spouting yet kindly Remington, and Dominique Pinon as the brash human cannonball Buster as he also briefly plays the Louison character from Delicatessen in a small scene.

In the roles of the two antagonists, Andre Dussollier and Nicolas Marie are great in their respective roles as de Fenouillet and Marconi as they each bring a big yet funny approach to their characters as two men who become pawns of a scheme to destroy each other. Jean-Pierre Marielle and Yolande Moreau are excellent as the older members of the gang in their respective roles as the encouraging Slammer and the tough yet maternal Mama Chow. Julie Ferrier is wonderful as Elastic Girl, a contortionist whose talents helps Bazil in his plans while dealing with her own feelings towards him as Ferrier displays some great work in her physical flexibility. Finally, there’s Dany Boon in a fantastic performance as Bazil by showing being a calm yet comical guy who can do a bit of mime and be tough as he really brings a lot of charm and wit to his role.

Micmacs is a delightful and exhilarating film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet that features an outstanding phenomenal cast and Jeunet’s approach to bending genres. It is a film that has Jeunet taking on political themes with his own brand of humor as well as providing something that is entertaining without being too whimsical. It’s a film that fans of his work will definitely enjoy while showcasing that there’s more to him than being quirky or romantic. In the end, Micmacs is an amazing yet exciting film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet and company.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet Films: Delicatessen - The City of Lost Children - Alien: Resurrection - Amelie - A Very Long Engagement - (The Young and Prodigious Spivet) - The Auteurs #20: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

© thevoid99 2011

A Very Long Engagement

Originally Written and Posted on 6/28/08 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

The worldwide success of 2001's Amelie brought recognition and attention to French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet as the film was considered to be one of the finest films ever made. The film also made actress Audrey Tautou an international star as she continued to make films in her native France as well as starring in Stephen Frears' 2002 film Dirty Pretty Things. For their next film, Jeunet and Tautou collaborated again for an adaptation of Sebastian Japrisot's novel about a woman's search for her fiancee who might have been killed in a battle during World War I.

Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet with an adapted script co-written with Guillaume Laurant, Un Long Dimanche de Fiancailles (A Very Long Engagement) is a love story set in World War I about a young woman who makes a desperate search for her fiancee during World War I. A more epic yet dream-like film that is similar to Amelie but more of a mix of different genres. Jeunet creates a film that is evocative as well as harrowing with Audrey Tautou in the role of Mathilde Donnay. Also starring Jeunet regulars Dominique Pinon, Jean-Claude Dreyfus, and Ticky Holgado, plus an all-star cast that includes Gaspard Ulliel, Marion Cotillard, Julie Depardieu, Andre Dussollier, Tcheky Karyo, and Jodie Foster. Un Long Dimanche de Fiancailles is an epic, sweeping film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

It's late in World War I in the dark trences of Bingo Crepescule as five men are set to be executed in no man's land including Manech (Gaspard Ulliel) for acts of cowardice. Yet, their walk into this dark land would have them lost as Manech's fiancee Mathilde Donnay wonders what happened to him three years later. Knowing Manech since childhood, Mathilde longs for his return as she recalls memories as she had dealt with the death of her parents at age three while being with polio as she lives with her Aunt Benedict (Chantal Neuwirth) and Uncle Sylvain (Dominique Pinon). Mathilde's life with Manech was great until the war came as Mathilde wonder what happened to him as she meets a former lieutenant named Esperanza (Jean-Pierre Becker) who reveals what went on in that battle as did Captain Favourier (Tcheky Karyo) who reveals more that involved a report to be sent to Commandant Lavroye (Jean-Claude Dreyfus).

With Mathilde knowing more about other men that included a welder named Six-Soux (Denis Lavant), a soldier named Bastoche (Jerome Kircher), an ex-pimp called Bassignano (Dominique Bettenfeld), and a farmer named Benoit Notre-Dame (Clovis Cornillac). She turns to an investigator in Germaine Pire (Ticky Holgado) and a family friend Pierre-Marie Rouvieres (Andre Dussollier) for help in the search for Manech's status. Pire goes to a town to find Bassignano where he meets a former lover in Tina Lombardi (Marion Cotillard) who is revealed to be a mysterious killer seeking revenge. Mathilde and Rouvieres go through war records where they encounter classified information while learning about Lombardi who encounters Bastoche's girlfriend Veronique (Julie Depardieu). Yet, Mathilde meets Benjamin "Biscuit" Gordes (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) who tells her more which leads her to meet Bastoche's widow Elodie (Jodie Foster).

After hearing Elodie's story where Elodie had an affair with Bastoche as things become more questionable. When an officer named Celestin Poux (Albert Dupontel) reveals Mathilde with revelations about the battle, he reveals what he saw though he was unsure who survived while revealing that Cpt. Favourier had pardon papers for those men during the battle. With Sylvain accompanying both of them to the land, they meet a German woman (Elina Lowensohn) who has clues while news that Lombardi has been captured. Mathilde meets Lombardi, before her execution, who gives final information about someone who knows what might've happened.

For a film that is epic and sweeping with huge images, what Jean-Pierre Jeunet and co-screenwriter Guillaume Laurant create is a film about a woman trying to keep hope alive that her beloved will return. Though it's a story that's been heard before recently in films like Anthony Mingella's adaptation of Cold Mountain back in 2003 and the recent adaptation of Atonement by Joe Wright. This film is different since it takes place after the war and is more about a woman's investigation into finding clues into the possibilities that her lover could be alive though the news of the outcome will be heartbreaking no matter what. While the story is filled with multiple subplots that tell clues of what might happen. Jeunet and Laurant make things interesting for the mystery though at times, it's hard to follow despite the narration by Florence Thomassain. Yet, the emotional outcome in the end makes the story worth it.

Jeunet's direction is truly superb in every frame and presentation he creates. Though his approach to the epic isn't perfect due to its pacing where it feels a bit overlong. Taking a period film with huge canvas and jaw-dropping visuals is truly majestic as he creates a world that is France but from another time. From its grimy, eerie depiction of war to the look and beauty of post World War I France including Paris. The look of the French countryside and sea plus Jeunet's look of the interiors where he takes the camera to create a world that is dream-like. The scope and look of the film and the compositions of where the characters are at and how they're in the frame of the scene. The result is truly magnificent as Jean-Pierre Jeunet creates an epic film that lives up to its richness and scale.

Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel does a wonderful job with the film's dream-like look awashed with yellow, sepia-like colors for the film's 1920 sequences to convey the sense of sunlight and beauty of France. Delbonnel also explores different color schemes for the film's war sequences where everything looks a bit de-saturated and grey to convey the film's bleakness. Delbonnel's work is truly superb for his coloring and look to help emphasize Jeunet's unique vision. Editor Herve Schneid does a great job with the film's stylized editing with the use of dissolves, transitions, and rhythmic jump-cuts. Particularly the film's investigation sequences where scenes are blended together while maintaining a leisurely yet engrossing pacing that goes well throughout though at times, is a bit slow.

Longtime set designer Aline Bonetto with set decorator Veronique Melery does a wonderful job in the recreation of 1920s France with its exteriors as well as the World War I war sequences of the trenches and hospital base during one notable scene. Costume designer Madeline Fontaine does a wonderful job with the film's period look with its hats, underwear, dresses, and suits to convey the look and feel of the film with standout clothing for characters like Mathilde and Tina. Sound editors Marilena Cavola and Gerard Hardy does a great job with the film's war sequences with the sounds of explosions, gun shots, bomb dropping, and such to convey the horror of war as well as other sequences including the busy sound of 1920 Paris. Visual effects supervisor Alain Carsoux does some wonderful visual effects for a few scenes of the war and a great shot of the sky of the lighthouse to emphasize the film's dream-like look.

Music composer Angelo Badalamenti, famous for his work with David Lynch, does an amazing job with the film's dreamlike yet sweeping film score. Filled with huge arrangements, flourishing strings, and a grand atmosphere, Badalmenti's score is full of wondrous melodies and arrangements that sweep up the scenery without overdramatizing or underplaying the film's emotions. Badalamenti’s score is truly one of the film's highlights.

The casting by Pierre-Jacques Benichou, Marie-Sylvie Caillierez, and Valerie Espagne is truly magnificent for its diverse array of actors including appearances from Jeunet regulars Rufus as a man named Breton and Urbain Cancelier as a priest plus notable small appearances from Julie Depardieu, Elina Lowensohn, Francois Levantal as one of the evil officers named Thouvenal, Jean-Paul Rouve as a postman, Michel Robin as an old man showing Mathilde the battlefield, Christian Pereira as an archives officer, and Phillippe Duquesne as the bartender Favart. Tcheky Karyo is great as a captain who tries to get everyone into battle while learning of a betrayal concerning the soldiers who were supposed to be executed. Jean-Claude Dreyfus is excellent as the conniving Commandant Lavrouye as is Jean-Pierre Becker as Esperanza. Denis Lavant, Jerome Kircher, and Dominique Bettenfeld are great as the three of the five soldiers who are to be executed as each actor have an individual moment.

Clovis Cornillac is great as the mysterious yet tough Benoit Notre-Dame who tried to help Manech during their time in no man's land while proving to be the toughest of them all. Jean-Pierre Darroussin is good as Benjamin "Biscuit" Gordes as a man who tries to get out of the war only to have his heart broken until seeing that Bastoche is to be executed. Andre Dussollier and Jeunet regular Ticky Holgado are great as the two men investigating Manech's possible whereabouts and death as Dussollier plays the more serious of the two with Holgado as the more upbeat individual. Albert Dupontel is great as Celeste Poux, the soldier who reveals what he saw at the battle as he raises the hope of Mathilde. Chantal Neuwirth is wonderfully funny as Aunt Benedicte who likes the sound of dog farts and making food for other people. Jeunet regular Dominique Pinon is also funny as Uncle Sylvain who is often annoyed by the arrival of the postman while enjoys having fun with Celeste Poux.

Jodie Foster is brilliant in a rare performance, where doesn't act all frantic in some of her recent films, as she speaks perfect French as a widow who reveals to Mathilde in a letter about her affair with Basconte and the damage it caused to his friendship with her husband. Marion Cotillard is amazing as the mysterious yet sexy Tina Lombardi, an assassin-of-sorts wanting vengeance as she reveals secrets to Mathilde about the men she killed. Cotillard is truly magnificent as he brings a complexity to a woman who might seem evil but her intentions are for the right reasons as she and Tautou, in the lone scene they're in are great consider that they're two of France's finest actresses. Gaspard Ulliel is excellent as Manech, Mathilde's lover who is desperate to be with her as it's the one that's trying to keep him alive while his whereabouts remain unknown.

Finally, there's Audrey Tautou in another powerful performance from the French actress. Though not as whimsical or as lively as her title role in Amelie, Tautou's determined, grand performance is truly spectacular as she delves into her emotions as a woman desperate to try and find the truth. Even in scenes where she's playing a tuba, there's a lot of emotions carried out by doing so little. Tautou breathes a lot of life into the character of Mathilde, even with her limp and flaws, Tautou makes her into a character whose journey is thrilling to watch.

While not as brilliant as Amelie, Un Long Dimanche de Fiancailles is still a spectacular epic film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet and star Audrey Tautou. Fans of Jeunet will no doubt enjoy the director's dream-like vision to the sweeping, romantic-epic genre mixed in with the harsh imagery of war. With a superb cast that includes standout performances from Marion Cotilliard and Jodie Foster, this is a film lives up to its grand presentation. In the end, for a film that is romantic, big, and certainly emotional, Un Long Dimanche de Fiancailles is the film to see.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet Films: Delicatessen - The City of Lost Children - Alien: Resurrection - Amelie - Micmacs - (The Young and Prodigious Spivet) - The Auteurs #20: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

(C) thevoid99 2011

Wild Grass

Based on the works of Christian Gailly, Les Herbes Folles (Wild Grass) is the story of a dentist who loses her wallet that is later found by a married man who becomes fascinated by her picture as he tries to be in her life. Directed by Alain Resnais with an adapted script by Alex Reval and Laurent Herbiet, the film is a look about the way people get into other people’s lives through accidental means and its impact. Starring Sabine Azema, Andre Dussollier, Anne Consigny, Emmanuelle Devos, Mathieu Amalric, and narration by Edouard Baer. Les Herbes Folles is a quirky yet entrancing film from Alain Resnais.

After having her purse stolen by a thief, Marguerite Muir (Sabine Azema) is comprehend what happens as her wallet is later found in a mall parking lot by a man named Georges Palet (Andre Dussollier). Palet ponders what to do after looking into the contents of the wallet as he eventually decides to turn the wallet into the police as Bernard de Bordeaux (Mathieu Amalric) takes the wallet to return to Marguerite. Georges however, is wondering about what to do as he attempts to make contact with Marguerite as he’s trying to do usual activities for his wife Suzanne (Anne Consigny). Still, he ponders about Marguerite as his attempts to contact her leaves him disturbed where he finally reaches her through letters as things get weird.

Due to Georges’ behavior and the way he reacts though they haven’t met, Marguerite contacts Bernard for help as he and his partner Lucien (Michel Vuillermoz) talk to Georges to stop contact Marguerite. Georges does so though Marguerite remains intrigued by Georges as she wants to know more about him much to the chagrin of her dental partner Josepha (Emmanuelle Devos). Yet, Marguerite manages to contact Suzanne as she wants to meet Georges though things remain weird. Finally, Marguerite and Georges eventually meet though the meeting proves to be awkward. Yet, Marguerite wants to know more by making Georges an offer he couldn’t refuse.

The film is about the way fates play into the world as this eccentric yet lively woman, who is a dentist and likes to fly planes, has her purse stolen only for her wallet to be found by another man. Yet, this troubled yet quiet man would become interested in this woman as it would eventually cause trouble as his wife is confused by this interest while the woman’s friend is also baffled by it later on in the film. Yet, these two people have a shared interest in aviation though the letters they correspond through early in the film. Still, Georges’ own behavior and later, Marguerite’s own interest would lead to some consequences as the script works in terms of studying these two characters. Notably the way the try to contact each other and the impact it would have on the people around them.

Alain Resnais’ direction is entrancing for the way he presents the film with such style that makes it very engaging. With many scenes shot from a crane to emphasize everything that is from above, Resnais uses the style to ponder what Marguerite and Georges are thinking. There’s scenes where the two are driving in different scenes while their respective faces pop up in the frame to see what they’re going to do if they contact one another. The narrative jumps a bit to see how Marguerite learns about Georges when she meets Bernard as that scene is presented in a flashback. The film is filled with a lot of voice-over narration for the main characters to think about their own situations while the narration of Edouard Baer talks about the characters and their own back story. The film ends in a strange note while Resnais adds a bit of style to the film. There’s parts where the film lags a bit though it’s an overall wonderful film by Alain Resnais.

Cinematographer Eric Gautier does a brilliant job with the film‘s colorful yet lush cinematography to complement the naturalistic look of the scenes involving grass and nature to a more stylized yet soft look for some nighttime scenes and the opening purse theft sequence. Editor Herve de Luze does a very good job with the film’s stylized editing as a lot of it is straightforward while the transitional fade-outs help the film move well despite a few pacing issues.

Production designer Jacques Saulnier does an excellent job with the set pieces created such as Georges‘ home as well as the home of Marguerite while her dentist office features paintings of the Beatles. Costume designer Jackie Budin does a superb job with the costumes from the darker clothes that Georges wear to the more colorful look of Marguerite to display their personalities. Sound editor Gerard Hardy and mixer Jean-Marie Blondel do an incredible job with the sound work to emphasize the locations and places the characters go into. The film’s score by Mark Snow is wonderful for its plaintive piano pieces that ranges from light-hearted to somber as well as some dark, brooding electronic pieces.

The casting for the film is amazing for the ensemble that is created as it includes appearances from Sara Forestier and Vladimir Consigny as the young-adult children of Georges and Suzanne, Nicolas Duvauchelle as the son-in-law, Annie Cordy as a neighbor of Marguerite, Michel Vuillermoz as Bernard’s police partner, and Roger Pierre as an elderly patient of Marguerite. Mathieu Amalric is very good as Bernard, a police officer who tries to smooth things out and make sure no one gets into trouble. Emmanuelle Devos is excellent as Josepha, Marguerite’s friend/business partner who tries to deal with Marguerite’s sudden interest in Georges. Anne Consigny is wonderful as Georges’ wife Suzanne who tries to figure out Georges’ interest while she would also make contact with Marguerite.

Finally there’s Sabine Azema and Andre Dussollier in fantastic performances in their respective roles of Marguerite and Georges. Azema brings a wonderfully lively yet laid-back performance to a woman who likes to fly and do her duties only to become more intrigued by the man who found her wallet. Dussollier adds a complexity to a man who is very troubled as well as kind as someone wanting to know this woman only to back off due to his own troubled behavior. Azema and Dussollier, two regulars of Resnais, have an amazing chemistry to the way the react each other that involves some light humor to their performances.

Les Herbes Folles is an excellent film from Alain Resnais that features a stellar ensemble cast led by Sabine Azema and Andre Dussollier. While it’s a more low-key film from Resnais, it’s a film that is fascinating for the way he plays with the idea of fate. It’s a film also proves that Resnais, a key figure of the French New Wave, still has some things to say though it’s a film that isn’t perfect due to a few pacing issues. Still, Les Herbes Folles is a terrific yet majestic film from Alain Resnais.

Alain Resnais Films: Night and Fog - Hiroshima Mon Amour - Last Year at Marienbad - (Muriel) - (The War is Over) - (Je T’aime, je t’aime) - (Stavisky) - (Providence) - Mon oncle D'Amerique - (Life is a Bed of Roses) - (Love Unto Death) - (Melo) - (I Want to Go Home) - (Gershwin) - (Smoking/No Smoking) - (Same Old Song) - (Not on the Lips) - (Private Fears in Public Places) - (You Haven’t Seen Anything Yet) - (Life of Riley)

© thevoid99 2011