Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

 

Based on the novel Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is the story of a London cleaning maid who discovers a haute couture dress by Christian Dior prompting her to travel to Paris to buy a Dior dress to the amazement of the people working for Dior. Directed by Anthony Fabian and screenplay by Fabian, Carroll Cartwright, Keith Thompson, and Olivia Hetreed, the film is comedy-drama that has a woman who falls in love with the fashion in Paris in the hopes she can be accepted to the world despite being working class as the titular character is played by Lesley Manville. Also starring Lambert Wilson, Alba Baptista, Lucas Bravo, Ellen Thomas, Rose Williams, Jason Isaacs, and Isabelle Huppert. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a delightful and enchanting film from Anthony Fabian.

Set in 1957, the film follows a widowed cleaning lady from London who cleans the home of a client where she discovered a Christian Dior gown as she falls in love with and wants to get one herself where she travels to Paris to purchase a gown to the surprise of the people working at Dior. It is a film that follows this woman in Ada Harris who had lost her husband 13 years ago in World War II as this encounter with this Dior gown while cleaning a client’s apartment has her wanting a dress herself. The film’s screenplay is largely straightforward as it plays into Mrs. Harris’ life cleaning homes for some posh clients including a young struggling actress in Pamela Penrose (Rose Williams) yet is the discovery of this dress that has her aiming for a new dream where she would raise enough money from work but also some overdue war-widow pension and luck gives her enough money to not only travel to Paris but to also buy a gown.

While the house of Dior where its designer (Philippe Bertin) makes the dresses with his employees is exclusive, Mrs. Harris manages to come in with money to buy one to the surprise of many including its director Claudine Colbert (Isabelle Huppert) to reluctantly let Mrs. Harris see the dresses with other rich and exclusive clientele including Marquis de Chassagne (Lambert Wilson) who is friendly to Mrs. Harris. Colbert is unsure about Mrs. Harris buying something expensive from Dior yet the fashion house is going through financial issues due to the exclusive rich clientele that hasn’t paid for the service that Dior and his employees have done. Mrs. Harris would also befriend the accountant Andre` Fauvel (Lucas Bravo) and a young model in Natasha (Alba Baptista) who are both going through their own issues individually as well as their own feelings for each other. Marquis de Chassagne’s friendship towards Mrs. Harris has him reflecting on his childhood but also realizing that Mrs. Harris is a woman that has a lot more to offer as the people at Dior would make a dress that doesn’t just live up to their standards but also something that a common woman could afford.

Anthony Fabian’s direction is vibrant in not just its settings but also in telling this story of a woman who is a dreamer that wants to have some of the best things in life. Shot on various locations in Paris and London as well as Budapest serving as additional locations for Paris and London. Fabian maintains something that is straightforward in terms of the compositions in the wide and medium shots yet does create some stylistic moments whenever Mrs. Harris is gazing over something as there is this great close-up where she is in awe while everything else in the background is moving around her. Fabian’s close-ups add to the drama but also in some of the comedic moments as it relates to some of the culture shock Mrs. Harris goes to as Paris is surrounded by trash due to a strike that is happening at that time. Especially as a woman that Mrs. Harris meet at the fashion show would buy the dress that Mrs. Harris wants as she is connected to a government official who is creating trouble for this strike.

Fabian also plays into some of the social tension and expectations for Dior and its house with Fauvel having some ideas of how to help the house save itself financially as well as not layoff any of its workers and models. It is a key moment late in the film’s second act as it would also play into Colbert’s development as someone who is really protective of Dior and the brand where Mrs. Harris would make a discovery of Colbert’s life outside of Dior that would be a key moment into their tense relationship. Then there’s the dress that people in Dior made for Mrs. Harris as it showcases the amount of work, effort, and craftsmanship that is put into a dress as it is something Mrs. Harris is aware of as it play into what Dior needed to do for their future. It also plays into a dream that Mrs. Harris is trying to fulfill given the fact that she lost her husband and was directionless for years. Especially as reality would set in but it is through her good heart and determination is where the film shows what it needed to be to show the kindness of people no matter where they’re from or what social class they’re in as long as they appreciate the little things that makes life meaningful. Overall, Fabian crafts an evocative and heartfelt film about a widowed cleaning maid traveling to Paris to buy a Christian Dior gown.

Cinematographer Felix Wiedemann does amazing work with the film’s cinematography from the greyish look of London to a more colorful tone for the scenes in Paris in its interior/exterior scenes. Editor Barney Pilling does excellent work with the editing with its stylish approach to dissolves and other stylish cuts to play into the world of haute couture fashion. Production designer Luciana Arrighi, with set decorators Fotini Dimou and Nora Talmaier plus supervising art director Andrew Munro, does brilliant work with the look of the Dior fashion house as well as the more modest homes of Fauvel and Mrs. Harris with the latter being a small apartment in London. Costume designer Jenny Beaven does phenomenal work with the costume design from the ragged yet plain clothing that Mrs. Harris and her British friends wear to the more stylish clothes of the people in Paris as well as the gorgeous design of the Dior dresses that has so much attention to detail as it is a highlight of the film.

Hair/makeup designer Csilla Blake-Horvath does nice work with the look of the characters as well as some of the hairstyle of the times in Paris that the younger women have as well as the different looks that Colbert would have. Special effects supervisors Neal Champion and Robert Horvath, along with visual effects supervisors Nikolas d’Andrade and Sander Jansen, do terrific work with the visual effects as it mainly serves as set dressing for some of the locations as well as a key scene at a London bridge. Sound designers Emiliyan Arnaudov and Marc Lawes do superb work with the sound in the way things sound from afar inside an apartment as well as other natural sounds that appear in the film. The film’s music by Rael Jones is wonderful for its lush and sumptuous orchestral score that is full of rich string arrangements and melodic elements while music supervisor Dushiyan Piruthivirajah provides a soundtrack with some can-can music as well as pop/rock n’ roll music from Chuck Berry and Juliette Greco.

The casting by Katalin Baranyi, Andy Pryor, and Mathilde Snodgrass is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Freddie Fox as a RAF officer who delivers Mrs. Harris her widow’s pension, Guilaine Londez as a posh woman in Mathilde Avallon who buys the dress that Mrs. Harris wants, Dorottya Ilosvai as Avallon’s daughter, Delroy Atkinson as a bus ticket handler in Chandler, Christian McKay as a client of Mrs. Harris in Giles Newcombe, Bertrand Poncet as a Dior designer in Monsieur Carre`, Philippe Bertan as the famed designer Christian Dior during his final year in his life, Roxane Duran as a secretary in Marguerite, and Anna Chancellor as a posh client of Mrs. Harris in Lady Dant who would have the Dior dress that Mrs. Harris discovers. Jason Isaacs is superb as Archie as a friend of Mrs. Harris who is always fond of her as he also helps out with money since he works at the dog races. Rose Williams is fantastic as a young struggling actress in Pamela Penrose whom Mrs. Harris cleans for as she always looks at Mrs. Harris as a godmother of sorts despite the fact that she’s not very smart.

Ellen Thomas is excellent as Mrs. Harris’ friend Vi Butterfield who is also a cleaning maid that is a bit more of a realist yet often brings a lot of laughs and support as a woman who does what she can to help Mrs. Harris as well as be a source of joy. Lucas Bravo is brilliant as the young accountant Andre` Fauvel who befriends Mrs. Harris while expressing his ideas to her in how to help Dior get out of its financial troubles. Alba Baptista is amazing as Natasha as a Dior model who shares Fauvel’s love for existential philosophy as she copes with the pressures in being a model as she also finds support in Mrs. Harris. Lambert Wilson is incredible as Marquis de Chassagne as a wealthy man who is fascinated by Mrs. Harris as she reminds him of a woman who cared for him in boarding school while also realizing that she has a lot more to offer than the people in his social circle.

Isabelle Huppert is phenomenal as Claudine Colbert as the director of Dior who is also Christian Dior’s greatest protector as she is a woman trying to run things while being skeptical towards Mrs. Harris only to realize her value as well as her own similarities with Mrs. Harris in the way they run things. Finally, there’s Lesley Manville in a spectacular performance as Mrs. Ada Harris as this widowed cleaning maid whose encounter with a Dior gown has her reaching for a new dream where Manville brings this exuberance and charisma to a character that is a dreamer but also is willing to fight for those who are feeling defeated as it is a performance for the ages for Manville.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a sensational film from Anthony Fabian that features a tremendous leading performance from Lesley Manville. Along with its supporting ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, its exploration of fashion and what it does for people, Jenny Beaven’s incredible costume design, and a sumptuous music score. It is a film that explores a woman who just wants to buy an expensive gown while bringing some joy to a fashion house that needed to be appreciated for their hard work and dedication to fashion. In the end, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a phenomenal film from Anthony Fabian.

Anthony Fabian Films: (Skin (2008 film)) – (Louder Than Words)

© thevoid99 2023

Happy End

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

Elle (2016 film)

Based on the novel Oh… by Philippe Dijan, Elle is the story of a woman who has been raped as she decides not to tell her incident to the police in favor of handling the matter herself. Directed by Paul Verhoeven and screenplay by David Birke, the film is an exploration of a woman dealing with the aftermath of a rape as well as the need for justice on her own terms. Starring Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Anne Consigny, Charles Berling, and Virginie Efira. Elle is a gripping yet haunting film from Paul Verhoeven.

The film follows a businesswoman who had been raped in her home as she tries to find the man who raped her as she doesn’t want to report the incident to the police due to her previous experiences with the police. It’s a film that explores a woman not just dealing with what happened to her but also being very cool about it as she would tell a few friends over what happened but mostly keep it to herself for others while carrying on with her life. David Birke’s screenplay follows the character of Michele Leblanc (Isabelle Huppert), who runs a video game company with her friend Anna (Anne Consigny), who ventures into this investigation to see who raped her and why as she also copes with the turmoil in her family life as her son Vincent (Jonas Bloquet) is in a relationship with a domineering woman in Josie (Alice Isaaz) who is pregnant and possibly unfaithful. While Michele is still friendly towards her ex-husband Richard (Charles Berling), she is having an affair with Anna’s husband Robert (Christian Berkel) that proves to be unfulfilling while having a crush on her neighbor Patrick (Laurent Lafitte).

Michele is a very offbeat character where she acts quite passive at times who will often make some very darkly humorous comments as it relates to the fact that she had a troubled past as a child. It’s among the reasons why she and her mother Irene (Judith Magre) have an uneasy relationship as the latter is spending her time with younger lovers while wanting Michele to make contact with her estranged father. Yet, Michele isn’t an easy person to like as she can be bitchy in a cool and calm way while she would say things that would offend people. It all play into the fact that she hiding things about herself as some of Birke’s dialogue show how she can make darkly-comic comments as a way to mask herself from any kind of danger. Still, she has to contend with the fact that she’s been raped as she has her suspects and their possible motives but would also wonder if she brought this on herself.

Paul Verhoeven’s direction is definitely riveting from the way he opens the film with Michele being raped as it is her cat that is watching it not knowing what to do. It is a very odd way to open the film yet Verhoeven doesn’t mince anything into what is happening and then follow Michele in the days after the rape. Shot on location in Paris as well as areas near the city, Verhoeven creates a film that plays into a woman dealing with being raped as she tries to maintain her day-to-day activities. While there are some wide shots in the film, Verhoeven would go for more intimate shots with the close-ups and medium shots to play into the world that Michele is in as well as the idea of fantasy and reality colliding. Notably in the former as there’s a recreation of the moment in which Michele is raped where she would kill her rapist as well as other moments relating toward her attraction to Patrick. Verhoeven would also show another perspective of that opening sequence as it started off as any typical day until Michele’s attacker comes in as Verhoeven would use a Steadicam shot to capture the incident from this other perspective.

Verhoeven would also inject moments of dark humor as it relate to not just Michele’s own reaction to her rape and bits of her life. There is a scene at her work place where an animation of a monster raping a female character with Michele’s face is on display as it add some intrigue to who Michele thinks is her rapist. There are also these tense moments in which Michele is saying things that would upset people but also indicate how detached she is from those who care about her. The film’s third act isn’t just about the reveal of her rapist but also her own reaction to that man’s identity as it adds an ambiguity that does feel odd. Even as the rapist would be around her socializing as if nothing had happened with no one but her knowing his identity as it just adds this air of dramatic chaos in which Michele is forced to confront what happened to her and make sense of the choices she’s made in her life. Overall, Verhoeven crafts a very eerie yet evocative film about a woman trying to find the man who raped her.

Cinematographer Stephane Fontaine does excellent work with the film’s cinematography from the array of lighting for many of the interior/exterior settings at night including the Christmas lights at Patrick’s home to the naturalistic look of the scenes set in the day. Editor Job ter Burg does brilliant work with the editing as it does have some stylistic moments in the jump-cuts while much of it is straightforward. Production designer Laurent Ott and set decorator Cecile Vatelot do fantastic work with the look of Michele’s home as well as her work place and some of the homes and places she goes to. Costume designer Nathalie Raoul does nice work with the costumes as it’s mostly straightforward aside from some of the clothes that Michele wears in social gatherings.

Visual effects supervisors Philippe Frere, Hugues Namur, and Nicholas Rey do terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it mostly involve a sequence of Michele driving in the woods. Sound editor Alexis Place does superb work with the sound as it play into some of the suspense as well as the drama including a scene involving strong winds and another scene that play into Michele’s own suspicions around her. The film’s music by Anne Dudley is amazing for its haunting orchestral score that help play into the suspense and drama without the need to be heard in some scenes while music supervisor Elise Luguern provide a soundtrack filled with some classical and opera music from the likes of Serge Rachmaninoff and Ludwig Van Beethoven to contemporary music from Iggy Pop and Roxy Music.

The casting by Constance Demontoy is wonderful as it features some notable small roles from Raphael Lenglet as Irene’s much-younger lover, Arthur Mazet as programmer named Kevin who works secretly for Michele to uncover some of the hacking at the work place, Lucas Prisor as a game designer named Kurt who dislikes Michele, Vimala Pons as Richard’s new girlfriend Helene, Alice Isaaz as Vincent’s pregnant yet angry girlfriend Josie whom Michele doesn’t like very much, and Judith Magre as Michele’s mother Irene as a woman who is trying to maintain her youthfulness despite her testy relationship with Michele. Jonas Bloquet is terrific as Richard and Michele’s son Vincent as a young man trying to get his apartment as he deals with his girlfriend Josie as well as the revelations in being a father. Virginie Efra is superb as Patrick’s wife Rebecca as a woman who is always kind as well as serve as a figure of goodness that is rarely in Michele’s world as well as being a figure of faith.

Christian Berkel is excellent as Robert as Anna’s husband who is quite perverse in his flirtations with Michel as he is someone that is creepy as well as making Michele feel loathsome. Anne Consigny is fantastic as Anna as Michele’s longtime friend/business partner who is concerned about Michele’s well-being as she feels that Michele should report the rape to the police. Charles Berling is brilliant as Michele’s ex-husband Richard as a man who is also concerned about Michele as well as Vincent’s relationship with Josie and his own life where he just want to have Michele’s blessing. Laurent Lafitte is amazing as Patrick as Michele’s neighbor who is quite helpful to Michele as well as be Michele’s object of desire as he has feelings for her but doesn’t want to cheat on his wife. Finally, there’s Isabelle Huppert in a phenomenal performance as Michele as a businesswoman who had been raped as she tries to find the man who raped her while dealing with the many things in her own life as it’s a performance filled with restraint as well as some very offbeat dark humor as it is definitely one of Huppert’s career-defining performances.

Elle is a tremendous film from Paul Verhoeven that features an incredible leading performance from Isabelle Huppert. Filled with a witty yet eerie script, subtle yet gripping suspense, a great ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, and a sumptuous music score. It’s a film that plays with the convention of a suspense-drama while being a character study of a woman dealing with being a rape victim that adds to her already troubled life. In the end, Elle is a spectacular film from Paul Verhoeven.

Paul Verhoeven Films: (Business is Business) – (Turkish Delight) – (Keetje Tippel) – (Soldier of Orange) – (All Things Pass) – (Spetters) – (The Fourth Man) – (Flesh and Blood) – (Robocop) – (Total Recall) – (Basic Instinct) – (Showgirls) – (Starship Troopers) – (Hollow Man) – (Black Book) – (Tricked)

© thevoid99 2017

I Heart Huckabees

Directed by David O. Russell and written by Russell and Jeff Baena, I Heart Huckabees is the story of an environmental activist who finds himself dealing with coincidences and such as he hires two existential detectives to help him as others also seek the help of the detectives. The film is an exploration into the world of existentialism as it’s told in a humorous manner as it also features a corporate executive who is the antagonist to the activist. Starring Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law, Mark Wahlberg, Naomi Watts, Isabelle Huppert, Lily Tomlin, and Dustin Hoffman. I Heart Huckabees is a truly hilarious and captivating film from David O. Russell.

The film explores the struggles of an environmental activist who is trying to save some marshes from being destroyed in favor of a new department store as he battles a corporate executive who lied to him. Yet, the activist Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman) finds himself encountering a tall Sudanese bellboy which prompts him to get the help of two existential detectives in Bernard & Vivian Jaffe (Dustin Hoffman & Lily Tomlin, respectively) where things get complicated as he finds himself in a bigger battle with Huckabees executive Brad Stand (Jude Law) who also hires the Jaffes. With a disgruntled client of the Jaffes in fireman Tommy Corn (Mark Wahlberg) leaning towards the nihilistic views of the Jaffes’ former protégé Caterine Vauban (Isabelle Huppert) as Albert would join Tommy. Things get complicated when the Jaffes’ presence starts to ruin Brad’s life as his girlfriend/Huckabees’ spokeswoman Dawn Campbell (Naomi Watts) starts to rebel against her own image. All of which plays into a group of people questioning themselves as well as their ambitions and roles in life in a very humorous fashion.

The film’s screenplay by David O. Russell and Jeff Baena has an offbeat structure where the first act is about Albert’s frustrations to save the marshes and deal with Brad who constantly bullshits everyone including the people he works for about a story involving country-pop singer Shania Twain and a tuna sandwich. While the Jaffes claim that both Albert and Brad are the same due to their ambitions and the need to make a difference. It’s something Albert refuses to believe as his encounter with Tommy would have him see a much darker view. Tommy is a fireman who despises petroleum as he sees Albert as a man who believes in something where a series of events would have Albert lose the trust of the people trying to save the marshes who go to Brad who is bullshitting them. The second act is about Albert and Tommy turning to Vauban for help as well as revelations for Albert about his own life where Tommy would often combat the Jaffes about their views on how everything is connected while Tommy refutes that.

Then comes this third act where it is about Brad and his own ambitions where his own life would unravel. Even as his relationship with Dawn comes into question as Dawn is often seen wearing skimpy clothes to promote Huckabees as she begins to ask questions about herself and her own relationship. Especially as she would threaten the future of Huckabees and Brad getting into some trouble which would then lead to a major epiphany for all of those involved. Especially the Jaffes and Vauban whose opposing views on the ways of the world would suddenly come together.

Russell’s direction is simple in the way he would shoot some scenes but there’s also something that is very offbeat in the way he plays into many of the film’s humorous moments. Notably the way it opens with Albert cursing at himself for all of the problems he is having where his encounters with this Sudanese bellboy are comical. It plays to the tone of the film where a lot of the humor is absurd as the scene where Albert and Tommy are in a room with the other clients of the Jaffes to showcase a world that is chaotic. The scenes with Vauban doing her own teaches are also absurd as it tries to play into this comical idea of nihilism. There’s also some very offbeat fantasy scenes that play into Albert’s own struggles and his hatred for Brad.

The opposing views of the Jaffes and Vauban would add to the offbeat tone of the direction where Russell would showcase their views through minimal visual effects. The Jaffes present their ideas in dots and such to say that everything is connected in a variation of transcendentalism while Vauban is more grounded in reality where there aren’t any visual effects but one that is still darkly comic. It would all culminate in a scene where it plays into these two diverge forces finally coming together in a moment of enlightenment. Overall, Russell crafts a very witty yet engaging comedy about a young man dealing with the ways of the world and his place in the world.

Cinematographer Peter Deming does excellent work with the film‘s colorful cinematography to capture the naturalistic of the locations in California as well as some of its interiors where a lot of the film is shot on daytime. Editor Robert K. Lambert does brilliant work with the editing with its unique approach to montages and jump-cuts as it plays to the film‘s offbeat style. Production designer K.K. Barrett, with set decorator Gene Serdena and art director Seth Reed, does amazing work with the look of the Huckabees corporate building as well as the home office of the Jaffes to display their eccentric approach of transcendental philosophy.

Costume designer Mark Bridges does nice work with the costumes from the skimpy clothes that Dawn wears in her job to the different array of clothes that Vivian Jaffe and Caterine Vauban would wear. Visual effects supervisor Robert Barrett does fantastic work with the visual effects that play into the ideas of the Jaffes about connection and such as it‘s very playful. Sound editor Kelly Oxford does terrific work with the sound work to play into some of the sounds in the fantasy scenes as well as some of the moments in the location. The film’s music by Jon Brion is an absolute delight with its playful approach to the Chamberlin instrument as well as some folk-based pieces that he brings in to the film.

The casting by Mary Vernieu is incredible as it features some notable appearances from Shania Twain as herself, Richard Jenkins and Jean Smart as a couple who let the Sudanese bellboy live with them, Jonah Hill in his film debut as that couple’s son, Talia Shire as Albert’s mother, Bob Gunton as Albert’s stepfather, Tippi Hedren as a coalition leader who tries to save the marshes where she aligns herself with Brad, Isla Fisher as Dawn’s replacement later in the film, Ger Duany as the tall Sudanese bellboy in Stephen, and Kevin Dunn as the Huckabees executive manager Marty. Naomi Watts is excellent as Dawn Campbell as the Huckabees’ spokeswoman who is often in their commercials and is Brad’s girlfriend as her encounter with existentialism showcases Watts at her funniest as she questions her own image and such.

Isabelle Huppert is amazing as Caterine Vauban as this absurd nihilist who tries to show Albert and Tommy a world where there is nothingness as she proves to be quite extreme and convincing in her views. Dustin Hoffman is brilliant as Bernard Jaffe as this oddball existential detective who is trying to get people on board with his own ideas while Lily Tomlin is fantastic as Bernard’s wife Vivian who also expresses the same views while being more analytical about the people she’s working with. Mark Wahlberg is phenomenal as Tommy Corn as this fireman who rides a bike as he becomes lost in his own despair as he tries to find meaning as it’s Wahlberg in one of his funniest and most vulnerable performances.

Jude Law is superb as Brad Stand as this corporate executive who likes to tell a story about Shania Twain to win over people and such as he’s a man that is quite vain in his ambitions only to realize how empty they can be. Finally, there’s Jason Schwartzman in a marvelous performance as Albert Markovski as this frustrated environmental activist who tries to make a difference as he deals with the different ideas of existentialism and his own issues with Brad as it’s Schwartzman in one of his funniest roles.

I Heart Huckabees is a smart and compelling film from David O. Russell. Armed with a great ensemble cast and very witty ideas about existentialism, the film is certainly a comedy that doesn’t play to any conventions. Especially as it showcases the idea of existentialism in its most absurd. In the end, I Heart Huckabees is a remarkable film from David O. Russell.

David O. Russell Films: Spanking the Monkey - Flirting with Disaster - Three Kings - The Fighter - Silver Linings Playbook - American Hustle - Accidental Love - Joy (2015 film) - The Auteurs #70: David O. Russell

© thevoid99 2014

Heaven's Gate (2012 Restoration Edition)

Written and directed by Michael Cimino, Heaven’s Gate is the story of a Harvard-educated marshal who finds himself in the middle of a conflict between rich and established cattle barons who wage war on a group of poor, European-based immigrants over claims of stealing cattle. A fictional account of the Johnson County War of 1892, the film is scathing look into the world of American Imperialism and the myth of the American dream as a man finds himself battling a friend as they’re both in love with a prostitute who is among the many that cattle barons want killed. Starring Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Isabelle Huppert, Sam Waterston, John Hurt, Jeff Bridges, Brad Dourif, and Joseph Cotten. Heaven’s Gate is a visually-stunning and enthralling film from Michael Cimino.

Based on the real-life events of the Johnson County War in 1892, the film explores a piece of American history where a group of established cattle barons battled against small settling ranchers where these more established men hired killers with the backing of the American government. Yet, the film is a re-interpretation about these events as the cattle barons are portrayed as rich men who want to kill these poor European immigrants for stealing their cattle as they think of them as thieves and anarchists. On the other side is a group of European immigrants who only steal because they’re hungry as they just want to live in America and live the American dream. In the middle of this is the marshal of Johnson County in James Averill (Kris Kristofferson) who wants to smooth out the conflict before it gets more troubling yet he is a man full of complications and contradictions. Especially as he’s in a love-triangle with a bordello madam in Ella Watson (Isabelle Huppert) who is in love with an enforcer in Nate Champion (Christopher Walken) who is a friend of Averill.

The film’s screenplay is quite vast as it starts in 1870 where Averill graduates from Harvard with his friend William Irvine (John Hurt) and ends with an epilogue set in 1903 in Newport, Rhode Island. Yet, much of the story is set in 1890 Wyoming where Averill tries to use his wealth and education to help the people of Johnson County that is full of European immigrants that is this mix of German, Russian, Slavic, Dutch, and other ethnicities who are just trying to live good lives. Averill is inspired by the ideas that is instilled upon him from his Harvard graduation when its speaker the Reverend Doctor (Joseph Cotten) urges the graduates to use their knowledge to help those in need. That moment is mocked by Irvine who later finds himself as a man lost in his role as he becomes a rambling, poetic drunk who has no clue on what to do as he would regret those actions. Irvine is part of this faction known as the Stock Growers Association led by Frank Canton (Sam Waterston) who is a rich cattle baron that has a lot of government connections while being very arrogant about what he does.

It is all part of something that is very complex as well as containing lots of ambiguities as Champion is an enforcer of the Association as he just enforces the law where he does kill an immigrant and later threatening another from stealing as he is just a lawman. He’s also in love with Ella who doesn’t mind being paid either in cash or cattle for prostitution as she is this woman who is in love with both Champion and Averill. Averill wants to take her out of the world of prostitution and protect her from what is coming once he learns about what is going to happen. Yet, she prefers a life that is simpler which is something Champion is offering as he would later question what Canton and the Stock Growers Association is doing. Especially when Ella’s name is in a death list that features many immigrants where Averill tries to figure out what to do as he becomes troubled by his own personal issues and the longing for a life that isn’t complicated. It’s part of that sense of conflict he’s in because of Ella where he would eventually take part in this brutal battle between the Stock Growers Association and the immigrants with very bloody results.

The script does have flaws in some of the characterization as the William Irvine character is an ambiguous figure as he is this rambling, poetic drunk that had the power to make a difference with his wealth and education. Yet, he’s a lost figure who has no clue what he’s doing or why he’s still in the Stock Growers Association as there’s a scene where a character asks why is he even here. Another flaw is its politics where it’s clear that it is one-sided in the way Canton is portrayed as this snobbish and arrogant antagonist while the poor is treated more fairly though there’s aspects of them that are just as flawed where one of them would try to make a bargain only to get his ear shot off. Still, it is a commentary on the idea of American Imperialism where Americans try to infuse their own ideas and such all for something as childish as money.

Michael Cimino’s direction definitely recalls a lot of the visual traits of the western as well as his own fascination with American landscapes as he shoots with such a wide canvas that covers so much of the landscape as it’s largely shot in Montana. There are aspects of the film where Cimino definitely wants to create something that has the attribute of an epic with these massive wide shots that includes this terrifying shot of a large group of horsemen on top of a mountain about to kill someone. Cimino’s approach to the widescreen in its 2:40:1 aspect ratio would showcase some of the lavishness of the film such as the Harvard dance sequence where Averill and Irvine waltz around a tree with a bevy of beautiful women. The Harvard prologue serves as a place where Averill and Irvine are being tasked as men who have the power to make change and help those who are less fortunate. It’s something that would drive Averill to do what is right in Johnson County as he feels the need to do with the power and responsibility he’s given.

The direction is also quite excessive in terms of its attention to detail in the way 1890s Wyoming is portrayed in its buildings and such that would also include this beautiful sequence of people in a roller skating rink to showcase what it was like to have fun in those times. It is in contrast to the sense of terror that would happen as much of the violence is quite graphic and bloody where it would culminate into this very spectacular battle scene that is frenetic at times but also very direct with the cameras being on wagons and such as well as shooting it from multiple perspectives. There’s also some unique ideas in camera angles and crane shots that Cimino uses while he also creates some intimate moments that plays into this love triangle where there’s some humor but also a sense of longing as both Averill and Champion want to have a better future with Ella. Its climax in the battle and its aftermath would lead to not just this understanding over how things are but also the question into what difference Averill made. Especially as he tries to come to terms with his own identity and the responsibilities he has as the film ends with this somber epilogue in 1903 Rhode Island. Overall, Cimino has created a grand yet very visceral film about a dark piece of American history seen through the eyes of a marshal trying to make some kind of difference.

Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond does absolutely incredible work with the film‘s rich and evocative cinematography with its approach to sepia lighting for some of the film‘s interiors with its shading and such as well as the colorful exterior settings of Montana in the day time as well as some low-key yet beautiful lighting for some of the film‘s interior scenes. Editors Tom Rolf, William Reynolds, Lisa Fruchtman, and Gerald Greenberg do brilliant work with the editing with its unique approach to rhythms in some of the film‘s dramatic moments along with its frenetic cutting in the battle scenes. Production designer Tambi Larsen, along with set decorators James L. Berkey and Josie MacAvin and art directors Spencer Deverell and Maurice Fowler, does phenomenal work with the set design from the look of the small town of Sweetwater with its cabins and roller skating hall as well as the home of the Stock Growers Association.

Costume designers Allen Highfill does excellent work with the costumes from the suits that the men wear to the period dresses that the women along with the more lavish look in the Harvard dance sequence. Sound editor James J. Klinger does fantastic work with the soundtrack from the way gunfire is presented to the sound of cannons as well as some of the intimate moments as it is quite sprawling in its mixing and editing. The film’s music by David Mansfield is just sublime for its mixture of eerie string arrangements with these rich arrangements of acoustic guitars, mandolins, and balalaikas to play into the film’s Eastern European tone as it features some amazing themes plus reinterpretations of classical pieces and traditional themes as Mansfield’s score is one of the film’s major highlights.

The casting by Cis Corman, Tony Gaznick, and Jane Halloran is amazing for the ensemble that is created as it features some appearances from composer David Mansfield plus T-Bone Burnett and Huey Lewis & the News keyboardist Sean Hopper as the live band in the skating rink, Willem Dafoe as a bar waiter, Anna Levine and Caroline Kava as a couple of young prostitutes, Mary C. Wright as the fiery prostitute Nell, Tom Noonan as an Association hitman who tries to rape Ella, Mickey Rourke as Nate’s friend Nick Ray, Waldemar Kalinkowski as the immigrant photographer, Terry O’Quinn as cavalry leader Captain Minardi, and Roseanne Vela as a beautiful girl that Averill eyed on at the Harvard graduation. Other notable small roles include Geoffrey Lewis as a trapper friend of Nate’s, Ronnie Hawkins as a military leader working with Canton, Paul Koslo role as the town’s cowardly mayor, and Richard Masur as the train station manager Cully who is friends with Averill. Brad Dourif is terrific as the town commerce head Mr. Eggleston who would have this great monologue about what it means to be poor and from another country as he would inspire his fellow immigrants to fight back.

In a small yet crucial role at the Harvard graduation scene, Joseph Cotten is superb as the Reverend Doctor who speaks to the graduates to ensure the weight of responsibility they have for the future of America. John Hurt is wonderful as Averill’s old Harvard classmate William Irvine as this rambling drunk who often spouts poetry though his role is one of most flawed elements of the film. Jeff Bridges is excellent as the town proprietor John L. Bridges who runs the bar and skating rink as he is a friend of the immigrants and becomes one of their leaders in the battlefield. Sam Waterston is brilliant as the smarmy and arrogant Stock Growers Association leader Frank Canton who is a man that is driven by greed as he is someone that is full of himself as Waterston brings this smarmy quality to a character that everyone loves to hate.

Isabelle Huppert is fantastic as Ella Watson as this bordello madam who is caught in a love triangle with two men as she wants to maintain a life that she built for herself while dealing with the reality of what she is facing as her name is on a death list. Christopher Walken is marvelous as Nate Champion as an Association enforcer who is quite prejudiced towards immigrants as he would eventually question his bosses once Ella is targeted as he realizes that they’re breaking the law. Finally, there’s Kris Kristofferson in a remarkable performance as James Averill as a marshal with a very posh and educated background who tries to mediate a deadly situation as he deals with his own personal feelings for Ella while dealing with who he is and what he tries to do to make a difference.

The 2-disc Region 1 DVD/Region A Blu-Ray from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a 2:40:1 theatrical aspect ratio in a widescreen format with 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound in a newly-restored transfer supervised by Michael Cimino in a new 216-minute cut where the only scene removed is the film’s intermission scene plus a few slightly-trimmed shots in some sequences. The first disc of the Blu-Ray is the film in its entirety as it is given a much richer transfer while on the DVD version, the film is split into two parts where the split occurs just after James Averill receives the death list.

The film’s second disc features many extras relating to the film and its notorious production starting with a 31-minute illustrated audio interview with Michael Cimino and producer Joann Carelli (which appears as an extra in the DVD‘s first disc). Through various still photos of the film and its production, Cimino and Carelli talk about the film where Cimino dominates much of commentary as he revealed that the version on the Criterion DVD/Blu-Ray is his final version. Cimino and Carelli talked about the research they went through about the actual Johnson County War as Carelli talked about Cimino’s approach to writing and how she discovered David Mansfield during the production. Cimino admits to not using monitors or watch dailies in his approach to directing while commenting on a lot of the things about the film as it’s a very compelling piece that showcased Cimino feeling validated that the film is being given a second chance.

The extras include new interviews with three people involved the film as the first is a nine-minute, twenty-three second interview with actor Kris Kristofferson. Kristofferson talks about what made him do the film as he was interested in the subject matter and working with Cimino. He felt it was a story that needed to be told as he admitted that Cimino was difficult and excessive but only because he wanted to get things right. Kristofferson admitted to being hurt over the film’s reception yet he doesn’t regret doing the film which he is still proud of while he also talks about the political aspects of the film where he felt that it was probably too controversial for audiences to handle.

The nine-minute interview with music composer David Mansfield has him talking about the music and his background as he had been proficient in a lot of string instruments. He was discovered by Joann Carelli who had seen him play with Bob Dylan in the mid-1970s as he was among several real musicians including T-Bone Burnett that were hired to play a band that actually played live music. Through his work and what he was able to do on the set, Cimino hired Mansfield to do the score as Mansfield talked about his approach to the score as well as infusing a lot of Eastern European influences into the music since his father is from a Eastern European background.

The eight-minute interview with second assistant director Michael Stevenson who talked about making the film as he knew what Cimino wanted in terms of scenery and in its attention to detail. Having worked with David Lean, Anthony Mann, and Richard Brooks, Stevenson knew that Cimino had that sense of wanting to get things right where Stevenson also talks about some technical moments in the film. Especially in how close Cimino was with his actors in making sure they would get their performances right as they trusted him as Stevenson would work with Cimino in his next two films. Other minor extras include a two-and-a-half minute restoration demonstration that showcases what had to be done as the film was drenched in sepia as a lot of work through digital scanning had to be made to restore its original color. The extras include a teaser and a TV spot for the film where the latter displayed the sense of controversy about the film.

The DVD/Blu-Ray set includes a booklet that features two pieces of text relating to the film. The first is an essay entitled Western Promises by the New York-based film writer and programmer Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan about the film. Vallan discusses much of what Cimino wanted to say in the film as well as its disastrous screening in November of 1980. Vallan also talks about the film’s politics and some of the aspects of the production as she feels like it is a film that got attacked over what was going on in its production and its cost rather than it was about. Even as it was well-received in Europe who were looking for the kind of films that old masters like John Ford and Howard Hawks used to make while it was getting trashed by American critics just as the film industry was in a state of transition in the age of the blockbuster as it’s a very engaging essay about the film.

The second piece of text is an interview with Michal Cimino for the November 1980 issue of American Cinematographer entitled The Film That Took On a Life of Its Own by the magazine editor Herb Lightman who was a guest camera operator on the film. Cimino talks about what he wanted to say and do with the film as well as his meticulous approach as he needed people who were able to recreate things from the past as he felt it was something that was lost at the time. Cimino also talked about wanting to shoot in certain locations where he said that if he ever found the right location, he would go ahead and shoot somewhere just to capture something that is just magical. Even as he would capture something that was just accidental yet felt right for the story as it is a compelling piece that showcased his perspective on the making of the film before it would have its notorious premiere.

Heaven’s Gate is a tremendously rich and harrowing film from Michael Cimino. Armed with a great ensemble cast plus major technical achievements in its art direction, Vilmos Zsigmond’s photography, and David Mansfield’s score. It’s a film that showcases a man trying to make a difference in a conflict driven by greed and class differences set to a dark piece of American history. While it is a film that is flawed, it has aspects that are thematically provocative as well as visuals that really defines the concept of epic filmmaking. In the end, Heaven’s Gate is a remarkable film from Michael Cimino.

Michael Cimino Films: Thunderbolt & Lightfoot - The Deer Hunter - Year of the Dragon - The Sicilian - Desperate Hours (1990 film) - The Sunchaser - To Each His Own Cinema-No Translation Needed - The Auteurs #35: Michael Cimino

© thevoid99 2014

8 Women

Based on the play Huit Femmes by Robert Thomas, 8 Femmes is a who-dun-it set during the Christmas holidays at the French countryside as a matriarch, her mother, her sister, her two daughters, her two maids, and her sister-in-law are all suspected of killing the man of the house as they’re force to reveal secrets and in song. Directed by Francois Ozon and screenplay by Ozon and Marina de Van, the film is a mixture of the colorful melodramas of Douglas Sirk with the mysteries of Agatha Christie with a bit of the musical told in the film. Starring Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Danielle Darrieux, Fanny Ardant, Emmanuelle Beart, Virginie Ledoyen, Ludivine Sagnier, and Firmine Richard. 8 Femmes is an exhilarating yet entertaining genre-bending film from Francois Ozon.

The film is essentially a quirky take on the who-dun-it that mixes suspense, comedy, melodrama, and the musical all into a mish-mash of fun where eight women ranging from different ages and such all try to figure out who killed the man in the house as they’re all suspects. Throughout the film, family secrets are unveiled as tension come ahead between the eight women in the story as well as an act of defiance from the two maids who are upset over the way things are handled. Adding to the chaos is the unexpected visit of the man’s sister Pierrette (Fanny Ardant) as she helps stir the pot where she and the seven other women start to figure out who did what as they also sing a song in turn to express their own feelings and such.

The screenplay by Francois Ozon and Marina de Van definitely takes it time to play with the expectations of a who-dun-it as they also explore the dysfunctional relationship between this group of women as it involve the man’s wife Gaby (Catherine Deneuve), her uptight sister Augustine (Isabelle Huppert), her wheelchair-bound mother Mamy (Danielle Darrieux), and her two daughters in Suzon (Virginie Ledoyen) and Catherine (Ludivine Sagnier). Then there’s the two servants in the longtime cook Madame Chanel (Firmine Richard) and the new chambermaid Louise (Emmanuelle Beart) as they observe everything while they become suspects over their motives and some secrets that they carry. Eventually, more secrets are unveiled as well as clues into who killed the man known as Marcel. The screenplay also plays with the structure of the suspense where it does give one character a reprieve of sorts as she is no longer a suspect allowing the others to figure things out.

The screenplay also plays into many things such as equality, homosexuality, and repression as these eight women all want something just as they are all dealing with themselves and their relationship with Marcel. The songs that are chosen for the film for each character reveal a lot into who these women are as well as what they have to say. It also helps play into some of the emotional aspects of the story that adds a layer to the melodrama.

Ozon’s direction definitely recalls a lot of the visual motifs of Douglas Sirk in terms of staging and framing as well as the meticulous attention to detail in every set piece. From the way Ozon creates an atmosphere in his framing to how he is willing to let things loose in the humor and drama. Even in the musical moments where some of it is choreographed while some of it is presented in a simple manner. Ozon does use some unique framing devices to present these musical numbers in the way he place the actors in a frame or have them be in the background for someone’s musical number with the help of choreographer Sebastian Charles. There is something intoxicating to the way Ozon presents the film as it plays as a theater piece but also take his time to subvert these moments for everyone to play loose. Overall, Ozon creates a very delightful and compelling who-dun-it that is presented in song and in humor.

Cinematographer Jeanne Lapoirie does exquisite work with the film‘s colorful cinematography to create a sense of beauty as a lot of it is shot inside the house where Lapoirie uses some gorgeous lighting schemes for some of the musical numbers as well as the dramatic moments. Editor Laurence Bawedin does excellent work with the editing to capture some of the intensity of the drama and the rhythm of the musical numbers. Production designer Arnaud de Moleron and set decorator Marie-Claire Quin do amazing work with the set pieces with its attention to detail in the carpets and the presentation of the main room as it is definitely a highlight of the film.

Costume designer Pascaline Chavanne does brilliant work with the clothes as Chavanne designs a lot of specific clothing for each women to wear to display their personalities. Sound editor Benoit Hillebrant does nice work with the sound to capture some of the sound effects in the film to help maintain the air of suspense. The film’s music by Krishna Levy is wonderful for its lush orchestral score that recalls some of the sweeping musical styles of Bernard Herrmann. Music supervisors Amelie de Chassey and Delphine Mathieu do fantastic work with the selection of the songs as they go for pop for the songs sung by Catherine, Suzon, and Louise as well as more mid-tempo pieces for Gaby and Pierrette while Antoinette, Madame Chanel, and Mamy are given ballads.

The casting by Antoinette Boulat is marvelous for casting a great array of actresses to appear in the film as they span countless generations and periods. With Dominique Lamure only making a brief appearance as Marcel though he doesn’t show his face, the film definitely belongs to these women. Ludivine Sagnier is wonderful as the youngest in Catherine who is full of energy while Virginie Ledoyen is superb as the older sister Suzon who is carrying a secret of her own while dealing with all of the family chaos. Firmine Richard is great as the family cook Madame Chanel who is the most reserved character of the group as well as the one person who knows more than everyone else. Emmanuelle Beart is remarkable as the chambermaid Louise who is quite defiant in her role while having some secrets of her own as it concerns Marcel.

Danielle Darrieux is excellent as the family matriarch Mamy as a woman who claims she couldn’t walk as she’s often full of lies as well as being greedy. Fanny Ardant is amazing as Pierrette who makes a surprise visit to the house as she is definitely someone in a bit of control as she also has a real standout moment with her musical number. Isabelle Huppert is brilliant as Antoinette who represents a woman who is uptight and repressed as she is the most dramatic as well as being very funny. Catherine Deneuve is just divine as Gaby as a woman dealing with all of the chaos while facing herself and her own troubled relationship with her husband.

8 Femmes is an incredible film from Francois Ozon. Armed with a brilliant ensemble cast of some of France’s finest actresses as well as amazing technical work. It’s definitely a film that plays to the who-dun-it genre while doing it in song to create something that is full of joy and goes all out to entertain. In the end, 8 Femmes is a phenomenal film from Francois Ozon.

Francois Ozon Films: See the Sea - Sitcom - Criminal Lovers - Water Drops on Burning Rocks - Under the Sand - Swimming Pool - 5x2 - Time to Leave - Angel (2007 film) - Ricky - The Refuge - Potiche - In the House - Jeune & Jolie - (The New Girlfriend) - (Frantz (2016 film)) - (Double Lover) - (By the Grace of God) - Summer of 85 - (Everything Went Fine) - (Peter von Kant) - The Auteurs #33: Francois Ozon

© thevoid99 2013

Amour (2012 film)

Written and directed by Michael Haneke, Amour is the story about the love of an elderly couple when a man tries to deal with his wife’s stroke that left part of her body paralyzed as he becomes desperate to take care of her. The film is an exploration into the world of love and one’s devotion to another. Starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, and Isabelle Huppert. Amour is a mesmerizing yet powerful film from Michael Haneke.

The film is essentially the story of an elderly couple named Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) who live their life together until Anne has become catatonic having Georges believe something went wrong. After a surgery that has left Anne paralyzed, Georges makes a promise to not send Anne back to the hospital as he does whatever it takes to care of her despite her worsening condition after another stroke and the insistence of their daughter Eva (Isabelle Huppert) to send Anne to a home. The film is about one man’s devotion to his wife as she starts to deteriorate in front of his eyes where he eventually realizes that she isn’t going to get better. Yet, he makes a decision about what to do with themselves knowing that she isn’t going to return to who she was once was.

Michael Haneke’s screenplay doesn’t really have much of a plot as it is really about these two people and their love for each other. Yet, the film doesn’t really begin with a traditional opening but rather at the end. It’s a strange way to open the film but it is then followed by more happier times when Georges and Anne attend a concert for an old pupil of theirs that establishes who they were. Suddenly, the film goes back into a more serious mood with bits of light humor as it revolves around Georges trying to help out his wife with what she would have to endure in her condition. For Anne, it becomes overwhelming as she finds herself becoming a burden as she deteriorates to the point of incoherence. While there’s moments of frustrations for Georges, he remains devoted but still has to deal with not just what people tell what he should do but also with their opinions. For him, nothing else matters when it comes to Anne as he has made a vow to her that is more sacred than anything else.

Haneke’s direction is very restrained for the most part as he doesn’t do a lot of camera movements nor anything stylish. Instead, it’s quite straightforward in its framing where Haneke is more interested in how the couple live their life and do things on a daily basis. The way the actors are positioned definitely says a lot in the framing while Haneke doesn’t go for a lot of close-ups. There are few moments where the camera does move in some parts of the films for the character of Georges to move around. Yet, it is mostly told in a simple manner where the drama does increase as it progresses to emphasize Anne’s deteriorated state. Things do get more intense though the drama remains restrained as it does lead to a very poignant ending about loss as well as the ideas of life. Overall, Haneke creates a very heart-wrenching yet uncompromising film about love.

Cinematographer Darius Khondji does excellent work with the film‘s photography as it largely takes place inside the apartment with some very low-key yet lovely lighting schemes to set the mood without delving too much into style. Editors Monika Willi and Nadine Muse do superb work in the editing by not employing a lot of style to the cutting while using some effective cuts for some of the film‘s key dramatic moments. Production designer Jean-Vincent Puzos and set decorator Susanne Haneke do terrific work with the look of the apartment that Georges and Anne live in that is filled things that are part of their life.

Costume designer Catherine Leterrier does nice work with the costumes as it is mostly casual to display who the characters are. The sound work of Jean-Pierre Laforce and Guillaume Sciama is wonderful for the intimacy of the scenes that includes some very haunting moments of Anne crying out for Georges in some parts of the film.

The casting by Kris Portier de Bellair is brilliant for the small ensemble that is created as it includes appearances from Alexandre Tharaud as an old pupil of the couple, Rita Blanco as the concierge of the apartment, Ramon Agirre as the concierge’s husband, and William Shimell as Eva’s husband Geoff. Isabelle Huppert is excellent as Georges and Anne’s daughter Eva who grows increasingly concerned for what is happening to her mother as she also deals with what might be coming.

Finally there’s the duo of Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva in outstanding performances in their respective roles as Georges and Anne. Trintignant displays a chilling performance to a man desperate to help out his wife while dealing with everything else around him where Trintignant maintains this great physicality to his role as a man that is devoted to his wife. Riva’s performance is just astonishing to watch from the early going as a woman who is quite lively to someone who is deteriorating physically as she is unable to have any movement in the right part of her body and then just completely unravel as it’s a very unsettling to watch. It’s a very brave performance for the legendary actress in the way she reveals a woman losing herself and clinging to the man who loves her.

Amour is an incredible yet poignant film from Michael Haneke that features magnificent performances from Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva. While it may not be in par with some of Haneke’s more darker films, it is still a film that is engaging as well as a drama that explores love at its deepest core. Notably as it explores an elderly couple being tested by something horrible as well as the specter of death. In the end, Amour is a tremendous film from Michael Haneke.

Michael Haneke Films: (The Seventh Continent) - (Benny’s Video) - (71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance) - Funny Games (1997 film) - Code Unknown - The Piano Teacher - (Time of the Wolf) - Cache` - Funny Games (2007 film) - The White Ribbon - Happy End

© thevoid99 2013

The Piano Teacher

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 8/6/04 w/ Additional Edits.

One of France’s most gifted and premier actresses, Isabelle Huppert is an actress whose versatility and fearlessness has won her awards and acclaim from peers worldwide. Since her breakthrough in the 1977 film La Dentelliere (The Lacemaker) where a year later, she won her first Best Actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival for Violette Noziere, Huppert has been an actress that has played many type of film roles with great directors that included Jean-Luc Godard and notably, Claude Charbol whose been her frequent collaborator. Despite being a known figure in Europe and the world, Huppert struggled with gaining fame in the U.S. where she appeared in the notorious 1980 film Heaven’s Gate. Though she would do two more American films including Hal Hartley’s Amateur in 1994, Huppert remained in France. In 2001, Huppert would prove herself once again in playing a troubled piano teacher in Michael Haneke’s La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher).

Directed by Michael Haneke that he wrote based on the novel by Elfriede Jelinek, La Pianiste is a harrowing, intense sexual drama about a gifted piano teacher in Vienna, whose combative relationship with her mother takes a toll on her as she lashes out on her students. Then a young, brash student comes to her who is intrigued by her cold demeanor only to learn about her broken view on love. Playing the title role of Erika Kohut is Huppert in a role that isn’t just demanding but also an eerie, frustrating view on character study. Also starring Benoit Magimel and Annie Girardot, La Pianiste is an ominous, scary film of sadomasochism and dominance through the mind of a woman on the verge of collapse.

For the 40-something Erika Kohut, her devotion to teach students in a Vienna music conservatory about the joy of music has been a frustrating one. Her devotion to the likes of Franz Schubert and the way she plays his music shows her brilliance, even when she wants her students to feel the coldness and pain of what he’s playing, even the same way towards Beethoven. In the daytime, she works to guide her students into playing right but as a harsh taskmaster who uses words in a restrained way to torture them, notably her most demanding student Anna Schober (Anna Sigalevitch). Whenever she comes home, Erika is forced to endure the criticism and cruelty of her mother (Annie Girardot). Especially one night when Erika returns three hours late where the two fight and Erika is forced to tears after her mother tells her about the hole in her head. At night, Erika is forced to sleep in the same bed with her mother who often asks about her day.

Then one night during a dinner party, Erika meets a young engineering student named Walter Klemmer (Benoit Magimel) who plays Schubert for her. Erika is somewhat intrigued though she’s put off by Walter’s cocky attitude. Then during a class with Anna, Walter comes who wants to join her class. Erika isn’t keen on it since she doesn’t want to be upstaged or seduced by Walter while she’s tending more time to her other students. One day after criticizing another who she saw earlier at a magazine store when he was looking at porno, she becomes more and more sinister towards Anna whose mother (Susanne Lothar) is frustrated at her lack of confidence. Then when Walter does an audition for the music conservatory, he impresses most of the teachers but to Erika’s reluctance, she officially puts him in her class.

Then one night, Erika decides to go to a porno shop where she watches a film and goes through odd moments and then on another night at a drive-in, she watches a couple having sex where her repressed sexual feelings come to place. Unfortunately, her mother doesn’t enjoy the fact that Erika comes home late where one night, she tells Erika that her father, who has been in an asylum for most of her life, has died leaving her more and more desperate. Then one day during a rehearsal with Anna and a baritone singer (Thomas Weinhappel) for an upcoming recital, she finds Anna in a nervous state and her criticism isn’t even helping. Coming to Anna’s aid was Walter that leaves Erika furious where she responds to her cruelness and later, locks herself in a bathroom where Walter finds her and begins to kiss her. She is put off only then to have her sexual feelings to come out more when she asks that he expose himself.

Eventually, the two would have a strange, sadomasochistic relationship where the role of submissive and masochist becomes confusing with Walter’s cocky charm and Erika’s cold, disciplined tone. Then one night when Walter follows her home, he wants to talk to her but Erika isn’t sure, especially in front of her mother where the two would lock themselves in Erika’s room. Erika demands for Walter to read her letter and as he read it, he is repulsed by what she wants from him in their relationship. Erika then becomes more and more desperate as she tries to engage him sexually only to feel sick and the mind games she plays on him finally takes his toll where he would engage her to his own sick ways. The result would force Erika to see the damage she has suffered from herself and from her own mother along with an exploration of her own madness.

The film’s restrained, melancholic tone led by Michael Haneke’s mesmerizing direction gives the film a dramatic tone where the intensity and climax of the film is only used from an emotional standpoint and not in the way it would be approached in American films. The film’s European sense shows how stilted the film’s tone is where there’s no real sense of action, only words. This approach would create a slow pace for the film but its deliberate to examine Erika's behavior. In its screenplay, Haneke really examines the mind of a broken woman who is likely to fall apart as we see her really searching for the one thing she really needed. The film is a very intense drama but without any kind of over-the-top theatrics or any heightened emotions.

Complementing Haneke’s stilted; ominous direction is cinematographer Christian Berger whose evocative look of Vienna in its day, exterior scenes are captured beautifully while in night scenes, interior and exterior, there’s a darkness to it. With Christian Kanter’s wonderful production design detailing a wonderful look to the apartments of Vienna and the conservatory, the film has a wonderful look. Another wonderful element of the film is the music with most of the compositions comes from Franz Schubert with all the piano performances coming from its actors as the music plays to give the idea of what Erika Kohut is thinking. It’s one of the best pieces of music used.

While the film has a nice, small supporting cast with wonderful performances from Udo Samel as Dr. Blonskji, who annoys Erika’s mother with his collection of instruments while Anna Sigalevitch and Susanne Lothar are brilliant in their small roles. Annie Girardot gives a chilling performance as Erika’s mother with her mean, domineering tone as she abuses her daughter mentally and emotionally. Girardot also does well in being a manipulative woman who is trying to make her daughter break down, notably in that first scene, as she wants her to be better than everyone. Benoit Magimel brings an amazing performance as the brash, charming Walter with his vibrant energy that would later develop into something much darker. Magimel, who would win the Best Actor prize at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival for his performance, brings a complex role of a man who gets into more than he’s bargained for as he tries to see into his own dark side through this broken woman who he felt manipulated by.

The film’s most intriguing performance goes to Isabelle Huppert who brings out her best performance to date. With a restrained, cold presentation, Huppert brings a complex performance as a woman who is mean by day but at night, she is desperate. In her scenes with Girardot, we see Huppert trying to stand up to herself only to be defeated mentally by her mother and being controlled in every way. With Magimel, we see Huppert trying to explore herself sexually while acting in some ways like a child. In that role, Erika Kohut is a woman barely growing out of her childhood who is only damaged more where in the film’s ending, we’re left wondering what just happened and where will she go. Particularly in her sexual exploration where she doesn’t seem to fit in, including to onlookers at the porno shop scene and her behavior towards Walter and mother on a sexual matter is very strange yet there’s sadness to it.

In the 2002 DVD release, Huppert gives an interview where she explains Erika’s behavior and the film itself where she sees that Erika is a woman who just wants to be loved, pure and simple. From watching it, we can see what she wants but then, there comes that sadomasochistic side of her that is impossible for her to love her. Huppert brings in a performance that is powerful and at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, she would win her second Best Actress prize along with several awards internationally.

La Pianiste is a wonderful yet daring film from Michael Haneke with a tour-de-force performance from Isabelle Huppert. While it’s not exactly an S&M film, especially in comparison to the more playful 2002 film Secretary, it’s a film that really looks at sadomasochism in a very dark way. La Pianiste isn’t a film for everyone, especially those unfamiliar with the way Europeans approach drama since the film’s pacing will annoy some along with its questionable ending. Still, it’s a wonderfully harrowing film that relies on character study and emotionally intense melancholia. In the end, La Pianiste succeeds through Haneke’s subtle direction and Huppert’s engaging performance.

Michael Haneke Films:  (The Seventh Continent) - (Benny's Video) - (71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance) - Funny Games (1997) - Code Unknown - (Time of the Wolf) - Cache` - Funny Games (2007 film) - The White Ribbon - Amour - Happy End

© thevoid99 2011