Querelle

Based on the novel Querelle of Brest by Jean Genet, Querelle is the story of a Belgian sailor who goes to a brothel following a betrayal on a fellow dealer as he deals with his sexuality and other things happening in and around this brothel. Directed and co-edited by Rainer Werner Fassbinder and screenplay by Fassbinder and Burkhard Driest, the film is an exploration of a man dealing with his identity following a murder he committed as the film would Fassbinder’s film released months after his death of a drug overdose. Starring Brad Davis, Franco Nero, Laurent Malet, Hanno Poschl, and Jeanne Moreau. Querelle is a ravishing and provocative film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

The film follows a Belgian sailor whose ship stops at a small French port town known for its seediness where he enters a brothel where he would engage in his first homosexual affair with its bartender leading to a journey of murder, deceit, and self-exploration for the titular character (Brad Davis). It’s a film that is about this small town filled with sailors, drug dealers, steel workers, and all sorts of people engaging in all sorts of decadence with this sailor who also works as a dealer as he kills another sailor over a deal. The film’s screenplay by Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Burkhard Dreist with translated text of Jean Genet’s words and other text by Catherine Breillat is filled with a lot of different stories yet it centers around a murder of a sailor that Querelle committed but no one knows if he killed that man.

Querelle deals drugs including opium as he would also meet his brother Robert (Hanno Poschl) who is the lover of the brothel manager Lysiane (Jeanne Moreau). Lysiane’s husband Nono (Gunther Kaufmann) runs and tends the bar as he would get Querelle to play a game of dice where if Querelle wins, he would sleep with Lysiane but if Nono wins. Nono gets to fuck Querelle as the latter does happen where Querelle finds himself entranced by his encounter with Nono. Yet, things become troubling as it relates to Querelle’s relationship with his brother as Lysiane is fascinated by Querelle while Querelle is seen from afar by his superior in Lt. Seblon (Franco Nero) who pines for him. After killing the sailor Vic (Dieter Schodor), Querelle hangs around while a construction worker named Gil (Hanno Poschl) is the main suspect after a fight with another worker as it leads to suspicion but also Querelle trying to spin a web of lies and deceit around everyone. The script doesn’t just feature these storylines involving multiple characters that Querelle meets but also dialogue that is stylish as it also play into this air of intrigue as the film is partially told through an unseen narrator.

Fassbinder’s direction is definitely stylish where it is shot inside a studio to play up this sense of artificiality and fantasy that is prevalent throughout the film. The direction is filled with a lot of symbolism and attention to detail where Fassbinder makes no bones about the homoerotic content in the film from the phallic statues on the balcony, glimpses of shirtless sailors swabbing the deck in the background, glass paintings of sexual imagery at the brothel, and the gazing of men’s crotches throughout the film. The usage of close-ups help play into the emotional elements of the film but also this idea of identity as it’s presented in a stylish and expressionist approach with some medium shots for some shots to play into some of the dramatic tension. Fassbinder’s approach to the wide shots help play into the attention to detail into this small port town as there is this artificiality that surrounds the location but it also play into this idea of a gay man’s paradise.

With the aid of co-editor Juliane Lorenz, Fassbinder’s editing does have bits of style as it play more into the emotional and melodramatic elements of the film. Notably in a scene where Querelle and Gil meet to discuss a partnership as it play into the former’s need for control. Fassbinder also displays that air of style in a fight scene between Querelle and Robert as it play more like a dance than a knife fight. The direction also play into this sense of intrigue and desire while nothing overtly explicit is shown where Fassbinder instead aims for something emotional. The air of suspense as it relates to the murder does have Fassbinder sort of play with the conventions of the detective film as it reaches this climax that is more dramatic than suspenseful as well as revelations about Querelle’s own journey. Overall, Fassbinder crafts an intoxicating yet entrancing film about a Belgian sailor’s exploits in a small French port town and brothel.

Cinematographers Xaver Schwarzenberger and Josef Vavra do amazing work with the film’s overtly stylish cinematography with its usage of artificial lighting for many of the film’s exterior and interior setting with its usage of yellow and orange along with blue lights for a few key scenes as a form of moonlight. Production designer Rolf Zehetbauer and art director Walter E. Richarz do brilliant work with the look of the port city as well as the interiors of the brothel and some of the places including the phallic statues. Costume designers Barbara Baum and Monika Jacobs do fantastic work with the look of Lt. Seblon’s uniform, the sailor uniforms, the leather uniforms of the police, and the lavish clothing of Lysiane.

Makeup artists Ingrid Massmann-Korner and Gerhard Nemetz do terrific work with the look of Lysiane in her lavish makeup as someone desperately trying to regain a sense of her youth. The sound work of Hartmut Eichgrun and Vladimir Vizner do superb work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of the brothel and some of the places outside of the buildings. The film’s music by Peer Raben is incredible for its mixture of jazz-like pieces including a couple of songs that Lysiane sings as well as some eerie electronic-based pieces that play for dramatic effects and some lush orchestral pieces as it is a highlight of the film.

The film’s marvelous cast include notable small roles from Neil Bell as Gil’s lover Theo, Dieter Schidor as the sailor/dealer Vic Rivette, Burkhard Driest as the corrupt police officer Mario who is attracted to Querelle, Laurent Malet as a young sailor who observes some of the action, Roger Fritz as a police official, and Gunther Kauffmann as the brothel bartender Nono who sort of runs the brothel and other things as he would decide Querelle’s self-exploration fate.

Hanno Poschl is excellent in his dual role as Querelle’s brother Robert and the construction worker Gil where he displays a sense of torment and anguish in the former as someone who has some issues with his brother while he is a more charismatic figure as the latter as someone that is in love but is also dealing with trouble when he’s been accused of killing Vic. Franco Nero is fantastic as Lieutenant Seblon as a naval officer who pines for Querelle from afar as a man who records his thoughts on a tape recorder while is also concerned for Querelle’s well-being. Jeanne Moreau is amazing as Lysiane as the brothel owner who also sings as she is someone that is entranced by Querelle but is also concerned about what he might bring to the brothel. Finally, there’s Brad Davis in an amazing performance as the titular character as this sailor/drug dealer who murders a fellow dealer and later encounters his first homosexual experience as he deals with his sexuality and role in life while trying to manipulate and control everything as it’s a sleazy yet charismatic performance from Davis.

Querelle is a phenomenal film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder that features great performances from Brad Davis, Jeanne Moreau, Hanno Poschl, and Franco Nero. Along with its gorgeous visuals, rapturous music score, and themes of sexual identity and dominance, it is a film that display this idea of fantasy, reality, and longing but also a world that is dark with a young man trying to control everything. Even as it is shown in grand display without any kind of compromise which is a great way for Fassbinder to go in his final film. In the end, Querelle is a sensational film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

Rainer Werner Fassbinder Films: Love is Colder than Death - (Katzelmacher) - (Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?) - (Rio das Mortes) - (The American Soldier) - (Whity) - (Beware of a Holy Whore) - The Merchant of Four Seasons - The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant - Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day - (Jailbait) - World on a Wire - Ali: Fear Eats the Soul - (Martha (1974 film)) - (Effi Briest) - (Fox and His Friends) - (Mother Kuster’s Trip to Heaven) - Satan's Brew - (Chinese Roulette) - (Germany in Autumn) - (Despair) - (In a Year of 13 Moons) - The Marriage of Maria Braun - (Third Generation) - Berlin Alexanderplatz - (Lili Marleen) - Lola (1981 film) - Veronika Voss

© thevoid99 2019

The Immortal Story

Based on a short story by Karen Blixen (under the Isak Dinesen pseudonym), The Immortal Story is about a wealthy merchant in the 19th Century who is obsessed with the story of a sailor who was paid by a rich man to impregnate the man’s wife wanting to make the legend come true. Written for the screen, directed, and co-starring Orson Welles, the film is a study of obsession and a man’s need for a fantasy to come true. Also starring Jeanne Moreau, Roger Coggio, Norman Eshley, and Fernando Rey. The Immortal Story is a ravishing and haunting film from Orson Welles.

Set towards the end of the 19th Century of Macao, the film revolves a wealthy merchant who tells a story to his accountant about a rich man pays a sailor to impregnate his wife as it’s become a legendary story among traveling sailors. Wanting to make the legend come true to fulfill his wishes, he sends the accountant to find a sailor and a woman to make it come true yet there’s some complications along the way. Orson Welles’ screenplay has a straightforward narrative that play into the obsession of the merchant Mr. Clay (Orson Welles) and his need to have this legend become reality just before he is to die. His accountant Elishama Levinsky (Roger Coggio) is tasked to find both the sailor and a woman to play these roles as he would find the latter in Miss Virginie (Jeanne Moreau) whose father was a partner of Clay until Clay cheated him out of his fortune. Miss Virginie is reluctant to take part yet she decides to do it out of revenge towards Clay while Clay would find a young sailor in Paul (Norman Eshley) who also agreed to do it for money.

Welles’ direction is stylish in some of the compositions and settings he creates in the film as it was largely shot in the small Spanish town of Chinchon with many of the interiors scenes shot at Welles’ home outside of Madrid. While there aren’t a lot of wide shots in the film in favor of medium shots and close-ups, Welles does maintain this larger-than-life presence in Mr. Clay as a man who is aware that he’s going to die and wants a final wish. There is an intimacy into what Welles want as well as aiming for something simple in the setting while not delving too much into stylistic shots. Even in some of the camera movements that happen late in the film when Miss Virginie and Paul meet sort of aware of what is going on and what they have to do. Even if they know what is at stake despite the emotional baggage both carry in their assignment. Overall, Welles crafts a somber yet riveting film about a man trying to make a legend come to life in his final days.

Cinematographer Willy Kurant does brilliant work with the film’s colorful cinematography as it adds a lush yet grimy look to many of the exterior scenes as well as the interior scenes to play into the mood that Clay is dealing with. Editors Yolande Maurette, Marcelle Pluet, Francoise Garnault, and Claude Farny do excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward in terms of capturing the drama and mysterious elements of the film. Set decorator Andre Piltant does fantastic work with the look of the interiors inside Clay’s home as well as the homes of Miss Virginie and Levinsky. The dresses by Pierre Cardin are gorgeous for what Miss Virginie wears to play into her lifestyle but also to tap into what she lost from her childhood. The sound work of Jean Neny is terrific for its low-key approach to sound that include some natural moments that play into the locations as well as a few moments during its third act. The film’s music mainly consists of piano pieces by Erik Satie that is performed by musicians as it adds to the film’s melancholic and dramatic tone as it is a highlight of the film.

The film’s incredible ensemble cast that includes an un-credited cameo appearance from Fernando Rey as a narrator/merchant who is seen briefly early in the film also includes a terrific performance from Norman Eshley as the sailor Paul as a poor man who hadn’t spoken to anyone in a year as he is given a chance to do a job for money with hopes of having a ship of his own. Roger Coggio is excellent as Elishama Levinsky as Clay’s accountant who is tasked with finding the people for this legend to come to life as he deals with the job he’s given as well as the well-being of Miss Virginie and Paul. Jeanne Moreau is radiant as Miss Virginie as a woman, whose father was Clay’s partner until he was cheated out of his fortune by Clay, who reluctantly takes part in Clay’s plan in an act of revenge while coping with everything she’s lost. Finally, there’s Orson Welles in a brilliant performance as Mr. Clay as a merchant who is aware that he’s facing death as he wants a legend to come to life where Welles maintains that larger-than-life persona as well a melancholy into someone who had everything but feels unfulfilled.

The Immortal Story is a sensational film from Orson Welles that features a mesmerizing performance from Jeanne Moreau. Along with the rest of its ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, a hypnotic music score, and a simple yet entrancing premise. It’s a film that maintains an air of simplicity into a man’s desire to make a legend come to life as well as a story of loss and regret. In the end, The Immortal Story is a rapturous film from Orson Welles.

Orson Welles Films: Citizen Kane - The Magnificent Ambersons - The Stranger (1946 film) - The Lady from Shanghai - Macbeth (1948 film) - Othello (1952 film) - Mr. Arkadin - Touch of Evil - The Trial (1962 film) - Chimes at Midnight - F for Fake - Filming Othello – The Other Side of the Wind

Related: Orson Welles: The One-Man Band - The Eyes of Orson Welles - They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead - The Auteurs #69: Orson Welles: Part 1 - Part 2

© thevoid99 2018

Chimes at Midnight

Based on five different plays by William Shakespeare and Holinshed’s Chronicles by Ralph Holinshed, Chimes at Midnight is the story of a knight and his relationship with a prince who is forced to make a decision on whom he should be loyal to. Written for the screen, starred, costume designed, and directed by Orson Welles, the film is an unconventional take on the work of Shakespeare with Welles playing the role of Sir John Falstaff as it explores friendship and loyalty. Also starring Keith Baxter, Margaret Rutherford, John Gielgud, Jeanne Moreau, Norman Rodway, Marina Vlady, Fernando Rey, and narration by Ralph Richardson. Chimes at Midnight is a rapturous and evocative film from Orson Welles.

The film is set during the final days of Henry IV of England (John Gielgud) as it revolves around his son who spends much of his time with the knight Sir John Falstaff into a world of mischief as he is primed to be next in line for the throne despite opposition from relatives who want to have Edmund Mortimer released as he is the true heir to the throne. It’s a film that explores not just destiny but also a young man torn between two figures who are guiding him into manhood. Orson Welles’ screenplay is filled with a lot of the monologues and character study that William Shakespeare is known for in the plays that Welles would compile into the script. All of which play into the idea of identity and all of the glories an identity could bring where Falstaff is at the center of everything as he wants to be an influence to Prince Hal (Keith Baxter) knowing he is next in line. Yet, Hal does want to get the approval of his father where he would try to win it during a battle against a rebellion where he would go up against a prominent knight. Unfortunately, he would also see what Falstaff wants as it adds to this internal conflict that Hal would endure.

Welles’ direction is definitely stylish for the air of theatricality that he would maintain throughout the film as it would play into this world of 15th Century decadence with an air of 20th Century energy. Shot on location in Spain, Welles would use the desert landscape to play into the scope of the world that the characters are in. Notably with the castles and the tavern where much of the action occurs in the latter as it is a place where Falstaff and his band of brothers can enjoy themselves. While Welles would use some wide shots of the tavern to showcase the liveliness whether it’s in a big group dance or in a conversation scene involving Falstaff and Hal as there’s characters in the background such as a young page (Beatrice Welles), the tavern hostess Mistress Quickly (Margaret Rutherford), and the prostitute Doll Tearsheet (Jeanne Moreau). He would also create some close-ups and medium shots to capture some of the emotional aspects in the film including shots in the battle scenes.

The battle scenes is a highlight as it has a lot of action but also some offbeat humor as it relates to the armor that Falstaff is wearing which is designed by Welles who would also be the film’s costume designer. While there is a lot of stylistic elements that Welles would include in the film, he does maintain the theatricality needed in scenes where there are these long monologues such as the one Henry IV gives in the aftermath of the battles as it play into his own mortality as well as what the future holds. The third act is where Welles shines as a filmmaker where he would use some low camera angles to play into Hal’s acceptance into the role he is in but also what he had to sacrifice as it relates to Falstaff and his influence. Notably as what Falstaff would have to see when Hal becomes king as it would mark the end of something that he is forced to accept as well. Overall, Welles creates an intoxicating yet compelling film about a young man trying to cope with his destiny and the influence of a decadent knight.

Cinematographer Edmond Richard does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography to play into the look of some of the interiors inside the castles as well as the scenes at the tavern and the exterior shots set at night. Editors Fritz Mueller, Elena Jaumandreu, and Peter Parasheles do excellent work with the editing as it is stylized with some jump-cuts in its approach to the action and conversations involving different characters. Production designer Mariano Erdozia and set decorator Jose Antonio de la Guerra do amazing work with the look of the tavern as well as some of the interior of the different castles including Henry IV’s palace. The sound work of Luis Castro is terrific for the way the sound is captured in the tavern and at the castles along with the chaos during the battle scene. The film’s music by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino is superb for its orchestral bombast and flourishes along with some somber string pieces to play into the drama.

The film’s incredible cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from Tony Beckley and Patrick Bedford in their respective roles as Falstaff’s friends Ned Poins and Bardolf, Walter Chiari as Justice Silence, Michael Aldrige as another friend of Falstaff in Pistol, Jose Nieto as the Earl of Northnumberland who rebels against Henry IV, Alan Webb as another country justice official in Justice Shallow who is a friend of Falstaff, Fernando Rey as the Earl of Worcester that is Northnumberland’s brother that is trying to get his cousin Edmund Mortimer in line for the throne, Beatrice Welles as Falstaff’s page who helps him with a few duties, Marina Vlady as Hotspur’s wife Kate Percy, and Norman Rodway as Northnumberland’s son Hotspur who is trying to aid in the rebellion where he would face off against Hal. Margaret Rutherford is fantastic as Mistress Quickly as the tavern hostess who is trying to maintain order in her tavern which is a place of escape for Falstaff and his friends.

Jeanne Moreau is excellent as Doll Tearsheet as a prostitute who lives in the tavern that is a lover of Falstaff as she deals with the chaos around him as well as spout insults at others while displaying elements of sentimentality over what will happen to Hal. John Gielgud is incredible as King Henry IV as a man that is trying to deal with the rebellion as well as Falstaff’s influence on his son where he would deal with his own mortality in a monologue that is just engaging to watch. Keith Baxter is brilliant as Prince Hal as a young man torn between his duties as prince but also the influence of Falstaff whom he sees as a father figure where he wonders if he’s being used. Finally, there’s Orson Welles in a phenomenal performance as Sir John Falstaff as a knight that is literally larger than life as a man that is the embodiment of decadence where he hopes to become a nobleman unaware that times are changing with him having no role in this new world.

Chimes at Midnight is a sensational film from Orson Welles. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, a sumptuous music score, and a script that meshes many of William Shakespeare’s play into a study of loyalty, identity, and ambition. It’s a film that display many of Welles’ hallmarks of grand visuals to play into a man who tries to influence a younger man into a world of decadence instead of duty. In the end, Chimes at Midnight is a tremendous film from Orson Welles.

Orson Welles Films: Citizen Kane - The Magnificent Ambersons - The Strangers (1946 film) - The Lady from Shanghai - Macbeth (1948 film) - Othello (1952 film) - Mr. Arkadin – Touch of Evil - The Trial (1962 film) - The Immortal Story – F for Fake - Filming Othello – The Other Side of the Wind

Related: Orson Welles: The One-Man Band - The Eyes of Orson Welles - They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead - The Auteurs #69: Orson Welles: Part 1 - Part 2

© thevoid99 2017

Until the End of the World

(In Memory of Jeanne Moreau (1928-2017) & Sam Shepard (1943-2017))

Directed by Wim Wenders and screenplay by Wenders and Peter Carey from a story by Wenders and Solveig Dommartin with ideas from Michael Almereyda, Until the End of the World is the story of a road trip involving two people as they drive around the world before it’s to end in the new millennium as a nuclear satellite is about to enter Earth. The film is considered the ultimate road film as it involve two people traveling through four continents carrying something that could help the world just as time is running out. Starring William Hurt, Solveig Dommartin, Sam Neill, Chishu Ryu, Lois Chiles, David Gulipill, Max von Sydow, Rudiger Volger, Ernie Dingo, and Jeanne Moreau. Until the End of the World is a sprawling and evocative film from Wim Wenders.

A nuclear satellite from India is malfunctioning as it is set to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere setting panic across the planet where a woman’s encounter with bank robbers and later a man on the run would take her to a journey around the world. It’s a film that is this massive journey in which a woman with self-destructive tendencies falls for this mysterious man she has met in the South of France as he would steal a cut of the money she’s gained for helping a couple of bank robbers as she would follow this man all over the world who is in trouble with the law. Amidst all of this is the idea of a world coming to an end as the world’s leaders try to figure out how to deal with the satellite that is to crash down on Earth and destroy civilization as it’s in the backdrop of this story of two people traveling around the world as one of them is carrying a machine that could help humanity.

The film’s screenplay Wim Wenders and Peter Carey is largely told from the perspective of the novelist Eugene Fitzpatrick (Sam Neill) who narrates the film from time to time as he reflects on the journey he would participate in as it relates to the protagonist in his girlfriend Claire Tourneur (Solveig Dommartin) who is this aimless party girl that is indifferent to what is happening in the world. Through a detour from a traffic jam, Claire would drive from Venice to Paris where her encounters with bank robbers in Raymond (Eddy Mitchell) and Chico (Chick Ortega) lead to a car crash as she would help them hide and given a cut of the money they stole unaware that there’s a tracking device in the bag she’s carrying. Upon getting her car repaired, she would meet this mysterious man named Trevor McPhee (William Hurt) who gets a ride to Paris as he would later steal a bit of the money she had prompting her to find him all over Europe for much of the film’s first act. The second act isn’t just a continuation of Tourneur following McPhee with the help of a private investigator in Philip Winter (Rudiger Volger) with Fitzgerald joining in the search later on. It’s about Tourneur falling for McPhee where Winter and Fitzgerald learn about his true identity and why he’s on the run.

Traveling to cities such as Lisbon, Berlin, Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo, San Francisco, and eventually ending in the Australian outback, the film’s narrative showcase the search that Tourneur would endure where it’s not just this existential journey but also a way into a world that she might see for the last time as time is a factor in the film. The sense of the unknown about this nuclear satellite looms throughout the film as the film’s third act set in the Australian outback isn’t just about McPhee and his mission but the people he’s reaching out to in a scientist named Henry Farber (Max von Sydow) and Farber’s blind wife Edith (Jeanne Moreau). Especially at a time when the unthinkable has happened leading to those wondering how the end of the world could be the beginning of something new.

Wenders’ direction is definitely grand in terms of not just the ambition he took to shooting the film in different locations across four continents around the world. It’s a film that is constantly moving whether it’s by land, by air, or by sea as it play into a world that is doing what it needed to do despite the fact that a nuclear satellite is about to crash to hit the Earth’s atmosphere and land somewhere. Wenders would show this sense of impending doom in the background whether it’s on a TV program or on a newspaper as Tourneur is too distracted to notice what is happening as she is eager to find McPhee. While there are a lot of wide shots to establish some of the locations and places these characters go into. Wenders doesn’t make sure the different locations would deter from the story as there is an intimacy whether it’s through a small video camera that Tourneur would carry from her home movie in China or some of the scenes during the third act on the Australian outback.

Wenders’ direction also has this sense of style in the close-ups and medium shots while giving each location its own mood and visual style as the scenes in Tokyo and rural Japan showcase something quiet and transcendence where Tourneur knows who McPhee really is and why he’s on the run as he is also dealing blindness due to the machine he’s carrying. The machine itself is something that would showcase what McPhee is trying to do for the Farbers as it is a very personal mission for McPhee as he hopes the machine would do some good for humanity. The third act in Australia which takes place just after the event that is described as the end of the world in terms of what happens to technology and all of the things that used to run the world. There is a moment where amidst this sense of the unknown about whether the world is gone after all or nothing has happened. There is a scene just before the end of the 20th Century is where this mixture of Aborigines and foreigners are just playing and listening to music as they don’t dwell into the loss of technology or the need to communicate with people from the outside world. It is a very brief moment of pure simplicity and community that showcases what humanity could be as all of the characters who were part of Tourneur’s journey interact as one.

Yet, it’s a very brief moment that is followed by humanity’s own flaw as it play into the need to start again with technology as it play into not just the sense of immorality but also loss. It’s where Fitzgerald becomes the protagonist of sorts where he goes through his own development from being a lover of Tourneur obsessed with going after her into finding himself. He would observe into what Farber has created that leave Tourneur and McPhee not just lost but also display something that Wenders sees is absolutely dead-on about what the world would become in the 21st Century. It’s where the protagonists are once again traveling but instead in reality, it’s through the mind where they become completely lost and they need to go into a journey of self-discovery. Overall, Wenders creates a majestic yet intoxicating film about a couple going on a worldwide journey just before the world is about to end.

Cinematographer Robby Muller does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of natural lighting for many of the exteriors in the different locations with some lighting for some of the interior scenes including the party at Venice or the hotels in Lisbon, Berlin, and Moscow. Editor Peter Przygodda does excellent work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts in some places as well as montages to play into Fitzgerald’s narration and other elements to help play into the sense of movement of the film. Production designers Sally Campbell and Thierry Flamand, with set decorators Ze Branco and Tim Ferrier as well as a quartet of art directors in Steve Burns, Claudio Carrer, Ian Gracie, and Jan Schlubach, do fantastic work with the look of some of the places the characters go to such as the party in Venice, Fitzgerald’s Parisian apartment, the different hotel rooms through the different locations, and Farber’s lab inside the caves in Australia.

Costume designer Montserrat Casanova does superb work with the costumes from the array of dresses that Tourneur wears including the black wig as well as some of the stylish clothes the men wear throughout the film. The special effects work of Frank Schlegel is terrific for the look of the visuals from the machines that McPhee is carrying as well as what Farber is displaying from the big televisions to the computers at the lab. The sound work of Jean-Paul Mugel is amazing for the atmosphere of the locations as well as the sound of radios, televisions, and vehicles to create something natural and engaging. The film’s music by Graeme Revell is incredible for its mixture of jazz, ambient, and electronic music to play into this idea of a music of the future as it play into the sense of the unknown while the film’s music soundtrack features a diverse collection of acts and artists who all provide their own ideas of the music of the future. Among these acts and artists in the film’s soundtrack include music from Talking Heads, U2, Depeche Mode, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Neneh Cherry, Jane Sibbery and k.d. lang, Daniel Lanois, R.E.M., Can, T-Bone Burnett, Tom Waits, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, Elvis Costello, Patti Smith with Fred “Sonic” Smith, Crime & the City Solution, and Julee Cruise.

The film’s marvelous cast include an array of appearances and small roles from Adelle Lutz as a friend of Tourneur in Makiko, Ernie Dingo as a detective trying to find McPhee, Ernest Berk and Christine Oesterlein as relatives of Farber, Allen Garfield as a used car salesman in San Francisco, Lauren Graham (not the actress of Gilmore Girls fame) as Farber’s granddaughter, Jimmy Little as an Aboriginal assistant of Farber in Peter, Justine Saunders as Edith’s caretaker Maisie, Kylie Belling as an Aboriginal doctor who carries a radiation detector, Kuniko Miyake as a Japanese innkeeper, and Eddy Mitchell as a French bank robber who gets wounded during the escape as he thanks Tourneur for helping him. Chick Ortega is terrific as Chico as a French bank robber who befriends Tourneur as he would follow her around the world through his tracking device while aspires to be a drummer while Chishu Ryu is superb as a Japanese innkeeper who specializes in making herbs as he would help McPhee with his eye site.

Lois Chiles is wonderful as Farber’s daughter Elsa who would provide the images key to what Edith would see while David Gulipill is fantastic as an Aboriginal man named David who is a family friend that would help McPhee reach his destination. Rudiger Volger is excellent as the private detective Philip Winters as a man who specializes in finding missing children as he helps Tourneur find McPhee in the film’s first act only to discover his true identity where he and Fitzgerald would follow them. Max von Sydow is brilliant as Henry Farber as a scientist trying to create a machine that would allow the blind to see things based on memories only to go way over his head with his ambitions. Jeanne Moreau is radiant as Edith Farber as the scientist’s blind wife who laments over the experiment she is taking part of as well as wondering if what she’s participating will do any good for the world.

Sam Neill is amazing as Eugene Fitzgerald as the film’s narrator who is a lover of Tourneur that copes with the journey Tourneur is enduring as well as his own writer’s block as he tries to write a novel only to find something more in Australia as he would embrace the simplicity of life while watch Tourneur and McPhee descend toward their obsession with technology. William Hurt is incredible as Trevor McPhee as a mysterious man that is on the run from the law as he is carrying a machine from Farber where he would cope with blindness and the demands of his mission as it’s a very low-key yet engaging performance from Hurt. Finally, there’s Solveig Dommartin in a phenomenal performance as Claire Tourneur as an aimless party girl who embarks on a journey that would change her life as she copes with the things she is seeing as it’s this entrancing yet offbeat performance from Dommartin.

Until the End of the World is a tremendous film from Wim Wenders. Featuring a great ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals set on many different locations, a riveting story on a world coming to an end, and an exhilarating music soundtrack. It’s a film, in its full-length near five-hour run time, truly lives up to the idea of the ultimate road movie in a lot of ways while also predicting what would happen during the end of the world as well as humanity becoming reliant on technology to find something that can’t be found. In the end, Until the End of the World is a magnificent film from Wim Wenders.

Wim Wenders Films: (Summer in the City) - (The Goalkeeper’s Fear of the Penalty) - (The Scarlet Letter (1973 film)) - Alice in the Cities - Wrong Move - Kings of the Road - The American Friend - (Lightning Over Water) - (Room 666) - (Hammett) - (The State of Things) – Paris, Texas - (Tokyo-Ga) – Wings of Desire - (Notebook on Cities and Clothes) - (Faraway, So Close!) - (Lisbon Story) - (Beyond the Clouds) - (A Trick of Light) - (The End of Violence) - (Buena Vista Social Club) - (The Million Dollar Hotel) - (The Soul of a Man) - (Land of Plenty) - (Don’t Come Knocking) - (The Palermo Shooting) - (Pina) - Salt of the Earth - (Every Thing Will Be Fine) – (The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez) – (Submergence) - (Pope Francis: A Man of His Word)

© thevoid99 2017

A Woman is a Woman

Written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard from an idea by Genevieve Cluny, Un femme est une femme (A Woman is a Woman) is the story of a cabaret dancer who is torn between her unwilling lover and his best friend in her attempts to have a child. The film is take on the American musical comedy genre with an ode to Italian neorealist cinema as it blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. Starring Anna Karina, Jean-Claude Brialy, and Jean-Paul Belmondo. Un femme est une femme is a majestic and witty film from Jean-Luc Godard.

The film revolves around a young cabaret dancer who wants to have a child but her boyfriend is reluctant as she turns to his best friend for advice. While it’s a film with a simple story, it plays into a young woman’s desire to get a new lease on her life as she believes having a child will be the first big step into adulthood. Unfortunately, her lover Emile (Jean-Claude Brialy) isn’t keen on having a child as he wants to spend time doing his work and hanging out with his friend Alfred (Jean-Paul Belmondo). It adds a lot of anguish to Angela (Anna Karina) who escapes through her love of books and musicals as Jean-Luc Godard’s screenplay play up this blur of neorealist ideals with this air of fantasy in scenes where Angela imitates musicals as well as what was happening in French cinema at the time. The script doesn’t have much of a structure as it relies more on Angela’s desire and the journey she would take to have a baby.

Godard’s direction is definitely stylish in terms of not just the sense of energy of the film but also in how he maintains a certain intimacy in some of the film. Most notably in some scenes that involve some anamorphic lenses for some of the camera pans that goes on in the apartment that Angela and Emile live in. Yet, much of the direction involve some unique close-ups and medium shots that subvert ideas of reality and fiction such as a moment where Angela and Alfred imitate certain choreography and movements that are typical of musicals. At the same time, Godard keeps thing simple in his compositions while being playful with some of the set-ups he create in the cabaret halls and streets of Paris where it has this sense of energy that goes on. Even to the point where it would play into the conflict in Angela over what is going through to define herself as a woman. Overall, Godard creates a whimsical yet engaging film about a woman’s desire to become a mother.

Cinematographer Raoul Coutard does brilliant work with the film‘s colorful cinematography with its Cinemascope film stock to capture the lushness of the colors while maintaining some realism in scenes set in the streets of Paris while playing with light for some of its interior scenes. Editor Agnes Guillemot does amazing work with the editing in creating some unique jump-cuts as well as some stylish rhythmic cuts for the musical moments as well as some of its dramatic moments. Production designer Bernard Evein does nice work with the set design from the look of the cabaret hall that Angela works at to the look of the apartment she and Emile live in. The sound work of Guy Villette is terrific with the sound to maintain something that is simple as well as play into the bits of chaos that occurs in the film. The film’s music by Michel Legrand is excellent for its score that is playful with its orchestral pieces along with some piano pieces from Charles Aznavour which plays as a film reference and such.

The film’s wonderful cast includes some notable appearances from Marie Dubois and Nicole Paquin as friends of Angela, Ernest Menzer as a bar owner, and Jeanne Moreau in a cameo as a woman at the bar. Jean-Paul Belmondo is fantastic as Alfred as Emile’s friend who has feelings for Angela but keeps it a secret so he wouldn’t hurt Emile while aware of how bad Emile is towards Angela. Jean-Claude Brialy is superb as Emile as Angela’s boyfriend who is aghast at the prospect of parenthood as he tries to reason with Angela as well as be immature in the way he handles things. Finally, there’s Anna Karina in an incredible performance as Angela as this cabaret dancer that is eager to become an adult as she copes with Emile’s treatment of her as well as the desire to become a mother as it’s one of Karina’s most lively performances.

Une femme est une femme is a remarkable film from Jean-Luc Godard. Featuring great performances from Anna Karina, Jean-Paul Belmondo, and Jean-Claude Brialy as well as colorful visuals and a lively score. The film isn’t just one of Godard’s finest films as well as one of his most entertaining. In the end, Une femme est une femme is a sensational film from Jean-Luc Godard.

Jean-Luc Godard Films: All the Boys are Called Patrick - Charlotte et son Jules - Breathless - The Little Soldier - Vivre Sa Vie - The Carabineers - Contempt - Bande a Part - A Married Woman - Alphaville - Pierrot Le Fou - Masculin Feminin - Made in U.S.A. - Two or Three Things I Know About Her - La Chinoise - Weekend - One Plus One (Sympathy for the Devil) - (Joy of Learning) - (British Sounds) - Tout va Bien - (Letter to Jane) - (One A.M.) - (Number Two) - (Here and Elsewhere) - (Every Man for Himself) - (Passion) - (First Name: Carmen) - Hail, Mary - (Soft and Hard) - (Detective) - (King Lear (1987 film)) - (Keep Your Right Up) - (Nouvelle Vague) - (Allemagne 90 neuf zero) - (JLG/JLG - Self-Portrait in December) - For Ever Mozart - (Historie(s) de Cinema) - (In Praise of Love) - (Notre musique) - (Film Socialisme) - (Adieu au Language) - (The Image Book)

© thevoid99 2015

The World of Jacques Demy

Written and directed by Agnes Varda, L’univers de Jacques Demy (The World of Jacques Demy) is a documentary in which Varda pays tribute to her late husband through the films he made as well as his life. Featuring interviews with those that worked with him, the film is a look into one French cinema’s finest filmmakers. The result is a lively and touching portrait of one of the great filmmakers that ever lived.

Among the filmmakers who emerged during the era of the French New Wave, Jacques Demy was someone who didn’t fit in with that movement due to his love for American musicals and fantasy as he would cultivate a career that is considered one of the finest in cinema. Created in the span of two years, Agnes Varda creates not just a solemn tribute to her husband but would also interview some of his collaborators, fans of his work, and the actors that worked with him. Even as Varda goes into detail about his own life with the aid of their children, her sister-in-law, and old friends as well as the places he grew up in as the town would also pay tribute to the filmmaker.

Through various film clips and rare behind-the-scenes footage which would feature those anyone wouldn’t expect in a Demy film set like Jim Morrison at the set of Donkey Skin who would give Delphine Seyrig’s son his autograph. The actors such as Michel Piccoli, Jeanne Moreau, Catherine Deneuve, Dominique Sanda, Anouk Aimee, Jacques Perrin, Nino Castelnuovo talk about their experiences working with Demy and his films. Much of it show that they all have pleasant experiences with him where Deneuve recalled doing The Umbrellas of Cherbourg as the first time she felt she was working with a real filmmaker. Many of his films are covered including the ones that weren’t successful like Lady Oscar and Parking where clips of interviews by Demy talk about the way things are in the industry where not all of his films are successful.

The film also showcases Demy’s brief flirtation in Hollywood when he was making Model Shop as a sequel to Lola with Anouk Aimee where the original male lead was supposed to be an up-and-coming actor named Harrison Ford who is also interviewed where he talks about how much Demy and one of the film’s producer wanted him to be in the film. Instead, studios chose Gary Lockwood of 2001: A Space Odyssey for the role which Demy wasn’t happy with though the resulting film was something Demy thought was good but not great. With the aid of cinematographers Stephane Krausz, Peter Pilafian, and Georges Strouve, along with editor Marie-Josee Audiard and the sound work of Thierry Ferreux and Jean-Luc Rault-Cheynet, Varda chose a different approach to narrative where she goes for a more non-linear look into Demy’s life and work.

Adding to the film’s whimsical tone are the music pieces by Michel Colombier and Michel Legrand who are both featured in the film as they talk about Demy’s approach to music. Much of the music that appears in the film is from Demy’s films as it adds to his love for music and what it means to him. Even as some fans of his films including some ordinary people know some of the songs by heart as the actors in those films would sing bits of these songs. It adds to the power of Demy’s influence and the impact he made in the world of films.

L’univers de Jacques Demy is a phenomenal film from Agnes Varda. It’s not just one of Varda’s finest documentaries but also a touching and exhilarating tribute to her late husband in Jacques Demy. Notably as it’s a film that displays some unique surprises about Demy and his work and how much he means to audiences all over the world. In the end, L’univers de Jacques Demy is a sensational film from Agnes Varda.

Agnes Varda Films: Diary of a Pregnant Woman - Du cote de la cote - La Pointe Courte - Cleo from 5 to 7 - Le Bonheur - (Les Creatures) – (Far from Vietnam) – (Lions Love) – (Daguerreotypes) – One Sings, the Other Doesn’t – (Murals Murals) – (Documenteur) - Vagabond - (Jane B. by Agnes V.) – ((Le Petit Amour) – (Jacquot de Nantes) – (The Young Girls Turn 25) – (One Hundred and One Nights) – The Gleaners & I - (The Gleaners & I: Two Years Later) – (Cinevardaphoto) – (Some Windows of Noirmoutier) - (The Beaches of Agnes) – (Faces Places) – (Varda by Agnes)

© thevoid99 2015

Bay of Angels

Written and directed by Jacques Demy, La baie des anges (Bay of Angels) is the story of a bank clerk who is introduced to the world of gambling as he falls for a woman with a gambling addiction. The film is an exploration into a man falling in love with a woman where he gets sucked into a world where the risks are very high. Starring Jeanne Moreau, Claude Mann, Paul Guers, Henri Nassiet, and Nicole Chollet. La baie des anges is a sensational film from Jacques Demy.

The film is a simple story of a bank clerk whose friend introduces him to the world of gambling where he gets sucked in as he travels to Nice to gamble some more where he meets a beautiful yet troubled woman with a gambling problem. There, the two endure the highs and lows of gambling where they win big and then lose big as it creates something that plays into whether or not is risking money and livelihood worth it all for a bunch of money? Jacques Demy’s script does play to a traditional structure yet it is largely told from the perspective of Jean (Claude Mann) who is just a bank clerk that is just trying to have a good life and help his father.

Yet, he gets sucked into this high-octane world of winning and losing money but manages to figure out the game of roulette and wins big through his wit. Upon meeting Jackie (Jeanne Moreau) in Nice, he falls in love and becomes consumed by winning big but also lose big as he would also know more about Jackie and her troubled addiction as she is someone that clearly has a problem. While she tries to act cool about it and pretend that it doesn’t affect her, Jean definitely knows she has a problem as he tries to make sense while he begins to realize the dangers of gambling.

Demy’s direction has an air of style in terms of the camera movements and compositions yet does maintain a sense of simplicity in its visuals and approach to storytelling. Notably as Demy creates something where the audience becomes invested into Jean’s discovery into the world of gambling where they too will probably guess a number and wonder if he’ll win or lose. Demy would create these intricate medium and wide shots to play into the world of casinos as he uses a lot of tracking shots to showcase how intimate and vast these small casinos are. The close-ups would add to the drama as it relates to Jackie’s own anguish and the sense of fear that looms over Jean when both of them have their backs against the wall when it comes to losing.

Especially as their trip to Monte Carlo becomes a disastrous one where it would add to the drama as well as Jean’s own revelation about gambling as it relates to what his father told him earlier in the film. It would all play into not just Jean trying to convince Jackie that she’s risking so much more but also the fact that there is a way out. Not just on the roulette table but in life itself. Overall, Demy creates a very compelling yet evocative film about a young man who encounters the world of gambling and a woman with a gambling problem.

Cinematographer Jean Rabier does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from its usage of lights for scenes set at night in its interior and exterior settings to the more naturalistic look into the streets of Nice where it looks more low-key and real. Editor Anne-Marie Cotret does fantastic work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts to play into some of the excitement that occurs in winning as well as other stylish cuts to play into the drama. Set decorator/costume designer Bernard Evein, with costumer Pierre Cardin, does amazing work with the look of the casino halls and hotel rooms as well as the stylish clothes that Jackie and Jean wear.

The sound work of Andre Hervee is terrific for the naturalistic atmosphere that is created inside the casinos and in some of the locations including the beaches in Nice and Monte Carlo. The film’s music by Michel Legrand is phenomenal as it is a mixture of jazz and classical where it features a few playful pieces but also a piano flourish theme that plays into moments of good luck for Jean and Jackie along with a somber theme based on string instruments as it’s one of the film’s highlights.

The film’s superb cast includes a few notable small roles from Nicole Chollet as a customer of Jean’s father, Andres Certes as the bank director, Conchita Parodi as the hotel manager in Nice, Henri Nassiet as Jean’s father, and Paul Guers as Jean’s colleague Caron who would introduce him to the world of gambling. Claude Mann is brilliant as Jean as a young bank clerk who is seduced into the world of gambling as he tries to figure out how to play well while being cautious into every move he makes. Finally, there’s Jeanne Moreau in a remarkable performance as Jackie as this woman with platinum blonde hair who is the epitome of beauty but is a complete mess inside when things don’t go her way as she is upbeat when she wins but falls apart when she loses as it’s a performance filled with anguish and charm.

La baie des anges is an exquisitely rich and exhilarating film from Jacques Demy. Featuring great performances from Jeanne Moreau and Claude Mann as well as an amazing score by Michel Legrand. The film isn’t just a unique study into the world of gambling and addiction but also how a man become seduced into a world that is new as he falls for a woman whose descent would force him to take action. In the end, La baie des anges is an incredible film from Jacques Demy.

Jacques Demy Films: (Lola (1961 film)) - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - The Young Girls of Rochefort - Model Shop - Donkey Skin - (The Pied Piper (1972 film)) - A Slightly Pregnant Man - (Lady Oscar) - (La Naissance du Jour) - Une chambre en ville - (Parking (1985 film)) - (Three Places for the 26th) - Turning Table)

© thevoid99 2015

The Fire Within

Based on the novel Will O’ the Wisp by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle, Le feu follet (The Fire Within) is the story of a recovering yet depressed alcoholic goes on a final journey to meet friends for the last time as he intends to kill himself. Written for the screen and directed by Louis Malle, the film is an exploration into a man’s final days as he tries to find reasons to live. Starring Maurice Ronet, Jeanne Moreau, and Alexandra Stewart. Le feu follet is a riveting yet haunting film from Louis Malle.

The film revolves on the day of the life of a recovering alcoholic who is about to leave a clinic as he leaves for Paris to see if he can find any reason to live as he is succumbing to depression and a need to kill himself. It’s a film that explores a man trying to find answers as he is wondering if he can return to the real world as he’s been spending months at a clinic in Versailles as his leave from the clinic becomes a test to see if he can return to the real world. What happens is that he not only learns that the lives of some of his friends have changed but some of them has disappeared. Some of his friends have changed their lives for the betters while others haven’t as it plays into this man’s growing sense of despair in the course of an entire day. Louis Malle’s screenplay doesn’t really go for any plot schematics other than explore what Alain Leroy (Maurice Ronet) is going through in the course of the day. Even as it features bits of voiceover narration to play into Alain’s state of mind.

Malle’s direction is very engaging for the way he aims to capture something that does feel real in the course of what might be his last day on Earth. Malle aims for something that is in line with the concept of cinema verite as he does shoot largely in locations in Paris and Versailles as there’s some hand-held cameras that shoot in these locations where there’s a lot of medium shots and close-ups. Most notably in the latter as Malle captures all of the anguish and despair in Leroy’s face as it plays into the sense of unknown but also fear as he is unsure about his place in the world. Even as it becomes more evident a dinner party late in the film where he stands out for the wrong reasons which only has him revealing that even though he is a wreck of a man. At least he’s being honest about it and has nothing else to lose. Overall, Malle creates an evocative yet mesmerizing film about a man going into an existential journey on what might be the last day of his life.

Cinematographer Ghislain Cloquet does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from the look of the daytime interior/exterior settings to some very enchanting scenes set at night including the dinner party. Editor Suzanne Baron does excellent work with the editing as it is stylish to play into Leroy‘s troubled state of mind as it features some jump-cuts, dissolves, and fade-outs to play into the journey he would take. Production designer Bernard Evein does nice work with the set pieces from the look of the room that Leroy would stay at the clinic as well as the house party he would attend late in the film. Costume designer Gitt Magrini does terrific work with the costumes from the stylish clothes the women wear to the casual look of the men. The sound work of Guy Villette is superb for the sparse sounds at the party as well as the scenes set in Paris. The film’s music consists of pieces by Erik Satie as it is a crucial element to the film that plays into melancholic state of mind that Leroy would endure.

The film’s amazing cast includes appearances from Jean-Paul Moulinot as Leroy’s doctor, Rene Dupuy as a bartender Leroy knew in his apartment, Lena Skerla as a mistress early in the film named Lydia, Bernard Noel as a friend of Leroy in Dubourg who has become a family man, Ursula Kubler as Dubourg’s wife, Jacques Sereys as a rich friend in Cyrille, Alexandra Stewart as a socialite in Solange, Tony Taffin as a snotty and bigoted rich man in Brancion, and Jeanne Moreau in a wonderful performance as an old flame of Leroy who has become a drug addict. Finally, there’s Maurice Ronet in an incredible performance as Alain Leroy as a man who feels lost in his despair as he is unsure about his place in the world as he tries to figure out if he has anything else to offer as he already lost his wife, his family, and everything else as it’s a very entrancing performance from Ronet.

Le feu follet is a remarkable film from Louis Malle that features a tremendous performance from Maurice Ronet. The film isn’t just an intriguing study of depression and despair but also a look into the life of a man who could be spending his last day on Earth. In the end, Le feu follet is a sensational film from Louis Malle.

Louis Malle Films: (The Silent World) - Elevator to the Gallows - The Lovers (1958 film) - Zazie dans le metro - (A Very Private Affair) - (Vive Le Tour) - (Bons baisers de Bangkok) - (Viva Maria!) - (The Thief of Paris) - Spirits of the Dead-William Wilson - (Phantom India) - (Calcutta) - Murmur of the Heart - (Humain, Trop Humain) - Lacombe, Lucien - Place de la Republique - Black Moon - (Close Up (1976 short) - (Dominique Sanda ou Le reve eveille) - Pretty Baby - Atlantic City (1980 film) - (My Dinner with Andre) - Crackers - God’s Country (1985 film) - (Alamo Bay) - (And the Pursuit of Happiness) - Au Revoir Les Enfants - (May Fools) - (Damage (1992 film)) - (Vanya on 42nd Street)

© thevoid99 2015

The Lovers (1958 film)

Based on the novel Point de Lendemain by Dominique Vivant, Les Amants (The Lovers) is the story of a woman who embarks on an extramarital affair as she rediscovers the joys of love. Directed by Louis Malle and screenplay by Malle and Louise de Vilmorin, the film is an exploration into the world of adultery as well as a woman trying to find fulfillment in her unhappy marriage as well as an affair with a polo player that also goes nowhere. Starring Jeanne Moreau, Jean-Marc Bory, and Alain Cuny. Les Amants is a ravishing yet provocative film from Louis Malle.

The film revolves around the life of a rich woman whose husband is a newspaper owner as she spends time with her childhood friend in Paris where she embarks on an affair with a top polo player that eventually doesn’t go anywhere. It’s a film that explores a woman’s unhappy life as it plays into her attempts to find happiness in a world where she is surrounded by the finer things in life. While Jeanne Tournier (Jeanne Moreau) may have everything a woman wants as well as a daughter Catherine (Patricia Maurin), she isn’t happy as she barely sees her husband Henri (Alain Cuny) where she would have this other life in Paris with her friend Maggy (Judith Magre) and this suave polo player named Raoul (Jose Luis de Vilallonga) whom Jeanne would have an affair with. It all plays into events that happen in the film’s first half as it is partially told by this unseen narrator who comments on Jeanne’s misery and sense of uncertainty. The film’s first half definitely plays into Jeanne’s own sense of unhappiness and her attempts to find happiness with Raoul that is eventually fleeting due to the fact that he’s quite full of himself.

It is these moments where Jeanne begins to realize the façade of her lifestyle as even Maggy becomes more pretentious as the story progresses. The film’s second half revolves around this dinner party that Jeanne is hosting where Henri would meet Maggy and Raoul but it also this key moment where Jeanne would see more of her unhappiness and the emptiness in her lifestyle. All because of a simple moment where her car breaks down as she would meet this archeologist named Bernard (Jean-Marc Bory) who comes from a rich family but lives a very simple, no-nonsense life as he is poetic as well as know what people wants. He would be invited to the dinner as he acts more as an observer rather than an equal as it plays into Jeanne’s awareness of her empty life. All of which would lead to her trying to make sense of everything and find an idea of what true love is.

Louis Malle’s direction is quite simple in terms of compositions and how he frames his actors into a scene. Yet, it does remain very engaging as it plays into the life of this woman as it is largely set in the French countryside with locations nearby Paris. Malle’s use of dolly-tracking shots in the dinner scene is quite interesting to play into how Bernard and Jeanne are observing the behaviors with Jeanne being very silent for almost the entirety of the scene. Many of the compositions has Malle going for a lot of medium shots and a few wide shots for scenes involving multiple characters while maintaining something intimate as it relates to Jeanne’s desire for love. While there’s definitely some very lively scenes such as Jeanne, Maggy, and Raoul going to a carnival and some scenes shot in the car. It plays into Jeanne’s own growing detachment from her surroundings where the film’s third act has her not only discovering about true love but also what it can bring. It would feature not just bits of nudity but also something was quite shocking at the time which led to a landmark obscenity case in the early 1960s by the American Supreme Court. Overall, Malle creates a very compelling yet evocative film about a woman trying to find herself and love through an extramarital affair.

Cinematographer Henri Dacae does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from the look of the carnival lights and some of the interiors to the gorgeous sequence where Jeanne embarks on a personal journey during the moonlight in the garden as it features some beautiful lighting schemes. Editor Leonide Azar does nice work with the editing as it‘s quite straightforward with a few rhythmic cuts to play into some of the dramatic tension. Production designer Bernard Evein and set decorator Jacques Slaunier do superb work with the look of Jeanne‘s home estate as well as the Parisian apartment that Maggy lives in. The sound work of Pierre-Andre Bertrand is amazing for the layers of sounds in some of the polo game scenes as well as the sparse sound textures in the scenes set in the wood where Jeanne walks around at night. The film’s music largely consists of pieces by Johannes Brahms that plays into not just some of the film‘s melancholia but also into some of the romantic elements of the film.

The film’s phenomenal cast include some notable small roles from Patricia Maurin as Jeanne and Henri’s daughter Catherine, Michele Giradon as Henri’s secretary, Georgette Lobre as Jeanne’s maid, and Gaston Modot as Jeanne and Henri’s butler/cook Coudray. Jose Luis de Vilallonga is terrific as the suave and handsome Raoul as a polo player who has been all over the world as he gives Jeanne a lot but never really the time to make her feel special as he’s essentially full of himself. Judith Magre is excellent as Maggy as Jeanne’s childhood friend who enjoys the rich life as she is often carrying her dachshund and eat things where she becomes just as pretentious and smug as Raoul. Alain Cuny is superb as Jeanne’s husband Henri as a newspaper magnet who doesn’t approve of Jeanne’s lifestyle as he is also aloof in the fact that he doesn’t really know her.

Jean-Marc Bory is amazing as Bernard as an archeologist who meets Jeanne when her car breaks down as he would give her a much broader view on the world as he would later be invited to dinner as he acts as an observer who doesn’t really seem pleased about the world of the rich. Finally, there’s Jeanne Moreau in an absolutely tremendous performance as Jeanne Tournier as this woman who is lost in an unhappy marriage as her attempts to find love has her questioning herself and her lifestyle as it’s a performance where Moreau isn’t just the part but also exudes many of the things that a woman is looking for in the world of love.

Les Amants is a remarkable film from Louis Malle that features an incredible performance from Jeanne Moreau. It’s a film that doesn’t just explore the world of extramarital affairs but also from the perspective of a woman lost in a loveless marriage and in an unfulfilling love affair. In the end, Les Amants is a rapturous film from Louis Malle.

Louis Malle Films: (The Silent World) - Elevator to the Gallows - Zazie dans le metro - (A Very Private Affair) - (Vive Le Tour) - The Fire Within - (Bons baisers de Bangkok) - (Viva Maria!) - (The Thief of Paris) - Spirits of the Dead-William Wilson - (Phantom India) - (Calcutta) - Murmur of the Heart - (Humain, Trop Humain) - Lacombe, Lucien - Place de la Republique - Black Moon - (Close Up (1976 short) - (Dominique Sanda ou Le reve eveille) - Pretty Baby - Atlantic City (1980 film) - (My Dinner with Andre) - Crackers - God’s Country (1985 film) - (Alamo Bay) - (And the Pursuit of Happiness) - Au Revoir Les Enfants - (May Fools) - (Damage (1992 film)) - (Vanya on 42nd Street)

© thevoid99 2015

Elevator to the Gallows

Based on the novel by Noel Calef, Ascenseur pour l’echafaud (Elevator to the Gallows) is the story of criminal lovers who commit the perfect crime until one of them is stuck inside an elevator. Directed by Louis Malle and screenplay by Malle and Roger Nimier, the film is an exploration into the world of crime from the perspective of two lovers as it is considered one of the early gems of the French New Wave. Starring Jeanne Moreau, Maurice Ronet, Georges Poujouly, Yori Bertin, Jean Wall, Ivan Petrovich, Felix Marten, and Lino Ventura. Ascenseur pour l’echafaud is a riveting and enjoyable film from Louis Malle.

Set during a 24-hour period on a weekend in Paris, the film revolves around two lovers who commit the perfect crime as everything goes smoothly until the man forgets something where he finds himself stuck in an elevator where the power had gone off. The film isn’t just about the crime as it happens but what happens afterwards where this man is stuck inside the elevator while his lover is waiting around as she suspects that he probably didn’t do it or something else had happened. One of which involves his car being stolen by a young man and his girlfriend who also create trouble as it plays into the idea of lovers committing crime and the chaos that ensues. The film’s screenplay plays into these different storylines where it begins with a phone conversation between Florence Carala (Jeanne Moreau) and her lover Julien Tavernier (Maurice Ronet) about the plan to kill Florence’s husband Simon (Jean Wall) who is also Julien’s boss.

Everything does go well in all of its details as Tavernier was once a member of the foreign legion yet a simple mistake in leaving out a piece of evidence would force him to try and rectify it only for everything to go wrong. Since he is stuck inside the elevator, he is forced to realized that he left his car running prompting Louis (Georges Poujouly) to steal with a flower shop girl named Veronique (Yori Bertin) joining him as they would have their own adventure. Throughout the entirety of the film, Florence waits for Tavernier as she ponders about his whereabouts as she also suspects that he is cheating on her with Veronique as she saw Veronique in his car. The storyline involving Louis and Veronique would have them go on this joyride until they encounter this German couple with a Mercedes as it starts off well and then things go wrong. It leads into this third act into not just about the world of crime but also its impact and implications where four people find themselves in the wrong place and at the wrong time.

Louis Malle’s direction is very mesmerizing for the way he presents the crime as it takes place as there’s no need for any exposition or back-story about Florence and Tavernier as he just starts off with the crime itself. The direction is quite stylish in not just Malle’s approach to camera angles but also in how he maintains an intimacy in the scenes where Tavernier is stuck inside the elevator as he tries to find a way to get out. There is an element of claustrophobia in those scenes while there’s a moment where Tavernier tries to get out of the elevator from its bottom hatch to see how far up he’s in as it is one of the film’s intense moments.

Malle’s usage of close-ups are very effective as it plays into Florence’s own journey as she walks around Paris wondering where is Tavernier as it features some voiceover narration as she expresses her own thoughts. The close-ups and medium shots also play into Louis and Veronique’s own adventure as it is quite comical at times but also very somber as it express their own sense of uncertainty and aimlessness about their future. The film’s third act not only plays into the aftermath of these events but also this race into any chance of hope for any of these characters as it would follow with a really great ending. Overall, Malle creates a very smart and captivating film about a perfect crime gone wrong.

Cinematographer Henri Dacae does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography to create moods with some of the scenes inside the elevator as well as the building plus creating some unique lighting schemes for the exterior scenes in Paris for day and night. Editor Leonide Azar does amazing work with the editing with its stylish approach to rhythmic cuts and dissolves as it plays into the suspense and drama. Art directors Jean Mandaroux and Rino Mondellini do excellent work with the look of the elevator and its shaft as well as the motel that Louis and Veronique would stay in. The sound work of Raymond Gauguier is terrific as it‘s very sparse while not playing to conventions in terms of some of the suspenseful moments in the film. The film’s music by Miles Davis is fantastic as it’s essentially a jazz-based score with some thrilling trumpet work from Davis as well as some upbeat pieces and some mid-tempo cuts that play into Florence’s own journey.

The film’s cast include small performances from Jean-Claude Brialy as a chess player at the motel, Micheline Bona as a secretary that Tavernier works with, Sylviane Aisenstein as a woman at a bar Florence meets, Jean Wall as Florence’s husband, Ivan Petrovich and Elga Andersen as the German couple Louis and Veronique meet, and Lino Ventura as a police inspector who tries to solve the case that happened in the film’s third act. Yori Bertin is wonderful as Veronique as a young woman who has a crush of sorts on Tavernier as she tries to get Louis to stop doing things while having some fun with the Germans as she copes with the actions later in the film.

Georges Poujouly is excellent as the sullen Louis as a young man trying to cope with his own growing pains as well as his uncertainty in his future as he turns to crime. Maurice Ronet is superb as Julien Tavernier as a former foreign legion soldier who is asked by Florence to kill her husband as he copes with not just the severity of his situation but also in its aftermath. Finally, there’s Jeanne Moreau in a remarkable performance as Florence Carala as this woman who asks her lover to kill her husband as she ponders if he had done the job as she wanders around Paris aimlessly as it’s a very radiant and entrancing performance from the actress.

Ascenseur pour l’echafaud is a phenomenal film from Louis Malle that features a true breakthrough performance from Jeanne Moreau. The film isn’t just one of the finest debut features ever made by a director but also one of the key films of the French New Wave in its approach to style as well as telling a story in the most unconventional fashion. In the end, Ascenseur pour l’echafaud is a sensational film from Louis Malle.

Louis Malle Films: (The Silent World) - The Lovers (1958 film) - Zazie dans le metro - (A Very Private Affair) - (Vive Le Tour) - The Fire Within - (Bons baisers de Bangkok) - (Viva Maria!) - (The Thief of Paris) - Spirits of the Dead-William Wilson - (Phantom India) - (Calcutta) - Murmur of the Heart - (Humain, Trop Humain) - Lacombe, Lucien - Place de la Republique - Black Moon - (Close Up (1976 short) - (Dominique Sanda ou Le reve eveille) - Pretty Baby - Atlantic City (1980 film) - (My Dinner with Andre) - Crackers - God’s Country (1985 film) - (Alamo Bay) - (And the Pursuit of Happiness) - Au Revoir Les Enfants - (May Fools) - (Damage (1992 film)) - (Vanya on 42nd Street)

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