The film revolves around a young woman in her teens whose encounter with a stranger who claims that she will be pregnant has that claim come true much to the shock of her taxi-driver boyfriend. The film is an exploration of this chaste and virginal woman in her late teens as she deals with this unexpected pregnancy with many questions about miracles, faith, and identity with a paralleling narrative involving a young woman having an affair with her professor as it play into the theories on extraterrestrial life. Jean-Luc Godard’s screenplay is largely straightforward as it plays into the plight of its titular character (Myriem Roussel) who is just a regular teenage girl who plays for her school basketball team and reads a lot of books while her college dropout boyfriend Joseph (Thierry Rode) works as a taxi driver who is having an affair with another student in Juliette (Juliette Binoche) that wants to take their relationship forward. The fact that Mary is a virgin and her encounter with this actor named Gabriel (Philippe Lacoste) who is accompanied by a young girl (Manon Andersen) adds to the chaos of Mary’s unexpected pregnancy with Joseph troubled by what he has to do.
Godard’s direction is offbeat for the fact that he shoots everything in a static shot where the camera rarely moves throughout the entirety of the film. Shot on various locations in Switzerland, Godard maintains a simplicity to the film as it is shot on a 1:33:1 aspect ratio as well as using long shots to play into the drama and only cutting when he needs to as there are some wide shots to establish the locations. Yet, much of the film is intimate in its overall presentation with the close-ups and medium shots as it play into not just the struggles that Mary goes into but also the paralleling narrative involving Eva (Anne Gautier) and a professor (Johan Leysen) as much of that narrative is told through medium and wide shots as it play into their beliefs of an extraterrestrial theory. There are a lot of Biblical references that Godard plays into this story that also includes Joseph’s own struggles over Mary’s pregnancy as he’s convinced he cheated on her as it play into his own contradictions into his own relationship with Juliette. Much of Godard’s direction also play into Mary’s struggles with her own body but also faith itself as she ponders what kind of role she is playing for God but also into why she has to be the one.
There are these shots of Mary nude including some medium-close-up shots of her bottomless where she asks Joseph to touch her but not physically based on Gabriel’s suggestion. It adds to this commentary on Mary dealing with her own sexuality and such but also how it relates to the spiritual while its third act is followed by birth but also the eventual aftermath of Eva’s relationship with her professor which also relates to Mary’s search for body and spirit in her own sexuality. Overall, Godard crafts a compelling and mesmerizing film about a young woman becoming a modern-day Virgin Mary.
Cinematographers Jacques Firmann and Jean-Bernard Menoud do amazing work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on luscious colors for the exterior daytime scenes in some of the countryside locations as well as maintaining a cold look to the scenes in the winter including for some interior scenes at night with some low-key lighting. Editor Anne-Marie Mieville does excellent work with the editing with its low-key approach to jump-cuts to play into some of the dramatic moments as well as keeping shots lingering for dramatic effect. The sound work of Francois Musy is superb for its natural approach to sound in capturing the atmosphere of the locations as well as its usage of music to drown out certain bits of characters conversing with one another. The film’s music soundtrack largely consists of classical pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach and Antonin Dvorak as it play into some of the drama but also in key moments that help play into Mary’s plight.
The film’s ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from Johan Leysen as a professor who believes life comes from extraterrestrial beings as he has an affair with one of his students, Anne Gautier as the student Eva who has fallen for her professor and is intrigued by his ideas only to cope with the realities of the world, Manon Andersen as a young girl who accompanies Gabriel as a secretary of sorts as she would say some things to Mary that would haunt her, Malachi Jara Kohan as a young boy late in the film who would become this source of inspiration for Mary, and Juliette Binoche in a fantastic performance as a student Joseph is dating as she is eager to take their relationship to the next step while dealing with his feelings towards Mary.
Philippe Lacoste is excellent as Gabriel as an actor who makes a premonition towards Mary as he also is someone who is aware what is happening to her as he implores Joseph to support her. Thierry Rode is brilliant as Joseph as a college dropout who works as a taxi driver that is dealing with not just what happened to Mary but also the frustration but also his own affair with Juliette as it brings complication into what he wants in his life but also for Mary. Finally, there’s Myriem Roussel in a phenomenal performance as Mary as this young virginal woman whose chastity is shattered by this mysterious pregnancy as she deals with not just her own sexuality but also with the spiritual as she ponders her role in the world but also things about herself as a woman.
Je vous salue, Marie is an incredible film from Jean-Luc Godard featuring a great leading performance from Myriem Roussel. Along with its ensemble cast, ravishing visuals, and its study of womanhood, faith, and the mysteries of the world. It is a film that explores a mysterious pregnancy as a woman deals with this strange phenomenon that is happening in a modern world that forces some to question the spiritual but also the world of science. In the end, Je vous salue, Marie is a sensational film from Jean-Luc Godard.
Jean-Luc Godard Films: All the Boys are Called Patrick - Charlotte et son Jules - A Bout de Souffle - The Little Soldier - A Woman is a Woman - Vivre sa vie - Les Carabiniers - 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 (1967 film) - Sympathy for the Devil (One Plus One) - (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) - (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 2023
The film is essentially a series of vignettes based on characters who were involved in a scuffle that lead to the deportation of a Romanian immigrant, the arrest of a black man, and trouble for a young man along with those connected to those people deal with their lives as well as this growing sense of disconnect, miscommunication, lack of communication, and an ever-changing world before the turn of the Millennium. It is a film that doesn’t play by the rules as it opens and ends with deaf kids communicating with each other where the first scene has kids trying to answer what a young girl is trying to say through French sign language. The film’s screenplay is largely fragmented into vignettes as it play into various characters dealing with their lives as well as the aftermath of this small incident. Among them is the actress Anne Laurent (Juliette Binoche) who runs into her boyfriend’s son Jean (Alexandre Hamidi) who is going through some issues and walks back in anger as he unknowingly threw a piece of garbage at this homeless woman in Maria (Luminata Gheoghiu) as he is confronted by young Malian man in Amadou (Ona Lu Yenke) as the two get into a fight that is seen by many including Anne.
The fight would have Amadou endure shame and family issues forcing his father (Djibril Kouyate) to try and settle things while also his mother Aminate (Maimouna Helene Diarra) is convinced that her family is cursed. Maria would be deported back to Romania as she reconnects with her family but is puzzled by not just changes around her old home but also this desire to return to Paris unaware that there’s more trouble laying ahead. For Anne, her life with her photographer boyfriend Georges (Thierry Neuvic) becomes tumultuous due to his absences and not being there for Jean as he sent him to his father (Josef “Sepp” Bierbichler) who is an aging farmer that is having a hard time connecting with his grandson. The script doesn’t just explore a world where these characters are struggling with many issues but also this sense of change that would be the catalyst for what would happen to Europe in the 21st Century.
Haneke’s direction is largely unconventional in terms of his approach to shooting each vignette with a lot of it revolving around uninterrupted long shots to play into everything that is happening at a location or in a room. Shot largely on location in Paris as well as areas outside of Paris plus Romania and Mali, Haneke presents a world that is becoming increasingly modern in not just its setting but also in social attitudes and such where Anne lives in a posh apartment with Georges though the farm that his father owns is completely removed from modern conventions despite a few things he owns such as a tractor. Haneke’s visual approach largely consists of medium and wide-medium shots to play into characters at a certain location where as close-ups and wide shots are rarely used in the film other than the opening and closing scenes in the film involving the deaf children. The direction also emphasizes on these moments that do play on as if it is set in real-time whether it is Maria in Romania reconnecting with locals as some are planning to leave the country due to political and social instability or Amadou dealing with the chaos in his home as his father asks Amadou’s younger brother about what happened to him in school.
In the latter, Haneke is just focusing on them while there’s chatter in the background with Amadou’s mother constantly interfering as she is trying to get her word as it play into not just her lack of rationality but her own ideas of superstitions becoming disconnected with reality considering that there is an element of racism involved in what Amadou’s brother is dealing with. The usage of long shots are also in simple moments such as Georges talking to his father about Jean as well as a discomforting moment at a metro where Anne is harassed by an Arab while an elderly Arab watches in disgust. It is a moment that showcases the chaos of modern attitudes but also the fact that modern attitudes don’t last as there is always some act of kindness that occur no matter how different people are whether in social classes or in ethnic backgrounds. Overall, Haneke crafts an evocative yet confrontational film about people’s lack of communication with one another in pre-Millennium Europe.
Cinematographer Jurgen Jurges does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography in its approach to realism as it emphasizes less on style but rather capture something at the moment while also showcasing scenes in the film that Anne is making to be more stylized in its look. Editors Karin Hartusch, Nadine Muse, and Andreas Prochaska do excellent work with the editing as it has some rhythmic cuts for a few vignettes in the opening and closing scenes as well as a few bits such as Georges’ slideshow of what he captured at Kosovo. Production designer Emmanuel de Chauvigny and set decorator Laurence Vendroux do amazing work with the look of the apartment that Anne lives in along with messier apartment that Georges live in that is a sharp contrast to the more cramped and poorer homes that Maria and Amadou and his family live in. Costume designer Francoise Clavel does nice work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward with a lot of loose clothing from Anne that she is wearing as it play into the idea that she might be pregnant during a conversation with Georges at a supermarket (though Binoche was pregnant during filming).
The sound work of Jean-Pierre Laforce and Guillaume Sciama is superb in capturing many of the natural elements on location including the drumline rehearsals as it help maintain an air of realism into the film. The film’s music by Giba Goncalves is wonderful as it is mainly a drumline piece that only appears in two segments with one being a rehearsal and the other being the main performance as the music would appear in a couple of vignettes towards the end as it play into some of the dramatic chaos.
The casting by Kris Portier de Bellair is fantastic from Andree` Tansy as an elderly neighbor of Georges, Florence Loiret as Amadou’s date at a restaurant that Anne and Georges were eating at, Nathalie Richard and Arsinee Khanjian as a couple of friends Anne eats with at that dinner, Aissa Maiga as Amadou’s sister, Marc Duret as the policeman in the main fight, Walide Afkir as a young Arab who harasses Anne at the metro, Maurice Benichou as the old Arab who defends Anne, Didier Flamand as a film director on the film Anne is working with, and Bruno Todeschini as Anne’s co-star in the film she is working on. The performances of Bob Nicolescu as Dragos and Crenguta Hariton Stoica as Irina are terrific as a couple of Romanians that Maria knows as the former wants to help her get back to France while the other is a relative who is getting married and thinks Maris is making a mistake in trying to go back to France. Guessi Diakite-Goumdo is fantastic as Amadou’s younger yet deaf sister who is seen in the film’s opening sequence and as part of the drumline.
Djibril Kouyate and Maimouna Helene Diarra are superb in their respective roles as Amadou’s parents with the former being a rational cab driver trying to deal with all of the chaos in his life while the latter is someone who believes in superstitions and such as she becomes disconnected with the modern world. Luminita Gheoghiu is excellent as Maria as a Romanian immigrant who hoped to sell newspapers in France unaware that no one does that anymore as she gets deported only to try and return as it plays into someone who is just wanting to make money but is completely disconnected with modern-day society. Ona Lu Yenke is brilliant as Amadou as a young Malian man who witnessed Jean throwing a piece of trash at Maria as he confronts him only to get himself in trouble as he deals with not just prejudice towards him but also the fact that he’s at fault for being nosy and also a bit arrogant about the ways of the world.
Alexandre Hamidi is amazing as Jean as Georges’ son who has anger issues as he is sent to his grandfather’s farm where he finds himself not enjoying life there as he strives to be part of the modern world. Josef “Sepp” Bierbichler is incredible as Georges’ father as a farmer who struggles to make Jean feel comfortable as he also deals with changing times as he plays a man disconnected with modern society and has no answers in how to catch up. Thierry Neuvic is remarkable as Georges as a photojournalist who is often caught up in his own work as he also tries to make an artistic voice for himself as he would neglect Anne and his own son. Finally, there’s Juliette Binoche in a phenomenal performance as Anne Laurent as an actress who is dealing with working but also the chaos in her boyfriend’s family life as she does what she can to be supportive while also dealing with chaos in her own life and the attitudes of those who treat her terribly.
Code inconnu: Recit incomplete de divers voyages is a sensational film from Michael Haneke. Featuring a great cast, a straightforward yet unconventional visual approach and its study of modern society and the lack of communication from people in that world. It is a film that doesn’t play by the rules due to its unconventional and fragmented style yet it does explore a world that is coming undone by modernist ideals that would later wreak havoc on Europe in the 21st Century. In the end, Code inconnu: Recit incomplete de divers voyages is a phenomenal film from Michael Haneke.
Michael Haneke Films: (The Seventh Continent) – (Benny’s Video) – (71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance) – (The Castle (1997 TV film)) - Funny Games (1997 film) - The Piano Teacher - (Time of the Wolf) – Cache` - Funny Games (2007 film) - The White Ribbon - Amour (2012 film) - Happy End
© thevoid99 2022
Based on the manga series by Masamune Shirow, Ghost in the Shell is the story of a cybernetic public-securities agent who goes on the hunt for a mysterious hacker in a futuristic world where humans and cyborgs live together. Directed by Rupert Sanders and screenplay by Jamie Moss, William Wheeler, and Ehren Kruger, the film is a live-action version of the story that is partially based on the 1995 anime film as it explores a cyborg agent dealing with her humanity as she pursues a mysterious hacker wreaking havoc on the world. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Takeshi Kitano, Michael Pitt, Pilou Asbaek, Chin Han, and Juliette Binoche as Dr. Ouelet. Ghost in the Shell is a visually-entrancing yet deeply flawed film from Rupert Sanders.
The film revolves around a cyborg public-securities agent who is tasked to hunt a mysterious hacker who is wreaking havoc in futuristic Tokyo where humans and cyborgs coexist with some humans taking on cybernetic parts. It’s a film that play into a world where this agent is dealing with not just her being but also this person who might be the key to unveiling her true identity as it relates to the world of politics and ideals. The film’s screenplay by Jamie Moss, William Wheeler, and Ehren Kruger does start off nicely in introducing the protagonist Major Mira Killian (Scarlett Johansson) who is a top agent for this public securities agency who believe a hacker is killing off people from a top tech company as it relates to past experiments. Major Killian would do assignments with her partner Batou (Pilou Asbaek) as they would make some chilling discoveries that they report to their boss Chief Daisuke Aramaki (Takeshi Kitano) who believes something isn’t right as he finds himself at odds with a CEO tech in Cutter (Peter Ferdinando).
The script’s narrative does establish the relationships that Major Killian have in not just Batou and Chief Aramaki but also a scientist in Dr. Ouelet who created Major Killian by transferring her mind from a person’s body into a cyborg where Major Killian deals with dreams and such. It is among some of the aspects of the script that works but some lame puns in the dialogue as well as not doing enough to establish the stakes of what Major Killian and the securities agency is facing in this hacker that is known as Kuze (Michael Pitt). Though Kuze’s motivations for wreaking havoc are unveiled, things do get messy in the third act in terms of its execution as well as trying to understand what is really going on.
Rupert Sanders’ direction is definitely stylish as it play into the grand visuals of futuristic Tokyo as a world that is vast and dominated by holograms and other big buildings. Shot largely in Wellington, New Zealand with some locations shot in Hong Kong and additional shots in Los Angeles, Sanders does maintain this world that is futuristic but also have this hold on the past where it respects some of the landmarks of the city from the past. The wide shots that Sanders does create do capture so much attention to detail of the city but also in some of the places the characters go to including the opening action sequence where Major Killian tries to save a scientist from a robot. There are moments in Sanders’ direction in the usage of close-ups and medium shots that do play into character interactions along with scenes that play into the suspense.
Yet, for all of the grand visuals and compositions that include scenes that match its source material and Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 anime film. Sanders is hampered by not just the script’s shortcomings in terms of its plotting and execution but also in trying to create something that would appeal to both audiences of anime and Western film audiences. Notably its third act as it play into some revelations and although there’s some cool moments in the film, it is messy as it relates to alliances and whom Major Killian should trust. Overall, Sanders creates an adventurous but underwhelming film about a cyborg security agent trying to hunt a mysterious hacker.
Cinematographer Jess Hall does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its stylish usage of colors and lights to help set the mood for some of the film’s interior and exterior settings including its usage of neon lights. Editors Neil Smith and Billy Rich do terrific work with the editing despite its reliance on chaotic fast-cutting though there’s moments where they slow down and establish what is going on. Production designer Jan Roelfs and supervising art director Richard L. Johnson do amazing work with the look of the sets including the opening restaurant/building scene and some of the sets that the characters go to. Costume designers Kurt and Bart does fantastic work with the bodysuit that Major Killian wears to be invisible as well as the stylish usage of geisha robes and other stylish clothes to help establish the characters in the film.
Hair/makeup designer Jane O’Kane does nice work with the hairstyles and make-up for the characters including the eyes for Batou. Special effects supervisors Yves De Bono, Steve Ingram, and Brendan O’Dell, along with visual effects supervisors Asregadoo Arundi, Marcus Dryden, John Dykstra, Greg McKneally, Vincent Poitras, Guillaume Rocheron, and Doug Spilatro, do excellent work with the visual effects with its usage of holograms, dazzling lights, and other effects that help play into the futuristic version of Tokyo. Sound editor Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg, with sound designers Odin Benitez, Charlie Campagna, Peter Staubli, Jon Title, and Martyn Zub, do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere as well in some sound effects that add to the suspense and drama.
The film’s music by Clint Mansell and Lorne Balfe is incredible for its mixture of electronic and orchestral music as it help play into the action and suspense that also include these haunting arrangements of traditional Japanese string and percussion textures into the score. The film’s music soundtrack feature an array of music from classical pieces from Claude Debussy and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart along with some traditional Japanese music pieces, operatic cuts, and some electronic music pieces.
The casting by Lucy Beavan and Liz Mullane is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Chris Obdi as an African ambassador, Rila Fukushima as a geisha robot, Kaori Momoi as an old woman that Major Killian seems to know, Anamaria Marinca as a tech lab consultant in Dr. Dahlin, Danusia Samuel and Chin Han in their respective roles as fellow agents Ladriya and Togusa, and Michael Wincott in an un-credited performance as a tech ambassador in Dr. Osmond who is one of the first targets of Kuze. Peter Ferdinando is alright as Cutter as a tech CEO who is trying to gain control of all of the technology and gain some political pull as he’s just someone that isn’t interesting as an antagonist.
Michael Pitt is pretty good as Kuze as a mysterious hacker who has a grudge towards the tech company where Pitt does reveal his motivations though he is underwritten as he’s not really given more to do but be mysterious. Pilou Asbaek is fantastic as Batou as Major Killian’s partner as a man who loves stray dogs and is a loyal partner to Major Killian as well as later getting eye implants after Major Killian saves him as Asbaek’s scenes with Johansson is a highlight of the film. Juliette Binoche is excellent as Dr. Ouelet as a designer who cares deeply for Major Killian as a woman who is tasked to create weapons who follow orders yet feels that Major Killian is someone who has a lot more to say as she is willing to protect her.
Takeshi Kitano is brilliant as Chief Daisuke Aramaki as security agents chief who is suspicious of what Cutter is doing as well as protective of Major Killian whom, like Dr. Ouelet, sees her as someone special while Kitano does all of his dialogue in Japanese which makes it much cooler as he’s also a man not to be fucked with. Finally, there’s Scarlett Johansson in an amazing performance as Major Mira Killian as a public-securities agent tasked with hunting down a hacker as Johansson displays that air of restraint and determination in a cyborg that has humanistic qualities as someone that is trying to find herself as it’s one of her finer performances.
Ghost in the Shell is a stellar but messy film from Rupert Sanders that features top-notch performances from Scarlett Johansson, Juliette Binoche, Takeshi Kitano, and Pilou Asbaek. While it is hampered by its script and Hollywood aesthetics including the white-washing of Asian characters, it is still a film that is exciting and filled with some great visuals as well as a hypnotic score by Clint Mansell and Lorne Balfe. In the end, Ghost in the Shell is a worthwhile film from Rupert Sanders.
Related: Ghost in the Shell (1995 film)
© thevoid99 2019
Written and directed by Olivier Assayas, Clouds of Sils Maria is the story of a famous film actress who is asked to star in the play that launched her career but in a different role as she copes with aging and the death of an old mentor. The film is an exploration of a woman who tries to figure out the ways of a new world as she contends with a young actress who is known for being notorious while is accompanied by a loyal assistant who tries to help her. Starring Juliette Binoche, Kirsten Stewart, and Chloe Grace Moretz. Clouds of Sils Maria is a compelling yet mesmerizing film from Olivier Assayas.
The film revolves around a famous film actress who goes to Switzerland to pay tribute to her mentor as she learns he had just died as the play that launched her career is being remade by a new director who asks her to play the older woman. It’s a film that isn’t just about the art of acting but also the world of aging as the actress Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) is playing the role of a character that she has no relations to as she also learns that the character that she played many years ago is being played by a talented but troubled young actress. Aiding Enders into preparing the role is her loyal assistant Valentine (Kristen Stewart) where the two stay at the home of Maria’s late mentor as the lines begin to blur into the role that Maria is trying to play with Valentine reading lines as the character that made Maria famous.
Olivier Assayas’ screenplay doesn’t just explore Maria’s resistance into playing the role of the older woman Helena who falls in love and becomes destroyed by this young woman named Sigrid. It’s also in the fact that Maria once played Sigrid which was written by her mentor and it was the role that gave her the big break when she was just 18. Still mourning over the loss of the man who gave her the break and the offer to play Helena in that play doesn’t just put Maria in emotional and mental turmoil as she is aghast that the young actress Jo-Ann Ellis (Chloe Grace Moretz) is to play Sigrid. While Valentine finds Jo-Ann to be very interesting, Maria isn’t so sure as she and Valentine spend much of their time in the Alps hiking and reciting lines for play where Valentine offers her own interpretation of the play as things do intensify. Notably as Maria ponders about who she is and is she becoming Helena.
Assayas’ direction is very simple in terms of its compositions as he shoots the film largely in Switzerland where much of the story takes place in Sils Maria near the Alps. Assayas definitely makes Sils Maria and other locations in Switzerland and places in Germany characters in the film yet it does play into the wonder that is Sils Maria. Assayas does go for a lot of great wide shots of those locations while he keeps things very intimate with its usage of close-ups and medium shots as it relates to the relationship between Maria and Valentine. Assayas does bring in elements of humor as it relates to Maria’s own reaction towards Jo-Ann and her films while there’s also some commentary that these young starlets aren’t exactly what they seem. Even when Maria and Valentine eventually meet Jo-Ann in the third act as Assayas’ camera becomes more intimate with its dolly-tracking shots as it reveals the different kind of youth that Jo-Ann is. It does play into the world of aging but also reasons into why Maria has trouble relating to the character she is to play which adds a complexity to her relationship with Valentine. Overall, Assayas crafts a very intriguing yet evocative film about an actress dealing with death and aging.
Cinematographer Yorick Le Saux does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography with its low-key yet stylish look for the scenes set at night to the more naturalistic look of the daytime exterior scenes including some of the moments at the Alps. Editor Marion Monnier does brilliant work with the editing with its stylish use of dissolves and jump-cuts to play into the drama along with some inspired use of transitional fade-outs. Production designer Francois-Renaud Labarthe, with set decorator Gabriele Wolff and art director Gabriella Ausonio, does fantastic work with the hotels that Maria and Valentine would stay in along with the home of Maria‘s mentor.
Costume designer Jurgen Doering does nice work with the costumes as it features mostly casual clothing with the exception of the Chanel dresses that Maria would wear early in the film. Visual effects supervisor Mikael Tanguy does terrific work for some of the minimal visual effects that involve the mysterious clouds that loom over the Alps. Sound editor Nicholas Moreau does superb work with the sound as it’s very sparse in its intimate setting along with low-key moments for the locations in the Alps near Sils Maria. The film’s music soundtrack largely features classical pieces by Georg Friedrich Handel and Johann Pachelbel as well as a brooding electro-rock piece from Primal Scream.
The casting by Antoinette Boulat and Anja Dihrberg is wonderful as it features notable small roles from Brady Corbet as a young filmmaker wanting to work with Maria, Benoit Peverelli as a publicist for Maria in Zurich, Caroline de Maigret as a Chanel press agent, Nora von Waldstatten as Jo-Ann’s co-star in a sci-fi movie, and Angela Winkler as the widow of Maria’s mentor who would reveal to her about the home and what happened to her husband. Hanns Zischler is terrific as an actor Maria worked with in the past whom she disliked as he tries to flirt with her upon their reunion to pay tribute to their mentor. Johnny Flynn is excellent as a famous figure whom Jo-Ann is dating in the film’s third act as it would cause some trouble into their lives. Lars Eidinger is superb as the director Klaus Diesterweg as a famous theater director who wants to remake the play that Maria was famous for as he wanted Maria to play the role of the older woman Helena.
Chloe Grace Moretz is fantastic as Jo-Ann Ellis as this young actress who is a magnet for trouble as she is asked to play the role that Maria was famous for as she copes with her fame and ideas of the play where Moretz brings that young naiveté to her performance as well as someone who is actually more aware of her dysfunction as a person and as a celebrity. Kristen Stewart is amazing as Valentine as Maria’s personal assistant who accompanies her to Switzerland and helps her with the play as Stewart brings some humor to the role as well as someone who isn’t afraid to say things as it’s a very reserved and engaging performance from Stewart who does get to provide some scene-stealing moments. Finally, there’s Juliette Binoche in a remarkable performance as Maria Enders as this famous film star coping with the loss of her mentor and aging as she has trouble trying to play a role that was the opposite of the character that made her famous as it’s a performance where Binoche brings some anguish and humility as well as elements of humor as it’s one of her finest performances to date.
Clouds of Sils Maria is a phenomenal film from Olivier Assayas that features incredible performances from Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, and Chloe Grace Moretz. It’s a film that explores the world of art as well as an actress coming to terms with getting older and be forced to face realizations about herself. In the end, Clouds of Sils Maria is a sensational film from Olivier Assayas.
Olivier Assayas Film: (Disorder) - (Winter’s Child) - (Paris Awakens) - (A New Life) - (Cold Water) - (Irma Vep) - (Late August, Early September) - (Sentimental Destinies) - (Demonlover) - Clean - (Boarding Gate) - Summer Hours - Carlos - (Something in the Air) - Personal Shopper
© thevoid99 2015
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 10/20/07 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.
Based on the novel by Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being is the story of a Czech surgeon who deals with two relationships involving an innocent photographer and an artist as they both represent different ideas of what he wants. Directed by Philip Kaufuman and screenplay by Kaufman, Jean-Claude Carriere, and Saul Zaentz, the film is an exploration into a love triangle that occurs during the 1960s where they also endure political and social changes in the former Czechoslovakia. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche, Lena Olin, Derek de Lint, Donald Moffat, Pavel Landovsky, Erland Josephson, and Stellan Skarsgard. The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a harrowing yet mesmerizing film from Philip Kaufman.
It's 1968 in Prague, Czechoslovakia as a surgeon named Tomas (Daniel Day-Lewis) spends his life flirting and sleeping with other woman including a nurse named Katja (Pascale Kalensky). Tomas also has a mistress named Sabina (Lena Olin) who works as an artist as she is the only real friend he has and understands him better than anyone. Then one day as Tomas goes to a country spa town to perform surgery, he catches the eye of a waitress named Tereza (Juliette Binoche) who shares his love for books and such. She had dreamed of going to Prague to make it as a photographer as she joins him. Knowing that Sabina has connections with the art world, she manages to give Tereza a job working for the press which she was happy though she noticed the chemistry between Sabina and Tomas. Thanks to Sabina, Tereza's work as a photographer makes her a success as they go to a party where Tereza makes Tomas jealous when he dances with his colleague Jiri (Tomek Bork) while making speeches about morality and insults towards the Russian politicians. During that night, they're at a club with the politicians where one of them told the band to play the Russian anthem that then becomes a rock n' roll number.
When Tomas writes an article to the press about the Russians, it unfortunately attracted the attention of the Russians. Despite just being married to Tereza, Tereza's knowledge of Tomas' love of sex and women makes her insecure as she tries to walk out only to catch a glimpse of the Russian tanks arriving.The Russian invasion in Prague is captured by Tereza’s camera as she sees Sabina leave for Switzerland. The two later join when Tereza has been caught photographing the event, even when she sends film rolls to foreigners. In Switzerland, Sabina caught the attention of a university professor named Franz (Derek de Lint). The two fall in love as they have their own affair that is great except for the fact that he's married. Tomas and Tereza arrive as Tomas gets a new job though Tereza finds that her love of photography is being stifled by having to do nude photographs for money and attention. She contacts Sabina for some nude photography and vice versa as for a moment, they briefly bonded until Franz's arrival to tell Sabina the news that he's leaving his wife. Sabina, unsure of wanting a relationship with Franz since she also adores Tomas and Tereza, chose to leave Switzerland and Franz. Tereza also leaves the country to return to Prague with their dog Karenin as Tomas realizes he needs her as he returns to Czechoslovakia but with his passport now confiscated.
Now in a new Czechoslovakia, Tomas tries to get his old job but his boss (Donald Moffat) told him that he couldn't unless he sign documents over the article he wrote. After an Interior Ministry official (Daniel Olbrychski) tries to get him to sign, Tomas ends up cleaning windows for a living while Tereza becomes a waitress at a bar. Befriending an engineer (Stellan Skarsgard), Tereza finds herself increasingly insecure with Tomas returning to old habits with women.
In response, she meets with the engineer but suspects something is wrong. Turning to a former ambassador (Erland Josephson) about what had happened, Tereza's guilt forces she and Tomas to leave Prague for good to live in the country with their friend Pavel (Pavel Landovsky) his pig Mephisto, and his nephew (Pavel Slaby). It is there Tomas is forced to confront his demons, his life with Tereza, and his old affairs with Sabina.
While it's obvious that Kaufman, co-screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere, and producer Saul Zaentz made some changes from the book in their adaptation to add eroticism to the story. The result is a fascinating drama about a doctor whose life and love for two women collide with his own reality in the backdrop of the Russian invasion in 1968. The film is really about a love triangle where all three characters love each other yet have troubling sharing one another. It's also the heart of film and story where they all have trouble sharing each other yet one when two bonds with one forced to watch, there's a sense of jealousy and confusion. It's the characters of Tomas, Tereza, and Sabina that drive the story.
The script by Kaufman and Carriere works in its structure and how the relationships are perceived. The first act is really about Sabina and Tomas with Tereza having to watch while marrying Tomas in a relationship where sex is something mysterious to her. In the second act, there's a scene that's really about Sabina and Tereza and their brief bond. Yet, with Tomas not really aware of what's going on, another observer appears in the form of Franz who doesn't really understand Sabina's role in the love triangle she appears in with Tomas and Tereza. When the third act arrives, Sabina is gone as the film becomes more about the fragile yet tender relationship of Tomas and Tereza and all of their faults. Essentially, the film is about relationships and how fragile they are with each character carrying a different trait.
Tomas is a man filled with charm and bravado who succumbs to habits with women that makes him unfulfilled emotionally. Tereza is a woman who is essentially a woman filled with innocence as she offers love but when it comes to sex, she doesn't really know anything while not wanting to expose herself physically. When she is forced to confront those demons, she becomes confused forcing Tomas to confront his own flaws. Then there's Sabina, she kind of represents the observer of the entire relationship. She’s the only one who understands Tomas' desire for women and Tereza’s insecurities as she tries to help her be confident. Yet, when she is confronted with things like love and security in the form of Franz, it's a world she's not used to since she prefers her own individuality. Therefore, she doesn't appear much in the third act until the end of the film.
Kaufman’s direction is top-notch for its observation and subtle approach towards the film's erotic moments. Whereas nudity is used to titillate or shock the audience, Kaufman does it with emotions where the most erotic moment doesn't have to be a naked woman but rather other body parts like the eyes or what's going on in that scene. In the more politically-driven scenes, the recreation of the invasion isn't shot in Czechoslovakia (due to its political climate at the time) but in France. Yet, the mix of stock footage and real-life footage shot in black-and-white almost made the film documentary-like. While a lot of the film was shot on location in France along with French soundstages and parts of Geneva, Switzerland. The film managed to give that feeling of oppression both physically and psychologically. Credit must go to Kaufman for not overplaying or under-emphasize the drama. Instead, he brings the characters to life and the story itself in what is definitely one of his strongest efforts.
Cinematographer Sven Nykvist brings some gorgeously shot sequences with his mastery craft with wonderful interior shots done with great intimacy. The exteriors are also notable from the lively look of Lyon as Prague in the first act along with the countryside that includes a shot on magic-hour in the third act. Editor Walter Murch also brings his mastery with his wonderful cutting style that plays like a camera capturing the action. Murch's use of stock footage mixed in with recreated shots of the Russian invasion is also genius to convey the chaos as Murch's work is brilliant. Production designer Pierre Guffroy definitely creates wonderful interior designs for the film including his recreation of Prague in the soundstages. Featuring paintings by another artist and a look that is very spacious yet intimate in the first half of the film, the look definitely changes to something more claustrophobic until in the later part of the third act where everything's natural.
Costume designer Ann Roth helps with the film's differing look with the dark clothes that Tomas wears to the exotic lingerie Sabina wears, and the country-like dresses and city-like clothes that Tereza wears. Sound designer Alan Splet does wonderful work with the sound, notably the Russian invasion sequence to bring the layering of sounds from sirens, tanks, and everything that goes on. Music composer Mark Adler brings a soft film score to convey the drama of the Russian Invasion. The rest of the music is flourishing, lyrical piano music by Janacek that soars throughout the entire film.
Then there's the film's cast that is wonderfully superb with small performances from Anne Lonnberg as a Swiss photographer, Clovis Cornillac as a young man who harasses Tereza at a bar, Pascale Kalensky as Nurse Katja, Pavel Slaby as Pavel's nephew, and Bruce Myers as a Czech editor. Other minor performances from Tomek Bork, Daniel Olbrychski, and Erland Josephson as the ambassador are very memorable including Stellan Skarsgard as a shady yet charming engineer and Donald Moffat as the chief surgeon. Pavel Landovsky is excellent as Tomas' friend Pavel, a man who loves his pet pig Mephisto while giving Tomas and Tereza a home late in the film as he muses on the changing times. Derek de Lint is great as a Franz, a university professor who falls for Sabina but isn't sure about her quirks as he doesn't realize what kind of life she leads.
In her first American film, Swedish actress Lena Olin gives a magnificent, sensual performance as Sabina. Though her character is kind of a sexpot of sorts, Olin brings depth to the character as some of her more seductive appearance isn’t what she's not wearing but rather what she's showing. It's a brilliant performance from the actress who is truly a joy to watch. Juliette Binoche is amazing as the more introverted Tereza. Binoche displays an innocence and fragility to the character that is unsure about love and sex while being forced to confront her own failures and her relationship with Tomas. Binoche's performance is very strong and engaging while her scene with Olin with the camera is truly one of the most seductive and jaw-dropping for their emotional responses. Daniel Day-Lewis is in great form as Tomas, a charming, womanizing surgeon who seems to love women more than anything. It's also his downfall yet Day-Lewis brings a lot of wit and a sly face to the character that is a joy to watch. His scenes with Binoche and Olin, whether separate or together, are amazing to watch in how he manages to act with them. Even using a Czech accent, Day-Lewis brings a lot of authenticity to the character while remaining witty in his situations.
The 2006 2-disc, Region 1 DVD from Warner Brothers presents the film with a new, superior transfer that is an improvement over its previous DVD releases including the 1999 Criterion DVD. Presented on widescreen and newly superior sound. The only real negative of the DVD is that due to the remastering and superior film transfer, the three-hour film is split in two. After the first two hours are in the first disc. The film ends in a fade-out with the third hour opening very abruptly. Despite that huge flaw, the film definitely works to its original theatrical presentation. The audio commentary track by director Philip Kaufman, co-screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere, Lena Olin, and Walter Murch is the same commentary from the original 1999 Criterion DVD. While all the tracks are done separately, they're all very informative. Kaufman, who dedicates his commentary to sound designer Alan Splet who died a few years prior, discusses a lot of the film's themes, the difficulty of trying to be faithful to the book while fawning over Juliette Binoche's performance. Jean-Claude Carriere discusses his friendship with Milan Kundera, the themes of the book, and the difficulty of the adaptation.
Olin's commentary is often on many of her scenes as she talks about some of the costumes, her friendship with cinematographer Sven Nykvist and the brief scenes that Erland Josephson had whom she had worked with in a couple of films for Ingmar Bergman. Walter Murch discusses a lot of the film's more technical pointers as he reveals he never goes to a film set during production and some of the editing techniques he did for the film in using two different editing machines before the age of computers. Along with the film's theatrical trailer in the 2nd disc, a 30-minute featurette entitled Emotional History: The Making of The Unbearable Lightness of Being features interviews with Philip Kaufman, Jean-Claude Carriere, Walter Murch, and producer Saul Zaentz. Kaufman talks about discovering the novel in 1984 and turning to Saul Zaentz to make it into a project. Bringing Jean-Claude Carriere to help write the script where they added some more erotic elements to the story with Kundera's permission.
Murch discusses the editing of stock footage intercut with recreated footage shot during production. He would later talk briefly about his friendship with Kaufman whom he knew during the early days of American Zoetrope in the early 70s with founders George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola. Zaentz discusses the film's release in 1988 where in the U.S., it did OK despite rave reviews from critics while it was a bigger hit in Europe. Particularly a screening in Russia at the time Communism fell down where Kaufman is convinced the film took a small role in helping end Communism in Eastern Europe.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being is a phenomenal film from Philip Kaufman that features great performances from Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche, and Lena Olin. Armed with a great supporting cast as well as some amazing technical work, the film is truly an intriguing and compelling film about a love triangle that occurred during some intense moments involving events in history. In the end, The Unbearable Lightness of Being is an exquisitely rich and sensational film from Philip Kaufman.
Philip Kaufman Films: (Goldstein) - (Fearless Frank) - (The Great Northfield Raid) - (The White Dawn) - (Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978 film)) - (The Wanderers) - (The Right Stuff) - (Henry & June) - (Rising Sun) - (Quills) - (Twisted (2004 film)) - (Hemingway & Gellhorn)
© thevoid99 2015
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Written and directed by Leos Carax, Mauvais Sang (The Night is Young) is the story of a young man who is asked by two aging thieves to steal a serum for an American crime boss as the young man falls one of the thieves‘ young lover. Set in a futuristic world where young people who make love without any emotions are being killed in a strange epidemic forcing a young man to do something to survive only to fall in love. Starring Denis Lavant, Juliette Binoche, Hans Meyer, Julie Delpy, Carroll Brooks, Hugo Pratt, Mireille Perrier, and Michel Piccoli. Mauvais Sang is a tremendously stylish yet whimsical film from Leos Carax.
In a world that is troubled by an epidemic where young people start to die due sex without emotions, two criminals ask a young man to help steal a serum that will stop this epidemic in order to pay off a debt to an American woman who asks for their help. Yet, things become complicated with the young criminal Alex (Denis Lavant) falls for one of the thieves’ young lover in Anna (Juliette Binoche) who is also part of the caper as she dealing with depression. It’s a film that bends all sorts of genre where writer/director Leos Carax throws away the rule book about what can be told in a crime film as he infuses a lot of elements of sci-fi, romance, and silent comedy into the mix. Notably as it’s about a young man wanting to start a life of his own after the death of his estranged father as he is offered that opportunity. Yet, he is forced to make sacrifices as he leaves his young girlfriend Lise (Julie Delpy) while waiting for the job to happen.
The film’s screenplay has a very loose structure with a lot of stylish dialogue that plays into Alex’s desire for a new life while he helps out Marc (Michel Piccoli) and Hans (Hans Meyer) in retrieving the serum though there are complications as the two men are old and one of them is ill. This forces Alex to spend much of his time with Anna as she is often very melancholic and cries for no reason as Alex would try to cheer her up. Yet, there is confusion as Anna likes Alex but remains devoted to Marc while Alex still thinks about Lise despite the fact that he let a friend of his be with her. That would eventually complicate things when the date of the heist emerges as emotions start to run high as does the stakes.
Carax’s direction is definitely stylish not just in the world that he creates where it’s set in a not-too-distant futuristic world of Paris. Especially as the epidemic that is used for the film serves as an allegory of sorts for the AIDS virus at the time as Carax goes for something that is a bit of a social commentary but also infuses it with ideas that could be set in the future as it relates to sex without emotions. Carax does create some shots that are quite simple and to the point as far as the drama plays out yet there’s also moments where he does aim for a sense of style in the way he places the camera for some of the compositions as well as aim for something that harkens back to all sorts of styles in cinema. Some of which involves silent film scenes where Alex would often do things as if he was a character in a silent movie while the romantic moments between Alex and Anna recall aspects of the French New Wave.
The direction also includes some stylish shots that play into the film’s unconventional presentation such as Alex running around the streets of Paris to David Bowie’s Modern Love as Carax would use a tracking dolly shot to capture Alex’s run through the streets of Paris. There’s also scenes where it is very playful and full of style where it adds to this world that feels very offbeat and almost surreal at times. Especially in the scene where Alex would steal the serum as it has elements of sci-fi but also suspense while its climax would be another ode to the French New Wave films of the 1960s. Overall, Carax crafts a very odd yet exhilarating film about a young man trying to start a new life for himself by becoming a criminal.
Cinematographer Jean-Yves Escoffier does fantastic work with the film‘s cinematography where even though it doesn‘t have a lot of color in its scenery, there are moments where he allows some of the costumes and such to shine while also using some black-and-white footage to be used for stylistic reasons. Editor Nelly Quettier does brilliant work with the editing by emphasizing largely on style with jump-cuts and unconventional frame-speeds to play with its action and drama. Production designers Jacques Dubus, Thomas Peckre, and Michel Vandestien, with set decorator Bernard Leonard, do amazing work with the set pieces from the base that Marc and Hans stay at to plan the heist to some of the exteriors of the buildings where it adds a dream-like feel to the film.
Costume designers Dominique Gregogna, Martine Metert, and Robert Nardone do excellent work with the costumes from the red sweater and blue robe that Anna wears to the yellow leather jacket that Alex wears as it adds to the film‘s unique look. The sound work of Claude Hivernon, Harrik Maury, Henri Morelle, and Joel Riant is superb for some of the sound effects that is created from the way Alex‘s motorcycle sounds to the way some of the objects sound to play into the action and suspense. The film’s wonderful music soundtrack consists of classical pieces by Sergei Prokofiev and Benjamin Britten as well as a score piece from Charles Chaplin and songs by Serge Raggiani and David Bowie as the classical pieces serves as dramatic cues while the Chaplin piece from Limelight is played in a very dazzling sequence where Alex encounters a young mother and her child.
The casting by Helene Bernardin is great for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable small performances from Mireille Perrier as the young mother Alex encounters, Serge Reggiani as Marc and Hans’ friend Charlie, Jerome Zucca as Alex’s friend Thomas, Leos Carax as a peeping tom, Hugo Pratt as the American boss’ muscle Boris, and Carroll Brooks as the American boss who orders Marc and Hans to steal the serum so they can clear their debt. Hans Meyer is excellent as Hans as a criminal who is also a doctor and a man of style as he teaches Alex how to present himself as a criminal. Julie Delpy is amazing as Lise as Alex’s young girlfriend who is in love with him despite her naiveté as she tries to communicate with him while becoming a crucial part of the heist.
Michel Piccoli is brilliant as Marc as an old friend of Alex’s dad who asks Alex for help while dealing with his own issues as an old man as well as the debt that looms over his head. Juliette Binoche is fantastic as Anna as Marc’s young yet melancholic lover who only takes up the job to support Marc while being charmed by Alex as it’s a role that has Binoche be funny as well as maternal. Finally, there’s Denis Lavant in a remarkable performance as Alex as this young criminal who is known for his quick hands as he joins the heist in order to start a new life while dealing with what is at stake as he is also torn for his love for both Anna and Lise as it’s Lavant in one of his best roles to date.
Mauvais Sang is an incredible film from Leos Carax that features outstanding performances from Denis Lavant, Juliette Binoche, Michel Piccoli, and Julie Delpy. The film is definitely one of Carax’s finest films in terms of blending all sorts of genre and make it something unique while also being a tribute to cinema itself. In the end, Mauvais Sang is a phenomenal film from Leos Carax.
Leos Carax Films: Boy Meets Girl - Lovers on the Bridge - Pola X - Tokyo!-Merde - Holy Motors - Annette - The Auteurs #36: Leos Carax
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski and written by Kieslowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, Trois Couleurs: Bleu (Three Colors: Blue) is the first of a trilogy of films based on the symbols of three colors of the French flag. The first film explores the theme of liberty where a woman loses her husband and child in a car accident as she detaches herself from her past and everything else in her life while discovering about the other life of her composer husband. Starring Juliette Binoche, Benoit Regent, Helene Vincent, Florence Pernel, Charlotte Very, and Emmanuelle Riva. Trois Couleurs: Bleu is an evocative yet ravishing film from Krzysztof Kieslowski.
The film is about a woman dealing with grief and the loss she endured in a tragic accident where she decides to cut herself out of that life and into a new one on her own and away from her past. Yet, the journey would prove to be far more difficult as the grief that Julie (Juliette Binoche) carries as well as the presence of her friend Olivier (Benoit Regent) would make things difficult for her to move on since he wants to finish a musical composition her husband had been working on. Adding to that troubled journey is the news that her composer husband had an affair with another woman in Sandrine (Florence Pernel) who carries something that would complicate everything that Julie is trying to run away from. Since the film’s theme is about liberty, it is about a woman liberating herself from her past as she has the money and will to do that. Yet, there’s some things that people couldn’t detach themselves.
The film’s screenplay by Krzysztof Kieslowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz not only explores that idea of detachment and isolation but also Julie’s struggles to be alone and not connect with other people including Olivier who had always pined for her. The people that Julie would meet such as an exotic dancer named Lucille (Charlotte Very) as well as Olivier eventually as he asks for her help. There’s also her mother (Emmanuelle Riva) that Julie goes to despite the fact that her mother is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The presence of Sandrine would complicate things as it would force Julie to either walk away or to confront the past as well as the death of her family.
Kieslowski’s direction is very entrancing in not just the images he conveys but also the attention to detail in the little things that he presents whether it’s a blue candy wrapper or bruises on Julie’s hand after she had dragged against a stone wall. It’s among the many aspects of the film that adds to the splendor of Kieslowski’s vision as well as using blue as a visual motif where sparks of it would be crucial to the film’s story as well as Julie’s own exploration of her grief and detachment from the world. In many respects, the film has Kieslowski not just play with the idea of tragedy but also turn into something more as the film’s third act would have crucial elements that would play into Julie’s own return to the world as she would find a sense of true liberation.
Much of the compositions Kieslowski creates are very intimate in its close-ups and medium shots while not going for some wide shots except in certain scenes. Most notably one sequence where it would link Julie’s story with two other characters in the next film of the trilogy. Most of the camera-work is controlled with some tracking shots and some hand-held work but Kieslowski keeps the camera intact towards Julie’s surroundings and the world she’s in. Especially where the camera becomes much tighter to play into the decisions she would make for herself and the people who had been affected by the loss of her husband and child. The framing becomes much more evident as the film progresses where it does loosen up a bit but still hovers over everything that Julie is trying to go through in her grief. Overall, Kieslowski creates a very evocative yet haunting film about grief and isolation.
Cinematographer Slawomir Idziak does phenomenal work with the film‘s gorgeous photography with its use of blue in some of the shots such as the chandelier and swimming pool as well as much of the coloring in some of the film‘s exterior settings along with some unique lighting for some of the film‘s interior scenes. Editor Jacques Witta does excellent work with the editing in terms of not emphasizing too much on style while creating some effective rhythms for the film‘s intense dramatic moments. Production designer Claude Lenoir does fantastic work with the set pieces such as the mansion that Julie lived in to the apartment she chooses to live in seclusion along with the chandelier of blue crystals. Costume designers Virginie Viard and Naima Lagrange do superb work with the costumes as much of it is casual to play into the sense of grief looming over Julie.
Hair and makeup work by Valerie Tranier and Jean-Pierre Caminade is terrific for the understated look of Julie as well as the bruises and scars on her face as well as the look of her mother and the character of Sandrine. The sound work of Jean-Claude Laureux and the sound mixing by William Flageollet is brilliant for the atmosphere it conveys from the film‘s opening sequence to scenes set in the city as well as some of the quieter yet disconcerting moments at Julie‘s mansion. The film’s music by Zbigniew Preisner is magnificent for its orchestral-driven score that is filled with all sorts of string and choir arrangements to play into the sense of grief and emotion with some flute-based pieces as well as serene string arrangements as the music is one of the film’s major highlights.
The casting by Margot Capelier is amazing for the ensemble that is created as it includes cameo appearances from Julie Delpy and Zbigniew Zamachowski as the roles they would play in Trois Couleurs: Blanc as well as other small roles from Pierre Forget as the gardener in the house, Isabelle Sadoyan as the maid, Jacek Ostazewski as the street musician, Philippe Volter as a real estate agent who helps Julie find a new apartment, Florence Vignon as a music copyist, Yann Tregouet as the young man Antoine who witnessed the crash, and Hugues Quester as Julie’s late husband Patrice. Helene Vincent is terrific as the journalist that wants to talk to Julie while Emmanuelle Riva is wonderful as Julie’s Alzheimer-stricken mother who watches TV in an attempt to re-connect with the world.
Charlotte Very is excellent as the young prostitute Lucille that Julie befriends and helps out. Florence Pernel is brilliant as Sandrine as the woman who is revealed to be Patrice’s mistress as her meeting with Julie showcases a woman who isn’t just grieving but also pities Julie whom she had always admired. Benoit Regent is superb as Olivier as a longtime family friend of Julie who is also in love with her as he tries to finish Patrice’s music piece as well as reach out to Julie. Finally, there’s Juliette Binoche in a performance for the ages as Julie where Binoche brings a sense of restraint and coldness to her role as a woman trying to detach herself from her grief. It’s a performance that has Binoche display an air of radiance to her role as well as making Julie such a complex character as it’s definitely one of Binoche’s finest performances.
The 2003 Region 1 DVD for Trois Couleurs: Bleu from Miramax as part of a box-set for the entire trilogy presents the film in its 1:85:1 theatrical aspect ratio on widescreen as it was enhanced for 16x9 televisions in its original French language track with English subtitles. The DVD includes many special features relating to the film that is led by the 17 ½ minute documentary Reflections on Bleu where Juliette Binoche, cinematographer Slawomir Idziak, editor Jacques Witta, collaborator Agnieska Holland, film critic Geoff Andrews, and Kieslowski historian Annette Insdorf talk about the film and how much it means to them. Notably as they all talk about the film’s importance as Binoche recalls her feelings about the film as she admits to being very emotional about it.
The 15-minute Kieslowski: The Early Years is largely led by Insdorf and Andrews about Kieslowski’s early years as well as being part of that movement in Polish cinema that was emerging in the 1950s and 1960s as it would also include commentaries by Slawomir Idziak, Agnieska Holland, and actress Irene Jacob. The DVD release also includes a feature-length audio commentary by Insdorf as she discusses a lot about the film as well as some of its technical points and some of the psychological aspects of the story. The twenty-four-and-a-half minute selected scenes commentary section from Juliette Binoche has the actress talking about scenes in the film as she also revealed that she was in consideration for The Double Life of Veronique and turned down Jurassic Park to do Bleu.
The 14-minute, 37-second interview/commentary from editor Jacques Witta has him providing a technical view of the film in terms of its editing as well as some technical tidbits. Especially as he stepped aside from editing Blanc so he can do Rouge because Kieslowski didn’t want to overwhelm him. Binoche’s eight-minute interview has her talking about the film as she also said some things that she already had mentioned her commentary piece. Producer Marin Karmitz’s 17-minute interview has him talking about the film and his relationship with Kieslowski despite the fact that Karmitz didn’t speak Polish and Kieslowski didn’t speak French yet managed to make a conversation through whiskey. The seven-and-a-half minute cinema lesson from Kieslowski has him talking about the sugar cube scene where he revealed the difficulty in finding the right sugar cube he needed for a five-second shot as he feels it was important for that shot.
The DVD would also include a 15-minute student short film called Concert of Requests that is a simple story about a group of students camping so they can attend a concert as it showcases the documentary style that Kieslowski would later adopt into his work as a documentary filmmaker. The DVD also includes a filmography of Kieslowski’s work as well as trailers for the other two films in the trilogy plus the 2002 film Heaven that Kieslowski co-wrote with Krzysztof Piesiewicz.
The 2011 remastered edition as part of the Region 1 four-disc DVD/Region A three-disc Blu-Ray from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a brand new high-definition digital transfer as the colors are much richer while the sound is remixed in a 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. The original theatrical aspect ratio is still intact while there are new English subtitles that improves the 2003 DVD release. Several features from that 2003 DVD release such as the cinema lesson, Juliette Binoche’s selected-scenes commentary, and the Reflections on Bleu documentary are on the DVD while the Blu-Ray includes the Kieslowski: The Early Years documentary, the film’s original theatrical trailer and two short films that appeared in the 2003 DVD release for Blanc.
Added to the DVD/Blu-Ray set for its special features are two new interviews with Kieslowski historian Annette Insdorf and music composer Zbigniew Preisner. The 21-minute video essay with Insdorf narrating the essay has her talking about the film and many of its images and themes as well as how it relates to the rest of the films of the trilogy. Notably as Insdorf discusses the themes and the irony of the film in which Julie tries to liberate herself from the past as it’s a very compelling piece in the DVD. The twenty-one minute and-thirty-three second interview with Preisner has the composer not just talking about his collaboration and friendship with Kieslowski but also how they approached in making the music for the films. Notably as Preisner would make much of the music during pre-production and film instead of doing the music during post-production. Preisner talks about certain pieces in the scores he made for all three films as well as the character of Van de Budenmeyer who is a fictional composer and Kieslowski created.
The DVD/Blu-Ray box set also includes a 78-page booklet that features a lot of essays and text relating to the trilogy. For the subject of Bleu, there’s two pieces of text that relates to that film in an essay by Sight & Sound editor Nick James and an interview with cinematographer Slawomir Idziak. James’ essay entitled Blue: Bare Necessities has the writer talk about the film and Kieslowski’s approach to storytelling as well as Binoche’s performance. James also discusses much of the film’s themes and some of its ambiguities that remain questionable as James also regard the film as one of the best films ever made. Idziak’s interview comes from a 1993 article for the French magazine Telerama in which Idziak talks to Vincent Remy about shooting Bleu as well as his collaboration with Kieslowski where he reveals their approach to shooting and how things are different in working in Europe and in the U.S.
Trois Couleurs: Bleu is a magnificent film from Krzysztof Kieslowski that features a towering performance from Juliette Binoche. Along with a great supporting cast, some dazzling technical work from its crew, and Zbigniew Preisner’s exhilarating score. It’s truly a masterwork in the art of cinema as well as one of three films that creates one of cinema’s most revered trilogies. In the end, Trois Couleurs: Bleu is an outstanding film from Krzysztof Kieslowski.
Krzysztof Kieslowski Films: (Personal) - (The Scar) - (Camera Buff) - (The Calm) - (Short Working Day) - Blind Chance - (No End) - (A Short Film About Killing) - (A Short Film About Love) - The Decalogue - The Double Life of Veronique - Trois Couleurs-Blanc - Trois Couleurs-Rouge
© thevoid99 2014
Based on the novel by Don DeLillo, Cosmopolis is the story of a young multi-billionaire whose desire to get a haircut has him going onto a very strange journey where he encounters various people and embark on things that are very unsettling. Written for the screen and directed by David Cronenberg, the film plays into the life of a young man in the span of 24 hours as he starts to lose touch with reality as the world around him becomes chaotic. Starring Robert Pattinson, Sarah Gadon, Paul Giamatti, Samantha Morton, Jay Baruchel, Kevin Durand, Mathieu Almaric, and Juliette Binoche. Cosmopolis is drab and overwrought film from David Cronenberg.
The film is a simple story about a young billionaire who is in his limo driving through the traffic-laden streets of New York City just wanting a haircut. Yet, a visit from the U.S. president, a rapper’s funeral procession, and protests concerning about the state of capitalism puts this young man in one hellish day as he self-destructs slowly as his fortune falls and his own personal life starts to fall apart. It’s a premise that could’ve been engaging and also compelling to explore a man’s self-destruction as it would be in the hands of someone as revered as David Cronenberg. Instead, it’s an overblown and soulless film that doesn’t really have anything to say. For most of the story’s two-acts, the film’s protagonist in Eric Parker (Robert Pattinson) spends his time in his lavish, state-of-the-art limo talking to various advisors, analysts, workers, and such about his dwindling fortune while stepping out to do a few activities and eat a few meals with his wife Elsie (Sarah Gadon).
The screenplay is often filled with this very stylized dialogue where everyone talks in a certain rhythm that goes on too fast and features themes about finances and capitalist theories that doesn’t make any sense. Even as some of the dialogue is so poor that it’s often spoke in a very robotic fashion that just sucks out the life of the story. In the course of the story, Parker sleeps with a few women who aren’t married to him while dealing with the fact that he’s got an asymmetrical prostate as he has a hard time figuring out a currency where protesters are targeting him. The third act does break away from the monotony of the story but only to the point that it gets messier where Parker finally gets his haircut while trying to find out who is trying to kill him as the result almost ends up being the same thing about capitalism, life, and all that where it gets repetitive and loses ground into whatever arguments that Parker is going after.
Cronenberg’s direction should’ve been interesting as he spends much of the film inside a limo where it’s very intimate but also claustrophobic to showcase the cold world that Parker lives in. Instead, the story that Cronenberg is telling doesn’t hold much ground where this mixture of chaos outside of the limo and Parker trying to cage himself in his limo doesn’t do anything as the constant talking just drags the film. The moments where the film leaves the limo and into a few places doesn’t really have Cronenberg do much other than create a few interesting compositions but the way he directs his actors really bogs the film down even more. Even as its climax where Parker leaves the limo to get his haircut and confront whoever is trying to kill him only makes things worse as the film ends on a very abrupt and hollow note. Overall, Cronenberg creates an excruciatingly dull and lifeless film that had something to say but ends up saying nothing at all.
Cinematographer Peter Suschitzsky does nice work with the cinematography to play into its look of the city as it‘s in chaos while editor Ronald Sanders does some good work in the editing though it does have a hard time to keep up with the very talkative dialogue while not doing enough to build up some suspense. Production designer Arvinder Grewal and art director Joshu de Cartier do excellent work with the look of the limos and places Parker goes to while costume designer Denise Cronenberg creates some wonderful dresses that Elsie wears.
Visual effects supervisor Wojciech Zielinski does some bad work in some of the film‘s visual effects that includes a backdrop for the shots outside of the limo. Sound editor Wayne Griffin and Michael O’Farrell do some fine work with the sound to play into the chaotic nature in the locations. The film’s music by Howard Shore is terrific as it is low-key with its emphasis on brooding electronic music that includes some contributions from the Canadian band Metric to provide some dark textures into the soundtrack.
The casting by Deirdre Bowen definitely has a great collection of actors where there’s a few noteworthy performances from George Touliatos as the barber Anthony and Abdul Ayoola as Packer’s driver where the two have a nice conversation about their old lives as cab drivers. Other notable performances from Patricia McKenzie as a bodyguard of Packer, Emily Hampshire as finance chief, Jay Baruchel as his friend Shiner, Kevin Durand as Packer’s main bodyguard Torval, and Philip Nozuka as his analyst don’t really get much to do as they’re bogged down by the film’s atrocious dialogue that just has them over-explaining things.
For a cast that includes such revered talents as Mathieu Almaric, Juliette Binoche, Paul Giamatti, and Samantha Morton, they are unfortunately wasted in this film. Giamatti plays a disgruntled, troubled ex-employee of Packer who just talks and talks while Almaric is just a guy who slams a pie into Packer. Morton doesn’t do anything but talk about numbers and such as if she was a robot while Binoche plays an art consultant who sleeps with Packer as she talks about money and art. Sarah Gadon is terrible as Packer’s young wife Elsie as she only appears in a few scenes as the scenes she have with Pattinson are included with some bad dialogue that’s made worse by the fact that they’re talking like robots. Finally, there’s Robert Pattinson in a performance that is unsurprisingly typical of what he’s known for as he’s just a bore to watch as well as the fact that he talks like a robot in some respects while often does a lot of blank stare to showcase that he is indeed a very bland and soulless young man who can’t act worth a shit.
Cosmopolis is a fucking travesty of a film from someone as brilliant as David Cronenberg. Thanks in part to Robert Pattinson’s horrendous performance as well as its un-engaging story and overwritten dialogue. It’s a film that should’ve said something about a man’s self-destruction in the wake of a capitalist protest but instead says nothing profound. Even as it ends up being a cinematic downward spiral of nothingness that goes further into a spiral of ever-more nothingness. In the end, Cosmpolis is a film that just absolutely fucking sucks.
David Cronenberg Films: Stereo - Crimes of the Future - Shivers - Rabid - Fast Company - The Brood - Scanners - Videodrome - The Dead Zone - The Fly (1986 film) - Dead Ringers - Naked Lunch - M. Butterfly - Crash - eXistenZ - Spider - A History of Violence - Eastern Promises - A Dangerous Method - Maps to the Stars - Crimes of the Future (2022 film)
The Auteurs #26: David Cronenberg: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2013
