As fizzy as a freshly poured glass of Perrier-Jouët, though considerably less complex, writer-director Alexis Michalik’s “Cyrano, My Love” . Part fancifully fictional account of the play’s conception, and part “Waiting for Guffman”-style depiction of the wild antics behind its first production, “Cyrano” was released in France earlier this year, and its undemanding immersion into flashy Belle Époque settings and farcical hijinks with the thinnest topcoat of literary credibility could well earn it an audience Stateside.
According to Michalik’s telling, twentysomething playwright Edmond Rostand (Thomas Solivérès) is a talented wordsmith who nonetheless couldn’t be more out of step with the theatrical tastes of 1890s Paris. Fastidiously mustachioed, stubbornly highbrow and eternally agitated, we’re introduced to him as his latest play has just folded, with a passer-by helpfully identifying him to a companion as “a young poet who writes flop plays.”
A few years later, Edmond...
According to Michalik’s telling, twentysomething playwright Edmond Rostand (Thomas Solivérès) is a talented wordsmith who nonetheless couldn’t be more out of step with the theatrical tastes of 1890s Paris. Fastidiously mustachioed, stubbornly highbrow and eternally agitated, we’re introduced to him as his latest play has just folded, with a passer-by helpfully identifying him to a companion as “a young poet who writes flop plays.”
A few years later, Edmond...
- 10/18/2019
- by Andrew Barker
- Variety Film + TV
"There's magic in this play. As if I've given it all that I lack." Roadside Attractions has debuted an official trailer for the French historical drama Cyrano, My Love, which premiered last year and opened in most of Europe at the beginning of this year. The film is about Edmond Rostand, played by Thomas Solivérès, a famous playwright who is struggling to figure out his next project before he turns 30. Ignoring the whims of actresses, the demands of his producers, the jealousy of his wife, his best friend's heart and the lack of enthusiasm of all those around him, Edmond must focus and put to pen to paper. For now, he has only the title: "Cyrano de Bergerac". The cast includes Olivier Gourmet, Mathilde Seigner, Tom Leeb, Lucie Boujenah, Alice de Lencquesaing, Clémentine Célarié, and Igor Gotesman. This looks like a lively look back in time at the life of...
- 9/1/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Paris-set film is directorial debut from award-winning playwright Alexis Michalik.
Gaumont is launching world sales on director Alexis Michalik’s big screen adaptation of his stage hit Edmond, revolving around the writing of the world famous play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand in 1897.
It marks the feature directorial debut of theatre director and playwright Michalik, whose award-winning play won five prestigious Moliére Awards and is currently enjoying a record-breaking run at the Théatre du Palais-Royal in Paris.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of Belle Epoque Paris, Thomas Solivérès stars as Edmond Rostand, a young playwright of potential genius, reeling from a series of flops.
Celebrity actress Sarah Bernhardt who is an admirer of his work connects him to Constant Coquelin, one of the most actors of the period, who demands the young dramatist write him a leading role in a play to premiere in three weeks.
Edmond has no idea what he is going to write but...
Gaumont is launching world sales on director Alexis Michalik’s big screen adaptation of his stage hit Edmond, revolving around the writing of the world famous play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand in 1897.
It marks the feature directorial debut of theatre director and playwright Michalik, whose award-winning play won five prestigious Moliére Awards and is currently enjoying a record-breaking run at the Théatre du Palais-Royal in Paris.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of Belle Epoque Paris, Thomas Solivérès stars as Edmond Rostand, a young playwright of potential genius, reeling from a series of flops.
Celebrity actress Sarah Bernhardt who is an admirer of his work connects him to Constant Coquelin, one of the most actors of the period, who demands the young dramatist write him a leading role in a play to premiere in three weeks.
Edmond has no idea what he is going to write but...
- 2/15/2018
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Sales deal for comedy-drama Chacun Sa Vie.
WestEnd Films has boarded world sales to Claude Lelouch’s Everyone’s Life (Chacun Sa Vie), starring Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin and rock star Johnny Hallyday.
The film celebrates Oscar and Palme d’Or-winner Lelouch’s 50-year cinema career with a cast of A-list French actors, in a feel good comedy about 12 men and 12 women who face romantic complications in the Burgundy wine-country town of Beaune, during its annual jazz festival.
The film is produced by Lelouch for Films 13 and Samuel Hadida and Victor Hadida for Davis Films (Resident Evil).
The film was released in France in late March by Samuel and Victor Hadida’s Metropolitan Filmexport, which also holds French rights to the film.
In addition to Dujardin and Hallyday, the cast also includes Béatrice Dalle, Mathilde Seigner, Christophe Lambert, Deborah François, Elsa Zylberstein and Eric Dupond-Moretti .
WestEnd will begin world sales at the market in Cannes, where it will...
WestEnd Films has boarded world sales to Claude Lelouch’s Everyone’s Life (Chacun Sa Vie), starring Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin and rock star Johnny Hallyday.
The film celebrates Oscar and Palme d’Or-winner Lelouch’s 50-year cinema career with a cast of A-list French actors, in a feel good comedy about 12 men and 12 women who face romantic complications in the Burgundy wine-country town of Beaune, during its annual jazz festival.
The film is produced by Lelouch for Films 13 and Samuel Hadida and Victor Hadida for Davis Films (Resident Evil).
The film was released in France in late March by Samuel and Victor Hadida’s Metropolitan Filmexport, which also holds French rights to the film.
In addition to Dujardin and Hallyday, the cast also includes Béatrice Dalle, Mathilde Seigner, Christophe Lambert, Deborah François, Elsa Zylberstein and Eric Dupond-Moretti .
WestEnd will begin world sales at the market in Cannes, where it will...
- 5/17/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Au Beaune Pain: Lelouch Continues with Frivolous Comedy Spackle
Somewhere along the way Palme d’Or and Oscar winning auteur Claude Lelouch (1966’s A Man and a Woman) morphed into the Garry Marshall of French film, churning out vapid comedy vehicles sporting a glitzy array of notable Gallic stars. Whenever the slide began, his tendencies to overstuff his narratives with zany layers of (often inconsequential) tangential sub-plotting began years ago, look no further than his 1986 sequel to his most famous film, A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later for longstanding evidence of the change. His later period reflects the stamp of various muses, such as actress Audrey Dana, and now, frequent co-author Valerie Perrin. With 2013’s We Love You, You Bastard and 2015’s Un + Une, Lelouch has become completely divorced from his illustrious past filmography, a chasm only widened by his latest venture, Everybody’s Life, once more featuring Johnny Hallyday and Jean Dujardin amongst a cavalcade of a cast, all whirling through this odd kitchen sink array of miscellaneous characters all inclined to converse about their Zodiac signs as they fall in and out of romantic love or obsessive yearning during a a year’s time in Beaune, France.
As an annual jazz festival gets underway, a slew of characters intersect and coverage in the provincial town of Beaune in the Burgundy region. A judge (Eric Dupond-Moretti) must contend with the news of Clementine’s (Beatrice Dalle) retirement, a local prostitute whose company has brought him great joy since the death of his wife. Meanwhile, his colleague Nathalie (Julie Ferrier) falls out of a window after finding her husband (Gerard Darmon) with another man, sharing an ambulance with a hypochondriac singer (Mathilde Seigner) who believes she is having a heart attack following a performance at the festival. At the same time, a tawdry court case has drawn together another subsection of the community, including the troubled alcoholic Antoine (Christophe Lambert), currently facing the dissolution of his own marriage with his disconsolate wife (Marianne Denicourt) betwixt legal troubles. And as famed singer Johnny Hallyday faces a problem with a slippery doppelganger (who has a tryst with an unhappily married Comtesse played by Elsa Zylberstein, married to Vincent Perez), which causes some confusion with local cop Jean (Jean Dujardin), the marriage between former beauty queen (Nadia Fares) and Stephane (Stephane De Groodt) is also on the rocks. Meanwhile, the local hospital has decided to engage a new policy wherein patients must be put at ease through sexually provocative jokes, which brings a chummy nurse (Deborah Francois) into contact with several patients.
If Max Ophuls had wanted to make La Ronde (1950) into a relationship farce (to be fair, Roger Vadim kind of did this with his remake) set to light jazz, it might look something like Everybody’s Life. However, Lelouch feels as if he filmed his illustrious cast in a number of amusing scenarios and pasted the end results together as he saw fit, clipping it into a semblance of repeated scenarios with revolving characters, all who end up professing their love, being destroyed by it, or simply moving on to another chapter. However, the film is neither subtle nor diverse in its repetitive techniques, and for as entertaining as it is to see Hallyday and Dujardin horse around as they take selfies, the frivolousness quickly gets wearying, particularly by its grand framed finale, where we return to the court room a year later after the film’s beginning, with Lelouch stuffing all his characters, whether it makes sense or not, into the same room.
Gregoire Lacroix assists Perrin, Pierre Uytterhoeven (who co-wrote A Man and a Woman) and Lelouch in this adaptation from his own prose, but Everybody’s Life drifts aimlessly, as if besotted by the presence of its own unlucky in love characters all experiencing the same approximation of discontent. Most of these formulas are tedious, if not forgettable, with a glaring bright spot from Beatrice Dalle as a prostitute who wants nothing more to do with sex or men and relish the retirement she deserves. If somewhat less ungainly than rom-com Un+Une and the loopy We Love You, You Bastard, this isn’t a return to form or an ascension to new heights for Lelouch, try as it might to ‘experiment’ with traditional narrative form.
Reviewed on April 24th at the 2017 Colcoa French Film Festival – Opening Night Film. 113 Mins.
★★½/☆☆☆☆☆
The post Everybody’s Life | 2017 Colcoa French Film Festival Review appeared first on Ioncinema.com.
Somewhere along the way Palme d’Or and Oscar winning auteur Claude Lelouch (1966’s A Man and a Woman) morphed into the Garry Marshall of French film, churning out vapid comedy vehicles sporting a glitzy array of notable Gallic stars. Whenever the slide began, his tendencies to overstuff his narratives with zany layers of (often inconsequential) tangential sub-plotting began years ago, look no further than his 1986 sequel to his most famous film, A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later for longstanding evidence of the change. His later period reflects the stamp of various muses, such as actress Audrey Dana, and now, frequent co-author Valerie Perrin. With 2013’s We Love You, You Bastard and 2015’s Un + Une, Lelouch has become completely divorced from his illustrious past filmography, a chasm only widened by his latest venture, Everybody’s Life, once more featuring Johnny Hallyday and Jean Dujardin amongst a cavalcade of a cast, all whirling through this odd kitchen sink array of miscellaneous characters all inclined to converse about their Zodiac signs as they fall in and out of romantic love or obsessive yearning during a a year’s time in Beaune, France.
As an annual jazz festival gets underway, a slew of characters intersect and coverage in the provincial town of Beaune in the Burgundy region. A judge (Eric Dupond-Moretti) must contend with the news of Clementine’s (Beatrice Dalle) retirement, a local prostitute whose company has brought him great joy since the death of his wife. Meanwhile, his colleague Nathalie (Julie Ferrier) falls out of a window after finding her husband (Gerard Darmon) with another man, sharing an ambulance with a hypochondriac singer (Mathilde Seigner) who believes she is having a heart attack following a performance at the festival. At the same time, a tawdry court case has drawn together another subsection of the community, including the troubled alcoholic Antoine (Christophe Lambert), currently facing the dissolution of his own marriage with his disconsolate wife (Marianne Denicourt) betwixt legal troubles. And as famed singer Johnny Hallyday faces a problem with a slippery doppelganger (who has a tryst with an unhappily married Comtesse played by Elsa Zylberstein, married to Vincent Perez), which causes some confusion with local cop Jean (Jean Dujardin), the marriage between former beauty queen (Nadia Fares) and Stephane (Stephane De Groodt) is also on the rocks. Meanwhile, the local hospital has decided to engage a new policy wherein patients must be put at ease through sexually provocative jokes, which brings a chummy nurse (Deborah Francois) into contact with several patients.
If Max Ophuls had wanted to make La Ronde (1950) into a relationship farce (to be fair, Roger Vadim kind of did this with his remake) set to light jazz, it might look something like Everybody’s Life. However, Lelouch feels as if he filmed his illustrious cast in a number of amusing scenarios and pasted the end results together as he saw fit, clipping it into a semblance of repeated scenarios with revolving characters, all who end up professing their love, being destroyed by it, or simply moving on to another chapter. However, the film is neither subtle nor diverse in its repetitive techniques, and for as entertaining as it is to see Hallyday and Dujardin horse around as they take selfies, the frivolousness quickly gets wearying, particularly by its grand framed finale, where we return to the court room a year later after the film’s beginning, with Lelouch stuffing all his characters, whether it makes sense or not, into the same room.
Gregoire Lacroix assists Perrin, Pierre Uytterhoeven (who co-wrote A Man and a Woman) and Lelouch in this adaptation from his own prose, but Everybody’s Life drifts aimlessly, as if besotted by the presence of its own unlucky in love characters all experiencing the same approximation of discontent. Most of these formulas are tedious, if not forgettable, with a glaring bright spot from Beatrice Dalle as a prostitute who wants nothing more to do with sex or men and relish the retirement she deserves. If somewhat less ungainly than rom-com Un+Une and the loopy We Love You, You Bastard, this isn’t a return to form or an ascension to new heights for Lelouch, try as it might to ‘experiment’ with traditional narrative form.
Reviewed on April 24th at the 2017 Colcoa French Film Festival – Opening Night Film. 113 Mins.
★★½/☆☆☆☆☆
The post Everybody’s Life | 2017 Colcoa French Film Festival Review appeared first on Ioncinema.com.
- 4/28/2017
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
In an unusual take on the World War II movie, French director Christian Carion focuses on a group of French villagers attempting to flee on the eve of the German invasion, in Come What May. Carion directed Joyeux Noel, the crowd-pleasing film about the real World War I Christmas Truce, when some soldiers on both sides called a one-day unofficial truce. Carion’s new film, in French with some German and English and with subtitles,centers on a group of people whose stories are drawn from those of real civilian refugees. It is a well-made historical film with a talented international cast, fine period detail and filmed in lovely rural locations but the story leans towards the sentimental and conventional.
Carion co-wrote the film, which opens (and closes) with photos of real French refugees and a few words about their struggles, plus a dedication to the director’s mother, who...
Carion co-wrote the film, which opens (and closes) with photos of real French refugees and a few words about their struggles, plus a dedication to the director’s mother, who...
- 9/30/2016
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
"The only way to keep our grip is to return to where we belong." Cohen Media recently released this French film in Us theaters (starting in NYC), titled Come What May, from director Christian Carion. Set in 1940 at the beginning of World War II, the film is about various people from small village in northern France who had to escape when the Germans invaded. It focuses primarily on two of them: Hans, seeking to recover his son who fled the village, and Percy, hoping to reach the sea, and find a boat back to England. Surprisingly, the film features an original score by Ennio Morricone, one of the few original scores he's written recently besides The Hateful Eight. The full cast includes Alice Isaaz, August Diehl, Mathilde Seigner, Olivier Gourmet and Matthew Rhys. This looks like it's a damn good WWII drama, I might have to check it out. Here's...
- 9/13/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Come What May (En mai, fais ce qu’il te plait) Cohen Media Group Reviewed by: Harvey Karten, Shockya Grade: B Director: Christian Carion Written by: Christian Carion, Laure Irrmann Cast: August Diehl, Olivier Gourmet, Mathilde Seigner, Alice Isaaz, Matthew Rhys, Joshio Marlon, Thomas Schmauser, Laurent Gerra Screened at: Cohen Media, NYC, 8/29/16 Opens: September 8, 2016 If you have healthy human emotions, you’ll find it heartbreaking to note that since the opening of the civil war in Syria in 2011, 13.5 million of its citizens need humanitarian assistance, 6.6 million are displaced within their country, and 4.8 million are now living outside of their country. You would be similarly heartbroken [ Read More ]
The post Come What May Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Come What May Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 9/1/2016
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Exclusive: Drama starring Isabelle Huppert due to shoot this June.
Les Films du Losange has taken on sales of Mia Hansen-Løve’s Things to Come (L’Avenir), starring Isabelle Huppert as a woman embarking on a new life after her husband leaves her for another woman.
“We’ll kick off sales at Cannes on the back of the script. The film is due to shoot in Paris in June,” said Les Films du Losange head of sales Agathe Valentin.
Huppert stars as Nathalie, a settled philosophy teacher who has been married for years to Heinz, with whom she has two grown-up children. They stay together out of habit and common intellectual pursuits – he also teaches philosophy — rather than for love.
But one day Heinz announces he has fallen for another woman and moves out. At the same time, Nathalie’s possessive, time-consuming mother passes away. As the summer holidays loom, Nathalie is staring...
Les Films du Losange has taken on sales of Mia Hansen-Løve’s Things to Come (L’Avenir), starring Isabelle Huppert as a woman embarking on a new life after her husband leaves her for another woman.
“We’ll kick off sales at Cannes on the back of the script. The film is due to shoot in Paris in June,” said Les Films du Losange head of sales Agathe Valentin.
Huppert stars as Nathalie, a settled philosophy teacher who has been married for years to Heinz, with whom she has two grown-up children. They stay together out of habit and common intellectual pursuits – he also teaches philosophy — rather than for love.
But one day Heinz announces he has fallen for another woman and moves out. At the same time, Nathalie’s possessive, time-consuming mother passes away. As the summer holidays loom, Nathalie is staring...
- 5/6/2015
- ScreenDaily
Having all but disappeared from view after starring in the four-season run of Prison Break – the Resident Evil franchise notwithstanding – Wentworth Miller is now re-emerging into the spotlight as a talent with many strings to his bow. The most intriguing of those strings is screenwriting, which he will next demonstrate with the adaptation of the French thriller, With A Friend Like Harry – originally titled Harry, He’s Here To Help for its French release.
The original film – released in 2000 – was written and directed by Dominick Moll, with Gilles Marchand as co-writer, and Laurent Lucas, Sergi Lopez and Mathilde Seigner in the lead roles. The story – as will be presented in this Us remake – sees a man named Harry approach a put-upon man at a rest-stop, claiming to be his former high-school classmate. He gives convincing detail and information to support his story but, over time, his fixation with the man takes a sinister turn,...
The original film – released in 2000 – was written and directed by Dominick Moll, with Gilles Marchand as co-writer, and Laurent Lucas, Sergi Lopez and Mathilde Seigner in the lead roles. The story – as will be presented in this Us remake – sees a man named Harry approach a put-upon man at a rest-stop, claiming to be his former high-school classmate. He gives convincing detail and information to support his story but, over time, his fixation with the man takes a sinister turn,...
- 8/2/2014
- by Sarah Myles
- We Got This Covered
French-Martinican rapper/actor Didier Morville (aka Joeystarr) stars in this romantic comedy titled Max, which follows the story of a young girl who sets her single father up with a prostitute, as, as you' expect, things get a bit complicated. The film co-stars Mathilde Seigner, Jean Pierre Marielle and Shana Castera, and is set for release in France on January 23, 2013. The title of this post references the fact that Joeystarr's casting in a rom-com is apparently antithetical to his usual M.O., and is taking many in France by surprise, given what I understand to be a usual harder edge to him. His said to be "violent" past is littered with a...
- 12/3/2012
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Kimberly Peirce will direct a remake of With a Friend Like Harry. The Boys Don't Cry director's next project will be based on the French thriller Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien, reports Variety. Dominik Moll's original film stars Laurent Lucas and Mathilde Seigner as a couple who reconnect with an old school acquaintance, Harry (Sergei Lopez). At first they are happy with the accidental (more)...
- 7/27/2012
- by By Hugh Armitage
- Digital Spy
Even though she's hard at work on the Carrie remake, director Kim Peirce already has her next gig lined up. Yep, she'll be able to add another notch to her remake belt when she puts her own spin on the French thriller With a Friend Like Harry, aka Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien.
Variety reports that Maven Pictures has come on board to produce a remake of the French thriller With a Friend Like Harry with Kimberly Peirce attached to direct. Maven's Celine Rattray and Trudie Styler will produce with Michell Krumm. Wentworth Miller is adapting the screenplay.
The French film, released in 2000, tells the story of a family man joined on vacation by an old schoolmate, Harry, whom he doesn't remember. At first Harry seems to be just what the family needs with his carefree spirit and charm, but his efforts and advice eventually become more mysteriously menacing.
Variety reports that Maven Pictures has come on board to produce a remake of the French thriller With a Friend Like Harry with Kimberly Peirce attached to direct. Maven's Celine Rattray and Trudie Styler will produce with Michell Krumm. Wentworth Miller is adapting the screenplay.
The French film, released in 2000, tells the story of a family man joined on vacation by an old schoolmate, Harry, whom he doesn't remember. At first Harry seems to be just what the family needs with his carefree spirit and charm, but his efforts and advice eventually become more mysteriously menacing.
- 7/26/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Now in production on the Chloe Moretz starrer Carrie, director Kimberly Peirce has already lined up her next project.
Variety reports that the Boys Don't Cry director will remake the French thriller With a Friend Like Harry (Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien).
The original film starred Laurent Lucas and Mathilde Seigner as a Michel and Claire, a couple traveling with three children who come across another couple, Harry and Plum (Sergi Lopez and Sophie Guillemin). At first they are fast friends, but as they grow closer Harry and Plum's motives become more and more ominous.
Read more...
Variety reports that the Boys Don't Cry director will remake the French thriller With a Friend Like Harry (Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien).
The original film starred Laurent Lucas and Mathilde Seigner as a Michel and Claire, a couple traveling with three children who come across another couple, Harry and Plum (Sergi Lopez and Sophie Guillemin). At first they are fast friends, but as they grow closer Harry and Plum's motives become more and more ominous.
Read more...
- 7/26/2012
- shocktillyoudrop.com
Director Kimberly Peirce is hard at work turning Chloe Moretz into our generation’s Carrie White, but that isn’t stopping her from looking ahead to other gigs. She’s now attached to the long-gestating remake of French thriller Harry, He’s Here To Help.The original, directed by Dominik Moll, saw Laurent Lucas and Mathilde Seigner who meet up by chance with an old school acquaintance (Sergei Lopez). But while everyone is initially pleased to reconnect, Harry proves to have less positive motives lurking under his friendly exterior. A big success in France, the movie nabbed multiple Cesar Awards in 2001 and was nominated for the Palme D’Or at the 2000 Cannes festival.A remake called With A Friend Like Harry has been bubbling away for a few years now, with Wes Craven attached at one point. Now Maven pictures – run by Trudie Styler and Celine Rattray – is looking to finally get it on screens,...
- 7/26/2012
- EmpireOnline
Now in production on the Chloe Moretz starrer Carrie , director Kimberly Peirce has already lined up her next project. Variety reports that the Boys Don't Cry director will remake the French thriller With a Friend Like Harry ( Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien ). The original film starred Laurent Lucas and Mathilde Seigner as a Michel and Claire, a couple traveling with three children who come across another couple, Harry and Plum (Sergi Lopez and Sophie Guillemin). At first they are fast friends, but as they grow closer Harry and Plum's motives become more and more ominous. Directed by Dominick Moll, the original film was nominated for the Cannes Film Festival's prestigious Palme d'Or in 2000. (Photo Credit: FayesVision / WENN.com)...
- 7/26/2012
- Comingsoon.net
"Inglourious Basterds" and "Beginners" made her a star stateside, but it looks like French thespian Melanie Laurent is returning home for her next project. The actress has signed on to Christian Carion's new adaptation of Stefan Zweig's "Letter From An Unknown Woman," a novel that was adapted once before with acclaim by Max Ophuls.
The story follows an author who, while reading a letter written by a woman he does not remember, gets glimpses into her life story. Ophuls' film was led by Louis Jourdan and Joan Fontaine and centered on a pianist protagonist rather than an author. It's not known how faithful Carion's adaptation will be to the novel.
Carion is also currently working on "En Mai, Fais Ce Qu'il Plait" (translated to "In May, Do What You Want To Do") which will be set around the events of May 1940 during World War II when the French...
The story follows an author who, while reading a letter written by a woman he does not remember, gets glimpses into her life story. Ophuls' film was led by Louis Jourdan and Joan Fontaine and centered on a pianist protagonist rather than an author. It's not known how faithful Carion's adaptation will be to the novel.
Carion is also currently working on "En Mai, Fais Ce Qu'il Plait" (translated to "In May, Do What You Want To Do") which will be set around the events of May 1940 during World War II when the French...
- 3/6/2012
- by Simon Dang
- The Playlist
Yeah, I know War of the Buttons (La guerre des boutons) is technically a family film, but any story that dives into the murky waters of kids left to their own delinquent behaviors is always of interest to me. An this French remake seems interesting.
Word is that when Yann Samuell's treatment for a new War of the Buttons was pitched at Cannes in May 2010, it generated an enormous amount of enthusiasm. Why exactly we're not sure, but producer Marc du Pontavice said this of the new film: "We were looking for a powerful idea within "War of the Buttons", an ideal that would draw an invisible link between the school of society and what Yann aptly calls a Society of Children. To make a film that talks about integration, independence and innocence - in that joyful spirit that comes with the delight of disobedience. In that respect, the...
Word is that when Yann Samuell's treatment for a new War of the Buttons was pitched at Cannes in May 2010, it generated an enormous amount of enthusiasm. Why exactly we're not sure, but producer Marc du Pontavice said this of the new film: "We were looking for a powerful idea within "War of the Buttons", an ideal that would draw an invisible link between the school of society and what Yann aptly calls a Society of Children. To make a film that talks about integration, independence and innocence - in that joyful spirit that comes with the delight of disobedience. In that respect, the...
- 6/1/2011
- QuietEarth.us
Somestimes, you just have to do a lot of research to find a nice thriller. Even though its script could have been improved, Harry un ami qui vous veut du bien will more than entertain you. Besides, it's rare to see a thriller in which the cast's performance always hits the right note.
Michel (Laurent Lucas) and his wife, Claire (Mathilde Seigner), are going to their summer house for their vacation. However, the temperature is hot and Michel's car has no air conditionning. No wonder their three kids are insufferable. Obviously, Michel stops his car at a gas station in order to have a break from his children. While he's in the men's bathroom of the gas station, Michel is approached by Harry (Sergi López).
According to Harry, Michel and him both went to high school together. However, Michel has no recollection of such a thing. This doesn't stop Harry...
Michel (Laurent Lucas) and his wife, Claire (Mathilde Seigner), are going to their summer house for their vacation. However, the temperature is hot and Michel's car has no air conditionning. No wonder their three kids are insufferable. Obviously, Michel stops his car at a gas station in order to have a break from his children. While he's in the men's bathroom of the gas station, Michel is approached by Harry (Sergi López).
According to Harry, Michel and him both went to high school together. However, Michel has no recollection of such a thing. This doesn't stop Harry...
- 5/24/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
Sam Worthington in Louis Leterrier’s Clash of the Titans (top); Mia Wasikowska in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (upper middle); Franck Dubosc, Mathilde Seigner, Claude Brasseur, Mylène Demongeot in Fabien Onteniente’s Camping 2 (lower middle); Isabelle Adjani, Gérard Depardieu in Gustave de Kervern and Benoît Delépine’s Mammuth (bottom) Robert Pattinson’s Remember Me Surprisingly Jumps 17%; Kristen Stewart’s The Runaways Down: Box Office Internationally, Clash of the Titans, starring Avatar’s Sam Worthington, remained the #1 movie this past weekend with an estimated $32 million in 60 markets, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Overseas total to date: $240.4 million. Clash of the Titans‘ month-long reign, however, will likely end when Iron Man 2, starring Robert Downey Jr, opens in several markets next week [...]...
- 4/26/2010
- by Michelle Hutton
- Alt Film Guide
Rounding out a month as the No. 1 title on the foreign theatrical circuit, "Clash of the Titans" claimed an estimated $32 million from 10,075 screens in 60 markets on the weekend, raising its overseas boxoffice total to $240.4 million.
"Titans'" offshore domination ends this week as an early-to-arrive summer season, thanks to the June 11-July 11 World Cup, kicks off this week. Paramount's "Iron Man 2" begins its overseas run on Wed. in six markets, including France, Belgium, Sweden and Norway.
A Japan opening at 481 screens generated for the 3D update of MGM's 1981 action fantasy based on Greek mythology $3.1 million, including paid previews. In all, said distributor Warner Bros., 3D venues provided 64% of "Titans'" overseas gross.
Taking second place on the weekend was Disney's "Alice in Wonderland," which tallied $26.7 million in its eighth round on the foreign circuit from 7,233 venues in 54 markets. A Brazil bow generated $5.7 million from 649 locations, Disney's biggest market gross ever for this market.
"Titans'" offshore domination ends this week as an early-to-arrive summer season, thanks to the June 11-July 11 World Cup, kicks off this week. Paramount's "Iron Man 2" begins its overseas run on Wed. in six markets, including France, Belgium, Sweden and Norway.
A Japan opening at 481 screens generated for the 3D update of MGM's 1981 action fantasy based on Greek mythology $3.1 million, including paid previews. In all, said distributor Warner Bros., 3D venues provided 64% of "Titans'" overseas gross.
Taking second place on the weekend was Disney's "Alice in Wonderland," which tallied $26.7 million in its eighth round on the foreign circuit from 7,233 venues in 54 markets. A Brazil bow generated $5.7 million from 649 locations, Disney's biggest market gross ever for this market.
- 4/25/2010
- by By Frank Segers
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Roman Polanski's family has thanked French President Nicolas Sarkozy for his efforts in securing the director's freedom.
Polanski was granted bail earlier this month and will spend Christmas under house arrest at his alpine chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland.
The moviemaker's sister-in-law believes the French leader has played a large part in making the release happen.
Mathilde Seigner tells Le Parisien newspaper, "I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it is thanks to the President that Roman has been freed, but he has been super. The President has been very effective.”
Recent rumours suggested Sarkozy's wife, Carla Bruni, had urged her husband to intervene as Polanski and his wife, actress Emmanuelle Seigner, are longtime acquaintances of the singer.
Sarkozy came under fire for offering his support to Polanski in October after insisting a 76-year-old man should not have been arrested for crimes he committed decades ago.
The president said at the time, "I understand that people are shocked by the gravity of the accusations against Roman Polanski, but... it is not a good administration of justice to do this 32 years after the facts when the person concerned is today 76 years old."
Polanski, who fled to France in 1978 as he awaited sentencing for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl at a Hollywood party, was arrested by Swiss authorities while attending a film festival in Zurich in September.
Polanski was granted bail earlier this month and will spend Christmas under house arrest at his alpine chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland.
The moviemaker's sister-in-law believes the French leader has played a large part in making the release happen.
Mathilde Seigner tells Le Parisien newspaper, "I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it is thanks to the President that Roman has been freed, but he has been super. The President has been very effective.”
Recent rumours suggested Sarkozy's wife, Carla Bruni, had urged her husband to intervene as Polanski and his wife, actress Emmanuelle Seigner, are longtime acquaintances of the singer.
Sarkozy came under fire for offering his support to Polanski in October after insisting a 76-year-old man should not have been arrested for crimes he committed decades ago.
The president said at the time, "I understand that people are shocked by the gravity of the accusations against Roman Polanski, but... it is not a good administration of justice to do this 32 years after the facts when the person concerned is today 76 years old."
Polanski, who fled to France in 1978 as he awaited sentencing for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl at a Hollywood party, was arrested by Swiss authorities while attending a film festival in Zurich in September.
- 11/30/2009
- WENN
Mathilde Seigner attending a press conference for the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals in Paris on November 24, 2009. Photo copyright by Pixplanete / PR Photos. Mathilde Seigner attending a press conference for the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals in Paris on November 24, 2009. Photo copyright by Pixplanete / PR Photos. Mathilde Seigner attending a press conference for the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals in Paris on November 24, 2009. Photo copyright by Pixplanete / PR Photos. Mathilde Seigner attending a press conference for the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals in Paris on November 24, 2009.
- 11/29/2009
- by James Wray
- Monsters and Critics
Roman Polanski is set to spend his house arrest at a luxury Swiss ski resort, with officials insisting his imminent release from jail will be handled quickly and discreetly.
The shamed filmmaker has been in prison in Switzerland since his arrest in September on an international warrant relating to a 1977 charge of unlawful sex with an under-age girl. Polanski pleaded guilty to the crime but fled the U.S. in 1978 before he could be sentenced.
The director was finally granted bail on Wednesday, after his three previous bids for freedom were rejected, and he is now being prepared for release after Swiss officials waived their right to appeal the decision.
Polanski's sister-in-law, Mathilde Seigner, admits she is delighted the star will soon be free, telling French newspaper Le Parisien, "I am very happy and relieved. We're going to drink a nice glass of champagne and toast together."
Authorities in the country have refused to announce when the 76 year old will be released, but a statement from the Swiss justice department on Thursday reveals preparations are underway. The statement reads, "Polanski will be released from custody as soon as bail has been transferred, ID and travel documents have been lodged, and the electronic monitoring system has been installed and tested."
While Ministry spokesman Folco Galli tells the Associated Press the release will be handled quietly, "We don't want to show him off like an exotic animal."
Polanski will reportedly be transferred to his luxury ski chalet in the resort of Gstaad, where he will remain under house arrest until the Swiss government decides whether to allow an extradition request which will see him sent back to the U.S. to receive his punishment.
The shamed filmmaker has been in prison in Switzerland since his arrest in September on an international warrant relating to a 1977 charge of unlawful sex with an under-age girl. Polanski pleaded guilty to the crime but fled the U.S. in 1978 before he could be sentenced.
The director was finally granted bail on Wednesday, after his three previous bids for freedom were rejected, and he is now being prepared for release after Swiss officials waived their right to appeal the decision.
Polanski's sister-in-law, Mathilde Seigner, admits she is delighted the star will soon be free, telling French newspaper Le Parisien, "I am very happy and relieved. We're going to drink a nice glass of champagne and toast together."
Authorities in the country have refused to announce when the 76 year old will be released, but a statement from the Swiss justice department on Thursday reveals preparations are underway. The statement reads, "Polanski will be released from custody as soon as bail has been transferred, ID and travel documents have been lodged, and the electronic monitoring system has been installed and tested."
While Ministry spokesman Folco Galli tells the Associated Press the release will be handled quietly, "We don't want to show him off like an exotic animal."
Polanski will reportedly be transferred to his luxury ski chalet in the resort of Gstaad, where he will remain under house arrest until the Swiss government decides whether to allow an extradition request which will see him sent back to the U.S. to receive his punishment.
- 11/26/2009
- WENN
Authorities aim to avoid media circus when bailed film director leaves jail
The film director Roman Polanski will be placed under house arrest at his Alpine chalet as soon as possible, the Swiss justice ministry said today, announcing it would not appeal against a court decision to release him on bail.
The ministry said it was still deciding whether to extradite the 76-year-old to the United States, where authorities in Los Angeles want him sentenced for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.
The ministry said, however, that it would not appeal against a Swiss criminal court decision granting Polanski $4.5m (£2.7m) bail on the condition that he wear an electronic bracelet and not leave his Gstaad chalet. Polanski must also surrender his identity documents.
"He must not leave this house," the ministry said in a statement. Should he violate the terms of release, the bail will be forfeited to the Swiss government.
The film director Roman Polanski will be placed under house arrest at his Alpine chalet as soon as possible, the Swiss justice ministry said today, announcing it would not appeal against a court decision to release him on bail.
The ministry said it was still deciding whether to extradite the 76-year-old to the United States, where authorities in Los Angeles want him sentenced for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.
The ministry said, however, that it would not appeal against a Swiss criminal court decision granting Polanski $4.5m (£2.7m) bail on the condition that he wear an electronic bracelet and not leave his Gstaad chalet. Polanski must also surrender his identity documents.
"He must not leave this house," the ministry said in a statement. Should he violate the terms of release, the bail will be forfeited to the Swiss government.
- 11/26/2009
- The Guardian - Film News
"2012," director Roland Emmerich's 2 1/2-hours-plus disaster epic, inundated the foreign circuit with openings at 12,685 screens in 105 territories for a rousing No. 1 weekend boxoffice tally of $160 million.
Sony says "2012" opened No. 1 in each market it played and drew the biggest overseas boxoffice opening of all time for a non-sequel. In addition, according to the studio, its opening offshore gross was the fifth-largest ever.
The film's foreign opening figure -- the third biggest of 2009 to date -- was nearly 2 1/2 times its $65-million domestic bow at 3,404 screens.
Premiering day-and-date with its No. 1 domestic launch, "2012" decisively supplanted Sony's "This Is It" with Michael Jackson, which had been No. 1 for two consecutive frames.
This time, the Jackson doc finished No. 3, down 61% from the prior frame, with $11.5 million drawn from 5,770 screens 100 markets. Overseas total gross is a solid $155.4 million, and the worldwide cume stands at $223.6 million.
"2012's" top five markets...
Sony says "2012" opened No. 1 in each market it played and drew the biggest overseas boxoffice opening of all time for a non-sequel. In addition, according to the studio, its opening offshore gross was the fifth-largest ever.
The film's foreign opening figure -- the third biggest of 2009 to date -- was nearly 2 1/2 times its $65-million domestic bow at 3,404 screens.
Premiering day-and-date with its No. 1 domestic launch, "2012" decisively supplanted Sony's "This Is It" with Michael Jackson, which had been No. 1 for two consecutive frames.
This time, the Jackson doc finished No. 3, down 61% from the prior frame, with $11.5 million drawn from 5,770 screens 100 markets. Overseas total gross is a solid $155.4 million, and the worldwide cume stands at $223.6 million.
"2012's" top five markets...
- 11/15/2009
- by By Frank Segers
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARIS -- French director Christian Carion and actor Guillaume Canet are back in the holiday spirit after their 2005 hit "Merry Christmas" with a new collaborative effort, "Farewell", a spy thriller based on the eponymous novel by Serguei Kostine.
After "Christmas" nabbed a foreign-language Oscar nomination in 2006 and sold nearly 2 million tickets at the Gallic boxoffice, the actor-director team is heading from World War I to the Cold War for the story of a lieutenant-colonel from the KGB who chose to betray the former USSR for France.
Set in Moscow in 1981, the film is set to start shooting in early 2008. Russian actor Nikita Mikhalkov will co-star opposite Canet in the project co-produced by Christophe Rossignon's Nord-Ouest Prods. with Bertrand Faivre's Le Bureau.
Carion, who co-wrote the script with Eric Raynaud, also is in development on Nord-Ouest's "La Guerre de l'Eau", starring Mathilde Seigner and Danny Boon.
After "Christmas" nabbed a foreign-language Oscar nomination in 2006 and sold nearly 2 million tickets at the Gallic boxoffice, the actor-director team is heading from World War I to the Cold War for the story of a lieutenant-colonel from the KGB who chose to betray the former USSR for France.
Set in Moscow in 1981, the film is set to start shooting in early 2008. Russian actor Nikita Mikhalkov will co-star opposite Canet in the project co-produced by Christophe Rossignon's Nord-Ouest Prods. with Bertrand Faivre's Le Bureau.
Carion, who co-wrote the script with Eric Raynaud, also is in development on Nord-Ouest's "La Guerre de l'Eau", starring Mathilde Seigner and Danny Boon.
- 8/31/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARIS -- French comedy Camping grossed $13.8 million in its debut last week, making it the country's second-best opening of 2006. Directed by Fabrice Onteniente, Camping came in second behind Patrice Leconte's Les Bronzes 3 -- Amis Pour La Vie, which took $28.7 million in its first seven days in February. Camping has an ensemble cast that includes such popular French names as Gerard Lanvin, Mathilde Seigner, Franck Dubosc, Claude Brasseur and Antoine Dulery.
City of Lights, City of Angels Film Festival
Claude Lelouch is a populist filmmaker no longer popular with audiences either in his native France or among the large international following he created once upon a time with such hits as A Man and a Woman and And Now My Love.
Men and Women, which opened this week's annual French film festival in Los Angeles, finds Lelouch struggling to rediscover the formula of Gallic charm and star-crossed lovers that made him such a boxoffice favorite. The film has strong moments where he does reclaim the old magic. But the picture wears out its welcome long before the final reel and fails to make the necessary tonal changes to include episodes of depression, murder and suicide in an otherwise lighthearted ode to the glories of romantic love.
The film's theatrical outlook is problematic. It actually is a cannibalization of the first two films in an apparently now-abandoned trilogy called Genre humain, or Human Kind. The first film, Les Parisiens, disappeared within a month of release, so Lelouch scrambled to save the project by pulling together footage from the two films to create the version that debuted here. Without having seen Les Parisiens, it is hard to say whether he has helped or harmed his cause. But Men and Women definitely jumps around among too many characters and subplots to diminishing audience involvement.
What emerges as the central romance or romantic triangle of the piece belongs a pair of street singers and the barmaid who falls for the male. Shaa (Maiwenn) is a vagabond and petty thief who spots Massimo (Italian pop singer/actor Massimo Ranieri) singing on the street one day. She seduces him into turning his act into a duo. In the best tradition of old Hollywood musicals, the two swiftly find success in a nightclub, where Anne (Mathilde Seigner) can't take her eyes off Massimo between serving cocktails.
A music impresario soon takes Shaa aside and offers her -- but not them -- a contract. Without a moment's thought, she dumps Massimo for a chance at stardom. Massimo goes into an emotional tailspin (while at the same time writing a great song about lost love), threatens suicide or a return to Italy before Anne rescues him and -- voila! -- he becomes a star and Shaa turns into such a flop that she is able to pen a mea culpa memoir that becomes -- yes, it does -- a best seller.
And that's only one of the stories in "Men and Women!"
Anne's identical twin (also Seigner, of course) works for a pizza-parlor magnate (Michel Leeb), an uneducated, self-made man who on whim marries a beautiful stage actress and sophisticated aristocrat (Arielle Dombasle). His wife eventually takes up a clandestine affair with the chauffeur (Yannick Soulier), who is really a thief. There's a police detective who dies of cancer early in the movie, so his wife can marry her lover, who works as a singer at the same nightclub where Anne works. Later, a movie director (Lelouch himself) shows up to buy rights to Shaa's memoir to turn it into a film starring Shaa and Massimo, and the movie threatens to start all over again.
So a million things are going on with different levels of reality, but weary viewers can be excused for no longer caring. If the characters would simply sit down with a glass of wine and talk to each other, half their problems would get solved. The exuberant, new wave style of early Lelouch, where the camera pirouettes all over the set, is, thankfully, gone. In its place, though, is this mad hopping among subplots so that the focus never stays on anything for too long.
As a pop stylist, Lelouch must confront the fact that for French moviegoers he has been eclipsed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Jean-Paul Salome (whose exotic Arsene Lupin plays in the festival). At one point in this move, Anne tells Massimo that most of his songs are "too old." One wonders whether Lelouch, when he wrote that line, winced a little.
MEN AND WOMEN
Les Films 13 in association with Canal Plus
Credits:
Director: Claude Lelouch
Writers: Claude Lelouch, Pierre Uytterhoeven
Producers: Jean-Paul De Vidas, Claude Lelouch
Director of photography: Gerard de Battista
Production designer: Francois Chauvaud
Music: Francis Lai
Costumes: Karine Serrano
Editor: Stephane Mazalaigue
Cast:
Massimo: Massimo Ranieri
Shaa: Maiwenn
Clementine/Anne: Mathilde Seigner
Sabine Duchemin: Arielle Dombasle
Michael Gorkini: Michel Leeb
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 128 minutes...
Claude Lelouch is a populist filmmaker no longer popular with audiences either in his native France or among the large international following he created once upon a time with such hits as A Man and a Woman and And Now My Love.
Men and Women, which opened this week's annual French film festival in Los Angeles, finds Lelouch struggling to rediscover the formula of Gallic charm and star-crossed lovers that made him such a boxoffice favorite. The film has strong moments where he does reclaim the old magic. But the picture wears out its welcome long before the final reel and fails to make the necessary tonal changes to include episodes of depression, murder and suicide in an otherwise lighthearted ode to the glories of romantic love.
The film's theatrical outlook is problematic. It actually is a cannibalization of the first two films in an apparently now-abandoned trilogy called Genre humain, or Human Kind. The first film, Les Parisiens, disappeared within a month of release, so Lelouch scrambled to save the project by pulling together footage from the two films to create the version that debuted here. Without having seen Les Parisiens, it is hard to say whether he has helped or harmed his cause. But Men and Women definitely jumps around among too many characters and subplots to diminishing audience involvement.
What emerges as the central romance or romantic triangle of the piece belongs a pair of street singers and the barmaid who falls for the male. Shaa (Maiwenn) is a vagabond and petty thief who spots Massimo (Italian pop singer/actor Massimo Ranieri) singing on the street one day. She seduces him into turning his act into a duo. In the best tradition of old Hollywood musicals, the two swiftly find success in a nightclub, where Anne (Mathilde Seigner) can't take her eyes off Massimo between serving cocktails.
A music impresario soon takes Shaa aside and offers her -- but not them -- a contract. Without a moment's thought, she dumps Massimo for a chance at stardom. Massimo goes into an emotional tailspin (while at the same time writing a great song about lost love), threatens suicide or a return to Italy before Anne rescues him and -- voila! -- he becomes a star and Shaa turns into such a flop that she is able to pen a mea culpa memoir that becomes -- yes, it does -- a best seller.
And that's only one of the stories in "Men and Women!"
Anne's identical twin (also Seigner, of course) works for a pizza-parlor magnate (Michel Leeb), an uneducated, self-made man who on whim marries a beautiful stage actress and sophisticated aristocrat (Arielle Dombasle). His wife eventually takes up a clandestine affair with the chauffeur (Yannick Soulier), who is really a thief. There's a police detective who dies of cancer early in the movie, so his wife can marry her lover, who works as a singer at the same nightclub where Anne works. Later, a movie director (Lelouch himself) shows up to buy rights to Shaa's memoir to turn it into a film starring Shaa and Massimo, and the movie threatens to start all over again.
So a million things are going on with different levels of reality, but weary viewers can be excused for no longer caring. If the characters would simply sit down with a glass of wine and talk to each other, half their problems would get solved. The exuberant, new wave style of early Lelouch, where the camera pirouettes all over the set, is, thankfully, gone. In its place, though, is this mad hopping among subplots so that the focus never stays on anything for too long.
As a pop stylist, Lelouch must confront the fact that for French moviegoers he has been eclipsed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Jean-Paul Salome (whose exotic Arsene Lupin plays in the festival). At one point in this move, Anne tells Massimo that most of his songs are "too old." One wonders whether Lelouch, when he wrote that line, winced a little.
MEN AND WOMEN
Les Films 13 in association with Canal Plus
Credits:
Director: Claude Lelouch
Writers: Claude Lelouch, Pierre Uytterhoeven
Producers: Jean-Paul De Vidas, Claude Lelouch
Director of photography: Gerard de Battista
Production designer: Francois Chauvaud
Music: Francis Lai
Costumes: Karine Serrano
Editor: Stephane Mazalaigue
Cast:
Massimo: Massimo Ranieri
Shaa: Maiwenn
Clementine/Anne: Mathilde Seigner
Sabine Duchemin: Arielle Dombasle
Michael Gorkini: Michel Leeb
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 128 minutes...
- 4/12/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARIS -- Organizers of the Deauville Festival of American Cinema said Thursday that the event will open with a French film -- Le Genre Humain -- 1: Les Parisiens, the first installment of Claude Lelouch's Genre Humain (Humankind) trilogy -- for the first time in the festival's 30-year history. Humain will screen out of competition at the festival, which runs Sept. 3-12. Lelouch, who heads the festival's jury, offered the film for its world premiere as a special 30th birthday gift, organizers said. The 35 million ($43.2 million) trilogy, funded almost entirely by Lelouch, has been almost 35 years in the making. Organizers said they are honored to unspool its first part. About the foibles of male-female relationships, Les Parisiens stars Massimo Ranieri, Mathilde Seigner, Arielle Dombasle. Lelouch plays himself in the film, and his partner, Alessandra Martines, and some of his seven children also have roles.
- 8/19/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARIS -- Organizers of the Deauville Festival of American Cinema said Thursday that the event will open with a French film -- Le Genre Humain -- 1: Les Parisiens, the first installment of Claude Lelouch's Genre Humain (Humankind) trilogy -- for the first time in the festival's 30-year history. Humain will screen out of competition at the festival, which runs Sept. 3-12. Lelouch, who heads the festival's jury, offered the film for its world premiere as a special 30th birthday gift, organizers said. The 35 million ($43.2 million) trilogy, funded almost entirely by Lelouch, has been almost 35 years in the making. Organizers said they are honored to unspool its first part. About the foibles of male-female relationships, Les Parisiens stars Massimo Ranieri, Mathilde Seigner, Arielle Dombasle. Lelouch plays himself in the film, and his partner, Alessandra Martines, and some of his seven children also have roles.
- 8/19/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
For his first time out as a director of a full-length movie, Christian Carion has struck gold. "Une hirondelle a fait le Printemps" (The Girl From Paris) is a jewel of a film that has brought French moviegoers out in droves. It has clocked up almost 1.2 million admissions in two weeks-plus, pushing its way to the No. 2 spot at the boxoffice.
Sandrine (Mathilde Seigner) is a 30-year-old consultant in the computer industry, living in Paris, who decides to give up her job to fulfill her dream of working the land. With her agricultural qualification firmly tucked in her back pocket, she buys a goat farm in the French Alps. Adrien (Michel Serrault), the aged former owner of the farm, agrees to stay in the farmhouse for 18 months until he can move in with his nephew in the city.
The scene is set for a showdown between the gnarled old farmer and the wide-eyed innocent from the city. But this is not a tale of a rustic idyll or bucolic bliss. Instead, Carion creates a beautifully crafted story of the relationship between an independent, young woman and a bitter, cynical old man. The one is waiting for his life to end, while the other wants hers to begin.
Contrary to expectations, the "Parisienne" proves to be an extremely competent farmer. She turns one of the barns into a successful guest house and sells her goat cheese via the Internet. Gradually, Adrien builds up a grudging respect for the young woman, and the two become friends. The friendship is not made to last, and a harsh winter forces Sandrine to return to Paris, where she picks up her former life. It is not until she learns of the death of one of her friends back in the country that she realizes that her ties to the land are unbreakable.
As the son of a farmer himself, Carion's movie doesn't pull any punches when depicting the harsh reality of a life spent working the land. True, the summer months fulfill all the dreams of any hardworking executive who wants to "downsize" -- early walks in the mountains tending the flock, food prepared from your own garden. The winter months show the flip side of the coin -- bitter cold, snow storms, inaccessible roads. To this, Carion's script touches on real concerns facing French farmers today. Adrien's cattle are killed after they contract mad-cow disease. Here, the director cuts the movie with stomach-churning scenes of cattle being culled -- definitely not for the fainthearted.
Veteran actor Serrault gives a magnificent performance as Adrien. He scowls and sulks his way through the first half of the movie only to thaw finally like the winter snow. A relative newcomer, Seigner is more than his match. She fits the role like a glove, exuding courage, confidence, determination and at the same time an engaging vulnerability.
Carion uses the breathtaking setting for the movie to full effect. From the opening shot where the camera swoops and flies over mountains, through gorges and across streams, the audience has the full measure of the vastness and isolation of this corner of France.
UNE HIRONDELLE A FAIT LE PRINTEMPS
Mars Films
Credits: Producer: Christophe Rossignon
Director: Christian Carion
Screenwriters: Christian Carion, Eric Assous
Director of photography: Antoine Herberle
Music: Philippe Rombi
Costume designers: Virginie Montel, Francois Dubois
Editor: Andrea Sedlackova. Cast: Adrien: Michel Serrault
Sandrine Dumez: Mathilde Seigner
Jean: Jean-Paul Roussillon
Gerard: Frederic Pierrot
La mere de Sandrine: Francois Better
L'exploitant: Christophe Rossignon
Le barman: Roland Chalosse
No MPAA rating
Color/stereo
Running time -- 103 minutes...
Sandrine (Mathilde Seigner) is a 30-year-old consultant in the computer industry, living in Paris, who decides to give up her job to fulfill her dream of working the land. With her agricultural qualification firmly tucked in her back pocket, she buys a goat farm in the French Alps. Adrien (Michel Serrault), the aged former owner of the farm, agrees to stay in the farmhouse for 18 months until he can move in with his nephew in the city.
The scene is set for a showdown between the gnarled old farmer and the wide-eyed innocent from the city. But this is not a tale of a rustic idyll or bucolic bliss. Instead, Carion creates a beautifully crafted story of the relationship between an independent, young woman and a bitter, cynical old man. The one is waiting for his life to end, while the other wants hers to begin.
Contrary to expectations, the "Parisienne" proves to be an extremely competent farmer. She turns one of the barns into a successful guest house and sells her goat cheese via the Internet. Gradually, Adrien builds up a grudging respect for the young woman, and the two become friends. The friendship is not made to last, and a harsh winter forces Sandrine to return to Paris, where she picks up her former life. It is not until she learns of the death of one of her friends back in the country that she realizes that her ties to the land are unbreakable.
As the son of a farmer himself, Carion's movie doesn't pull any punches when depicting the harsh reality of a life spent working the land. True, the summer months fulfill all the dreams of any hardworking executive who wants to "downsize" -- early walks in the mountains tending the flock, food prepared from your own garden. The winter months show the flip side of the coin -- bitter cold, snow storms, inaccessible roads. To this, Carion's script touches on real concerns facing French farmers today. Adrien's cattle are killed after they contract mad-cow disease. Here, the director cuts the movie with stomach-churning scenes of cattle being culled -- definitely not for the fainthearted.
Veteran actor Serrault gives a magnificent performance as Adrien. He scowls and sulks his way through the first half of the movie only to thaw finally like the winter snow. A relative newcomer, Seigner is more than his match. She fits the role like a glove, exuding courage, confidence, determination and at the same time an engaging vulnerability.
Carion uses the breathtaking setting for the movie to full effect. From the opening shot where the camera swoops and flies over mountains, through gorges and across streams, the audience has the full measure of the vastness and isolation of this corner of France.
UNE HIRONDELLE A FAIT LE PRINTEMPS
Mars Films
Credits: Producer: Christophe Rossignon
Director: Christian Carion
Screenwriters: Christian Carion, Eric Assous
Director of photography: Antoine Herberle
Music: Philippe Rombi
Costume designers: Virginie Montel, Francois Dubois
Editor: Andrea Sedlackova. Cast: Adrien: Michel Serrault
Sandrine Dumez: Mathilde Seigner
Jean: Jean-Paul Roussillon
Gerard: Frederic Pierrot
La mere de Sandrine: Francois Better
L'exploitant: Christophe Rossignon
Le barman: Roland Chalosse
No MPAA rating
Color/stereo
Running time -- 103 minutes...
For his first time out as a director of a full-length movie, Christian Carion has struck gold. "Une hirondelle a fait le Printemps" (The Girl From Paris) is a jewel of a film that has brought French moviegoers out in droves. It has clocked up almost 1.2 million admissions in two weeks-plus, pushing its way to the No. 2 spot at the boxoffice.
Sandrine (Mathilde Seigner) is a 30-year-old consultant in the computer industry, living in Paris, who decides to give up her job to fulfill her dream of working the land. With her agricultural qualification firmly tucked in her back pocket, she buys a goat farm in the French Alps. Adrien (Michel Serrault), the aged former owner of the farm, agrees to stay in the farmhouse for 18 months until he can move in with his nephew in the city.
The scene is set for a showdown between the gnarled old farmer and the wide-eyed innocent from the city. But this is not a tale of a rustic idyll or bucolic bliss. Instead, Carion creates a beautifully crafted story of the relationship between an independent, young woman and a bitter, cynical old man. The one is waiting for his life to end, while the other wants hers to begin.
Contrary to expectations, the "Parisienne" proves to be an extremely competent farmer. She turns one of the barns into a successful guest house and sells her goat cheese via the Internet. Gradually, Adrien builds up a grudging respect for the young woman, and the two become friends. The friendship is not made to last, and a harsh winter forces Sandrine to return to Paris, where she picks up her former life. It is not until she learns of the death of one of her friends back in the country that she realizes that her ties to the land are unbreakable.
As the son of a farmer himself, Carion's movie doesn't pull any punches when depicting the harsh reality of a life spent working the land. True, the summer months fulfill all the dreams of any hardworking executive who wants to "downsize" -- early walks in the mountains tending the flock, food prepared from your own garden. The winter months show the flip side of the coin -- bitter cold, snow storms, inaccessible roads. To this, Carion's script touches on real concerns facing French farmers today. Adrien's cattle are killed after they contract mad-cow disease. Here, the director cuts the movie with stomach-churning scenes of cattle being culled -- definitely not for the fainthearted.
Veteran actor Serrault gives a magnificent performance as Adrien. He scowls and sulks his way through the first half of the movie only to thaw finally like the winter snow. A relative newcomer, Seigner is more than his match. She fits the role like a glove, exuding courage, confidence, determination and at the same time an engaging vulnerability.
Carion uses the breathtaking setting for the movie to full effect. From the opening shot where the camera swoops and flies over mountains, through gorges and across streams, the audience has the full measure of the vastness and isolation of this corner of France.
UNE HIRONDELLE A FAIT LE PRINTEMPS
Mars Films
Credits: Producer: Christophe Rossignon
Director: Christian Carion
Screenwriters: Christian Carion, Eric Assous
Director of photography: Antoine Herberle
Music: Philippe Rombi
Costume designers: Virginie Montel, Francois Dubois
Editor: Andrea Sedlackova. Cast: Adrien: Michel Serrault
Sandrine Dumez: Mathilde Seigner
Jean: Jean-Paul Roussillon
Gerard: Frederic Pierrot
La mere de Sandrine: Francois Better
L'exploitant: Christophe Rossignon
Le barman: Roland Chalosse
No MPAA rating
Color/stereo
Running time -- 103 minutes...
Sandrine (Mathilde Seigner) is a 30-year-old consultant in the computer industry, living in Paris, who decides to give up her job to fulfill her dream of working the land. With her agricultural qualification firmly tucked in her back pocket, she buys a goat farm in the French Alps. Adrien (Michel Serrault), the aged former owner of the farm, agrees to stay in the farmhouse for 18 months until he can move in with his nephew in the city.
The scene is set for a showdown between the gnarled old farmer and the wide-eyed innocent from the city. But this is not a tale of a rustic idyll or bucolic bliss. Instead, Carion creates a beautifully crafted story of the relationship between an independent, young woman and a bitter, cynical old man. The one is waiting for his life to end, while the other wants hers to begin.
Contrary to expectations, the "Parisienne" proves to be an extremely competent farmer. She turns one of the barns into a successful guest house and sells her goat cheese via the Internet. Gradually, Adrien builds up a grudging respect for the young woman, and the two become friends. The friendship is not made to last, and a harsh winter forces Sandrine to return to Paris, where she picks up her former life. It is not until she learns of the death of one of her friends back in the country that she realizes that her ties to the land are unbreakable.
As the son of a farmer himself, Carion's movie doesn't pull any punches when depicting the harsh reality of a life spent working the land. True, the summer months fulfill all the dreams of any hardworking executive who wants to "downsize" -- early walks in the mountains tending the flock, food prepared from your own garden. The winter months show the flip side of the coin -- bitter cold, snow storms, inaccessible roads. To this, Carion's script touches on real concerns facing French farmers today. Adrien's cattle are killed after they contract mad-cow disease. Here, the director cuts the movie with stomach-churning scenes of cattle being culled -- definitely not for the fainthearted.
Veteran actor Serrault gives a magnificent performance as Adrien. He scowls and sulks his way through the first half of the movie only to thaw finally like the winter snow. A relative newcomer, Seigner is more than his match. She fits the role like a glove, exuding courage, confidence, determination and at the same time an engaging vulnerability.
Carion uses the breathtaking setting for the movie to full effect. From the opening shot where the camera swoops and flies over mountains, through gorges and across streams, the audience has the full measure of the vastness and isolation of this corner of France.
UNE HIRONDELLE A FAIT LE PRINTEMPS
Mars Films
Credits: Producer: Christophe Rossignon
Director: Christian Carion
Screenwriters: Christian Carion, Eric Assous
Director of photography: Antoine Herberle
Music: Philippe Rombi
Costume designers: Virginie Montel, Francois Dubois
Editor: Andrea Sedlackova. Cast: Adrien: Michel Serrault
Sandrine Dumez: Mathilde Seigner
Jean: Jean-Paul Roussillon
Gerard: Frederic Pierrot
La mere de Sandrine: Francois Better
L'exploitant: Christophe Rossignon
Le barman: Roland Chalosse
No MPAA rating
Color/stereo
Running time -- 103 minutes...
- 10/9/2001
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There is more than just a little Hitchcockian mischief at work in "Harry, He is Here to Help", an artfully entertaining psychological thriller by German-born French filmmaker Dominik Moll ("Intimacy").
But it's an affectionate, thoughtfully crafted homage that plays on the master's pet themes of guilt exchange and repressed desires rather than simply aping his visual style.
Aside from a title that's a little clunky in either language, the picture should scare up some healthy numbers in France and could be a respectable art house performer on the other side of the Atlantic.
In the midst of a particularly stressful road trip, Michel Laurent Lucas), his wife Claire (Mathilde Seigner) and their three young daughters take a fateful bathroom break at a highway rest stop.
While washing his hands, Michel encounters Harry (Sergi Lopez), an old classmate he really doesn't remember. But Michel obviously made a major impact on Harry, who can not only recite poetry Michel wrote for the school newspaper, he also used to date his ex-girlfriends.
We're talking scary obsession here.
But before Michel has a chance to pick up the warning signs, Harry manages to invite himself and his sweet but dim fiancee Plum (Sophie Guillemin) over to their ramshackle vacation home.
Determined to help simplify Michel's life so that he can go back to some long-unfinished writing, Harry makes a number of increasingly consequential decisions on his unwitting host's behalf.
Of course it doesn't take too long to realize that the trouble with Harry is that there's a certified psycho lying just beneath the Zen-like surface.
But while everybody knows early on that no good can come of Harry's creepily affable presence, it's fun watching Lopez, an actor previously known for a series of nice-guy roles, insinuate himself into their dysfunctional lives, seeping in and taking hold like an opportunistic disease.
Director Moll, who wrote the screenplay along with Gilles Marchand, isn't afraid to mix a little humor in with the darker stuff which, for the most part, is tastefully played out offscreen.
The gently macabre tone is further enhanced by Matthieu Poirot-Delpech's elegantly moody cinematography and a neatly ironic, piano-driven score composed by old pro David Sinclair Whitaker, who used to make spines tingle for numerous vintage Hammer films.
HARRY, HE IS HERE TO HELP
Diaphana Films
Director: Dominik Moll
Producer: Michel Saint-Jean
Screenwriter: Dominik Moll &
Gilles Marchand
Director of photography:
Matthieu Poirot-Delpech
Production designer:
Michel Barthelemy
Editor: Yannick Kergoat
Costume designer: Virginie Montel
Music: David Sinclair Whitaker
Cast:
Michel: Laurent Lucas
Harry: Sergi Lopez
Claire: Mathilde Seigner
Plum: Sophie Guillemin
Michel's mother: Liliane Rovere
Michel's father: Dominique Rozan
Running time -- 117 minutes...
But it's an affectionate, thoughtfully crafted homage that plays on the master's pet themes of guilt exchange and repressed desires rather than simply aping his visual style.
Aside from a title that's a little clunky in either language, the picture should scare up some healthy numbers in France and could be a respectable art house performer on the other side of the Atlantic.
In the midst of a particularly stressful road trip, Michel Laurent Lucas), his wife Claire (Mathilde Seigner) and their three young daughters take a fateful bathroom break at a highway rest stop.
While washing his hands, Michel encounters Harry (Sergi Lopez), an old classmate he really doesn't remember. But Michel obviously made a major impact on Harry, who can not only recite poetry Michel wrote for the school newspaper, he also used to date his ex-girlfriends.
We're talking scary obsession here.
But before Michel has a chance to pick up the warning signs, Harry manages to invite himself and his sweet but dim fiancee Plum (Sophie Guillemin) over to their ramshackle vacation home.
Determined to help simplify Michel's life so that he can go back to some long-unfinished writing, Harry makes a number of increasingly consequential decisions on his unwitting host's behalf.
Of course it doesn't take too long to realize that the trouble with Harry is that there's a certified psycho lying just beneath the Zen-like surface.
But while everybody knows early on that no good can come of Harry's creepily affable presence, it's fun watching Lopez, an actor previously known for a series of nice-guy roles, insinuate himself into their dysfunctional lives, seeping in and taking hold like an opportunistic disease.
Director Moll, who wrote the screenplay along with Gilles Marchand, isn't afraid to mix a little humor in with the darker stuff which, for the most part, is tastefully played out offscreen.
The gently macabre tone is further enhanced by Matthieu Poirot-Delpech's elegantly moody cinematography and a neatly ironic, piano-driven score composed by old pro David Sinclair Whitaker, who used to make spines tingle for numerous vintage Hammer films.
HARRY, HE IS HERE TO HELP
Diaphana Films
Director: Dominik Moll
Producer: Michel Saint-Jean
Screenwriter: Dominik Moll &
Gilles Marchand
Director of photography:
Matthieu Poirot-Delpech
Production designer:
Michel Barthelemy
Editor: Yannick Kergoat
Costume designer: Virginie Montel
Music: David Sinclair Whitaker
Cast:
Michel: Laurent Lucas
Harry: Sergi Lopez
Claire: Mathilde Seigner
Plum: Sophie Guillemin
Michel's mother: Liliane Rovere
Michel's father: Dominique Rozan
Running time -- 117 minutes...
- 5/12/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The fourth "City of Lights, City of Angels: A Week of New French Films" opened Tuesday at the Directors Guild of America with a screening of "Venus Beauty Institute", the big winner at this year's Cesar Awards, including best director for Tonie Marshall -- the second time a woman has won.
"Venus" also won best film, screenplay and young actress (for supporting player Audrey Tautou).
While it's no "The Hairdresser's Husband", "Venus" is a likable enough tale of female bonding and the never-ending quest for happiness and fulfillment when "mutual love doesn't exist." Set mainly within the confines of a neighborhood beauty parlor -- where women and a few men come for massages, facials and, in the case of one exhibitionist woman who likes to parade around in the buff, tanning -- the story is a rambling affair with no burning agenda.
A longtime employee with many loyal clients, Angele (Nathalie Baye) is unlucky in relationships and spends much of the movie coming to terms with an artistic young man Samuel Le Bihan) who falls in love with her and is not easily discouraged. Angele's co-worker Marie (Tautou) counts among her regulars a sad man (Robert Hossein) who had skin from his dead wife's buttocks grafted on him after a tragic accident, and the two drift together. Samantha (Mathilde Seigner) is the third staffer at the Paris salon and the one with the most serious problems.
Bulle Ogier as the shop owner, Emmanuelle Riva and Micheline Presle as Angele's aunts, Jacques Bonnaffe as her ex-boyfriend and Claire Nebout as the tanning woman round out the major players. Gently contrasting the warm, nourishing environment of the salon with the hard world outside, Marshall's direction is fine and the performances touching and realistic, even as the story lurches about with no urgent payoff or new insights into the lives of lonely hearts both seeking and scared silly by love.
VENUS BEAUTY INSTITUTE
Arte France Cinema
and Tabo Tabo Films
Screenwriter-director: Tonie Marshall
Producer: Gilles Sandoz
Director of photography: Gerard de Battista
Editor: Jacques Comets
Color/stereo
Cast:
Angele: Nathalie Baye
Nadine: Bulle Ogier
Antoine: Samuel Le Bihan
Jacques: Jacques Bonnaffe
Samantha: Mathilde Seigner
Marie: Audrey Tautou
L'aviateur: Robert Hossein
Running time -- 105 minutes
No MPAA rating...
"Venus" also won best film, screenplay and young actress (for supporting player Audrey Tautou).
While it's no "The Hairdresser's Husband", "Venus" is a likable enough tale of female bonding and the never-ending quest for happiness and fulfillment when "mutual love doesn't exist." Set mainly within the confines of a neighborhood beauty parlor -- where women and a few men come for massages, facials and, in the case of one exhibitionist woman who likes to parade around in the buff, tanning -- the story is a rambling affair with no burning agenda.
A longtime employee with many loyal clients, Angele (Nathalie Baye) is unlucky in relationships and spends much of the movie coming to terms with an artistic young man Samuel Le Bihan) who falls in love with her and is not easily discouraged. Angele's co-worker Marie (Tautou) counts among her regulars a sad man (Robert Hossein) who had skin from his dead wife's buttocks grafted on him after a tragic accident, and the two drift together. Samantha (Mathilde Seigner) is the third staffer at the Paris salon and the one with the most serious problems.
Bulle Ogier as the shop owner, Emmanuelle Riva and Micheline Presle as Angele's aunts, Jacques Bonnaffe as her ex-boyfriend and Claire Nebout as the tanning woman round out the major players. Gently contrasting the warm, nourishing environment of the salon with the hard world outside, Marshall's direction is fine and the performances touching and realistic, even as the story lurches about with no urgent payoff or new insights into the lives of lonely hearts both seeking and scared silly by love.
VENUS BEAUTY INSTITUTE
Arte France Cinema
and Tabo Tabo Films
Screenwriter-director: Tonie Marshall
Producer: Gilles Sandoz
Director of photography: Gerard de Battista
Editor: Jacques Comets
Color/stereo
Cast:
Angele: Nathalie Baye
Nadine: Bulle Ogier
Antoine: Samuel Le Bihan
Jacques: Jacques Bonnaffe
Samantha: Mathilde Seigner
Marie: Audrey Tautou
L'aviateur: Robert Hossein
Running time -- 105 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 4/28/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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