Up next from French filmmaker Mathieu Turi is The Deep Dark, which looks to be headed to theaters in France beginning on November 29, 2023.
We don’t yet have any idea when the film will be released here in the United States, but a French trailer for The Deep Dark has surfaced this week. You can check it out below.
The Deep Dark is said to have “Lovecraft vibes,” and the end of the trailer teases some kind of skeletal creature. My Bloody Valentine meets Lovecraftian creature feature? We like it.
The film is set in 1956, in the north of France…
“A band of underground miners is forced to lead a professor to take samples a thousand meters underground. After a landslide prevents them from going back up, they discover a crypt from another time, and unknowingly wake up something that should have remained asleep.”
Samuel Le Bihan, Amir El Kacem,...
We don’t yet have any idea when the film will be released here in the United States, but a French trailer for The Deep Dark has surfaced this week. You can check it out below.
The Deep Dark is said to have “Lovecraft vibes,” and the end of the trailer teases some kind of skeletal creature. My Bloody Valentine meets Lovecraftian creature feature? We like it.
The film is set in 1956, in the north of France…
“A band of underground miners is forced to lead a professor to take samples a thousand meters underground. After a landslide prevents them from going back up, they discover a crypt from another time, and unknowingly wake up something that should have remained asleep.”
Samuel Le Bihan, Amir El Kacem,...
- 8/25/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Mediawan-owned Storia Television is teaming up with French public broadcaster France Televisions on “Et la montagne fleurira,” an ambitious period drama which starts to shoot today, May 19, on the French Riviera.
Eléonore Faucher, whose feature debut “A Common Thread” won Cannes’ Critics’ Week in 2004, wrote and directs the series. Faucher most recently helmed the crime mystery “La Maladroite” with Isabelle Carré (“De Gaulle”) and Émilie Dequenne (“Love Affair(s)).”
Based on Françoise Bourdon’s novel “La Mas des Tilleuls,” the series is a six-part family saga set in 1837 in Provence and follows a man, Jean-Baptiste, who was banned from this childhood home by his father after being wrongfully accused of having abused his step mother, Seraphine. Jean-Baptiste runs away to live with his aunt and eventually become a merchant of rare flowers and finds love with Lila. But his happiness is crushed when a revolt spreads across Provence, forcing him...
Eléonore Faucher, whose feature debut “A Common Thread” won Cannes’ Critics’ Week in 2004, wrote and directs the series. Faucher most recently helmed the crime mystery “La Maladroite” with Isabelle Carré (“De Gaulle”) and Émilie Dequenne (“Love Affair(s)).”
Based on Françoise Bourdon’s novel “La Mas des Tilleuls,” the series is a six-part family saga set in 1837 in Provence and follows a man, Jean-Baptiste, who was banned from this childhood home by his father after being wrongfully accused of having abused his step mother, Seraphine. Jean-Baptiste runs away to live with his aunt and eventually become a merchant of rare flowers and finds love with Lila. But his happiness is crushed when a revolt spreads across Provence, forcing him...
- 5/19/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Bertrand Tavernier, the prolific French filmmaker noted for films such as “Coup de Torchon” (1981), “A Sunday in the Country” (1984) and “Round Midnight” (1986), has died. He was 79.
The director’s death was confirmed on Thursday by the Institut Lumière in France and Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux. Tavernier had struggled with a pancreatic infection for some time, but it’s believed his death was abrupt.
Roger Ebert called Tavernier “one of the most gifted and skilled of French directors, the leader of the generation after the New Wave” and asserted that the director’s work represented a quiet repudiation of “the auteur theory that he once supported, since Tavernier never forces himself or a style” upon the viewer.
“If there is a common element in his work, it is his instant sympathy for his fellow humans, his enthusiasm for their triumphs, his sharing of their disappointments,” said Ebert. “To see the...
The director’s death was confirmed on Thursday by the Institut Lumière in France and Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux. Tavernier had struggled with a pancreatic infection for some time, but it’s believed his death was abrupt.
Roger Ebert called Tavernier “one of the most gifted and skilled of French directors, the leader of the generation after the New Wave” and asserted that the director’s work represented a quiet repudiation of “the auteur theory that he once supported, since Tavernier never forces himself or a style” upon the viewer.
“If there is a common element in his work, it is his instant sympathy for his fellow humans, his enthusiasm for their triumphs, his sharing of their disappointments,” said Ebert. “To see the...
- 3/25/2021
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
StudioCanal has released the new trailer for Michel Gondry's Mood Indigo ("L'écume des jours"), starring Audrey Tautou, Romain Duris, Omar Sy, Gad Elmaleh, Philippe Torreton, Aïssa Maïga and Charlotte le Bon. The film is an adaptation of Boris Vian's international bestseller and is described as follows: In a world where you can travel around on a pink cloud or literally be swept off an ice-skating rink into a hole, Colin, a wealthy young man and inventor of the cocktail-mixing piano, wants to fall in love. With the help of his cook Nicolas and best friend Chick, he meets Chloe, the incarnation of a Duke Ellington tune. But soon after their wedding, Chloe falls ill. She has a water lily growing in her chest. Ruined by medical expenses, Colin resorts to increasingly...
- 4/25/2013
- Comingsoon.net
The French trailer for Michel Gondry's Mood Indigo ("L'écume des jours"), starring Audrey Tautou, Romain Duris, Omar Sy, Gad Elmaleh, Philippe Torreton, Aïssa Maïga and Charlotte le Bon, is now online and can be watched using the player below. Opening in France on April 24, the film is an adaptation of Boris Vian's international bestseller and is described as follows: In a world where you can travel around on a pink cloud or literally be swept off an ice-skating rink into a hole, Colin, a wealthy young man and inventor of the cocktail-mixing piano, wants to fall in love. With the help of his cook Nicolas and best friend Chick, he meets Chloe, the incarnation of a Duke Ellington tune. But soon after their wedding, Chloe falls ill. She has a water lily growing in her...
- 1/25/2013
- Comingsoon.net
Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) returns behind the camera to bring us Mood Indigo this spring, another fantastical drama that we can’t wait to see.
Led by Audrey Tautou (Amélie) and Romain Duris (The Beat That Skipped My Heart), the first poster for the film debuted earlier in the month. And after a handful of weird and wonderful first images late last year, the underwater setting of the first poster confirmed that this is going to be another great and playful picture from Gondry.
And with its April release in France approaching, the first international trailer has debuted online, and it is brilliant.
Courtesy of Google Translate, the synopsis in English looks a little something like this, with a few tweaks from myself to make it a little more comprehensible:
“The surreal and poetic story of an idealistic and inventive young man, Colin, who meets Chloe,...
Led by Audrey Tautou (Amélie) and Romain Duris (The Beat That Skipped My Heart), the first poster for the film debuted earlier in the month. And after a handful of weird and wonderful first images late last year, the underwater setting of the first poster confirmed that this is going to be another great and playful picture from Gondry.
And with its April release in France approaching, the first international trailer has debuted online, and it is brilliant.
Courtesy of Google Translate, the synopsis in English looks a little something like this, with a few tweaks from myself to make it a little more comprehensible:
“The surreal and poetic story of an idealistic and inventive young man, Colin, who meets Chloe,...
- 1/25/2013
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
We told you nearly two years ago that outstanding Audrey Tautou will appear in Oscar-winning Michel Gondry’s next big movie. Last summer some surreal images also popped out, but it was impossible to understand what the movie is about by browsing the photos alone.
Now the first poster for the new drama Mood Indigo with fantastical elements has been unveiled, and it puts the film’s stars, Tautou and Romain Duruis, underwater.
Mood Indigo is based upon Boris Vian‘s 1947 novel ‘L’Écume des Jours’ (Froth on the Daydream) which tells the story of the wealthy inventor of an olfactory musical instrument who marries a woman, who develops an illness that can only be treated by surrounding her with flowers — an expense that soon drains his funds.
Penned by Luc Bossi, the ideal Gondry project also stars Omar Sy, Vincent London, Gad Elmaleh, Alain Chabet, Charlotte Le Bon, Aïssa Maïga,...
Now the first poster for the new drama Mood Indigo with fantastical elements has been unveiled, and it puts the film’s stars, Tautou and Romain Duruis, underwater.
Mood Indigo is based upon Boris Vian‘s 1947 novel ‘L’Écume des Jours’ (Froth on the Daydream) which tells the story of the wealthy inventor of an olfactory musical instrument who marries a woman, who develops an illness that can only be treated by surrounding her with flowers — an expense that soon drains his funds.
Penned by Luc Bossi, the ideal Gondry project also stars Omar Sy, Vincent London, Gad Elmaleh, Alain Chabet, Charlotte Le Bon, Aïssa Maïga,...
- 1/14/2013
- by Nick Martin
- Filmofilia
Oscar-winning writer-director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) returns to the big screen this year with Mood Indigo, an anticipated new drama with fantastical elements that has our interest piqued.
Led by the ever-brilliant Audrey Tautou (Amélie) and Romain Duris (The Beat That Skipped My Heart), we saw some rather weird and wonderful first official images from the film last summer. With its release date over in France now on the horizon, the first international poster has surfaced online.
The film,
“tells the tale of Colin (Duris), the wealthy inventor of an olfactory musical instrument, the pianocktail. He marries Chloe (Tautou), but unfortunately, she falls ill during their honeymoon thanks to a water lily that enters her lung, and the only way to treat the ailment is to surround her with fresh flowers – an expense that soon drains his funds.”
Starring alongside Tautou and Duris will be Omar Sy,...
Led by the ever-brilliant Audrey Tautou (Amélie) and Romain Duris (The Beat That Skipped My Heart), we saw some rather weird and wonderful first official images from the film last summer. With its release date over in France now on the horizon, the first international poster has surfaced online.
The film,
“tells the tale of Colin (Duris), the wealthy inventor of an olfactory musical instrument, the pianocktail. He marries Chloe (Tautou), but unfortunately, she falls ill during their honeymoon thanks to a water lily that enters her lung, and the only way to treat the ailment is to surround her with fresh flowers – an expense that soon drains his funds.”
Starring alongside Tautou and Duris will be Omar Sy,...
- 1/14/2013
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Wealthy taxpayers' desire to flee tough fiscal policy has sparked a debate about patriotism and personal gain
Graphic: the high profile figures leaving France
France is discovering that, when it comes to wealthy taxpayers, you win some – and you lose some.
As the country's celebrities have lined up to defend or denigrate actor Gérard Depardieu following his self-imposed fiscal exile in neighbouring Belgium, the French have just welcomed back prize-winning author Michel Houellebecq after more than a decade living abroad.
The tax row sparked by Depardieu's departure has divided France – and not simply along traditional left-right, north-south or rich-poor lines. Fans and critics have spent the last week fretting over the morality of his decision and whether concepts of patriotism and solidarity outweigh those of personal gain and perceived greed.
Even after weeks of speculation, the announcement a fortnight ago that Depardieu, 63, was moving to Belgium to take refuge...
Graphic: the high profile figures leaving France
France is discovering that, when it comes to wealthy taxpayers, you win some – and you lose some.
As the country's celebrities have lined up to defend or denigrate actor Gérard Depardieu following his self-imposed fiscal exile in neighbouring Belgium, the French have just welcomed back prize-winning author Michel Houellebecq after more than a decade living abroad.
The tax row sparked by Depardieu's departure has divided France – and not simply along traditional left-right, north-south or rich-poor lines. Fans and critics have spent the last week fretting over the morality of his decision and whether concepts of patriotism and solidarity outweigh those of personal gain and perceived greed.
Even after weeks of speculation, the announcement a fortnight ago that Depardieu, 63, was moving to Belgium to take refuge...
- 12/23/2012
- by Kim Willsher
- The Guardian - Film News
First thing’s first: When it comes to the title of Michel Gondry‘s new film, we’re officially rolling with Mood Indigo? Not The Foam of Days? It has been decreed.
With that out of the way, ScreenDaily (via ThePlaylist) reports that Gondry’s managed to wrangled together some more onscreen talent for his about-to-shoot fantasy romance, with some interesting roles now brought to light as a result. The most significant update would have to be Aïssa Maïga (Caché), who’s taking the fourth romantic lead, Alise, a.k.a. the girlfriend of Chick (Gad Elmaleh). Along with Audrey Tatou and Romain Duris, they can easily be counted as the central leads.
Meanwhile, Alain Chabat (The Science of Sleep) is playing the reincarnation of 19th-century French chef Jules Gouffé; Natacha Regnier will appear as “the remedy seller”; Philippe Torreton has the role of Jean Sol Patre, a parody of...
With that out of the way, ScreenDaily (via ThePlaylist) reports that Gondry’s managed to wrangled together some more onscreen talent for his about-to-shoot fantasy romance, with some interesting roles now brought to light as a result. The most significant update would have to be Aïssa Maïga (Caché), who’s taking the fourth romantic lead, Alise, a.k.a. the girlfriend of Chick (Gad Elmaleh). Along with Audrey Tatou and Romain Duris, they can easily be counted as the central leads.
Meanwhile, Alain Chabat (The Science of Sleep) is playing the reincarnation of 19th-century French chef Jules Gouffé; Natacha Regnier will appear as “the remedy seller”; Philippe Torreton has the role of Jean Sol Patre, a parody of...
- 4/3/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Bérénice Bejo as Peppy Miller in Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius, A Separation: César Winners Pt.1 Best Actor Sami Bouajila, Omar m'a tuer / Omar Killed Me François Cluzet, Intouchables / Untouchable Jean Dujardin, The Artist Olivier Gourmet, L'exercice de l'État / The Minister Denis Podalydes, La conquête / The Conquest * Omar Sy, Intouchables / Untouchable Philippe Torreton, Présumé coupable / Guilty Best Actress Ariane Asquaride, Les neiges du Kilimanjaro / The Snows of Kilimanjaro * Bérénice Bejo, The Artist Leila Bekhti, La Source des femmes / The Source Valérie Donzelli, La guerre est déclarée / Declaration of War Marina Foïs, Polisse Marie Gilain, Toutes nos envies / All Our Desires Karin Viard, Polisse Best Supporting Actor * Michel Blanc, L'exercice de l'État / The Minister Nicolas Duvauchelle, Polisse Joey Starr, Polisse Bernard Lecoq, La conquête / The Conquest Frédéric Pierrot, Polisse Best Supporting Actress Zabou Breitman, L'exercice de l'État / The Minister Anne Le Ny, Intouchables / Untouchable Noémie Lvovsky, L'Apollonide,...
- 2/25/2012
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Bérénice Bejo, Malcolm McDowell, The Artist The Artist, Polisse, Intouchables: César Nominations Pt.1 Best Actor Sami Bouajila, Omar m'a tuer / Omar Killed Me François Cluzet, Intouchables / Untouchable Jean Dujardin, The Artist Olivier Gourmet, L'exercice de l'État / The Minister Denis Podalydes, La conquête / The Conquest Omar Sy, Intouchables / Untouchable Philippe Torreton, Présumé coupable / Guilty Best Actress Ariane Asquaride, Les neiges du Kilimanjaro / The Snows of Kilimanjaro Bérénice Bejo, The Artist Leila Bekhti, La Source des femmes / The Source Valérie Donzelli, La guerre est déclarée / Declaration of War Marina Foïs, Polisse Marie Gilain, Toutes nos envies / All Our Desires Karin Viard, Polisse Best Supporting Actor Michel Blanc, L'exercice de l'État / The Minister Nicolas Duvauchelle, Polisse Joey Starr, Polisse Bernard Lecoq, La conquête / The Conquest Frédéric Pierrot, Polisse Best Supporting Actress Zabou Breitman, L'exercice de l'État / The Minister Anne Le Ny, Intouchables / Untouchable Noémie Lvovsky, L'Apollonide, souvenirs de la maison close / House of Tolerance Carmen Maura,...
- 2/21/2012
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
To round off our coverage of the 55th BFI London Film Festival were taking a look back at one of the most prominent strands of the festival – the French Revolutions programme.
One of the festival’s chief pledges is to bring the best of the world’s cinema to London and Jack Jones leads us through the varied line-up and recommends which films we need to look out for when a theatrical release rolls around.
For all our other coverage of the London Film Festival click here, and read on for Jack’s take on the festival,
The Best Yet? French Cinema Just Keeps on Going
For those who are deeply engrained in cinema, it is often hard to admit that sometimes there are years when we have few films which impress us. For film festivals there is much the same sentiment. It seems as though every year critics hail...
One of the festival’s chief pledges is to bring the best of the world’s cinema to London and Jack Jones leads us through the varied line-up and recommends which films we need to look out for when a theatrical release rolls around.
For all our other coverage of the London Film Festival click here, and read on for Jack’s take on the festival,
The Best Yet? French Cinema Just Keeps on Going
For those who are deeply engrained in cinema, it is often hard to admit that sometimes there are years when we have few films which impress us. For film festivals there is much the same sentiment. It seems as though every year critics hail...
- 11/8/2011
- by Guest
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
★★★★☆ Concerning the most horrific legal scandal in modern French history, director Vincent Garenq's Guilty (Présumé coupable, 2011) is a gripping drama based on the memoirs of Alain Marecaux (Philippe Torreton) who was wrongly accused of several accounts of child molestation and thrust into a terrifying web of false testimonies and heavy handed police investigations.
Early one morning, Alain Marecaux awoke to the sound of sirens at his rural home. The police instantly arrested him and his wife under suspicion of their involvement in an underground paedophilia ring. They ransacked his home looking for evidence and quickly separated him from his two sons and daughter.
From that moment on he was subjected to the wrath of prejudice police officers and the accusative nature of a power hungry young judge. He found himself imprisoned for a crime he never committed, with the injustice he suffered culminating in numerous suicide attempts, the breakup...
Early one morning, Alain Marecaux awoke to the sound of sirens at his rural home. The police instantly arrested him and his wife under suspicion of their involvement in an underground paedophilia ring. They ransacked his home looking for evidence and quickly separated him from his two sons and daughter.
From that moment on he was subjected to the wrath of prejudice police officers and the accusative nature of a power hungry young judge. He found himself imprisoned for a crime he never committed, with the injustice he suffered culminating in numerous suicide attempts, the breakup...
- 10/21/2011
- by Daniel Green
- CineVue
Klaus Badelt is the new composer of the upcoming sports drama Seven Days in Utopia. He is replacing William Ross, who was originally attached to the project as reported last year. The film starring Robert Duvall, Melissa Leo and Lucas Black tells the story of Luke Chisolm, a talented young golfer set on making the pro tour. When his first big shot turns out to be a very public disaster, Luke escapes the pressures of the game and finds himself unexpectedly stranded in Utopia, Texas. A trailer for the movie directed by Matt Russell recently premiered and can be watched below. Seven Days in Utopia is set to be released on August 12, 2011. For updates on the film, visit the official movie website.
Badelt has also signed on to score the French action thriller Rebellion (aka L’ordre et la morale). The film is co-written and directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, who also acts in the project.
Badelt has also signed on to score the French action thriller Rebellion (aka L’ordre et la morale). The film is co-written and directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, who also acts in the project.
- 5/17/2011
- by filmmusicreporter
- Film Music Reporter
Chicago – Parkour is a type of physical discipline well suited for the cinema. It trains mere mortals to move like supermen. They can leap from one place to another, while overcoming formidable obstacles, without the need for any harnesses or special effects. The only tools used by parkour practitioners are their own bodies and their surrounding environment. Buster Keaton would’ve excelled at this.
I first discovered parkour upon my viewing of the original 2004 French thriller, “District B13,” which featured two spectacular athletes, Cyril Raffaelli and David Belle, performing the majority of their stunts. The film was terrific popcorn entertainment, blending crowd-pleasing action with a sobering political message, achieving an overall impact similar to Neill Blomkamp’s wholly unrelated “District 9.” Though its plot has often been compared to “Escape from New York,” the titular ghetto in “District B13” felt much more grounded in reality. Yet the film’s fight...
I first discovered parkour upon my viewing of the original 2004 French thriller, “District B13,” which featured two spectacular athletes, Cyril Raffaelli and David Belle, performing the majority of their stunts. The film was terrific popcorn entertainment, blending crowd-pleasing action with a sobering political message, achieving an overall impact similar to Neill Blomkamp’s wholly unrelated “District 9.” Though its plot has often been compared to “Escape from New York,” the titular ghetto in “District B13” felt much more grounded in reality. Yet the film’s fight...
- 5/3/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
In 2004, action fans were introduced to a brand new style of stunt work, an acrobatic, athletic style called parkour. One of its creators, David Belle, showed off his stuff in District 13, which benefited from being written and produced by Luc Besson and directed by Pierre Morel.
Set in the near future of 2010, the French film showed Paris in economic and societal decay with District 13 being overrun by gangs. Rather than deal with the problem the ineffective police wind up building a wall around the ghetto, isolating its two million residents.
The combination of action, adventure, and contemporary issues turned it into a success both in Europe and America. Morel went on to make a domestic thriller, Taken, and skipped returning to the inevitable sequel, District 13: Ultimatum. The film was released last year and is out this week on Blu-ray from Magnet Home Entertainment.
The story, also co-written and produced by Besson,...
Set in the near future of 2010, the French film showed Paris in economic and societal decay with District 13 being overrun by gangs. Rather than deal with the problem the ineffective police wind up building a wall around the ghetto, isolating its two million residents.
The combination of action, adventure, and contemporary issues turned it into a success both in Europe and America. Morel went on to make a domestic thriller, Taken, and skipped returning to the inevitable sequel, District 13: Ultimatum. The film was released last year and is out this week on Blu-ray from Magnet Home Entertainment.
The story, also co-written and produced by Besson,...
- 4/29/2010
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Chicago – In our latest drama edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 20 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of “District 13: Ultimatum”! The film stars Cyril Raffaelli, David Belle, Philippe Torreton, Daniel Duval, Elodie Yung, James Deano, Laouni Mouhid, Fabrice Feltzinger and Pierre-Marie Mosconi.
“District 13: Ultimatum” is the sequel to the popular martial arts thriller “District B13”.
To win your free pass to the advance Chicago screening of “District 13: Ultimatum” courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just answer our question below. That’s it! This screening will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. in Chicago. Directions to enter this Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.
The movie poster for “District 13: Ultimatum”.
Image credit: Magnet Releasing
Here is the “District 13: Ultimatum” plot description:
Two years have passed since elite police officer...
“District 13: Ultimatum” is the sequel to the popular martial arts thriller “District B13”.
To win your free pass to the advance Chicago screening of “District 13: Ultimatum” courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just answer our question below. That’s it! This screening will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. in Chicago. Directions to enter this Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.
The movie poster for “District 13: Ultimatum”.
Image credit: Magnet Releasing
Here is the “District 13: Ultimatum” plot description:
Two years have passed since elite police officer...
- 1/28/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
PARIS -- The small screen was honored with a big celebration in France Monday night as TV France International and producers organization PROCIREP gave prizes to the country's top TV programs.
Founded by film and television producers, PROCIREP is dedicated to the collective management of rights and provides financial assistance to French production.
Actor Philippe Torreton, president of the PROCIREP jury, bestowed the PROCIREP award for best French television producer to Cipango (Thomas Anargyros and Edouard de Vesinne) for "its contribution to the renewal of French fiction, in particular through shows that don't question recent history." Cipango most notably produced "Operation Turquoise" for Canal Plus and France 2, "Nuit Noire -- 17 Octobre 1961" for Canal Plus and France 3 and series "Les Bleus: Premier Pas dans la Police" which won the top fiction prize at both the Luchon Festival in 2006 and in La Rochelle in 2007.
Marseille-based production company Treize au Sud (Cyrille Perez and Gilles Perez) took the prize for best young television producer.
Founded by film and television producers, PROCIREP is dedicated to the collective management of rights and provides financial assistance to French production.
Actor Philippe Torreton, president of the PROCIREP jury, bestowed the PROCIREP award for best French television producer to Cipango (Thomas Anargyros and Edouard de Vesinne) for "its contribution to the renewal of French fiction, in particular through shows that don't question recent history." Cipango most notably produced "Operation Turquoise" for Canal Plus and France 2, "Nuit Noire -- 17 Octobre 1961" for Canal Plus and France 3 and series "Les Bleus: Premier Pas dans la Police" which won the top fiction prize at both the Luchon Festival in 2006 and in La Rochelle in 2007.
Marseille-based production company Treize au Sud (Cyrille Perez and Gilles Perez) took the prize for best young television producer.
- 12/12/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARIS -- Suddenly, France's classical age is in fashion. "Jean de la Fontaine, le defi" ("le defi" means "the challenge") is the second film about a 17th century cultural icon to appear this year, and director Daniel Vigne's portrayal of the willful poet and fabulist inevitably will be compared with "Moliere", the highly successful portrait of the dramatist as a young man released here in January.
Where the earlier costume drama essentially is a lighthearted comic romp, Vigne -- director of the medieval mystery tale "The Return of Martin Guerre" -- aims to pack a thin story with contemporary relevance. The results are diverting but unfocused, and "Fontaine" is unlikely to play as well at the boxoffice.
When the young Louis XIV (Jocelyn Quivrin) ascends to the throne in 1661 and axes the chief minister Fouquet (Nicky Naude) to replace him with his personal favorite Colbert (Philippe Torreton), the air is thick with the turning of coats.
But Fouquet's protege Jean de la Fontaine (Lorant Deutsch), a dreamy, insouciant poet who at 35 has yet to prove himself as a writer, springs to his defense. He denounces his drinking partners Moliere (Julien Courbey) and the tragedian Jean Racine (Romain Rondeau) for their supine indifference to a flagrant injustice and launches a campaign for the release of the imprisoned ex-minister.
He is blackballed for his pains, and the campaign achieves nothing other than to mark him as a troublemaker in the eyes of the ruthless Colbert.
In the process, though, La Fontaine has honed his writing skills. In particular, he develops and perfects the ancient form of the animal fable, using it as a vehicle for a series of satirical portraits of an increasingly conformist society. His pithy one-liners soon are all the rage. He plans to have his fables published in book form, for which he will need the king's authorization.
Being personable, good-looking and well-connected, La Fontaine finds no shortage of ladies of noble lineage willing to offer him food and board, though sometimes he has to wait on tables. But he's more at home among the people. For love interest, he dallies with Perrette (Sara Forestier), the tavern serving girl who seeks to better herself by learning to read.
The movie wends its amiable way to La Fontaine's predictable vindication with just enough incident to keep the spectator interested, notably the arrival of Colbert's hitman Terron (Daniel Duval), who challenges the poet to a duel to which there can be only one outcome but is foiled by the arrival by a group of La Fontaine's lowlife friends.
There is pathos in his midnight confrontation with Racine, whom he accuses of acting "no better than a dog, eating out of the king's hand." But too often in such exchanges the dialogue is overly schematic as the filmmakers hammer home their point about the need for artists to maintain their independence.
The film makes good use of France's heritage locations. As a historical political thriller, it has its moments but fails to thrill. However, the closing scenes provide a convincing visual metaphor for the steady drift under the Sun King to what was to become the prototype of a totalitarian regime.
JEAN DE LA FONTAINE, LE DEFI
Cineteve, France 2 Television
Credits:
Director: Daniel Vigne
Screenwriter: Jacques Forgeas
Producers: Philippe Rey, Fabienne Servan Schreiber
Executive producer: Jean-Pierre Fayer
Director of photography: Flore Thuillez
Production designer: Regis Nicolino
Music: Michel Portal
Costume designer: Florence Sadaune
Editor: Thierry Simonnet
Cast:
Jean de la Fontaine: Lorant Deutsch
Colbert: Philippe Torreton
Perrette: Sara Forestier
Chateauneuf: Jean-Claude Dreyfus
Moliere: Julien Courbey
Louis XIV: Jocelyn Quivrin
Terron: Daniel Duval
Racine: Romain Rondeau
Duchesse d'Orleans: Fabienne Babe
Jannart: Jean-Pierre Malo
Fouquet: Nicky Naude
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Where the earlier costume drama essentially is a lighthearted comic romp, Vigne -- director of the medieval mystery tale "The Return of Martin Guerre" -- aims to pack a thin story with contemporary relevance. The results are diverting but unfocused, and "Fontaine" is unlikely to play as well at the boxoffice.
When the young Louis XIV (Jocelyn Quivrin) ascends to the throne in 1661 and axes the chief minister Fouquet (Nicky Naude) to replace him with his personal favorite Colbert (Philippe Torreton), the air is thick with the turning of coats.
But Fouquet's protege Jean de la Fontaine (Lorant Deutsch), a dreamy, insouciant poet who at 35 has yet to prove himself as a writer, springs to his defense. He denounces his drinking partners Moliere (Julien Courbey) and the tragedian Jean Racine (Romain Rondeau) for their supine indifference to a flagrant injustice and launches a campaign for the release of the imprisoned ex-minister.
He is blackballed for his pains, and the campaign achieves nothing other than to mark him as a troublemaker in the eyes of the ruthless Colbert.
In the process, though, La Fontaine has honed his writing skills. In particular, he develops and perfects the ancient form of the animal fable, using it as a vehicle for a series of satirical portraits of an increasingly conformist society. His pithy one-liners soon are all the rage. He plans to have his fables published in book form, for which he will need the king's authorization.
Being personable, good-looking and well-connected, La Fontaine finds no shortage of ladies of noble lineage willing to offer him food and board, though sometimes he has to wait on tables. But he's more at home among the people. For love interest, he dallies with Perrette (Sara Forestier), the tavern serving girl who seeks to better herself by learning to read.
The movie wends its amiable way to La Fontaine's predictable vindication with just enough incident to keep the spectator interested, notably the arrival of Colbert's hitman Terron (Daniel Duval), who challenges the poet to a duel to which there can be only one outcome but is foiled by the arrival by a group of La Fontaine's lowlife friends.
There is pathos in his midnight confrontation with Racine, whom he accuses of acting "no better than a dog, eating out of the king's hand." But too often in such exchanges the dialogue is overly schematic as the filmmakers hammer home their point about the need for artists to maintain their independence.
The film makes good use of France's heritage locations. As a historical political thriller, it has its moments but fails to thrill. However, the closing scenes provide a convincing visual metaphor for the steady drift under the Sun King to what was to become the prototype of a totalitarian regime.
JEAN DE LA FONTAINE, LE DEFI
Cineteve, France 2 Television
Credits:
Director: Daniel Vigne
Screenwriter: Jacques Forgeas
Producers: Philippe Rey, Fabienne Servan Schreiber
Executive producer: Jean-Pierre Fayer
Director of photography: Flore Thuillez
Production designer: Regis Nicolino
Music: Michel Portal
Costume designer: Florence Sadaune
Editor: Thierry Simonnet
Cast:
Jean de la Fontaine: Lorant Deutsch
Colbert: Philippe Torreton
Perrette: Sara Forestier
Chateauneuf: Jean-Claude Dreyfus
Moliere: Julien Courbey
Louis XIV: Jocelyn Quivrin
Terron: Daniel Duval
Racine: Romain Rondeau
Duchesse d'Orleans: Fabienne Babe
Jannart: Jean-Pierre Malo
Fouquet: Nicky Naude
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 4/20/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bertrand Tavernier fuses documentary principles, a searing, angry lament for adult responsibility and the necessity for political accountability in his feature "It Starts Today".
The strategy doesn't always work; the film occasionally prefers didactic exchanges to make its dramatic points. However, this unconventional, absorbing work is beautifully constructed and quietly moving. The film, properly handled, should connect with upscale art house audiences at home and abroad.
A former film critic, Tavernier has made brilliant documentaries on varied subjects in his distinguished career. Like the films of British director Ken Loach, Tavernier suffuses this movie with a spontaneity and improvisational feel for unexpected moments and quiet revelations. But he also creates highly formal narrative strategies offset against haunting shots of landscape that mark the passage of time. The work features excellent stage-trained actor Philippe Torreton, whose mesmerizing lead performance in Tavernier's "Capitaine Conan" earned him a best actor Cesar.
In "It Starts Today", Torreton plays Daniel Lefebvre, a passionate and charismatic director of an ambitious kindergarten trapped in bleak Hernaing in northern France. The economically devastated community is laden with acute social problems, resulting in devastating consequences on the school's trained and highly motivated staff.
Lefebvre works tirelessly to facilitate the children's curiosity and mental agility. However, his efforts are handicapped by the ugly realities of the highly restricted economic area. Crises stem from heavy incidents of alcoholism and physical and sexual abuse.
Like Francois Truffaut's superb work on children and more recently, Jacques Doillon's "Ponette", Tavernier doesn't sentimentalize the children or their poverty. He gives them vivid, sharply delineated voices and an emotional range that grounds the material to the specific and concrete. Working with a largely nonprofessional cast, Tavernier strips bare their frailty and naked vulnerability, though always granting them a decency and honesty -- and a hope the film never quite loses despite the mounting hardships and tragedies. Unfortunately, the absence of a unifying narrative diminishes the depth of the work and the stylistic variety, failing to make this a transcendent piece of art.
The succession of verbal confrontations between Lefebvre and the traumatized bureaucracy he constantly battles -- local politicians, ineffective social service workers and overmatched parents -- is needlessly repetitive. It also changes the film's balance, threatening to turn the movie into a social policy primer. Fortunately, Torreton's electric and concentrated performance anchors the film. He not only provides a valuable human dimension, he radiates an intensity and directness that illuminates a corner of the world that too often remains in the dark. Technically, befitting a Tavernier film, the movie is a marvel, with stand-out contributions from great cinematographer Alain Choquart.
IT STARTS TODAY
Alain Sarde and Frederic Bourboulon present
a Les Films Alain Sarde, Little Bear and TFI Films production
Producers: Alain Sarde, Frederic Bourboulon
Director-screenwriter: Bertrand Tavernier
Screenwriters: Dominique Sampiero, Tiffany Tavernier
Director of photography: Alain Choquart
Music: Louis Sclavis
Sound: Michel Desrois, Gerard Lamps
Art director: Thierry Francois
Costumes: Marpessa Djian
Editors: Sophie Brunet, Sophie Mandonnet
Production manager: Francois Hamel
Color/stereo
Cast:
Daniel: Philippe Torreton
Valeria: Maria Pitarresi
Samia: Nadia Kaci
Mrs. Leinard: Veronique Ataly
Cathy: Nathalie Becue
Inspector: Didier Bezace
The Mayor: Gerard Giroudon
Running time --117 minutes
No MPAA rating...
The strategy doesn't always work; the film occasionally prefers didactic exchanges to make its dramatic points. However, this unconventional, absorbing work is beautifully constructed and quietly moving. The film, properly handled, should connect with upscale art house audiences at home and abroad.
A former film critic, Tavernier has made brilliant documentaries on varied subjects in his distinguished career. Like the films of British director Ken Loach, Tavernier suffuses this movie with a spontaneity and improvisational feel for unexpected moments and quiet revelations. But he also creates highly formal narrative strategies offset against haunting shots of landscape that mark the passage of time. The work features excellent stage-trained actor Philippe Torreton, whose mesmerizing lead performance in Tavernier's "Capitaine Conan" earned him a best actor Cesar.
In "It Starts Today", Torreton plays Daniel Lefebvre, a passionate and charismatic director of an ambitious kindergarten trapped in bleak Hernaing in northern France. The economically devastated community is laden with acute social problems, resulting in devastating consequences on the school's trained and highly motivated staff.
Lefebvre works tirelessly to facilitate the children's curiosity and mental agility. However, his efforts are handicapped by the ugly realities of the highly restricted economic area. Crises stem from heavy incidents of alcoholism and physical and sexual abuse.
Like Francois Truffaut's superb work on children and more recently, Jacques Doillon's "Ponette", Tavernier doesn't sentimentalize the children or their poverty. He gives them vivid, sharply delineated voices and an emotional range that grounds the material to the specific and concrete. Working with a largely nonprofessional cast, Tavernier strips bare their frailty and naked vulnerability, though always granting them a decency and honesty -- and a hope the film never quite loses despite the mounting hardships and tragedies. Unfortunately, the absence of a unifying narrative diminishes the depth of the work and the stylistic variety, failing to make this a transcendent piece of art.
The succession of verbal confrontations between Lefebvre and the traumatized bureaucracy he constantly battles -- local politicians, ineffective social service workers and overmatched parents -- is needlessly repetitive. It also changes the film's balance, threatening to turn the movie into a social policy primer. Fortunately, Torreton's electric and concentrated performance anchors the film. He not only provides a valuable human dimension, he radiates an intensity and directness that illuminates a corner of the world that too often remains in the dark. Technically, befitting a Tavernier film, the movie is a marvel, with stand-out contributions from great cinematographer Alain Choquart.
IT STARTS TODAY
Alain Sarde and Frederic Bourboulon present
a Les Films Alain Sarde, Little Bear and TFI Films production
Producers: Alain Sarde, Frederic Bourboulon
Director-screenwriter: Bertrand Tavernier
Screenwriters: Dominique Sampiero, Tiffany Tavernier
Director of photography: Alain Choquart
Music: Louis Sclavis
Sound: Michel Desrois, Gerard Lamps
Art director: Thierry Francois
Costumes: Marpessa Djian
Editors: Sophie Brunet, Sophie Mandonnet
Production manager: Francois Hamel
Color/stereo
Cast:
Daniel: Philippe Torreton
Valeria: Maria Pitarresi
Samia: Nadia Kaci
Mrs. Leinard: Veronique Ataly
Cathy: Nathalie Becue
Inspector: Didier Bezace
The Mayor: Gerard Giroudon
Running time --117 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 2/22/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In a relentless foray into war and injustice, Bertrand Tavernier uses World War I as his framework for the excellent "Captain Conan".
Set in the Balkans in 1918, Gallic soldier Captain Conan (Philippe Torreton) and his men take the war to the enemy in guerrilla fashion, sweeping in through the brush and using slings to fling grenades. Their tactics are to sneak up on the enemy and never, never take prisoners.
War is not the problem for Conan and his platoon, who thrive on their status as warriors, not soldiers. The trouble begins when the platoon is forced to leave the battlefield after armistice. But Conan is no flunky, and he'll break any rule to do the right thing for his men.
With well-constructed humor and pathos, screenwriters Tavernier and Jean Cosmos explore the nature of heroism and duty under the anvil of uncaring authority in this strong indictment of war.
There's a tone of outrage at the lack of compassion of officers who proclaim, in effect, that every soldier indicted must be guilty of something. Points are made clearly and strongly, although "Conan" sometimes teeters into preachiness.
As the story progresses, the French armistice is signed, but this contingent remains mobilized, ready to move out to do more battle with new enemies -- to the dismay of the soldiers, who have already fought for years.
In one of the central conflicts, Conan and his good friend, Lt. Norbert Samuel Le Bihan), find themselves at odds. Norbert has his strong morality and sense of justice challenged when he is forced to take the position of accuser, prosecuting soldiers for relatively minor offenses.
The bull-headed Conan tries to defend his ill-behaved men, but Norbert is bound to prosecute in earnest the ones who committed the most heinous crimes.
The film has a compelling realism, but the most vivid parts are the battle scenes, where at times the camera lingers on the fallen men -- just one of the nifty bits of business in Tavernier's well-directed and excellently photographed film (credit Alain Choquarat).
Although it feels a bit episodic and may be too long to attract mainstream audiences, "Conan" has a set of complex, unforgettable characters and a strong feel for the important issues. The acting across the board is first-rate, and there are plenty of darkly humorous lines in the script.
Torreton's Conan is a tragically flawed and memorable character. Le Bihan's Norbert is a fine, sensitive counterpart as the man who holds justice dear.
CAPTAIN CONAN
Les Films Alain Sarde
Litle Bear Prods.
TFI Films Prods.
A film by Bertrand Tavernier
Director Bertrand Tavernier
Screenplay Jean Cosmos & Bertrand Tavernier
Producers Alain Sarde & Frederic Bourboulon
Director of photography Alain Choquarat
Based on the novel by Roger Vercel
Composer Oswald D'Andrea
Lyrics Jean Cosmos
Color/stereo
Cast:
Conan Philippe Torreton
Norbert Samuel Le Bihan
De Sceve Bernard Le Coq
Madeleine Erlane Catherine Rich
Commandant Bouvier Francois Berleand
General Pitard de Lauzier Claude Rich
Colonel Voirin Andre Falcon
Running time -- 130 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Set in the Balkans in 1918, Gallic soldier Captain Conan (Philippe Torreton) and his men take the war to the enemy in guerrilla fashion, sweeping in through the brush and using slings to fling grenades. Their tactics are to sneak up on the enemy and never, never take prisoners.
War is not the problem for Conan and his platoon, who thrive on their status as warriors, not soldiers. The trouble begins when the platoon is forced to leave the battlefield after armistice. But Conan is no flunky, and he'll break any rule to do the right thing for his men.
With well-constructed humor and pathos, screenwriters Tavernier and Jean Cosmos explore the nature of heroism and duty under the anvil of uncaring authority in this strong indictment of war.
There's a tone of outrage at the lack of compassion of officers who proclaim, in effect, that every soldier indicted must be guilty of something. Points are made clearly and strongly, although "Conan" sometimes teeters into preachiness.
As the story progresses, the French armistice is signed, but this contingent remains mobilized, ready to move out to do more battle with new enemies -- to the dismay of the soldiers, who have already fought for years.
In one of the central conflicts, Conan and his good friend, Lt. Norbert Samuel Le Bihan), find themselves at odds. Norbert has his strong morality and sense of justice challenged when he is forced to take the position of accuser, prosecuting soldiers for relatively minor offenses.
The bull-headed Conan tries to defend his ill-behaved men, but Norbert is bound to prosecute in earnest the ones who committed the most heinous crimes.
The film has a compelling realism, but the most vivid parts are the battle scenes, where at times the camera lingers on the fallen men -- just one of the nifty bits of business in Tavernier's well-directed and excellently photographed film (credit Alain Choquarat).
Although it feels a bit episodic and may be too long to attract mainstream audiences, "Conan" has a set of complex, unforgettable characters and a strong feel for the important issues. The acting across the board is first-rate, and there are plenty of darkly humorous lines in the script.
Torreton's Conan is a tragically flawed and memorable character. Le Bihan's Norbert is a fine, sensitive counterpart as the man who holds justice dear.
CAPTAIN CONAN
Les Films Alain Sarde
Litle Bear Prods.
TFI Films Prods.
A film by Bertrand Tavernier
Director Bertrand Tavernier
Screenplay Jean Cosmos & Bertrand Tavernier
Producers Alain Sarde & Frederic Bourboulon
Director of photography Alain Choquarat
Based on the novel by Roger Vercel
Composer Oswald D'Andrea
Lyrics Jean Cosmos
Color/stereo
Cast:
Conan Philippe Torreton
Norbert Samuel Le Bihan
De Sceve Bernard Le Coq
Madeleine Erlane Catherine Rich
Commandant Bouvier Francois Berleand
General Pitard de Lauzier Claude Rich
Colonel Voirin Andre Falcon
Running time -- 130 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 4/11/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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