★ 7 / 10
Prestige, Vengeance and a Touch Too Much Gravitas
marclenglet80
A tale of female emancipation and class warfare set in the interwar years against the rise of fascism, Les couleurs de l'incendie - sequel to the brilliant Au…
A tale of female emancipation and class warfare set in the interwar years against the rise of fascism, Les couleurs de l'incendie - sequel to the brilliant Au revoir là-haut adapted by Albert Dupontel in 2018 - imagines the Machiavellian revenge of a fallen heiress against the men who brought her to ruin. Above all, it positions itself as a modernised take on the high-end French "quality drama": immaculately reconstructed, lavishly cast, and impeccably behaved."Quality French cinema" isn't a flaw in itself - but it often signals how hard it is to adapt a genuinely great novel into a film that can stand shoulder to shoulder with its source, especially if you've had the misfortune of reading the book first. Pierre Lemaitre's novel overflows with plot turns, side considerations, and razor-sharp throwaway lines that were never going to survive intact on screen. Credit where it's due: Clovis Cornillac handles the material with confidence, delivering a film that remains entirely intelligible without sacrificing too many essentials. Given that two hours allow little room for deep character development, the cast does much of the heavy lifting, embodying their roles efficiently enough to avoid endless explanatory scenes.Reservations emerge more in what remains implicit - though that may largely stem from already knowing the story's trajectory. Based on the novel, the film could arguably have been more dynamic. Lemaitre's writing often thrives on a kind of incredulous amusement at the impulsive decisions and sterile stubbornness of his characters, something Dupontel grasped and translated perfectly in Au revoir là-haut Cornillac's adaptation is solid, complete, and respectful - but perhaps just a little too serious for its own good.
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★ 8 / 10
The lie and war
ronny_grant
Quite an intense plot that shows the struggle of a woman and the heirs who want to get their share. The time period in the movie is quite long, so it was…
Quite an intense plot that shows the struggle of a woman and the heirs who want to get their share. The time period in the movie is quite long, so it was possible to show the development from the beginning to the end. The context of war and business is shown quite well.Speaking of the plot, I saw a lot of lies and love in the context of war which adds its own colors. It makes you feel emotions while watching it.I also liked the good music accompaniment. It suited the context. It was reminiscent of a certain epic that over two hours ended the way it did.Overall, this movie is underrated and the final result is really impressive.
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★ 5 / 10
Classic in a good way.
dimitrovague
Classic in a good way. Greed, ambitions, treachery, suggestible men and vengeful women, French aristocratic opulence. Fornication, adultery, under-the-table…
Classic in a good way. Greed, ambitions, treachery, suggestible men and vengeful women, French aristocratic opulence. Fornication, adultery, under-the-table deals and the start of the Holocaust. But also a love that stubbornly makes its way, always as a background story line and yet - always primary. Love of a mother for her son, of an aging prima to a young admirer, of a child for the first muse of the heart, of a personal assistant for a confidante whom she understands without the need for words. Despite all the thrill of the games of the great, from the skill of the calculating and the size of their bet, despite all the dizziness from the refined sets, postures and manners, for me we are talking about a film sewn from this same love. The French are adept at portraying her with understatement (remember "Red and Black"), and her almost imperceptible traces are tiresome, but precisely because of this, where they are, the feelings are saturated to the extreme. A short sign, a long moment, and an unspoken yes that outlives time-that's the bait I'll always fall for.
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80%
AUDIENCE
6.6/10
1.5K
