★ 8 / 10
I'm not exactly steeped on French cinema, let
JPV852
I'm not exactly steeped on French cinema, let alone 1990s French cinema this apparently targets, but still highly enjoyed this surreal drama with some good…
I'm not exactly steeped on French cinema, let alone 1990s French cinema this apparently targets, but still highly enjoyed this surreal drama with some good direction and fine performances from Maggie Cheung playing a version of herself and Nathalie Richard. Some interesting scenes, especially one at a dinner and another with Cheung sneaking around her hotel in a catsuit. Don't quite understand it all but still thoroughly found it entertaining. **4.0/5**
★ 8 / 10
fascinating look at how a film is made--and SHOULD NOT be made
MartinHafer
As mentioned above, this movie is about a movie being made and at times it's an example of how NOT to make a film. In particular, the director, played by…
As mentioned above, this movie is about a movie being made and at times it's an example of how NOT to make a film. In particular, the director, played by Jean-Pierre Léaud, is teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown and his decisions seem a bit strange to say the least. In particular, he paid to have an Asian actress, Maggie Cheung, fly all the way to Paris to star in his remake of the silent film IRMA VEP. The problem is, Ms. Cheung speaks excellent English (having lived much of her life there) and excellent Chinese--but NO FRENCH!! And the film is generally shown from her point of view--often feeling baffled and at a loss to cope with a new country, a new language and a new way of making films. This is a very interesting thing to behold (her viewpoint plus the film-making process) and somehow the movie really held my interest.
Interestingly enough, this film is highly reminiscent of the Truffaut film, DAY FOR NIGHT, which also starred Jean-Pierre Léaud--though this time he played an actor not a director. Although I have loved him in many of his films (in particular, his "Antoine Doinelle" films for Truffaut), he was a bad choice for this film because his command of English isn't extraordinary. In fact, his accent was very thick and he really needed to be captioned--I really struggled to keep up whenever he was speaking. Unfortunately, NEW YORKER VIDEO, does NOT give you any captioning choices! In addition, the DVD has no extras--and this is a shame.
Finally, the ending may satisfy some but I can guarantee many will feel a little flat at the film's conclusion. I liked what you are shown but felt there should have been just a little more to tie it together a little better.
By the way, don't tell my wife I wrote this, but Maggie Cheung was really, really hot in this film.
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Impresionante film, para mi es una hermosura.