The Beautiful Person: why and how I passed beside a good film
Categories: Movies
by Romain
Last Wednesday I went to see the latest film by Christophe Honore: Beautiful Person (Louis Garrel). This is the first movie I saw Christophe Honore, I had announced a film with rose water "... it was nothing.
Simply put, this is a love story as it is born every day in high schools. Except that there is a teacher and a student teacher who is none other than the beautiful Louis Garrel (I still hear the whining girls in the audience).
The important feature / interesting is that this film is an adaptation of La Princesse de Cleves (famous novel by Madame de La Fayette at 17th). The story was adapted dialogues but not much changed, suddenly it's strange to see teenagers speak French 17th ...
The second thing that disturbed me with this film: everyone is beautiful, teachers, teenagers, high school. The title of the thread was clear ... I did not understand. Until I read the review of Télérama:
"Never court had so many beautiful people": the sentence of Madame de La Fayette served as a trigger to Christophe Honore from the royal court of the sixteenth century described by the novel to a court of school today . The idea, which might seem theoretical, perfectly embodied. First by virtue of a scene, the school Molière sixteenth arrondissement of Paris, while open galleries and balconies: a theater where everyone is both in representation and on the lookout entertainment of others. Then the number of "beautiful people" who, in effect, spy on them, join them and wish empoignent. Not so far from a Gus Van Sant (but without its ulterior funeral), Christophe Honore filming the students as demigods, with a sort of rapture collected, elegiac, communicative. Another bridge with the obvious reference text could be the fear of losing face in front of his group, if an inherent adolescence, and decisively here in the twists of the story.
This is where I realize that I would miss the movie if I had not read this review (yes I exaggerate a little). By reflecting, directors have a culture far more important than the French way (like me). They regularly make reference in their films. From there, a lot of questions come to mind:
- How many people have appreciated the film at its fair value?
- How many ignorant people there at the exit of the cinema?
- Christophe Honore will probably happen to that?
- For a blockbuster, avoid cultural references too sophisticated (eg Wall-E)
Maybe if I read Princess of Cleves before, I would not be spent next film.
September 24, 2008 at 11:12
I had the same reaction as you.
I look forward to seeing this film, to find, in large part, the actors of the previous film C. Honore (Love Songs).
But I did not think a second, I did not find the film realistic. I found it too cliché, the 16th this side, Bobo, everyone is beautiful. Louis Garrel even less. A teacher who has 2 years of pus that his students, and they made tapes on the shoulder? Mouai ... ...
But it is true that reading the review of Télérama ... we realize that the film reveals more thing we can suspect ... My film and literary culture should not be extended to final ...
I should know yet, in "Love Songs", C. Honore had a multitude of reference ...
September 30, 2008 at 19:10
I did not go see the movie. Even if I read the book by Ms. de la Fayette, I am a bit afraid of adapting the Princess of students in a school in Paris. But it is true that it seems to be a film where the viewer needs first few keys to understanding the references used. Anyway, to see for download or DVD.
October 3, 2008 at 19:05
In fact, the film is not so "snapshot" than that.
Agree to the side of the bohemian thing, it is not unless it is almost realistic, high school as ets filmed life really like that (I know something, I go out of this universe there to return to the Latin Quarter ...)
But Christophe Honore made a mistake lecture here, if I may say this film is only applicable to Paris, and more, the Paris-sixteenth or eighth, at least to all Parisians moving in the same universe , Which will have the opportunity to recognize, as the actors (who come from that environment, let us not).
Also note the report claimed (and not alleged that unfortunately) of this social class to homosexuality, and acceptance of homosexuality in the film.
Here is a portrait not so false it the "high" Parisian bourgeoisie.
October 6, 2008 at 11:35
There is no complex avoir.Quand a film is good, being cultivated or not, it does not côté.Là the fact is that it is not unusual, even having read the Princess and of students with the codes.
October 9, 2008 at 18:27
For the anecdote, I crossed Garrel Nantes and I confirm it is beautiful, not the big head and spun me an autograph with a smile ... For the rest, the adaptation of the Princess of Cleves a taste of sweet and
we may well look lefilm without having read the book
not even in Paris, one can enjoy the scenery (there are also towns in the provinces, same codes etc etc)
I like references Honoré.
October 12, 2008 at 12:03
I read and loved Princess of Cleves (and even been stunning Marina Vlady the beauty of its 16 years in faithful adaptation); here is missed: artificial, with no emotion, no perceptible passion (one fills a trick inspired by the Princess of Cleves) badly exposed, the sound is disastrous from qu'ily over nearly two characters, especially that is enormously pretentious and most painful; forget quickly and move on to real cinémaet not a vague intellectual exercise missed (lintellectuel and / or exercise, I let you meditate on this point)