Feel-good Russians score at French cinema

France has been awash with nostalgic, sentimental comedy films for quite a few years. Many of them have fallen flat because the mechanism is too creaky.  Feel-good films require you to suspend disbelief, so the audience has to be hooked quickly. I've just seen two of the latest. Both feature fine actors. Both are fairy tales about revenge by modest victims against powerful institutions. One flops while the other soars, for me at least. 

The first is Mic Macs à Tire Larigot, [trailer here] from Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the creater of Amélie, or Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain, to give it its original title. I don't know how they will translate this one. The title could be roughly conveyed in British English as Carry On Capering (any suggestions?). More literally, it means Funny business like there's no tomorrow. The film uses the same tricks as Amélie, turning modern Paris into a magical by-gone place full of loveable eccentrics.

Dany Boon, the biggest comedy star of the moment, leads a band of vagabond chineurs -- junk dealers, rag-and-bone merchants -- in an outlandish scheme to bring down two arms manufacturers. The film feels like an Amélie sequel without the  charm -- despite Boon and the estimable André Dusollier, who plays one of the bad guys. 

The other is Le Concert [trailer here], by the Romanian-French director Radu Mihaileanu. It's a mix of romantic comedy, political satire and farce featuring a cast of excellent Russian actors and French stars including Miou Miou, François Berléand and Mélanie Laurent [top picture] -- who made an international début this year in Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.

The plot is preposterous but fun -- especially if you know Russia and France. Andrei Filipov, played by Alexei Guskov, is a former conductor of the Bolshoi Orchestra who was dismissed on Leonid Brezhnev's orders in 1980 for refusing to fire his Jewish musicians. Working now as a janitor at the theatre,  he intercepts a fax inviting the Bolshoi to perform at the Châtelet theatre in Paris. He puts together an orchestra from out-of-work musicians and takes them to Paris to play Tchaikovsky's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra. The soloist is a celebrated French violinist Anne-Marie Jacquet, played by Laurent.

The film runs through the gamut of clichés about loveable chaotic Slavs and haughty Parisians and it is a little long on Jewish jokes and gypsies. But it works because Mihaileanu has a delicate, humane touch and a fine understanding of the two national characters. The funniest part, shot in Moscow in Russian, makes fun of Putin's Russia, with its nouveaux riches and ordinary people struggling to survive in a shabby city. One of the funniest moments is a shoot-out at an oligarch's wedding. The fake orchestra hires as its manager the still-loyal Soviet communist party official who fired the conductor. Like all good Soviets, he dreams of visiting Paris and when he gets here, heads straight for a session with the comrades at the Communist Party's much reduced headquarters on the Place Colonel Fabien. The gags are sometimes predictable, but they are transcended by a beautiful, emotional ending of the kind that everyone expects in feel-good movies.

Despite its big budget, stars and brand name, I don't see the Jeunet film exporting well. It lacks Audrey Tautou and the romantic appeal of Amélie. Even in France it is not scoring very well. Le Concert, on the other hand, is number two at the French box-office -- despite subtitled Russian for about half the film. It should do very well around Europe and beyond. 

 

Comments

[dot king]

Not seen either of those, but as André Dussolier is mentioned, then can recommend "Les herbes folles" and be interested in any offerings on interpretation of the ending. So far two, which can be combined to make one.
At once extremely funny and rather disturbing.

BTW CHARLES - is it Cerny you fly from - if so, it's used in the film (Sabine Azema is a dentist and spare-time pilot)

[Yes I want to see the film for the flying alone. No, I fly from Enghien-Moisselles. By the way, I published comments on the blog from 2,500 feet over Dreux today, a useful feature on my new iPhone. CB]

[Marie]

Isn't Radu Mihaileanu french, like Roman Polanski?
People often say R.P. is polish.
[Romanian-French, if you like. He arrived in France at the age of 22. Don't try telling the Poles that Polanski isn't Polish! CB]

[azloon]

By the way, I published comments on the blog from 2,500 feet over Dreux today, a useful feature on my new iPhone. CB]

Ah, so you weren't home in your apartment, on a dreary Paris day, frittering it away hunched over a keyboard (as I was imagining). C'est bon.

Be careful though about 'texting and flying.' That's how those Northwest pilots got started -- a text here, a text there -- and before they knew it, they were 200 miles beyond Minneapolis. That would put you mid-Channel, with low fuel? :):(
[I filled up before take-off. Enough for five hours of forgetting to land. CB]

[Joan Arles]

I agree entirely. Le Concert is a great film. A bit over the top, but it has a sensitive touch and the ending is lovely. I cried...as did half the people around me in the Montpellier movie theater

[Marie]

[Romanian-French, if you like. He arrived in France at the age of 22. Don't try telling the Poles that Polanski isn't Polish! CB]

Costa Gavras also arrived in France in his twenties.
Nobody says he's greek or french-greek. Why is that?
Roman Polanski is a member of l'Académie des Beaux-Arts, I think you have to be french to be part of that.
What makes a french director, french ?
Maybe I should ask Eric Besson.
Sorry for all the questions, either way I really enjoy your blog.

[Thanks Marie. Actually, the Greeks consider Costa Gavras as very much Greek --- at least those on the left. For them, he is a national (Greek) treasure. CB]

[Francois D]

Thanks for this interesting post.. I hope to see soonly "Concert". (When influenza epidemia which is growing fast will let time. French population attitude which sulks vaccine is shameful: a spoiled child behavior).).

Georges Pretre, 85, returned this week in his native village, a few miles from here (northern France), leading the modest local band.

"D'not neglect music theory (solfége): it is the most important of all, he said them .."

I am fascinated by his life: how this poor boy from a poor coal mine village has became what he is. Enjoy: he is very old, but still a little there.

http://culturebox.france3.fr/all/13501/Rencontre-avec-le-chef-d'orchestre-Georges-Pr%EAtre-%E0-Orange/#/all/13501/Rencontre-avec-le-chef-d'orchestre-Georges-Prêtre-à-Orange/

[dot king]

Yes I want to see the film for the flying alone.

CB

I'm afraid there's only a little flying, and in the last scenes, but in a Spitfire, so worth waiting for.

[Daniel Strohl]

Nice article, CHARLES! Although I almost never go "dans les salles obscures", you convinced me to watch "Le concert" as soon as available here.

FRANCOIS D,

"a spoiled child behavior).)."

This behaviour is indirectly encouraged by a part of the media (TV included) which make a big fuss around a (possible) "accident de vaccination" - parce que c'est vendeur - omitting the other and major side of the problem, i.e. the expansion of the influenza epidemia.

Almost incidentally, I heard a week ago that there are already 4000 deaths due to the epidemia in the US. In population proportion, this would mean 800 deaths in France. There is no objective reason to believe that the influenza virus is much more "Americanophile" than "Francophile" :).

If the epidemia continues to grow fast, then the critizisers (and the above mentioned journalists :) will be the first to run in panic to the "centres de vaccination" and will of course continue with critics about the bad organisation and "l'imprévoyance du gouvernement" :).

PS: thanks for the Georges Prêtre link!

[dot king]

FRANCOIS D
I wonder if you could explain what exactly is the "adjuvant" in the flu vaccines - there seems to be something to take into consideration as to whether one should have it with or without.

Does it have anything to do with allergies or intolerances (of the medical rather than the political kind :))?

Sorry, I don't mean this to be a free mass-consultation - but just imagine if we all sent you €22!

[dot king]

And goodbye to Jocelyn Quivrin, killed in an accident last night, poor, poor Alice Taglioni.

http://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-4555/photos-films/detail/?cmediafile=18841446

[Lily]

"Almost incidentally, I heard a week ago that there are already 4000 deaths due to the epidemia in the US. In population proportion, this would mean 800 deaths in France."

Can somebody please check how many people die from ordinary flu in the US/France each year?

This new flu is "relatively" harmless by comparison, and it will continue to be so unless different flus (the seasonal, the new, the avian one) mutate into a new killer strain but will anyone be able to prevent this from happening (or not) anyway? There are studies that suggest that vaccines may increase the risk so that this might happen.

At my son's CM1 class (7 kids absent today), they weren't allowed to sing today out of fear of spreading germs...

[Francois D]

To Daniel S

There is no objective reason to believe that influenza virus is much more "Americanophile" than "Francophile" :).

I perfecty agree with you.

To Dot King

That's WHO explanation for squalene.

http://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/topics/adjuvants/squalene/questions_and_answers/en/index.html

Squalene is an adjuvant, ie with a little less vaccine material one gets a similar protective effect.

This is useful for
a quick mass production. It's used since 1997.

There are many considerations about Guillain Barre (and Strohl...) syndrome (a disease like poliomyelitis but reversible) Risk is higher with flu rather than vaccine (X 100).

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndrome_de_Guillain-Barr%C3%A9

DK: "one should have it with or without".
We have no choice. A vaccine without is announced for this week (perhaps..) but will be reserved for pregnant women (and after for children less than 6 months, probably..). It's a mass production problem.

"Does it have anything to do with allergies or intolerances (of the medical rather than the political kind :))?"

No, it's different(autoimmunisation).

For egg intolerance, you have choice between Swiss vaccine (growed on human cells) or vaccination with cautious at hospital day care.

Mass consultation is forbidden.. That's not a consultation.

[Lex Stevens]

"a spoiled child behavior).)."

I have one employee who claims to believe it is the government injecting a tracking device into people's bodies!?!? And another who thinks that the government vaccinates people to condition them to submit. (This is what the minimum wage buys.)

I am very surprised at the number of people who think that they can just control how pathogens affect the body. (e.g. eat more garlic, take more Vitamin C, maintain an healthy attitude, etc.)

Unfortunately, natural selection only works if they die before they reproduce.

[Babette]

Thanks very much, Mr Bremner, for this information on the film Le Concert. I'd never heard of it, but I've just enjoyed watching the trailer. I don't get to go to the cinema much, but perhaps will do here as this looks a good one. And... I could perhaps brush up on my Russian. Having stayed in the good ol' USSR a couple of times during my degree course (a long time ago), I think I'd like the nostalgia element here.

PS: Enjoyed listening to you on France Inter on Friday evening.

[Thanks Babette. You will enjoy the film if you knew Moscow in the old days. CB]

[dot king]

FRANCOIS D thank you for what you say and the links you provide - I've been trying to make sense of the "should we/should we not" debates since they started.

No-one has sent me a voucher yet, I mustn't be in a priority category, but you've swayed me into the "should" camp.

[Daniel Strohl]

Francois D,

I never up to now heard of André Strohl :) Thanks to your Guillain Barr Wikipedia link, I know who he was...

LILY,

"Can somebody please check how many people die from ordinary flu in the US/France each year?"

I heard somewhere that over 10,000 persons die of ordinary flu in France every year - however, I am not sure whether I got the figure undistorted from my ears to my brains - and my memory :).

[Lily]

"I heard somewhere that over 10,000 persons die of ordinary flu in France every year - however, I am not sure whether I got the figure undistorted from my ears to my brains - and my memory :)."

Thank you, Daniel. And I remember the figure of 65 000 (without any certainty!) for the US which puts the whole new flu hysteria into perspective.

I'll also go and watch the movie! :)

[Valentin]

"Costa Gavras also arrived in France in his twenties.
Nobody says he's greek or french-greek. Why is that?"

LOL I noticed the same about other foreign born artists and writers. Emil Cioran for instance, every where you go in France he's mentioned as a great French writer - which is not exactly what his romanian conationals think about him: on the contrary, he's considered one of the biggest romanian writers.

It is called double citizenship :)

As an aside, I saw Radu Mihaileanu, Le concert's director on Laurent Ruquier's saturday night show. I for one could tell from ten miles away he's romanian - I wonder what others thought :)

[azloon]

This discussion made me wonder about the total number of deaths in the U.S. last year.

Wiki says 2,420,000 people died in the U.S. last year, of a population of 300 million.

So if 65,000 actually died of influenza (Lily's figure), that would be 25% of all deaths.

So the next time you get the flu, maybe your first thought should be, "well, this could be it.'

Q: Of all those dying last year, how many would have eventually died anyway?

A: Carpe Diem.

[Francois D]

Vaccine without adjuvant is authorized since yesterday (for France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Luxembourg). It is primarily restricted to pregnant women and children between 6 m and 3 y. It is prepared as usual seasonal vaccine (ie on eggs).
It does not seem to be licensed under 6 months.. That's a problem because this population is at high risk also...

http://www.afssaps.fr/Infos-de-securite/Communiques-de-presse/Autorisation-de-mise-sur-le-marche-du-vaccin-pandemique-Panenza

[Daniel Strohl]

AZLOON,

25% of 2,420,000 equals 65,000 ? I am afraid you will have to invest in a new calculator :).

[Lily]

"if 65,000 actually died of influenza (Lily's figure),"

Oh, I'm really not at all sure of the figure. While I don't wish to further contaminate this thread :), I found that between 10 and 20% of the world population contract the flu each year and an estimated 300 000 people die from it each year worldwide. (10 000 in Germany - which makes the 65 000 for the US plausible.)

So far, the old flu is still more dangerous than the new flu. So, why should everyone prefer new flu shots over 'old' flu shots or have himself shot to begin with?

(The German public/media is/are much more frank about underlying interests although the vivid debate about the nature of vaccines helps to distract from the facts.)

[azloon]

Daniel

I was hoping someone would notice. :)

Actually, I was more interested in making my grand point than in accuracy.

I didn't use a calculator. That was the problem. I 'eyeballed' it, and got my zeros wrong.

I am happy I gave you an opportunity to exercise your nimble mind, and diplomatic manner.

[Lily]

"I saw Radu Mihaileanu, Le concert's director on Laurent Ruquier's saturday night show. I for one could tell from ten miles away he's romanian" (Valentin)

I didn't see him there but he's also here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radu_Mih%C4%83ileanu

HOW does he "look Romanian"? He's of Jewish (father)/Romanian??(mother) descent but could also be Greek or Italian or French - "by his looks".

[Marguerite]

Pour DOT KING :
La derniere image du film de Resnais, c'est Sabine Azema, petite fille. L'heroine se rappelle cet episode de sa vie au moment de mourir.

[Lily]

It is a wonderful movie.

[dot king]

POUR MARGUERITE

Merci, Marguérite,j'aime beaucoup ça.

Mon amie Johanne avance, parce que la femme à la fin tape à une machine à écrire, qu'il s'agit d'une fiction qu'elle écrit - en fait l'histoire qu'on vient de voir.
Quant à moi, j'ai pensé que la petite était la fille du personnage de Dussolier suivant l'épisode où il est rentré ivre avec l'amie (personnage d'Emmanuelle Devos). Donc une vue vers l'avenir

Comme il y a un narrateur (Edouard Baer) tout le long du film, la fiction de Johanne semble bien coller - ainsi que la vôtre pour d'autres raisons. Et la mienne n'est pas mal non plus . . . :)

J'espère que nous ne gâtons pas ce film pour ceux et celles qui ne l'ont pas encore vu . . .
Il vaut vraiment le déplacement.

[Acai]

It is a wonderful movie.
I love it!