By Ron Wilkinson May 3, 2007, 11:45 GMT
To say that French TV director Tristan Carné had an ambitious idea for a film collage is an understatement. The idea he took to producer Emmanuel Benbihy was a set of short films starring the best performers and directors from around the world with the common thread of location. The location would be Paris, each segment set in a different one of the twenty neighborhoods of the city.
The result is predictable, both good and bad. The shorts in and of themselves are excellent, but none of the dozens of actors and directors gets to develop a significant story. The film is a sampler that leaves the audience hungry for more. But maybe that’s the point.
Films that feature cities in the leading role usually fail in their central mission of telling a story. The city never changes and the audience is left with a travelogue. Some cities create this trap by offering cash incentives for highlighting the location as a tourist destination. New York films do this with relish, but this film has done it with taste. The tourist cliché’s are downplayed and the multiple faces of the cities of the world are made the focus. We have the foreign tourist dilemma, racism, sexual identity, class struggle, love (of course), lust, loneliness, comedy, grief and simply letting go. This is mixed with a little fantasy and even a go at bloodthirsty vampirism, French style.
The result is a film that looks at people instead of a location. The production values are excellent and the cinematography is superb. The short nature of the window of opportunity for each of the 18 selections in the 120 minute film means everybody gets down to business fast. The result is a sequence of great stories but is almost too much to take after about the 15th episode. The mind is reeling with the variety of the emotions, roles and personages.
Most of the performers are in the show to do what they do best. Juliette Binoche, Nick Nolte and Ben Gazzara play somber roles of lost love and departed loved ones.
Steve Buscemi steals the show with his classic deer in the headlights look of the American tourist in Paris who tries so hard to fit in that he can never make it work.
In Alexander Payne’s piece a woman goes to Paris and finds that her loneliness can be an empowerment if she changes her point of view.
Gurinder Chadha tells the story of a young French street lout who meets a Muslim girl who changes his life while another story tells about love falling out of the sky.
Sylvain Chomet directs some world class mime performances on the parts of Paul Putner and Yolande Moreau.
To keep things interesting Wes Craven brings Oscar Wilde back to life to save a marriage and Elijah Wood turns into a vampire with a heart. Ace lenser Christopher Doyle directs ace director/producer Barbet Schroeder in a bit of fantasy about a salesman who strikes it rich in a beauty salon.
Tremendous variety if the viewer can keep their head from spinning at the variety. Maybe this should have been made into two films, each with double the time allotted to each segment. Or something...
The overall message is that life goes on and although we all change, the human story remains much the same. The sum total change, if any, is like that of the streets of Paris; showing wear with time but always a loving wear, if that. No matter what happens, we are always there for the next round.
Life goes on, and the thrill of life goes on as well, if you let it.
Paris, I Love You (Paris, je t'aime)
Directors Include: Gurinder Chadha, Gus Van Sant, Ethan and Joel Coen, Walter Salles, Isabel Coixet, Alfonso Cuarón, Richard LaGravenese, Wes Craven, Tom Tykwer and Alexander PayneWriters Include: Tristan Carné (idea), Emmanuel Benbihy (feature film concept and transitions), Sylvain Chomet and Christopher DoyleStarring: Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Nick Nolte, Elias McConnell, Steve Buscemi, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Bob Hoskins, Elijah Wood, Natalie Portman, Ben Gazzara and Alexander PayneRuntime:120 minutes Country: Liechtenstein / Switzerland / Germany / France Language: English / French
Opens: May 4, 2007 (NYC) MPAA: Rated R for language and brief drug use
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Jon JohnsonMay 17th, 2007 - 01:02:59
A marvelous review. Thank you. JON
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