At the start of Jane B. par Agnès V., a 1988 documentary made about singer and actress Jane Birkin by, well, the French director Agnès Varda, Birkin sits in period dress and looks directly at the camera with her characteristic deadpan expression. She talks about the nausea she feels when she looks at herself in the mirror and sees the signs of aging on her body. She has just turned 40 but talks as though she is much older, the consequence of experience.At the 2021 Cannes premiere of her daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg’s new documentary, titled Jane par Charlotte in deliberate homage to Varda’s film, Birkin is 74. She arrives dressed in the relaxed-fit blue jeans and oversized white shirt she made iconic in her twenties. She seems to be inviting comparison, to highlight how much she has aged while retaining her je ne sais quoi. Something so deliberate must come from a position of self-confidence,...
- 10/5/2021
- MUBI
When we asked our staff to vote on the best comic book movie adaptations, we were afraid the results would consist only of superhero films. While there are many superhero movies listed below, it is great to see a bulk of non-Hollywood films appearing on the list as well. We set out to compile a list of 50 movies but as it were, we ended up with 5 ties, and so the list consists 55 films instead. Let us know if you think we missed something. Enjoy!
****
55. The Adventures of Tintin
Spielberg’s first venture into animation is one of his best. Taking notes from the classic Raiders of the Lost Ark playbook, Spielberg crafted another spirited, thrilling, and always entertaining adventure. The Adventures of Tintin is one of the most pleasurable, family-friendly experiences, that boils down to one grand treasure hunt. There’s much to admire on-screen, but it is the spectacular...
****
55. The Adventures of Tintin
Spielberg’s first venture into animation is one of his best. Taking notes from the classic Raiders of the Lost Ark playbook, Spielberg crafted another spirited, thrilling, and always entertaining adventure. The Adventures of Tintin is one of the most pleasurable, family-friendly experiences, that boils down to one grand treasure hunt. There’s much to admire on-screen, but it is the spectacular...
- 9/2/2015
- by Staff
- SoundOnSight
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: March 20, 2012
Price: DVD $34.95, Blu-ray $43.95
Studio: Music Box
Eric Elmosnino is Serge Gainsbourg and Laetitia Casta is Brigitte Bardot in Gainsbourg.
The life and career of French singer-songwriter-provocateur Serge Gainsbourg, who’s often regarded as the personification of 1960s cool, is the subject of the 2010 biographical film Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life.
As a singer-songwriter whose landmark musical output includes such sexually infused and scandalous 1960s songs as “Je t’aime … moi non plus” and “Les Sucettes,” he is often regarded as one of the world’s most influential popular musicians. His impassioned music was matched only by his legendarily excessive lifestyle and love affairs with Europe’s most beautiful women, including chanteuses Juliette Greco and Jane Birkin and international sex symbol Brigitte Bardot.
Directed by famed French comic book artist-turned-director Joann Sfar, the film begins with the Gainsbourg’s childhood in Nazi-occupied France and moves through his...
Price: DVD $34.95, Blu-ray $43.95
Studio: Music Box
Eric Elmosnino is Serge Gainsbourg and Laetitia Casta is Brigitte Bardot in Gainsbourg.
The life and career of French singer-songwriter-provocateur Serge Gainsbourg, who’s often regarded as the personification of 1960s cool, is the subject of the 2010 biographical film Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life.
As a singer-songwriter whose landmark musical output includes such sexually infused and scandalous 1960s songs as “Je t’aime … moi non plus” and “Les Sucettes,” he is often regarded as one of the world’s most influential popular musicians. His impassioned music was matched only by his legendarily excessive lifestyle and love affairs with Europe’s most beautiful women, including chanteuses Juliette Greco and Jane Birkin and international sex symbol Brigitte Bardot.
Directed by famed French comic book artist-turned-director Joann Sfar, the film begins with the Gainsbourg’s childhood in Nazi-occupied France and moves through his...
- 2/14/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
I’ll never forget the moment I first experienced the pop rapture of Serge Gainsbourg. It was sometime in the mid-’90s (I tend to catch up to stuff rather late — I didn’t hear the Velvet Under- ground’s first album until 1992), and I was in a noisy drinking establishment in my West Village neighborhood called Bar d’O, a name that Gainsbourg — who had a famous fling with Brigitte Bardot — would surely have appreciated. I was on my second martini, and the place was so loud that I couldn’t hear the music all that well. So when...
- 9/7/2011
- by Owen Gleiberman
- EW - Inside Movies
Miguel Rodarte, producer Wally von Borstel, Saving Private Perez Neil Patrick Harris-Katy Perry's The Smurfs Tops International Box Office, John Lasseter's Cars 2 vs. Cars Comparison Featuring Academy Award winners Robert Duvall and Melissa Leo, in addition to Lucas Black, Brian Geraghty, and Deborah Ann Woll, first-time filmmaker Matt Russell's Golf & God drama Seven Days in Utopia opened with a highly uninspiring $1.23m at 561 locations. Seven Days in Utopia averaged an ungodly $2,203 per site according to studio estimates found at Box Office Mojo. Not faring any better, Beto Gómez's Mexican comedy Salvando al Soldado Perez / Saving Private Perez drew $670k at 161 locations, averaging $4,161 per site. Remember, all things being equal, the smaller the number of theaters, the higher the per-theater average should be. Now, a clarification: as a non-English-language film clearly targeting Mexicans and Spanish-speakers living in the Us, Saving Private Perez couldn't really...
- 9/5/2011
- by Zac Gille
- Alt Film Guide
You probably wish you were at either the Venice or Telluride Film Festival this weekend, but if you're staying local there are several indie releases worth checking out (we'll share the goods on the festivals). Among this weekend's options are Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (indieWIRE's Pick of the Week), The Debt, getting its long-awaited theatrical run after playing Toronto 2010, and Joann Sfar's Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life, which Variety says is "both evocative and faithful in its depiction of the famed French singer's lascivious life." More films and details, reviews and trailers are below: Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life, France | Dir: Joann Sfar; Cast: Eric Elmosnino, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta | B- criticWIRE | 77% Tomatometer, 55% Metacritic | Sfar ...
- 9/1/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
"A little bit of phantasmagoria and a lot more 'And-then-he-fucked…' grungy glamour, Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life is at its best when its mythologizing is carnal and infused with cabaret, and not making the inflated claim of its title." Bill Weber in Slant: "Writer-director Joann Sfar, a comic artist adapting his own graphic novel's version of the life of French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, generally eschews staples of the musician biopic like stage-performance recreations and studio-session drama. His focus is first on the artist as a boy in Nazi-occupied Paris, born Lucien Ginsburg (Kacey Mottet Klein), wearing a yellow 'Juif' star with poise and already cultivating his interests in art and women, and then how he fashioned himself into the roguish seducer personified in the 1960s hit-making persona of salacious Serge (Eric Elmosnino, a near-lookalike with the requisite lascivious panache and curled lip)."
Sylviane Gold opens her New York Times piece on the film,...
Sylviane Gold opens her New York Times piece on the film,...
- 9/1/2011
- MUBI
Biopic Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life captures the compelling saga of one of France's great characters, the infamous, influential, and hugely talented Jewish singer-songwriter, Serge Gainsbourg (Eric Elmosino). See the trailer (posted below); New York Vulture posts an enchanting exclusive clip of Brigitte Bardot and Gainsbourg singing the Bonny and Clyde theme. Comic book artist Joann Sfar directs this portrait of Gainsbourg, beginning with his childhood in Nazi-occupied Paris, through his struggles as a jazz musician, and then his rise to pop stardom in '60s Paris. And the French musician's amours were gorgeous and sexy, from Juliette Greco (Anna Mouglalis) and Bardot (Laetitia Casta) to Jane Birkin (Lucy Gordon). Music Box Films will release Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life on August 31.
- 8/27/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
Music Box Films' Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life - a.k.a. Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque) - stars Eric Elmosnino, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta, Doug Jones, Anna Mouglalis, Mylène Jampanoï and Sara Forestier. The music drama biopic opens opens August 31st and is helmed and written by renowned comic book artist Joann Sfar, based on her own graphic novel of the same title. Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life is a completely original take on one of France’s greatest mavericks, the illustrious and infamous Jewish singer-songwriter, Serge Gainsbourg (Eric Elmosnino). Born Lucien Ginsburg to Russian-Jewish parents, Sfar follows him from his precocious childhood in Nazi-occupied Paris, to his beginnings as small time jazz musician and finally pop superstar.
- 8/26/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Music Box Films' Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life - a.k.a. Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque) - stars Eric Elmosnino, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta, Doug Jones, Anna Mouglalis, Mylène Jampanoï and Sara Forestier. The music drama biopic opens opens August 31st and is helmed and written by renowned comic book artist Joann Sfar, based on her own graphic novel of the same title. Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life is a completely original take on one of France’s greatest mavericks, the illustrious and infamous Jewish singer-songwriter, Serge Gainsbourg (Eric Elmosnino). Born Lucien Ginsburg to Russian-Jewish parents, Sfar follows him from his precocious childhood in Nazi-occupied Paris, to his beginnings as small time jazz musician and finally pop superstar.
- 8/26/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
We just got the poster, and Apple now has the trailer for Joann Sfar‘s directorial debut, Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life. A biopic of musician Serge Gainsbourg, played here by Summer Hours actor Eric Elmosnino, it shows how he rose to fame through his classic music, as we expect a biopic to do. Also chronicled are his relationships with legendary women of the day, like Brigitte Bardot, Juliette Greco, and Jane Birkin, the lattermost of whom he had a daughter with, singer and actress Charlotte Gainsbourg.
I’m sure that there’s an interesting story to tell with the man’s life, but I’m not really getting it from this preview. Even though the cinematography is all quite lovely (as are the women), all I could really think while watching the trailer is “Walk Hard.” That’s a movie which managed to completely deconstruct the musical biopic subgenre, and...
I’m sure that there’s an interesting story to tell with the man’s life, but I’m not really getting it from this preview. Even though the cinematography is all quite lovely (as are the women), all I could really think while watching the trailer is “Walk Hard.” That’s a movie which managed to completely deconstruct the musical biopic subgenre, and...
- 8/1/2011
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Movie poster for Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life directed by Joann Sfar Check out the first movie poster for Music Box Films' Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (a.k.a. Vie héroïque), starring Eric Elmosnino, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta, Doug Jones, Anna Mouglalis, Mylène Jampanoï and Sara Forestier. The drama helmed by Joann Sfar opens on August 31st. Taking the best from La Vie En Rose and AMÉLIE, renowned comic book artist Joann Sfar’s Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life is a completely original take on one of France’s greatest mavericks, the illustrious and infamous Jewish singer-songwriter, Serge Gainsbourg (Eric Elmosnino). Born Lucien Ginsburg to Russian-Jewish parents, Sfar follows him from his precocious childhood in Nazi-occupied Paris, to his beginnings as small time jazz musician and finally pop superstar...
- 8/1/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Movie poster for Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life directed by Joann Sfar Check out the first movie poster for Music Box Films' Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (a.k.a. Vie héroïque), starring Eric Elmosnino, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta, Doug Jones, Anna Mouglalis, Mylène Jampanoï and Sara Forestier. The drama helmed by Joann Sfar opens on August 31st. Taking the best from La Vie En Rose and AMÉLIE, renowned comic book artist Joann Sfar’s Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life is a completely original take on one of France’s greatest mavericks, the illustrious and infamous Jewish singer-songwriter, Serge Gainsbourg (Eric Elmosnino). Born Lucien Ginsburg to Russian-Jewish parents, Sfar follows him from his precocious childhood in Nazi-occupied Paris, to his beginnings as small time jazz musician and finally pop superstar...
- 8/1/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Movie poster for Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life directed by Joann Sfar Check out the first movie poster for Music Box Films' Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (a.k.a. Vie héroïque), starring Eric Elmosnino, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta, Doug Jones, Anna Mouglalis, Mylène Jampanoï and Sara Forestier. The drama helmed by Joann Sfar opens on August 31st. Taking the best from La Vie En Rose and AMÉLIE, renowned comic book artist Joann Sfar’s Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life is a completely original take on one of France’s greatest mavericks, the illustrious and infamous Jewish singer-songwriter, Serge Gainsbourg (Eric Elmosnino). Born Lucien Ginsburg to Russian-Jewish parents, Sfar follows him from his precocious childhood in Nazi-occupied Paris, to his beginnings as small time jazz musician and finally pop superstar...
- 8/1/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Scream 4
Opens: April 15th 2011
Cast: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Mary McDonnell, Emma Roberts Director: Wes Craven
Summary: Sidney Prescott, now the author of a self-help book, returns home to Woodsboro on the last stop of her book tour. There she reconnects with family and friends, but it also brings about the return of Ghostface which puts the whole town in danger.
Analysis: Back in late 1996 when I first began covering film news, "Scream" was released and became more than just a sleeper hit. After years of genre movies being relegated to direct-to-video status, this comedic slasher spawned the biggest surge in the horror film genre since "Halloween" almost two decades before. Its post-modern stylings and witty self-aware dialogue went on to be a big influence on films and television in general.
Yet the "Scream" series itself never could quite capture that glory again. By the time the...
Opens: April 15th 2011
Cast: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Mary McDonnell, Emma Roberts Director: Wes Craven
Summary: Sidney Prescott, now the author of a self-help book, returns home to Woodsboro on the last stop of her book tour. There she reconnects with family and friends, but it also brings about the return of Ghostface which puts the whole town in danger.
Analysis: Back in late 1996 when I first began covering film news, "Scream" was released and became more than just a sleeper hit. After years of genre movies being relegated to direct-to-video status, this comedic slasher spawned the biggest surge in the horror film genre since "Halloween" almost two decades before. Its post-modern stylings and witty self-aware dialogue went on to be a big influence on films and television in general.
Yet the "Scream" series itself never could quite capture that glory again. By the time the...
- 3/8/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
This is the review for Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque), starring Eric Elmosnino, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta, Doug Jones, Anna Mouglalis, Mylène Jampanoï, Sara Forestier, Kacey Mottet Klein and Razvan Vasilescu, directed by Joann Sfar. Joann Sfar’s debut film documents the life of the one and only, ugly as sin, sexy as hell, Serge Gainsbourg. Sfar has set himself quite the challenge - with the title alone - to convince us of Gainsbourg’s ‘heroic’ attributes. The film captures Gainsbourg’s cheeky wit; indeed, the subtitle makes reference to his most famous song ‘Je t’aime…moi non plus’, which translates to ‘I love you…me neither’. The song was banned in many countries after its release in the 1960s, due to the sexually explicit lyrics contained within the song, and Jane Birkin’s apparent orgasm at the end.
- 1/13/2011
- by Sarah Wayman
- Pure Movies
If there’s one thing that Joann Sfar’s Gainsbourg (2010) - an innovative biopic of cult French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg - told me, it’s that he smoked...a lot. And sometimes, he didn’t shave for a few days. He also had an extraordinary allure for women since pre-pubescence. However, this was about all the insight provided by Sfar's competent effort.
Like 2009’s Notorious, nothing in the film successfully told me why the eponymous lead was, first and foremost, a revolutionary and inspirational musician and songwriter, making any mention of his record work a moment of novelty, seemingly a cheap nod to music fans. Gainsbourg’s offer to write a “dirty song...about lollipops” for France Gall makes sense only to those familiar with the ridiculously obvious sexual double-meanings of her song “Lollipops”, and the camp, over-the-top reactions of a record studio executive to Gainsbourg and wife Jane Birkin’s classic “Je t’aime,...
Like 2009’s Notorious, nothing in the film successfully told me why the eponymous lead was, first and foremost, a revolutionary and inspirational musician and songwriter, making any mention of his record work a moment of novelty, seemingly a cheap nod to music fans. Gainsbourg’s offer to write a “dirty song...about lollipops” for France Gall makes sense only to those familiar with the ridiculously obvious sexual double-meanings of her song “Lollipops”, and the camp, over-the-top reactions of a record studio executive to Gainsbourg and wife Jane Birkin’s classic “Je t’aime,...
- 1/12/2011
- by Daniel Green
- CineVue
Gainsbourg
Blu-ray & DVD, Optimum
What first impresses about this unusual biopic is how spot-on the casting is: Eric Elmosnino, model Laetitia Casta and the late Lucy Gordon (who committed suicide before this was released, adding an unintended air of poignancy) are the absolute spit of Serge Gainsbourg, Brigitte Bardot and Jane Birkin. However, what's more impressive is that, despite being armed with a cast that automatically lends such realism, first-time director Joann Sfar turns the life of singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg into a surreal fantasy fairytale. Sfar, basing the film on his graphic novel, throws in animation, puppetry and creature FX into the story. To show what Gainsbourg is thinking he has Elmosnino share scenes with Doug Jones (a rake-thin actor who has performed creature roles in Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy) as Gainsbourg's caricature alter ego, La Gueule. With such visual and filmic conceits, Gainsbourg is more about capturing the...
Blu-ray & DVD, Optimum
What first impresses about this unusual biopic is how spot-on the casting is: Eric Elmosnino, model Laetitia Casta and the late Lucy Gordon (who committed suicide before this was released, adding an unintended air of poignancy) are the absolute spit of Serge Gainsbourg, Brigitte Bardot and Jane Birkin. However, what's more impressive is that, despite being armed with a cast that automatically lends such realism, first-time director Joann Sfar turns the life of singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg into a surreal fantasy fairytale. Sfar, basing the film on his graphic novel, throws in animation, puppetry and creature FX into the story. To show what Gainsbourg is thinking he has Elmosnino share scenes with Doug Jones (a rake-thin actor who has performed creature roles in Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy) as Gainsbourg's caricature alter ego, La Gueule. With such visual and filmic conceits, Gainsbourg is more about capturing the...
- 1/8/2011
- by Phelim O'Neill
- The Guardian - Film News
A striking opening scene set on a beach featuring young Lucien Ginsburg asking a girl if he can hold her hand and then being subsequently turned down for being to ugly begins graphic novelist turned director Joann Sfar’s electrically charged biopic. It sets the tone perfectly for what follows as we witness the ups and downs of the one and only Serge Gainsbourg: a man who perfected the art of lust but took quite a few beatings before he learnt life’s vital lesson about true love.
Unlike La Vie En Rose Sfar doesn’t offer us a straight up biopic. The film’s quite surreal imagery is nicely encapsulated in a quite wonderful animated opening credits sequence. What follows from then on is a whirlwind account of the legendary artist that deals with fantasy as well as non-fiction. Gainsbourg was a dreamer and Sfar delivers a film...
Unlike La Vie En Rose Sfar doesn’t offer us a straight up biopic. The film’s quite surreal imagery is nicely encapsulated in a quite wonderful animated opening credits sequence. What follows from then on is a whirlwind account of the legendary artist that deals with fantasy as well as non-fiction. Gainsbourg was a dreamer and Sfar delivers a film...
- 1/7/2011
- by Alex Wagner
- FilmShaft.com
To celebrate the release of Gainsbourg on DVD and Blu-ray, 10th of January, we are giving you three people the chance to win a copy of the French biopic in glorious high definition Blu-ray!
A vivid interpretation of the life of one of the twentieth century’s most extraordinary artists – singer, songwriter and hellraiser, Serge Gainsbourg. Beginning with an enchanting glimpse at his early life, growing up in 1940′s occupied Paris, we follow the metamorphosis of precocious Lucien Ginsburg into ‘Serge Gainsbourg’, through his successful song-writing years in the 1960′s, until his death in 1991. Tracing not only the major steps in his musical trajectory from obscure pianist to cabaret artiste to major pop cultural phenomenon, Gainsbourg also explores lesser known dimensions of his colourful persona: his Russian/Jewish roots and his aspirations as a painter. Gainsbourg encompasses the seminal moments of his career and glamorous notoriety, including the recording of...
A vivid interpretation of the life of one of the twentieth century’s most extraordinary artists – singer, songwriter and hellraiser, Serge Gainsbourg. Beginning with an enchanting glimpse at his early life, growing up in 1940′s occupied Paris, we follow the metamorphosis of precocious Lucien Ginsburg into ‘Serge Gainsbourg’, through his successful song-writing years in the 1960′s, until his death in 1991. Tracing not only the major steps in his musical trajectory from obscure pianist to cabaret artiste to major pop cultural phenomenon, Gainsbourg also explores lesser known dimensions of his colourful persona: his Russian/Jewish roots and his aspirations as a painter. Gainsbourg encompasses the seminal moments of his career and glamorous notoriety, including the recording of...
- 1/5/2011
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Joann Sfar’s loving, surreal celebration of the life and work of the iconic French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg is one of the more engaging and intriguing music biopics of recent years, largely because the graphic novelist and first time director embraces an unconventional approach to tell the story of an unconventional life.
Gainsbourg (Vie Héroique) loosely traces the life of the often controversial musician from his birth (as Lucien Ginzburg) in Paris in 1928 to his death in 1991 at age 62, covering just enough of the events of his life to appease the uninitiated who are curious as to what all the fuss was about the ‘dirty old man’ of French music.
While most of the ingredients that make music biopics so enticing are present (intergenerational conflict, cool tunes, and of course sex, lots of booze, and rock ‘n’ roll), writer/director Sfar eschews reliance on these tired tropes as an end in and of themselves,...
Gainsbourg (Vie Héroique) loosely traces the life of the often controversial musician from his birth (as Lucien Ginzburg) in Paris in 1928 to his death in 1991 at age 62, covering just enough of the events of his life to appease the uninitiated who are curious as to what all the fuss was about the ‘dirty old man’ of French music.
While most of the ingredients that make music biopics so enticing are present (intergenerational conflict, cool tunes, and of course sex, lots of booze, and rock ‘n’ roll), writer/director Sfar eschews reliance on these tired tropes as an end in and of themselves,...
- 8/16/2010
- by Guest
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
This is a clip from Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque), directed by Joann Sfar and starring Eric Elmosnino, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta, Doug Jones, Anna Mouglalis, Mylène Jampanoï and Sara Forestier. From visionary graphic artist and director Joann Sfar comes a completely original take on one of France’s greatest mavericks, the illustrious and infamous Serge Gainsbourg. Taking the best from La Vie En Rose and Amelie, Gainsbourg is one of 2010’s highly awaited films brought to us by one of the most beloved graphic artists of our time and the team behind the magical creatures of Pan’s Labyrinth.
- 8/12/2010
- by Dan Higgins
- Pure Movies
This is a clip from Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque), directed by Joann Sfar and starring Eric Elmosnino, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta, Doug Jones, Anna Mouglalis, Mylène Jampanoï and Sara Forestier. From visionary graphic artist and director Joann Sfar comes a completely original take on one of France’s greatest mavericks, the illustrious and infamous Serge Gainsbourg. Taking the best from La Vie En Rose and Amelie, Gainsbourg is one of 2010’s highly awaited films brought to us by one of the most beloved graphic artists of our time and the team behind the magical creatures of Pan’s Labyrinth.
- 8/10/2010
- by Dan Higgins
- Pure Movies
LOVEFiLM: What was the attraction of making a film about Serge Gainsbourg?
Joann Sfar: I have been a graphic novelist for twenty years and when I was asked to make a movie I wanted to make one based on music and love, the Gainsbourg figure seemed very appealing to me. He was the only French singer with an attitude and the only cool man on French television. Everybody was boring and there was this old Jewish guy who would say rude words, get drunk and had a bad temper. I wanted to show the intimacy of these kinds of musical characters.
Lf: What is interesting about Serge, is how complicated he is, and in this film you’re not afraid to show him as quite a difficult person.
Js: The whole point is ‘Do you still love me if I behave this way?’ Try this behaviour, try this demeanour,...
Joann Sfar: I have been a graphic novelist for twenty years and when I was asked to make a movie I wanted to make one based on music and love, the Gainsbourg figure seemed very appealing to me. He was the only French singer with an attitude and the only cool man on French television. Everybody was boring and there was this old Jewish guy who would say rude words, get drunk and had a bad temper. I wanted to show the intimacy of these kinds of musical characters.
Lf: What is interesting about Serge, is how complicated he is, and in this film you’re not afraid to show him as quite a difficult person.
Js: The whole point is ‘Do you still love me if I behave this way?’ Try this behaviour, try this demeanour,...
- 8/10/2010
- by helen.cowley@lovefilm.com (Helen Cowley)
- LOVEFiLM
LOVEFiLM: What was the attraction of making a film about Serge Gainsbourg?
Joann Sfar: I have been a graphic novelist for twenty years and when I was asked to make a movie I wanted to make one based on music and love, the Gainsbourg figure seemed very appealing to me. He was the only French singer with an attitude and the only cool man on French television. Everybody was boring and there was this old Jewish guy who would say rude words, get drunk and had a bad temper. I wanted to show the intimacy of these kinds of musical characters.
Lf: What is interesting about Serge, is how complicated he is, and in this film you’re not afraid to show him as quite a difficult person.
Js: The whole point is ‘Do you still love me if I behave this way?’ Try this behaviour, try this demeanour,...
Joann Sfar: I have been a graphic novelist for twenty years and when I was asked to make a movie I wanted to make one based on music and love, the Gainsbourg figure seemed very appealing to me. He was the only French singer with an attitude and the only cool man on French television. Everybody was boring and there was this old Jewish guy who would say rude words, get drunk and had a bad temper. I wanted to show the intimacy of these kinds of musical characters.
Lf: What is interesting about Serge, is how complicated he is, and in this film you’re not afraid to show him as quite a difficult person.
Js: The whole point is ‘Do you still love me if I behave this way?’ Try this behaviour, try this demeanour,...
- 8/10/2010
- by helen.cowley@lovefilm.com (Helen Cowley)
- LOVEFiLM
LOVEFiLM: What was the attraction of making a film about Serge Gainsbourg?
Joann Sfar: I have been a graphic novelist for twenty years and when I was asked to make a movie I wanted to make one based on music and love, the Gainsbourg figure seemed very appealing to me. He was the only French singer with an attitude and the only cool man on French television. Everybody was boring and there was this old Jewish guy who would say rude words, get drunk and had a bad temper. I wanted to show the intimacy of these kinds of musical characters.
Lf: What is interesting about Serge, is how complicated he is, and in this film you’re not afraid to show him as quite a difficult person.
Js: The whole point is ‘Do you still love me if I behave this way?’ Try this behaviour, try this demeanour,...
Joann Sfar: I have been a graphic novelist for twenty years and when I was asked to make a movie I wanted to make one based on music and love, the Gainsbourg figure seemed very appealing to me. He was the only French singer with an attitude and the only cool man on French television. Everybody was boring and there was this old Jewish guy who would say rude words, get drunk and had a bad temper. I wanted to show the intimacy of these kinds of musical characters.
Lf: What is interesting about Serge, is how complicated he is, and in this film you’re not afraid to show him as quite a difficult person.
Js: The whole point is ‘Do you still love me if I behave this way?’ Try this behaviour, try this demeanour,...
- 8/10/2010
- by helen.cowley@lovefilm.com (Helen Cowley)
- LOVEFiLM
This is the trailer for Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque), directed by Joann Sfar and starring Eric Elmosnino, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta, Doug Jones, Anna Mouglalis, Mylène Jampanoï and Sara Forestier. From visionary graphic artist and director Joann Sfar comes a completely original take on one of France’s greatest mavericks, the illustrious and infamous Serge Gainsbourg. Taking the best from La Vie En Rose and Amelie, Gainsbourg is one of 2010’s highly awaited films brought to us by one of the most beloved graphic artists of our time and the team behind the magical creatures of Pan’s Labyrinth.
- 8/8/2010
- by Dan Higgins
- Pure Movies
Joann Sfar's bold debut is a highly enjoyable – if low on detail – life of the charismatic French singer Serge Gainsbourg
In the 1930s Warner Brothers developed a serious line in earnest, inspirational films celebrating great scientists, liberators and social benefactors, usually played by Edward G Robinson or Paul Muni, dedicated to Longfellow's lines in his "A Psalm of Life": "Lives of great men all remind us/ We can make our lives sublime/ And, departing, leave behind us/ Footprints on the sands of time." But Variety's contemptuous neologism "biopic" stuck, and biography has never had much standing in the cinema – unlike the literary world where, under the larger rubric of "life writing", it's a serious matter both to practise and study.
Orson Welles's Citizen Kane in the 1940s and the Italian Marxist Francesco Rosi's Salvatore Giuliano in the 60s attempted to find an inventive form that would...
In the 1930s Warner Brothers developed a serious line in earnest, inspirational films celebrating great scientists, liberators and social benefactors, usually played by Edward G Robinson or Paul Muni, dedicated to Longfellow's lines in his "A Psalm of Life": "Lives of great men all remind us/ We can make our lives sublime/ And, departing, leave behind us/ Footprints on the sands of time." But Variety's contemptuous neologism "biopic" stuck, and biography has never had much standing in the cinema – unlike the literary world where, under the larger rubric of "life writing", it's a serious matter both to practise and study.
Orson Welles's Citizen Kane in the 1940s and the Italian Marxist Francesco Rosi's Salvatore Giuliano in the 60s attempted to find an inventive form that would...
- 7/31/2010
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
The A-Team (12A)
(Joe Carnahan, 2010, Us) Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel. 119 mins
Versus
The Karate Kid (PG)
(Harald Zwart, 2010, Us) Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P Henson. 140 mins
Who should you put your money on in the clash of the 1980s remakes? In the red corner, a meat locker full of wisecracking testosterone; in the blue, a Hollywood brat chop-socking it to the Chinese. Both bring their stories up-to-date (the A-Team are now post-Iraq special ops; the Karate Kid is set in Beijing, and more of a kung fu kid), while playing on the old shtick, and both overstay their welcome by a good half-hour. The A-Team strikes the right cartoony tone, but then bludgeons you into boredom with action. The Karate Kid at least earns its predictable payoff, despite the nepotism and tourist-brochure China. It's no knockout, but the Kid wins this bout on points.
Gainsbourg (15)
(Joann Sfar,...
(Joe Carnahan, 2010, Us) Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel. 119 mins
Versus
The Karate Kid (PG)
(Harald Zwart, 2010, Us) Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P Henson. 140 mins
Who should you put your money on in the clash of the 1980s remakes? In the red corner, a meat locker full of wisecracking testosterone; in the blue, a Hollywood brat chop-socking it to the Chinese. Both bring their stories up-to-date (the A-Team are now post-Iraq special ops; the Karate Kid is set in Beijing, and more of a kung fu kid), while playing on the old shtick, and both overstay their welcome by a good half-hour. The A-Team strikes the right cartoony tone, but then bludgeons you into boredom with action. The Karate Kid at least earns its predictable payoff, despite the nepotism and tourist-brochure China. It's no knockout, but the Kid wins this bout on points.
Gainsbourg (15)
(Joann Sfar,...
- 7/30/2010
- by The guide
- The Guardian - Film News
Graphic novelist turned director, Joann Sfar, brings controversial singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg to vivid life in a quirky and brilliant biopic. Starring Eric Elmosino and the late Lucy Gordon, Sfar, directs Gainsbourg with a refreshing insouciance to the laws of film-making.
FilmShaft caught up with Monsieur Sfar to discuss bringing an icon and a true original back to life on the screen. There was nobody quite like Serge…
What is it about Serge Gainsbourg that you admire so much?
Well, first of all his songs … and then he was the only French guy with an attitude on television when I was a kid. Not only me, but the whole country was in love with him … he was always drunk on age and always mentioning sexual stuff … he was harassing people on stage, and yet, he was so intelligent. He also reminds of a golden age of France and French popular culture which has disappeared now.
FilmShaft caught up with Monsieur Sfar to discuss bringing an icon and a true original back to life on the screen. There was nobody quite like Serge…
What is it about Serge Gainsbourg that you admire so much?
Well, first of all his songs … and then he was the only French guy with an attitude on television when I was a kid. Not only me, but the whole country was in love with him … he was always drunk on age and always mentioning sexual stuff … he was harassing people on stage, and yet, he was so intelligent. He also reminds of a golden age of France and French popular culture which has disappeared now.
- 7/30/2010
- by Martyn Conterio
- FilmShaft.com
Adored and despised in fairly equal measure, Serge Gainsbourg is the subject of an appropriately spiky biopic. By Peter Bradshaw
Joann Sfar's movie-portrait of French musical legend Serge Gainsbourg, taken from his own graphic novel, is as spiky, tricky and arresting as its subject. The movie arrives here flavoured with an awful sadness. Lucy Gordon gives a great performance as Gainsbourg's lover Jane Birkin – with whom he ecorded the steamy Je T'Aime ... Moi Non Plus – and who is the mother of Charlotte Gainsbourg. Gordon killed herself shortly before the film's release in France.
Sfar boldly sites Gainsbourg's musical career in its political context and unapologetically positions his leading character's talent and complex personality in relationship to his Judaism and French antisemitism. Gainsbourg's Jewish identity is a source of tension. This natural, mercurial rebel found that a bigoted put-down in the press could never be ruled out.
Joann Sfar's movie-portrait of French musical legend Serge Gainsbourg, taken from his own graphic novel, is as spiky, tricky and arresting as its subject. The movie arrives here flavoured with an awful sadness. Lucy Gordon gives a great performance as Gainsbourg's lover Jane Birkin – with whom he ecorded the steamy Je T'Aime ... Moi Non Plus – and who is the mother of Charlotte Gainsbourg. Gordon killed herself shortly before the film's release in France.
Sfar boldly sites Gainsbourg's musical career in its political context and unapologetically positions his leading character's talent and complex personality in relationship to his Judaism and French antisemitism. Gainsbourg's Jewish identity is a source of tension. This natural, mercurial rebel found that a bigoted put-down in the press could never be ruled out.
- 7/29/2010
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Graphic novelist Joann Sfar creates a surrealist portrait of iconoclast songwriter, Serge Gainsbourg (et son Gainsburre). Not content with delivering a standard biopic in the mould of La Vie en Rose or Coco avant Chanel, Gainsbourg is a free-wheelin’ tour through the life and times of a real one-off. He was the man who made being French and chain-smoking look cool.
Gainsbourg wrote some of the best songs ever and his influence is still felt today. Of course he’d a rather shambolic life fraught with romantic disappointments, problems with booze and authority figures. At one point he managed to annoy the whole of France with a rendition of the national anthem highlighting its disturbing blood-soaked imagery. The far-right threatened to kick his Jewish head in.
Depth of knowledge and detail of the man’s life does yield more rewards than for the average viewer. That’s not an overt criticism at all,...
Gainsbourg wrote some of the best songs ever and his influence is still felt today. Of course he’d a rather shambolic life fraught with romantic disappointments, problems with booze and authority figures. At one point he managed to annoy the whole of France with a rendition of the national anthem highlighting its disturbing blood-soaked imagery. The far-right threatened to kick his Jewish head in.
Depth of knowledge and detail of the man’s life does yield more rewards than for the average viewer. That’s not an overt criticism at all,...
- 7/26/2010
- by Martyn Conterio
- FilmShaft.com
Lucy Gordon didn't live to see the acclaim that she would receive for playing Jane Birkin in Gainsbourg, a biopic about the acclaimed French crooner, Serge. She committed suicide aged 28 in May 2009, just a short time after filming had completed and just before she was due to appear in Cannes to promote the film. The usual tittle-tattle about suicide notes and suppositions as to why she took her own life quickly appeared, alongside premature (the film was still some way from being completed) assessments of her talent. Now, as Joann Sfar's film hits cinemas, it's clear that, like Birkin, Gordon was set to move from mannequin to actress with aplomb.
- 7/22/2010
- The Independent - Film
Serge Gainsbourg finally gets the movie treatment with a very funny and peculiar effort from graphic novelist Joann Sfar in the straight-forwardly titled – Gainsbourg. Based on a graphic novel, the film takes an often surreal and fun look at the life of the great songwriter.
Starring an impressive turn by Eric Elmosnino and the late Lucy Gordon as Jane Birkin, Gainsbourg, is released 30th July (UK). Come back for our review early next week and in the mean time, enjoy this brand new clip from the film.
Synopsis:
From visionary graphic artist and director Joann Sfar comes a completely original take on one of France’s greatest mavericks, the illustrious and infamous Serge Gainsbourg. Gainsbourg is an enchanting glimpse at his early life, growing up in 1940s Nazi-occupied Paris, and through his successful song-writing years in the 1960s until his death in 1991. Taking the best from La Vie En Rose and Amelie,...
Starring an impressive turn by Eric Elmosnino and the late Lucy Gordon as Jane Birkin, Gainsbourg, is released 30th July (UK). Come back for our review early next week and in the mean time, enjoy this brand new clip from the film.
Synopsis:
From visionary graphic artist and director Joann Sfar comes a completely original take on one of France’s greatest mavericks, the illustrious and infamous Serge Gainsbourg. Gainsbourg is an enchanting glimpse at his early life, growing up in 1940s Nazi-occupied Paris, and through his successful song-writing years in the 1960s until his death in 1991. Taking the best from La Vie En Rose and Amelie,...
- 7/21/2010
- by Martyn Conterio
- FilmShaft.com
Optimum Releasing have just sent us another brand new International poster for Gainsbourg which is directed by Joann Sfar and stars Eric Elmosnino, Eric Elmosnino, Anna Mouglalis, Laetitia Casta, Lucy Gordon and Mylene Jampanoi.
It’s set for release 30th July and is based on the true life story of Serge Gainsbourg. Optimum have also sent us a brand new clip from the movie which you can see below.
Synopsis: From visionary graphic artist and director Joann Sfar comes a completely original take on one of France’s greatest mavericks, the illustrious and infamous Serge Gainsbourg. Gainsbourg is an enchanting glimpse at his early life, growing up in 1940s Nazi-occupied Paris, and through his successful song-writing years in the 1960s until his death in 1991. Taking the best from La Vie En Rose and Amelie, Gainsbourg is one of 2010’s highly awaited films brought to us by one of the most...
It’s set for release 30th July and is based on the true life story of Serge Gainsbourg. Optimum have also sent us a brand new clip from the movie which you can see below.
Synopsis: From visionary graphic artist and director Joann Sfar comes a completely original take on one of France’s greatest mavericks, the illustrious and infamous Serge Gainsbourg. Gainsbourg is an enchanting glimpse at his early life, growing up in 1940s Nazi-occupied Paris, and through his successful song-writing years in the 1960s until his death in 1991. Taking the best from La Vie En Rose and Amelie, Gainsbourg is one of 2010’s highly awaited films brought to us by one of the most...
- 7/20/2010
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
With A bout de Souffle making the rounds again this month with a restored print you owe it to yourselves to check it out, and consider it a precursor to the new film of Serge Gainsbourg’s life.
Unambiguously titled Gainsbourg, this film of the tumultuous life of the singer, actor and director is directed by Joann Sfar the film stars Eric Elmosnino, Anna Mouglalis, Laetitia Casta, Lucy Gordon and Mylene Jampanoi, and there’s trailer, alternative poster and set of stills here to fully immerse you in the ultra cool atmos.
Gainsbourg is getting a release here in the UK on the 30th of July, here’s the poster you’ll be seeing before then. It’s clickable. Don’t be shy.
The lords and ladies at Empire had their hands on this first.
Unambiguously titled Gainsbourg, this film of the tumultuous life of the singer, actor and director is directed by Joann Sfar the film stars Eric Elmosnino, Anna Mouglalis, Laetitia Casta, Lucy Gordon and Mylene Jampanoi, and there’s trailer, alternative poster and set of stills here to fully immerse you in the ultra cool atmos.
Gainsbourg is getting a release here in the UK on the 30th of July, here’s the poster you’ll be seeing before then. It’s clickable. Don’t be shy.
The lords and ladies at Empire had their hands on this first.
- 7/6/2010
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
This graphic novelist's first film, about his idol Serge Gainsbourg, combines animation with a 'creative' approach to the truth
Who is he?
A French graphic novelist turned film-maker, whose research methods on his debut, Gainsbourg (Vie Héroïque), were somewhat insouciant.
How so?
Before he wrote the script, Sfar watched all the interviews he could find. "At the end, it felt like I met Serge Gainsbourg at a nightclub at four o'clock in the morning," he says. "He was drunk and told me his life story." Sfar says he couldn't care less if any of it were true.
This isn't your run-of-the-mill biopic, then?
More musical than biopic, reckons Sfar, with flights into animation: his 12-year-old Gainsbourg is followed around Nazi-occupied Paris by an antisemitic caricature/alter ego, "the Mug".
Sfar is a big Gainsbourg fan?
Has been since 15, when he watched a booze-soaked, lascivious Gainsbourg on TV. "I had the...
Who is he?
A French graphic novelist turned film-maker, whose research methods on his debut, Gainsbourg (Vie Héroïque), were somewhat insouciant.
How so?
Before he wrote the script, Sfar watched all the interviews he could find. "At the end, it felt like I met Serge Gainsbourg at a nightclub at four o'clock in the morning," he says. "He was drunk and told me his life story." Sfar says he couldn't care less if any of it were true.
This isn't your run-of-the-mill biopic, then?
More musical than biopic, reckons Sfar, with flights into animation: his 12-year-old Gainsbourg is followed around Nazi-occupied Paris by an antisemitic caricature/alter ego, "the Mug".
Sfar is a big Gainsbourg fan?
Has been since 15, when he watched a booze-soaked, lascivious Gainsbourg on TV. "I had the...
- 7/5/2010
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
While its football team somehow managed to make even more of a spectacle of itself than ours did in South Africa, France can at least take cinematic comfort in a different kind of enfant terrible later this month. Here in all his insouciant glory is Serge Gainsbourg, captured on the new quad for Gainsbourg, Joann Sfar's film of his tumultuous life. The biopic charts Gainsbourg’s (Eric Elmosnino) life from childhood in a Jewish family coping with the Nazi occupation of Paris to his rise to pop star and all-round poster boy for Gallic cool, to his death in 1991. When he wasn't dating astonishing-looking women, he was known for his musical shapeshifting, morphing effortlessly from jazz to pop to reggae and eventually electronica. And for smoking loads and loads of fags.Character-wise, Gainsbourg is a Who's Who of icons, including exes Brigitte Bardot (Laetitia Casta), Jane Barkin (Lucy Gordon) and the singer's last partner,...
- 7/5/2010
- EmpireOnline
Optimum Releassing have just sent us this new Internatonal trailer for Gainsbourg which is directed by Joann Sfar and stars Eric Elmosnino, Eric Elmosnino, Anna Mouglalis, Laetitia Casta, Lucy Gordon and Mylene Jampanoi.
It’s set for release 30th July and is based on the true life story of Serge Gainsbourg and from the trailer and these images, the movie looks beautifully shot.
Synopsis: From visionary graphic artist and director Joann Sfar comes a completely original take on one of France’s greatest mavericks, the illustrious and infamous Serge Gainsbourg. Gainsbourg is an enchanting glimpse at his early life, growing up in 1940s Nazi-occupied Paris, and through his successful song-writing years in the 1960s until his death in 1991. Taking the best from La Vie En Rose and Amelie, Gainsbourg is one of 2010’s highly awaited films brought to us by one of the most beloved graphic artists of our time...
It’s set for release 30th July and is based on the true life story of Serge Gainsbourg and from the trailer and these images, the movie looks beautifully shot.
Synopsis: From visionary graphic artist and director Joann Sfar comes a completely original take on one of France’s greatest mavericks, the illustrious and infamous Serge Gainsbourg. Gainsbourg is an enchanting glimpse at his early life, growing up in 1940s Nazi-occupied Paris, and through his successful song-writing years in the 1960s until his death in 1991. Taking the best from La Vie En Rose and Amelie, Gainsbourg is one of 2010’s highly awaited films brought to us by one of the most beloved graphic artists of our time...
- 6/29/2010
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
This is the trailer for Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque), directed by Joann Sfar and starring Eric Elmosnino, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta, Doug Jones, Anna Mouglalis, Mylène Jampanoï and Sara Forestier. From visionary graphic artist and director Joann Sfar comes a completely original take on one of France’s greatest mavericks, the illustrious and infamous Serge Gainsbourg. Gainsbourg is an enchanting glimpse at his early life, growing up in 1940s Nazi-occupied Paris, and through his successful song-writing years in the 1960s until his death in 1991. Taking the best from La Vie En Rose and Amelie, Gainsbourg is one of 2010’s highly awaited films brought to us by one of the most beloved graphic artists of our time and the team behind the magical creatures of Pan’s Labyrinth.
- 6/19/2010
- by Dan Higgins
- Pure Movies
Director: Joann Sfar Cast: Eric Elmosnino, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta, The name Serge Gainsbourg brings to mind that peculiarly French brand of charming and sexually liberated arrogance. His music was playful and rude, his showmanship delightfully droll. Cigarette in hand, with croaking wisps of biting sarcasm, he encapsulated perfectly the laconic but immense passion of the French spirit. But behind this illuminated public persona lay an introverted and stubborn individual. Gainbourg’s stooping physique may have seemed, to his fans, like the sulking, lackadaisical haunch of a genius; but in fact it was the gait of a stubborn man ploughing forward through his life without a thought for the friends, relatives, and lovers he was leaving in his wake. Gainsbourg was born to Russian-Jewish parents in Paris in 1928. His father was a bar pianist and his mother a soprano, but Gainsbourg was determined to become a painter and, after being expelled from school,...
- 6/7/2010
- by Nicholas Deigman
- t5m.com
Akira Kurosawa And His Influence, London
If you've never seen a Kurosawa film, then a) you've doubtless seen a film made by someone who's seen a Kurosawa film, and b) shame on you. The Japanese master devoured western film and literature (John Ford and Ed McBain were favourites), and translated them into samurai epics and domestic films noirs, which westerners devoured right back. Here you get both sides of the coin. Compare Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name in A Fistful Of Dollars with Toshirô Mifune's wily samurai in Yojimbo, catch the Hamlet influences in Kurosawa's 1960s corporate thriller The Bad Sleep Well, spot the original C3PO and R2D2 in The Hidden Fortress, or see how the multi-angle flashback structure of Rashômon (on extended release) has lent itself to medieval Sweden (Bergman's Virgin Spring), the Wild West (Outrage) and ancient China (Zhang Yimou's Hero).
BFI Southbank,...
If you've never seen a Kurosawa film, then a) you've doubtless seen a film made by someone who's seen a Kurosawa film, and b) shame on you. The Japanese master devoured western film and literature (John Ford and Ed McBain were favourites), and translated them into samurai epics and domestic films noirs, which westerners devoured right back. Here you get both sides of the coin. Compare Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name in A Fistful Of Dollars with Toshirô Mifune's wily samurai in Yojimbo, catch the Hamlet influences in Kurosawa's 1960s corporate thriller The Bad Sleep Well, spot the original C3PO and R2D2 in The Hidden Fortress, or see how the multi-angle flashback structure of Rashômon (on extended release) has lent itself to medieval Sweden (Bergman's Virgin Spring), the Wild West (Outrage) and ancient China (Zhang Yimou's Hero).
BFI Southbank,...
- 6/4/2010
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Sibel Kekilli in Feo Aladag’s When We Leave (top); Riccardo Scamarcio in Ferzan Ozpetek’s Loose Cannons (upper middle); Eric Elmosnino as Serge Gainsbourg, Lucy Gordon as Jane Birkin, in Joann Sfar’s Gainsbourg, Je t’Aime… Moi Non Plus (lower middle); Kim Chapiron’s Dog Pound (bottom) Tribeca 2010 Winners: When We Leave, Monica & David, Sibel Kekilli, Eric Elmosnino World Narrative Competition 2010 World Narrative Feature Competition Jurors: Hope Davis, Aaron Eckhart, John Hamburg, Cheryl Hines, John Ridley, Gary Ross and Gary Winick The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature When We Leave (Die Fremde) Directed and written by Feo Aladag (Germany) Special Jury Mention Loose Cannons Directed by Ferzan Ozpetek, written by Ferzan Ozpetek and Ivan Cotroneo Best New Narrative Filmmaker Kim Chapiron for Dog Pound Written by Kim Chapiron [...]...
- 4/30/2010
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
For our Tribeca preview today, we’re taking a peek at the French biopic, Gainsbourg, Je t’Aime… Moi Non Plus (or Gainsbourg, vie héroïque, depending on where you look), from writer/director/artist: Joann Sfar.
The film examines the life of Serge Gainsbourg, the influential French musician, filmmaker, and actor. In presenting this preview, we’re only showing you the teaser, as presently there aren’t many clips on line with subtitles. You can find another longer look at the film on YouTube, provided by Universal France. The film is based on Sfar’s graphic novel about Gainsbourg, and you can find several incredible illustrations from the director on the film’s website, although you’ll have to navigate through the French menus. One last note, according to the cast notes, Doug Jones will be appearing in the film, which is pretty sweet, as we don’t get enough...
The film examines the life of Serge Gainsbourg, the influential French musician, filmmaker, and actor. In presenting this preview, we’re only showing you the teaser, as presently there aren’t many clips on line with subtitles. You can find another longer look at the film on YouTube, provided by Universal France. The film is based on Sfar’s graphic novel about Gainsbourg, and you can find several incredible illustrations from the director on the film’s website, although you’ll have to navigate through the French menus. One last note, according to the cast notes, Doug Jones will be appearing in the film, which is pretty sweet, as we don’t get enough...
- 4/15/2010
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
"Avatar" is the winner and new worldwide boxoffice champion.
After six rounds on the foreign circuit, "Avatar" is now the biggest-grossing film of all time, as earlier predicted.
Distributor 20th Century Fox said the James Cameron mega-budget blockbuster's worldwide cume -- excluding Puerto Rico -- was through the weekend just $2 million shy of "Titanic's" global boxoffice record of $1.843 billion. (Boxoffice in Puerto Rico, although generated offshore, is considered by Fox as part of its domestic total.)
The distributor confirmed that "Titanic's" historic benchmark fell as of early Monday.
"Avatar" rolled up an overseas cume through Sunday of $1.292 billion, exceeding by $50.1 million "Titanic's" 13-year international boxoffice record of $1.242 billion. The foreign record actually fell Saturday, as earlier predicted.
Avatar's domestic cume through the weekend stood at $551.7 million, still $49 million shy of "Titanic's" record $600.8 million.
The latest No. 1 weekend overseas tally was $108.3 million grossed from 11,925 screens in 111 markets.
After six rounds on the foreign circuit, "Avatar" is now the biggest-grossing film of all time, as earlier predicted.
Distributor 20th Century Fox said the James Cameron mega-budget blockbuster's worldwide cume -- excluding Puerto Rico -- was through the weekend just $2 million shy of "Titanic's" global boxoffice record of $1.843 billion. (Boxoffice in Puerto Rico, although generated offshore, is considered by Fox as part of its domestic total.)
The distributor confirmed that "Titanic's" historic benchmark fell as of early Monday.
"Avatar" rolled up an overseas cume through Sunday of $1.292 billion, exceeding by $50.1 million "Titanic's" 13-year international boxoffice record of $1.242 billion. The foreign record actually fell Saturday, as earlier predicted.
Avatar's domestic cume through the weekend stood at $551.7 million, still $49 million shy of "Titanic's" record $600.8 million.
The latest No. 1 weekend overseas tally was $108.3 million grossed from 11,925 screens in 111 markets.
- 1/25/2010
- by By Frank Segers
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One boxoffice record down. Two to go.
After six rounds on the foreign circuit, "Avatar" on the weekend became the biggest-grossing offshore title in movie history.
The James Cameron mega-budget blockbuster rolled up an overseas cume through Sunday of $1.288 billion, exceeding by $46 million "Titanic's" 13-year international boxoffice record of $1.242 billion. The record actually fell Saturday, as predicted.
The latest No. 1 weekend tally was $107 million grossed from 11,800 screens in 111 markets. It was the sixth consecutive weekend that "Avatar" grossed more than $100 million on the foreign circuit.
Among the key territories on the weekend were: France (cume $123.3 million), Germany ($95.7 million), the U.K. ($92.9 million), South Korea ($79.5 million), Japan ($77.7 million), Australia ($77.1 million) and Spain ($76 million). "Avatar" is now the biggest grossing film of all time in China, Spain, Russia, Hong Kong and Chile. It is the biggest Hollywood film ever to play in India.
Still to be broken are "Titanic's" domestic...
After six rounds on the foreign circuit, "Avatar" on the weekend became the biggest-grossing offshore title in movie history.
The James Cameron mega-budget blockbuster rolled up an overseas cume through Sunday of $1.288 billion, exceeding by $46 million "Titanic's" 13-year international boxoffice record of $1.242 billion. The record actually fell Saturday, as predicted.
The latest No. 1 weekend tally was $107 million grossed from 11,800 screens in 111 markets. It was the sixth consecutive weekend that "Avatar" grossed more than $100 million on the foreign circuit.
Among the key territories on the weekend were: France (cume $123.3 million), Germany ($95.7 million), the U.K. ($92.9 million), South Korea ($79.5 million), Japan ($77.7 million), Australia ($77.1 million) and Spain ($76 million). "Avatar" is now the biggest grossing film of all time in China, Spain, Russia, Hong Kong and Chile. It is the biggest Hollywood film ever to play in India.
Still to be broken are "Titanic's" domestic...
- 1/24/2010
- by By Frank Segers
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Director dedicates film to Lucy Gordon, Oxford-born actor who 'sparkles' as Serge Gainsbourg's muse Jane Birkin
Of all the women in the lascivious life of Serge Gainsbourg, there was never any doubt as to who was his leading lady. Jane Birkin, who sang with her lover on one of the rudest pop songs ever made, was the doe-eyed English beauty who would forever remain his muse.
As France prepares to relive its memories of the golden couple with the release on Wednesday of a highly anticipated biopic of Gainsbourg, real-life tragedy has cast a shadow over what should have been a celebration. Lucy Gordon, the Oxford-born actor chosen over 500 other hopefuls to play the role of Birkin, killed herself weeks after filming had finished.
On 19 May last year, after writing a letter to her parents, the 28-year-old former model hanged herself in the Paris flat she shared with her boyfriend.
Of all the women in the lascivious life of Serge Gainsbourg, there was never any doubt as to who was his leading lady. Jane Birkin, who sang with her lover on one of the rudest pop songs ever made, was the doe-eyed English beauty who would forever remain his muse.
As France prepares to relive its memories of the golden couple with the release on Wednesday of a highly anticipated biopic of Gainsbourg, real-life tragedy has cast a shadow over what should have been a celebration. Lucy Gordon, the Oxford-born actor chosen over 500 other hopefuls to play the role of Birkin, killed herself weeks after filming had finished.
On 19 May last year, after writing a letter to her parents, the 28-year-old former model hanged herself in the Paris flat she shared with her boyfriend.
- 1/17/2010
- by Lizzy Davies
- The Guardian - Film News
I'd be weary of such a nostalgic trip that covers mostly headline items of an artist's life, but graphic novelist Joann Sfar might bring a different sensibility and hopefully attempt to match the originality of the artist. The interesting cast begins with Eric Elmosnino - the spitting image of Gainsbourg and sadly, a posthumous perf from Lucy Gordon. - #67. Serge Gainsbourg, vie héroïque Director/Writer: Joann SfarProducers: Marc Du Pontavice and Didier LupferDistributor: Focus Features The Gist: This is the story of a little Jewish boy who saunters about in a Paris occupied by the Germans; of a young, timid poet (Eric Elmosnino) who leaves behind his paintings and his room beneath the rooftops to dazzle nightclub crowds during the Swinging Sixties. It's a "heroic life" where the creatures of his mind become full-bodied on screen and his eloquence is a good match with his scandalous love affairs.
- 1/13/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
The young British cast member of Spider-Man 3 who took her life in May left a detailed set of instructions for the disposal of her estate. A handwritten note by Lucy Gordon, who died in Paris two days before her 29th birthday, shows she had carefully thought out the distribution of a net estate of £71,518. The British ex-model, who played reporter Jennifer Dugan in Spider-Man 3, gave more than a thought to her beloved dog Meelon, setting £6,270 aside for the term of her life. Gordon hanged herself after arguing with her French boyfriend Jerome Almeras, a cinematographer. He said she was deeply affected by the recent suicide of a friend in Britain.
- 1/2/2010
- by Philippa Bourke
- Monsters and Critics
The past twelve months of 2009 had been rife with the deaths of numerous celebrities, including film and music stars. Some of the high-profile passings came after long battles with disease, while some others as a shock due to the events leading to the death itself. Young age, cause of death, future project, and popularity are the major factors taken into account by AceShowbiz to stress the tragic side of the deaths.
Regardless the various causes of deaths, still the loss was mourned by families, friends and colleagues in the world of Hollywood and beyond. And though they no longer existed in the mortal universe, each of those passing stars left big legacy for their fans and people worldwide to remember.
#9 Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett was 59 years old when she was first diagnosed with anal cancer back in 2006. After undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, she announced on February 2 the following year, right on her 60th birthday,...
Regardless the various causes of deaths, still the loss was mourned by families, friends and colleagues in the world of Hollywood and beyond. And though they no longer existed in the mortal universe, each of those passing stars left big legacy for their fans and people worldwide to remember.
#9 Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett was 59 years old when she was first diagnosed with anal cancer back in 2006. After undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, she announced on February 2 the following year, right on her 60th birthday,...
- 12/30/2009
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
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