2023.06.21
Goodbye French cinema
The mere presence of Maggie Cheung on the same screen as legendary Nouvelle Vague stars such as Jean-Pierre Léaud and Bulle Ogier makes ``Irma Vep'' overwhelmingly valuable. Actors from completely different cultural backgrounds meet and clash in the same film. The forward-looking, energetic production itself is reminiscent of Francois Truffaut's Jean-Pierre Léaud work.
The scene in the kitchen between costumers Zoë (Nathalie Richard) and Mireille (Bulle Ogier) is outstanding. It seems like an ordinary scene where they talk about Maggie's charms while serving and cleaning up the dishes, but the acting space is so perfect that you don't even notice where the cuts are. And Zoe's unrequited love for Maggie is a very appealing side story in this work. The scene of the motorcycle riding through Paris at night with Maggie on the back is beautiful. This is also a movie about unrequited love. Zoe's unrequited love for Maggie. An unrequited love for French movies.
``Irma Vep'' seems to be the film that inspired Olivier Assayas to escape from the history of French "author films." This film, which received a more enthusiastic response in the United States than in France, is Olivier Assayas's masterpiece and has been hailed as a masterpiece of 1990s French cinema. Today, Olivier Assayas continues to produce cosmopolitan films that are neither French nor American.
“Irma Vep” © Vortex sutra
As a pursuit of Dadaism in film, Isidore Isou's ``Introduction to Drooling and Eternity'' (51) refers to the ``scars'' of film, and ``Irma Vep'' is a rereading of French cinema. I am trying to make a personal break. René, played by Jean-Pierre Léaud, falls ill when faced with the impossibility of remaking a historical work, and Josée (Lou Castel) takes over the production of the film. Jose is a conservative filmmaker who says it's blasphemous for an Asian to play Irma Vep. The scarred film left behind by Rene and Maggie's collaboration bears the traces of an unfulfilled dream. The remaining film seems to be Olivier Assayas' declaration of farewell to French cinema, his unrequited love. Goodbye, French film dreams. However, Maggie- Irma Vep lives on like a ghost in the film that has been shelved.
Break on through the other side. Maggie- Irma Vep appears in the film from roof to roof, from wall to wall, as if she were going through a door on the other side. Irma Vep dies and rises again and again. Irma Vep can't find her place. Her beautiful silhouette in a black costume continues to roam the world of movies.
Text: Daiji Miyashiro (maplecat-eve)
Movie criticism. Contributed reviews to ``Leos Carax: Movie Wanderer'', Eureka's ``Wes Anderson Special'', Real Sound, Soen, otocoto, Toshio Matsumoto Special Pamphlet, etc.
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"Irma Vep"
"Maggie Cheung Retrospective"
Sponsored by: Bunkamura
Held at Bunkamura Le Cinema Shibuya Miyashita from June 16th (Friday) to July 13th (Thursday), 2023!
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