"Beau Travail" Beautiful Invention, Dance as Monologue

"Beau Travail" Synopsis

Garou is writing his memoirs at his home in Marseille, France. He was once a senior sergeant in the Foreign Legion and was stationed in Djibouti, Africa. As he spends his time in the hot, dry land, Garou begins to feel a vague admiration for his superior officer, Forestier. Then a new recruit, Saint-Anthon, joins the unit. With his sociable personality, Saint-Anthon quickly becomes popular, and Garou begins to feel a mixture of jealousy and envy towards him, eventually wishing to destroy him. One day, Garou orders Santan, who caused trouble within the unit, to walk home alone from a long distance, but Santan goes missing on the way. Garou is held responsible, sent back to his home country, and court-martialed...

Index

• Leave a kiss mark in space
• Shadow Dance
• Rhythm of the Night

Leave a kiss mark in space

A woman, illuminated by the flickering lights of the dance floor, kisses the air. A charming lip-smacking sound that seems to herald the start of a film. A kiss mark in the air. Dance in Claire Denis' films acts as an invisible "marking" in the space. However, many of the characters are solitary wanderers. If we consider dance to be an expression of the body language, then Claire Denis' films feature dance as monologue, rather than dance as a dialogue in which the dancer blends with the other person.

And in "Beau Travail" (1999), Denis Lavant, an actor who has gained legendary acclaim for his dance as monologue, appears. There is no more beautiful marriage than this. Denis Lavant, who is familiar from Leos Carax's "Alex Trilogy," imprints his dazzling dance on the screen. A leap of life. Greta Gerwig, director of " Barbie " (23), said that after watching this film, she wanted to make a film herself. This masterpiece is garnering enthusiastic support from a new generation of filmmakers.

"Beau Travail 4K Restored Version" © LA SEPT ARTE – TANAIS COM – SM FILMS – 1998

The beautiful sea of ​​Djibouti. For Garou (Denis Lavant), a senior sergeant in the Foreign Legion, the sunlight there was too dazzling. After being dishonorably discharged, Garou now lives in Marseille and has completely lost the will to live. There is even the temptation of suicide in Garou's life. For Garou, Djibouti is now nothing less than a "lost paradise." Among the white troops, Garou was an exemplary soldier. His earnestness is well expressed in the way he irons and makes his bed.

So what has driven the Garou crazy? With the appearance of a mysteriously beautiful young man, Santan (Grégoire Collin), the Garou's internal order and community slowly crumble. Santan's physical youth and brilliance threaten the Garou more than the sunlight that shines on Djibouti. Eventually, the Garou's mind and body begin to lose control.

"Beau Travail" is told through Garou's memories and notes from Djibouti. To film this film, Claire Denis prepared a different script from the main story. The alternate version was made up of Herman Melville's poems and Garou's diary (Nelly Quettier, who edited this film, was simultaneously editing Leos Carax's " Paula X "/99. Coincidentally, both are based on Herman Melville's works!). Claire Denis, who does not like rehearsals, used this alternate version in place of rehearsals to encourage the actors to improvise.

Shadow Dance