[Mini Theater Revisited] 28th Shibuya style trend, hot summer of mini theaters... Part 5 Bunkamura movie theater, Le Cinema

french women movies

The cinema's pre-opening took place on September 3, 1989. Le Cinema 1 screened the French film "Family of the Distant Days" (1985) directed by the popular French director Claude Lelouch. Le Cinema 2 screened " Paganini " (1989), starring the eccentric German actor Klaus Kinski as the genius musician Paganini. The latter was chosen taking into consideration the individuality of Bunkamura, which also had a concert hall attached to it (the original seating capacity was 164 and 128 seats; it is now 150 and 126 seats).

Producer Nakamura had previously worked in the video division of Herald Pictures, where he was involved in releasing films for screening at Cinema Square Tokyu, but he only joined Bunkamura six months before the company's opening. After joining the company, he was immediately involved in film selection.

"The first two films were scheduled to be screened for four weeks from the start. This was because Bunkamura was to be used as the venue for the Tokyo International Film Festival. However, these two opening films also proved to be a bigger hit than expected. One reason for this is that Bunkamura, a facility that had never been used before, was a fresh experience for people, and I think this was thanks to the interest it generated."

After the Tokyo International Film Festival, the grand opening film that was screened from October 7th was the biographical drama " Camille Claudel " (1988, distributed by Herald Ace), which focuses on the life of the French female sculptor Camille Claudel.

"Camille Claudel" (1988) starring Isabelle Adjani and "Indochine" (1992) starring Catherine Deneuve. Films starring popular French actresses were big hits.

"Before Bunkamura was built, the Camille Claudel Exhibition was held at the Tokyu Department Store, and I had seen it myself. When I heard about the Camille biographical film, I thought it would be wonderful to have this film as the grand opening, and now we have made it happen."

Camille is also known as the sculptor Rodin's lover, and as she struggles with her love for him and her role as a creator, she eventually becomes mentally ill. The heroine, who lives her life driven by her passion, is played by popular French actress Isabelle Adjani. Rodin is played by Gerard Depardieu, one of France's most talented actors, who later appeared in Le Cinema's smash hit, Cyrano de Bergerac (1990).

"Adjani was in the prime of her career at the time, and she looked really beautiful when she came to Japan for a promotional campaign. Camille's fate went awry because she lived in the same era as Rodin. But I don't know if that was a bad thing. If she hadn't lived in that era, she might never have been remembered. The theaters at the time were overwhelmingly attended by women, mainly housewives. I was surprised to see so many customers coming in the mornings and afternoons on weekdays."

In the end, the film ran for 35 weeks (41 weeks in total), grossed 150 million yen, and was seen by 110,000 people, making it the fourth highest-grossing film of Le Cinema's history.

"Seeing the success of this film made me think that Bunkamura should target these kinds of customers. So I started putting together programs centered on films that depicted the lifestyles of women. It's not just movies; The Museum also tends to focus on women artists. So I thought about linking it with the museum and creating a way for people to spend a day at Bunkamura."

In 1989 and 1990, when "Camille Claudel" became a hit, Japan was still economically prosperous and curiosity was spreading in many directions. In particular, the Equal Employment Opportunity Law came into effect in April 1986, and women's attitudes towards society were also changing.

"I think that at the time, women's consciousness and inclinations were also reflected in the culture. Curiosity about branded goods also grew, and people became greedy to see, learn, wear, and eat what they wanted. There was also a sense of crisis about things that you didn't know, that you had to see and know, and you couldn't say you didn't know about something. In fact, trying to act cool was considered cool."

It was against this backdrop of the times that "Camille Claudel" became a huge hit, and when I rewatch it now, I can't help but see the passion that was prevalent in society at the time of its release in the image of the heroine, who lives entirely true to her own passion and feelings.

Adjani also starred in " Queen Margot " (1994, distributed by Herald Ace) in February 1995, which also ran for 26 weeks (37 weeks in total). It grossed 130 million yen, making it the sixth highest grossing film of all time. The protagonist is a real 16th century queen who lived a life of unrestrained love, and this historical epic depicts the human drama surrounding her with dark images that combine splendor and cruelty.

"Adjani stands out in this film, but she's not the only one who's good; the male actors were good too. Jean-Hugues Anglade and Daniel Auteuil also appear, and they were big stars at the time, but Adjani's co-star was Vincent Pérez. At the time, he was known as the 'actor who can make you pregnant with his eyes,' and was popular with women. It's a film that can also be enjoyed as a movie about handsome men."

The love story " Indochine " (1992, distributed by Herald Ace) in which Perez played the co-star of gorgeous French superstar Catherine Deneuve was released in October 1992 and was a huge hit, running for 30 weeks (36 weeks in total) and earning 150 million yen in box office revenue, making it the third highest grossing film of all time.

Thanks to the success of this glamorous female focus, Le Cinema was able to produce many hit films.

Problematic works by European directors