“The night dawns in Paris at 4 a.m.” Time has passed, but... [Ichiro Enoki's Akasatana Movie Vol. 26]

It was a movie full of flavor that penetrated deep into my heart. The following may be completely different from director Michael Haas's directorial intentions, but I will tell you about the movie I saw, ``Night Ends in Paris at 4:00 AM'' (22). This movie is set in Paris in the 1980s. The opening scene shows May 10, 1981, the day Mitterrand won the French presidential election. It's a very short part, and it's the beginning of the story. I thought this was important. Look, it's that day, it's that night, remember, the movie says. "President Mitterrand" is born! He finally defeated Giscard d'Estaing, who he had defeated once. The era of hope is coming. Good times are coming.

That's what everyone thought at that time.

That's what everyone thought at the time, but it didn't happen that way.

I think this feeling is the underlying reason. Under Mitterrand's administration, a coalition cabinet with the Communist Party was formed, and various policies were put forth such as abolishing the death penalty, shortening working hours, expanding paid holidays, abolishing university entrance exams, and liberalizing television and radio. Liberals in Paris welcomed it. However, the following year, in 1982, the atmosphere changed completely. We are facing an increase in inflation and unemployment, known as the ``Mitterand Shock.'' Policy took a sharp turn to the right, and the Communist Party left the government.

Broadly speaking, I think this movie is 80's nostalgia. I The Graduate from university in the spring of 1982, so as a young man I am breathing in the atmosphere of this era. It's a very raw time emotionally. I never thought that the day would come when those days would be described as ``nostalgic.'' I chose to become a freelancer instead of getting a job. I longed for freedom. I thought I could do anything. When you think of France in the 1980s, the first thing that comes to mind is "freedom radio." Where previously there were only large (conservative) stations, stations that introduced new music and picked up people's real voices were popping up. Well, to be exact, I didn't listen to it. I only learned from a magazine or something that ``it seems like it was made quickly''. But I admired it. Radio Libre is a good name, isn't it?

I had my first program on FM Tokyo (currently Tokyo FM) in 1988, and since then I have worked in radio without interruption at TBS Radio, J-WAVE, and Nippon Cultural Broadcasting. I wanted to do "Freedom Radio." When I was a poor writer in my 20s, I listened to and admired ``Pirate Broadcasting'' and ``Freedom Radio,'' and I wanted to try them myself. This is the context of the world of French radio in the 1980s that appears in ``Paris Nights Open at 4AM''. The atmosphere of ``Freedom Radio'' that gave a brief glimpse of hope for the birth of the Mitterrand administration.

“Night ends in Paris at 4am” © 2021 NORD-OUEST FILMS – ARTE FRANCE CINÉMA

This story begins with disappointment. The main character Elisabeth's marriage is coming to an end. In a normal movie, there would be more scenes of breakup, but that part is ignored. It starts with, "Okay, now she's on her own. She has to carry a child and survive." The movie's theme is not a human drama like ``separation between men and women.'' I think the theme is ``80s.'' In the atmosphere of the 1980s, I am trying to show how a woman with broken dreams and hope would have come to terms with reality and lived her life.

Elisabeth works in radio. It's a small station. A free talk show that connects listeners with ``direct phone lines'' late at night to ask about their concerns. I also did a program in this style on J-WAVE in the 90s. Well, since it was Tokyo in the 1990s, the pattern was not to ``listen to people's concerns,'' but to tease out interesting stories by changing the subject matter, but the basic structure was the same. It's a method where you don't know where the show is going until you try it.

There are some things in life where you don't know where you're going until you try it. A girl comes to the radio station. That was Talulah. Talulah pops up on the radio, but when it comes to her parents, she keeps quiet. Talulah was in a state of limbo with nowhere to go. Eventually, Talulah comes to live with the children at Elisabeth's house. My eldest sons, Matthias and Talulah, are the same generation. The interaction between the family around Talula is delicate and very nice.

Well, if you think about it in a normal way, Elisabeth's family is in a big financial pinch. I can't really afford to help others. However, Elisabeth is saved by helping Talulah. The family is also growing. I think this is the key point. Hope is fleeting. But people have no choice but to help each other to survive. Reality has no body or cover. But I can't give up.

France has no body or cover. Inflation and rising unemployment must be behind this, but the trend toward exclusion of immigrants has already begun in the 1980s. It has become ultra, reaching the current far-right parties and their supporters. In 1981, at the moment when President Mitterrand was elected, the light that appeared to "reach out to the weak" disappeared. The freedom of the 1980s is gone. You remember when it disappeared, right? Time has passed, but you remember, right? To me, it seemed like a movie that asked questions like that.

Charlotte Gainsbourg, who plays the lead role of Elisabeth, is really effective. This is Charlotte Gainsbourg from " An Impudent Girl ". The Handmaiden of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. That young girl who was promised a bright future now plays the role of a woman whose dreams have been shattered and who has lost hope. No matter what I do, I can't help but see traces of ``An Impudent Girl'' there. The film was released in 1985. Great casting.

Well, I guess it's a completely different movie for young audiences. It could be a subtle love story in which Matthias and Talulah gradually grow closer. That's correct, isn't it?

Text: Ichiro Enoki

Born in 1959. Born in Akita Prefecture. Debuted in a commercial magazine with ``Takarajima'' in 1980 while studying at Chuo University. Since then, he has serialized columns and essays in various magazines, and continues to this day. Also active on radio and television. Twitter @ichiroenokido

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"Night ends in Paris at 4 a.m."

From April 21st (Friday), it will be released nationwide at Cine Switch Ginza, Shinjuku Musashinokan, Shibuya Cine Quinto and other locations.

Distribution: Bitters End

© 2021 NORD-OUEST FILMS – ARTE FRANCE CINÉMA