|
And Now Ladies and Gentlemen- Movie Review |
|
|
|
|
Book Reviews -
Movie and Music Reviews
|
|
Written by The Creole Cat
|
And
Now Ladies and Gentlemen
French writer-director Claude Lelouch had a huge success in the
sixties with the seminal romantic film A Man and a Woman
(featuring the haunting theme music by Francis Lai), and older
generations of filmgoers (like my mom) will tell you it was the
creme de la creme of date movies. Now thirty-seven years later,
Lelouch releases And Now Ladies and Gentleman.
What Lelouch has given us is a film of exotic locales, parallel
afflictions, and a somewhat twisted storyline, that may have all
the elements of a forlorn romantic film, but comes nowhere near
his classic, black and white predecessor.
Jeremy Irons plays Valentin Valentin (yes, that's his name), a
high-class jewel thief and a master at disguises, who suffers
from migraine inducing blackouts. Having scored an unmentionable
amount of jewels, Valentin purchases a yacht (christened "Ladies
and Gentlemen") and sets sail for the high seas in an effort to
"find" himself. Embarking on this four month journey entails leaving
behind his live-in companion of many years, Francoise, played
by Allesandra Martines. Francoise subsequently begins an affair
with the gentleman who sold Valentin his yacht, played by one
of my favourites, Thierry L'hermitte.
Adrift at sea, Valentin loses consciousness and finds himself
in Morocco. Learning there is a woman who suffers the same debilitating
condition, he seeks her out at a local hotel. The woman, Jane
Lester - a nightclub singer played by real life chanteuse Patricia
Kaas - is dealing with a recent breakup while trying to fulfill
a singing contract at the hotel. Ms. Lester and Valentin's meeting
eventually lead them to seek help for their affliction from a
shaman.
Between mountainous ranges, the suggestion of sex, and an anti-climatic
police chase, And Now Ladies and Gentlemen never
rises above a mild simmer. Mr. Irons and Ms. Kaas never show much
emotion (I think I saw Ms. Kaas smile once), and I suppose I wouldn't
be too happy either in that desert heat. But Mr. Lelouch could
have injected a little fire between the two characters. Irons
and Kaas both maintain a subdued persona throughout the film.
Maybe because they're both dealing with their own internal struggles.
And I would have preferred equal screen time between them and
Ms. Martines and Mr. L'hermitte. There is one scene in particular
where Francoise, in a close up, talks about being given all the
jewels in the world except the one that means the most - a wedding
band. And with her dark hair and round, translucent face, she
is illuminating.
Last year, Patricia Kaas released Piano Bar, a hand-picked collection
of the best love songs known around the world, and a lot of those
songs can be found in the film. I was familiar with Ms. Kaas'
name but had never heard her recordings (which some compare to
a modern Marlene Dietrich), and it truly is a beautiful, clear
voice. This is Ms. Kaas' acting debut and she tries to display
the subtle nuance of a woman in search of herself and trying to
understand the complexities of love. The usually brilliant Jeremy
Irons, unfortunately, doesn't do much with his role. He exhibits
the same feelings whether he is talking long-distance with Francoise,
being accused of stealing Claudia Cardinale's jewels, or contemplating
a life-threatening operation. He showed more emotional range in
Damaged. And Mr. L'hermitte, well, I just don't
get to see him often enough in American films (including Le
Divorce).
Clocking in at a little over two hours, And Now Ladies
and Gentlemen is a slow mix of romance, music, and low
drama that takes us to London, Paris and Morocco. Claude Lelouch's
film is geared towards an older, mature audience (and not because
of the absence of any sex scenes, which I can appreciate). And
despite what my mother says, it is Kaas' songs that hold this
film together.
I recommend you rent A Man and a Woman.
|
