Irma Vep (1996)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Olivier Assayas

Writer:

Olivier Assayas (written by)

Release Date:

30 April 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Rene Vidal, a director in decline, decides to remake Louis Feuillade's silent serial "Les Vampires."...

Plot Keywords:

Anagram | Journalist | Actress | Director | Actress Playing Herself

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Maggie Cheung	...	Herself
Jean-Pierre Léaud	...	René Vidal
Nathalie Richard	...	Zoé
Antoine Basler	...	Journalist
Nathalie Boutefeu	...	Laure
Alex Descas	...	Desormeaux
Dominique Faysse	...	Maïté
Arsinée Khanjian	...	L'américaine
Bernard Nissile	...	Markus
Olivier Torres	...	Ferdinand / Moreno
Bulle Ogier	...	Mireille
Lou Castel	...	José Mirano
Jacques Fieschi	...	Roland
Estelle Larrivaz	...	La standardiste
Balthazar Clémenti	...	Robert, assistant
Lara Cowez	...	Script supervisor
Dominique Cuny	...	Grip
Jessica Doyle	...	Jessica, Roland's Friend
Sandra Faure	...	Vendeuse, sex-shop
Catherine Ferny	...	Policewoman
Maryel Ferraud	...	Make-up Woman
Filip Forgeau	...	Camera Operator
Nicolas Giraudin	...	Unit Manager
Valerie Guy	...	Valerie, in Mireille's apartment
Laurent Jacquet	...	Electrician
Philippe Landoulsi	...	Inspector
Smaïl Mekki	...	Kermor, unit manager
Maurice Najman	...	Maurice, Roland's Friend
Yann Richard	...	Kevin
Jérôme Simonin	...	Property Man
Alexandra Yonnet	...	Lili, Markus's Friend
Pierre Amzallag	...	Emergency Doctor
Françoise Clavel	...	René's Wife
Françoise Guglielmi	...	Producer
Odile Horion	...	Zoë's Assistant
François-Renaud Labarthe	...	TV Cameraman
Alain Martin	...	Boy at Cafe Des Oiseaux
Guy-Patrick Sainderichin	...	TV Dignitary
Willy Martin	...	Bellboy

Directed by
Olivier Assayas

Writing credits
Olivier Assayas		(written by)

Produced by
Georges Benayoun	....	producer
Françoise Guglielmi	....	executive producer

Cinematography by
Eric Gautier

Film Editing by
Luc Barnier

Casting by
Pierre Amzallag

Art Direction by
François-Renaud Labarthe

Set Decoration by
Yann Richard

Costume Design by
Françoise Clavel

Makeup Department
Isabelle Nyssen	....	makeup artist
Nancy Tong	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Sylvie Barthet	....	production manager
Ivan Fegyveres	....	assistant unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alice de Andrade	....	assistant director
François-Renaud Labarthe	....	assistant director
Jérôme Tardieu	....	second assistant director (as Jerôme Tardieu)

Sound Department
William Flageollet	....	sound mixer
Laurent Lévy	....	foley artist
Olivier Marlangeon	....	foley artist
Marie-Christine Ratel	....	sound editor
Philippe Richard	....	sound engineer
Marie-Christine Ruh	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Grégoire Delage	....	special effects
Olivier Zenenski	....	special effects

Stunts
Michel Julienne	....	stunt consultant
Leslie Rain	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
François Berroir	....	gaffer
Jean-Luc Bezeau	....	grip
Xavier Cholet	....	electrician
Stéphane Fontaine	....	first assistant camera
Sophie Lemaire	....	assistant camera
Sophie Lemaire	....	clapper loader
Michel Michau	....	electrician
Isabelle Weingarten	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jessica Doyle	....	costume designer: Irma Vep

Editorial Department
Tina Baz	....	assistant editor
Nabila Daniault	....	color timer
Raymond Terrentin	....	color timer

Other crew
Edmée Doroszlai	....	script supervisor
Philippe Letode	....	location scout

Thanks
Claire Denis	....	thanks
Christopher Doyle	....	thanks
Stanley Kwan	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Dacia Films
• Canal+ (participation)

Distributors

• Atalanta Filmes (Portugal)
• Cinema Mondo (1998) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Fox Lorber (USA) (DVD)
• Good Movies (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Herald Film Company (Japan) (theatrical)
• NFM Distributie (1997) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Prime Time Entertainment (1997) (Netherlands) (video)
• Zeitgeist Films (1997) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)

Also Known As:

Vampire (France) (trailer title)
Irma Vep (Argentina) [es]

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Argentina:13 | Finland:S | France:U | Norway:7 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:11

Company:

Dacia Films

Trivia:

The title is the anagram of "vampire".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jose drinks his beer at the restaurant, he finishes it off. But then in the next shot he refinishes the same beer before the waiter brings him a new one.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tokyo Eyes (1998)

Soundtrack:

Bonnie and Clyde

A well-constructed, pleasant surprise.

Maggie Cheung or not, I didn't expect much out of this film. But I was quite pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. For one, to get someone to play themselves in a lead role in a fictional film (Jackie Chan films and Roy Rogers aside;) is usually a risky thing to do. But Cheung fits in beautifully, and is so charming that she is obviously perfectly cast.

The film is in English and French, and even though the French is subtitled, I think it's easier to get caught up in the flow of the film if you understand both (I'm fluent in French and didn't have a problem, but I can see where it might be overly distracting). Some scenes seemed particularly important for one to be constantly looking away from the action, so to speak.

The film was a little long, and some scenes probably could have been cut down or cut altogether, but it gives a good view into French film-making, especially the snobbish elitism that is apparently common in more intellectual/artistic film circles. It's hysterically funny at some points, and the characterization of the different crew members is brilliantly portrayed.

I especially loved the scene where Maggie Cheung gets into characters by actually prowling around as a cat burglar (though she throws away her booty;)

Overall: a tight, well done film. It drags just a bit at points, but strong acting and strong writing help to overcome such lags. A pleasant surprise and a fun film! 8/10.