La vie d'artiste (2007)

Director:

Marc Fitoussi

Writer:

Marc Fitoussi

Release Date:

5 September 2007 (Belgium)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Theater | High School Teacher | Male Female Relationship | Writer | Artist

Cast

Sandrine Kiberlain	...	Alice
Émilie Dequenne	...	Cora
Denis Podalydès	...	Bertrand (as Denis Podalydès sociétaire de la Comédie-Française)
Valérie Benguigui	...	Solange
Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet	...	Frédéric
Jean-Marie Winling	...	L'éditeur
Alain Libolt	...	Le libraire
Anne Bouvier	...	La libraire
Lolita Chammah	...	Caroline
Léopoldine Serre	...	Une élève
Marion Monier	...	Une élève
Nicolas Gatulle	...	Un élève (as Nicolas Gatulle-Duprat)
Pauline Attal	...	Une élève
Catherine Davenier	...	Madame le proviseur
Céline Clément	...	Un professeur
Gerard Cherqui	...	Un professeur
Marilyne Canto	...	La soeur d'Alice
Francis Leplay	...	Le beau-frère d'Alice
Titouan Laporte	...	Sacha
Solenn Jarniou	...	Bénédicte
Eric Savin	...	Michel
Stéphane Guillon	...	Le remplaçant de Michel
Claire Maurier	...	Jocelyne - l'agent d'Alice
Lily Galland	...	L'assistante de l'agent (as Lily Ben Sliman)
Camille Japy	...	Annabella
Thomas Derichebourg	...	Le partenaire d'Annabella
Monique Couturier	...	La femme dans la loge
Jean-Noël Brouté	...	Le passant-réalisateur
Olivier Claverie	...	Le directeur de casting
Eric Elmosnino	...	L'ex d'Alice
Marie Gili-Pierre	...	La femme de ménage
Dan Herzberg	...	Le fan de manga
Cyril Couton	...	Le régisseur de la convention manga
Olivier Séverin	...	Le présentateur convention manga
Magali Woch	...	Manu
Aure Atika	...	La responsable de l'Hippopotamus
Jean-Pierre Kalfon	...	Joseph Costals
Maria Schneider	...	L'épouse de Joseph Costals
Chantal Banlier	...	Annick
David Behar	...	Gérard
Elsa Bouchain	...	La réceptionniste Duophonic
Thibault Vinçon	...	Le voisin de Cora
Nadyne Capelli	...	Cliente Hippopotamus
David Geselson	...	Client Hippopotamus
Véronique Barrault	...	La directrice du casting Stars
Xavier Brossard	...	Le serveur du bar
Delphine Biard
Jean-Claude Leguay	...	Le patron du karaoké
Elise Deniau
Elodie Bouleau
Eric Paradisi
Suzanne Marty		(as Sandrine Lemercier)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Julien Baumgartner
Alan Aubert	...	Un élève (uncredited)
Jenny Rieu	...	Une élève (uncredited)

Directed by
Marc Fitoussi

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Marc Fitoussi

Produced by
Simon Arnal	....	producer
Caroline Benjo	....	producer
Barbara Letellier	....	producer
Carole Scotta	....	producer

Original Music by
Tim Gane
Seán O'Hagan

Cinematography by
Pénélope Pourriat

Film Editing by
Serge Turquier

Casting by
Marc Fitoussi

Production Design by
Emmanuel de Chauvigny

Costume Design by
Anne Schotte

Makeup Department
Michèle Constantinides	....	key makeup artist
Catherine Crassac	....	key hair stylist
Milou Sanner	....	additional makeup artist

Production Management
Christina Crassaris	....	post-production manager
Sylvie Demaizière	....	unit production manager
Etienne Grandon	....	assistant unit manager
Christophe Jeauffroy	....	production manager
Audrey Legendre	....	assistant unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Matthieu Blanchard	....	second assistant director
Dorothée Chesnot	....	third assistant director
Xavier Magot	....	third assistant director
Jean-Luc Roze	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Carine Demongueres	....	set designer
Frédéric Jacq	....	property master
Thomas Pitre	....	first assistant art director

Sound Department
Charles Autrand	....	dialogue editor
Marie Averty	....	assistant sound
Emmanuel Croset	....	sound re-recording mixer
Aymeric Dupas	....	sound assistant
Florian Fabre	....	assistant foley artist
Eric Grattepain	....	foley artist
Benjamin Laurent	....	sound editor
Olivier Le Vacon	....	sound
Fred Mays	....	post-synchronization
Julien Sicart	....	boom operator

Visual Effects by
Cédric Fayolle	....	visual effects supervisor
Sabine Lineres	....	digital compositor

Camera and Electrical Department
Philippe Bordelais	....	steadicam operator
Stéphane Bourgoin	....	gaffer
Samuel de Luze	....	assistant camera
Mathieu Dequirot	....	electrician
Sébastien Leclercq	....	first assistant camera
Alexandre Levi	....	electrician
Pierre Arnaud Ouvrard	....	electrician
Grégory Place	....	electrician
Jean-François Rey	....	electrician
Guillaume Vatan	....	electrician

Casting Department
Dorothée Chesnot	....	extras casting

Editorial Department
Anne-Sophie Bion	....	additional assistant editor
Alexandra Pocquet	....	colorist

Music Department
Steve Hamilton	....	saxophone

Other crew
Laurence Lallias	....	script supervisor
Grégory Mamou	....	making-of
Dormont Nathalie	....	production assistant
Antoine Richy	....	production assistant
Sandrine Vitali	....	production administrator

Production Companies

• Haut et Court
• France 2 Cinéma (co-production)
• Canal+ (participation)
• TPS Star (participation)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) (participation)
• Banque Populaire Images 7 (in association with)
• Poste Image (in association with)
• Soficinéma 3 (in association with)
• Région Ile-de-France (support)
• Programme MEDIA de la Communauté Européenne (support)

Distributors

• Haut et Court (2007) (France) (theatrical)

Runtime:

France:107 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | France:U

Company:

Haut et Court

Soaring critique of pretentious intellos.

If you ever pretended to be a haughty intellectual, or have the chance to know a struggling artist, this film will surely make you laugh, think, and maybe even learn what to avoid. From the three characters, you'll probably have one that's "your thing", whereas the other two are just "spectator sports" to you. In my case it was Bertrand the literature teacher, constantly frustrated and angry about "never finishing his big great novel" whereas in fact he neglected his personal life, loathed his job, and wasn't even half as well read as he thought. Besides the unimportant fact that the produces of his toils were worthless, starting by him, and a universal fact agreed by everybody. The intellectual infatuation with his looser pupil was tense and his ultimate revelation took me off guard. The way the 3 stories contact briefly, never enough for making any character change anything but interesting for the possibilities that would open were they able to, was probably the more "architectural" feature of this well crafted film. Sandrine Kiberlain's actress was the only character I didn't ever feel any empathy for. Probably she was just too cold, uninteresting and pretentious, besides being quite an envious person. I have the feeling is the one the director likes the most, which wouldn't be a surprise given we're watching a film. If only she had had a bit more …. Cora -the singer- was fine instead. She wasn't very responsible or adult in her choices, but at least is spontaneous, learns fast from bad experiences, and doesn't bother those around her with her "untapped talent". I liked how she escaped from the crony's derelict "studio"! She's the younger from/ of the 3, and it shows in that her life can still take different, unpredictable turns, like it does when you're in your twenties. The scene where she dances with a friend at her dead-end job was great. Any lesser actor would seem artificial there.

I liked that both Alice and Bertrand are "without attributes" like Musil would say. Nothing good ever comes out of them. I don't recall them ever laughing, for instance (Alice walks like an ostrich, without any grace (and we know she can be sexy in other films)). Probably Bertrand , by telling the truth to his beleaguered wife (in a very literary fashion) "learns the lesson". I found that scene the most powerful I've seen in a long time. Like a good therapy session. In contrast, I found the scene at the Manga festival both out of touch with reality and with her sour, ungrateful and feeling less treading through all of the movie. Were it an American film, one would always suspect the "studio hand" trampled on the ending to make it more palatable. In this case… maybe it was self censorship?

The cliché I disliked the most was that Alice's sister turned out to be such a roaring success, the "nagging neglected housewife who is brimming with untapped energy and vitality". What's worse, to show that "growth", she just bought an expensive dress and is smiling all the time, suddenly looking "sexy". Looks like a deodorant commercial, right?

Some shots are quite beautiful, like Alice speaking over the phone with the city lights reflected over the window pane. An urban beauty, for those who think that would be an oxymoron.

I found it educative that all of them once start to brag before time, then their environment seems to smile on them (Alice's brother in law suddenly respects her, Cora drops the casting that's below her level and personally dangerous, Bertrand is suddenly admired by her wife). But when reality bites, they all feel worse off than before. Surely "society" takes its toll on failing, but watching they fall after their ballooned expectations explode taught me you'd better be sure you'd "made it" before you tell your in-laws!

I enjoyed this movie, suffered with the awkward situations (great script, direction, everything) and learned how to be less pretentious.

And at least try not to neglect "life" for "Art". While some morale of the film "love is all you need" is quite corny and misleading for a film that pretends to be intelligent, the feeling that embraced me after watching this film was relief. Somebody had been through there, escaped the trappings of "neurosis d' artiste" and was able to make a film that while not pretending to be a masterpiece, it moves you. Not bad, right?