LA BELLE ÉPOQUE
****
Director: Nicolas Bedos
Screenwriter: Nicolas Bedos
Principal cast:
Daniel Auteuil
Guillaume Canet
Doria Tiller
Fanny Ardant
Pierre Arditi
Michaël Cohen
Country: France/Belgium
Classification: M
Runtime: 115 mins.
Australian release date: 13 August 2020.
As they get older, many people reminisce about a period in their lives which they consider to be their golden age or, in the meaning of the title of Nicholas Bedos’ latest film La Belle Époque, their best memory. It seems to be intrinsically human to recollect times when we were happiest in life, particularly as the spectre of mortality approaches. And why not? Who doesn’t like to recall a special moment that may involve a loved one, a period of success or a secret indulgence? As time passes and life becomes increasingly mundane, it’s nice to reminisce about the good times. So, what would you do if someone told you that you could do more than remember such a happy period, you could actually relive it? You’d be tempted, wouldn’t you?
Victor Drumond (Daniel Auteuil) and his wife Marianne (Fanny Ardant) are a couple in their sixties whose marriage is failing, a victim of the old adage that ‘familiarity breeds contempt’. He still loves her but she is tired of Victor’s dour outlook and is having an affair. Fanny embraces life, whereas Victor is disillusioned with everything modern, particularly the digital world. His preferred age is the 1970s so, when his son Maxime (Michaël Cohen) tells him about a company called ‘Time Travellers’, set up by a friend Antoine (Guillaume Canet, director of We’ll End Up Together), that allows a person to relive a favourite past experience using actors to re-enact the episode, Victor is there! When asked which period he would choose, he doesn’t hesitate, selecting the day “when I first slept with my wife”, 16 May 1974.
If this all sounds pretty far-fetched, it is, but in the hands of the very talented Bedos, La Belle Époque manages to work. This is only his second film as director and he also wrote the clever script and composed part of the score. Oh, and he’s primarily an actor, although he chose to remain behind the camera in this instance. This is a guy who’s obviously going to be around for a long time. The veteran actor Auteuil, says of him that “he’s highly intelligent, he has taste and his intuitions are right on the mark. You sense right away that you’re dealing with a true director. And that’s not so common…” As Victor, Auteuil says that he “worked with two emotions at once: disenchantment and hope rekindled when all seems lost.” He’s terrific as this psychologically defeated man whose enthusiasm for life is rekindled by the opportunity to experience once again the emotion of his first true love. The rest of the cast rise to the occasion too, especially the great Fanny Ardant, playing a rather nasty role here, Doria Tiller as the actress/love interest Margot, and Guillaume Canet as the demanding and conflicted puppet master Antoine. The movie looks a treat as well, featuring rich production design, and it’s shot in an expansive, wide-screen ratio. It’s bright and colourful and very easy on the eye.
This witty romantic comedy was enthusiastically received in France and was nominated for 11 César Awards, the French Oscars. In the end, it missed out on Best Film but it won three others, including Best Original Screenplay. La Belle Époque is a film that makes for a refreshing change in the current line-up of releases, as it offers a slice of pure escapism to audiences, a chance to escape from reality for nearly two hours. With its slightly off-the-wall premise, it is a fun step back in time.
Screenwriter: Nicolas Bedos
Principal cast:
Daniel Auteuil
Guillaume Canet
Doria Tiller
Fanny Ardant
Pierre Arditi
Michaël Cohen
Country: France/Belgium
Classification: M
Runtime: 115 mins.
Australian release date: 13 August 2020.
As they get older, many people reminisce about a period in their lives which they consider to be their golden age or, in the meaning of the title of Nicholas Bedos’ latest film La Belle Époque, their best memory. It seems to be intrinsically human to recollect times when we were happiest in life, particularly as the spectre of mortality approaches. And why not? Who doesn’t like to recall a special moment that may involve a loved one, a period of success or a secret indulgence? As time passes and life becomes increasingly mundane, it’s nice to reminisce about the good times. So, what would you do if someone told you that you could do more than remember such a happy period, you could actually relive it? You’d be tempted, wouldn’t you?
Victor Drumond (Daniel Auteuil) and his wife Marianne (Fanny Ardant) are a couple in their sixties whose marriage is failing, a victim of the old adage that ‘familiarity breeds contempt’. He still loves her but she is tired of Victor’s dour outlook and is having an affair. Fanny embraces life, whereas Victor is disillusioned with everything modern, particularly the digital world. His preferred age is the 1970s so, when his son Maxime (Michaël Cohen) tells him about a company called ‘Time Travellers’, set up by a friend Antoine (Guillaume Canet, director of We’ll End Up Together), that allows a person to relive a favourite past experience using actors to re-enact the episode, Victor is there! When asked which period he would choose, he doesn’t hesitate, selecting the day “when I first slept with my wife”, 16 May 1974.
If this all sounds pretty far-fetched, it is, but in the hands of the very talented Bedos, La Belle Époque manages to work. This is only his second film as director and he also wrote the clever script and composed part of the score. Oh, and he’s primarily an actor, although he chose to remain behind the camera in this instance. This is a guy who’s obviously going to be around for a long time. The veteran actor Auteuil, says of him that “he’s highly intelligent, he has taste and his intuitions are right on the mark. You sense right away that you’re dealing with a true director. And that’s not so common…” As Victor, Auteuil says that he “worked with two emotions at once: disenchantment and hope rekindled when all seems lost.” He’s terrific as this psychologically defeated man whose enthusiasm for life is rekindled by the opportunity to experience once again the emotion of his first true love. The rest of the cast rise to the occasion too, especially the great Fanny Ardant, playing a rather nasty role here, Doria Tiller as the actress/love interest Margot, and Guillaume Canet as the demanding and conflicted puppet master Antoine. The movie looks a treat as well, featuring rich production design, and it’s shot in an expansive, wide-screen ratio. It’s bright and colourful and very easy on the eye.
This witty romantic comedy was enthusiastically received in France and was nominated for 11 César Awards, the French Oscars. In the end, it missed out on Best Film but it won three others, including Best Original Screenplay. La Belle Époque is a film that makes for a refreshing change in the current line-up of releases, as it offers a slice of pure escapism to audiences, a chance to escape from reality for nearly two hours. With its slightly off-the-wall premise, it is a fun step back in time.