The Trilogy
Opened
Friday, Jan 30 (New York)
NEW YORK -- Lucas Belvaux's experimental trilogy proves that the sum is often greater than the parts. Belvaux has made three stand-alone features, which share the same characters and milieu. The tales interweave, so each film elucidates those which came before. To increase the challenge, Belvaux has decided to work in three different genres: "One the Run" is a noirish crime thriller
"An Amazing Couple", a romantic comedy
and "After the Life", a tough drama.
On their own, they're passable movies, but -- with the possible exception of "After the Life" -- they lack definition for an international release. Yet viewed together, they improve one another. Shared situations are clarified and expanded, and characters are given new dimensions that completely change the way we understand them. The work suddenly expands to incorporate the wide-ranging perspectives of a good novel rather than the singular perspective of most films. Consequently, though it's flawed -- the romantic comedy sits uneasily with its harsher partners, for instance -- Belvaux's experiment is a success.
Magnolia Pictures opened "One the Run" on Jan. 30, "An Amazing Couple" on Feb. 6 and "After the Life" on Feb. 13 at New York's Angelika Film Center. A national release is to follow. Novelty value will certainly be a draw with artier audiences, and intriguing reviews will probably help. In New York, the trilogy's enemy will be time, and viewers may be discouraged by the fact that they have to see all three films to get the full picture.
"On the Run" is a crime thriller that introduces the inciting incident of the three stories -- a jailbreak by the leftist revolutionary Bruno (played by Belvaux himself). Once out of the pen, Bruno tracks down his old partner Jeanne (Catherine Frot) with the idea of restarting their leftist cell. But she's now settled and doesn't want to get involved.
Seamy cop Pascal Gilbert Melki) starts to pick up Bruno's trail, but then Bruno saves the cop's wife, Agnes (Dominique Blanc), from a drug overdose. Agnes decides to help him and hides him in a chalet belonging to a friend, Cecile (Ornella Muti). The story hinges on Bruno's revenge on the men who turned him in, and his attempts to persuade Jeanne to help him flee the country.
"On the Run" has some moments of excitement and is certainly uncompromising. Belvaux enjoys sticking within the conventions of the genre, using minimal dialogue, shadowy lighting with very dark blacks, shots of conniving characters through closed windows and so on.
"An Amazing Couple", the romantic comedy, is the weakest of the trio. It stands as something of an interlude, detailing the paranoid obsessions of Cecile and her husband, Alain (Francois Morel). Belvaux replicates the wordy banter of romantic comedies with gusto, but many of the jokes fail to ignite. It's obvious that he's more at home with the trilogy's darker sides.
A scene in which Cecile confronts Agnes and Bruno in her chalet is repeated from the first film. It's interesting to see Cecile -- originally the scene's supporting actor -- now become the focus. It's a textbook demonstration of how a change of camera angle can change the whole meaning of a scene. Technically, it's impressive to watch how Belvaux incorporates the similar dialogue and motion into two different styles of film without jarring.
"After the Life" is the strongest film. This concentrates on Agnes' battle with drug addiction and cop Pascal's attempts to help her. Seen third, the revelation is that while Pascal's still not particularly pleasant, he's more caring than we could perceive from the other parts. We learn that his hotheaded, cruel actions are motivated by the fact that a dealer will withhold morphine from Agnes unless Pascal leads him to the fleeing Bruno. Viewing events through Pascal's eyes changes our appreciation of him.
Belvaux's script is a tour de force of organization. Gratuitous scenes are expected in a work like this to provide continuity, but Belvaux cleverly makes sure that everything has a point.
The Trilogy:
On The Run, An Amazing Couple, After The Life
Produced by Agat Film Et Cie and Entre Chien Et Loup in association with Rhone-Alps Cinema and RTBF
Credits: Screenwriter-director: Lucas Belvaux
Producers: Patrick Sobelman, Diana Elbaum
Director of photography: Pierre Milon
Music: Riccardo Del Fra
Sound: Christian Monheim
Production designer: Frederique Belvaux
Costume designer: Cecile Cotten
Editors: Valerie Loiseleux ("An Amazing Couple"), Ludo Troch ("On the Run"), Danielle Anezin ("After the Life"). Cast: Cecile: Ornella Muti
Alain: Francois Morel
Jeanne: Catherine Frot
Bruno: Lucas Belvaux
Agnes: Dominique Blanc
Pascal: Gilbert Melki
No MPAA rating
Running times -- 117 minutes ("On the Run"), 100 minutes ("An Amazing Couple"), 124 minutes ("After the Life")...
Friday, Jan 30 (New York)
NEW YORK -- Lucas Belvaux's experimental trilogy proves that the sum is often greater than the parts. Belvaux has made three stand-alone features, which share the same characters and milieu. The tales interweave, so each film elucidates those which came before. To increase the challenge, Belvaux has decided to work in three different genres: "One the Run" is a noirish crime thriller
"An Amazing Couple", a romantic comedy
and "After the Life", a tough drama.
On their own, they're passable movies, but -- with the possible exception of "After the Life" -- they lack definition for an international release. Yet viewed together, they improve one another. Shared situations are clarified and expanded, and characters are given new dimensions that completely change the way we understand them. The work suddenly expands to incorporate the wide-ranging perspectives of a good novel rather than the singular perspective of most films. Consequently, though it's flawed -- the romantic comedy sits uneasily with its harsher partners, for instance -- Belvaux's experiment is a success.
Magnolia Pictures opened "One the Run" on Jan. 30, "An Amazing Couple" on Feb. 6 and "After the Life" on Feb. 13 at New York's Angelika Film Center. A national release is to follow. Novelty value will certainly be a draw with artier audiences, and intriguing reviews will probably help. In New York, the trilogy's enemy will be time, and viewers may be discouraged by the fact that they have to see all three films to get the full picture.
"On the Run" is a crime thriller that introduces the inciting incident of the three stories -- a jailbreak by the leftist revolutionary Bruno (played by Belvaux himself). Once out of the pen, Bruno tracks down his old partner Jeanne (Catherine Frot) with the idea of restarting their leftist cell. But she's now settled and doesn't want to get involved.
Seamy cop Pascal Gilbert Melki) starts to pick up Bruno's trail, but then Bruno saves the cop's wife, Agnes (Dominique Blanc), from a drug overdose. Agnes decides to help him and hides him in a chalet belonging to a friend, Cecile (Ornella Muti). The story hinges on Bruno's revenge on the men who turned him in, and his attempts to persuade Jeanne to help him flee the country.
"On the Run" has some moments of excitement and is certainly uncompromising. Belvaux enjoys sticking within the conventions of the genre, using minimal dialogue, shadowy lighting with very dark blacks, shots of conniving characters through closed windows and so on.
"An Amazing Couple", the romantic comedy, is the weakest of the trio. It stands as something of an interlude, detailing the paranoid obsessions of Cecile and her husband, Alain (Francois Morel). Belvaux replicates the wordy banter of romantic comedies with gusto, but many of the jokes fail to ignite. It's obvious that he's more at home with the trilogy's darker sides.
A scene in which Cecile confronts Agnes and Bruno in her chalet is repeated from the first film. It's interesting to see Cecile -- originally the scene's supporting actor -- now become the focus. It's a textbook demonstration of how a change of camera angle can change the whole meaning of a scene. Technically, it's impressive to watch how Belvaux incorporates the similar dialogue and motion into two different styles of film without jarring.
"After the Life" is the strongest film. This concentrates on Agnes' battle with drug addiction and cop Pascal's attempts to help her. Seen third, the revelation is that while Pascal's still not particularly pleasant, he's more caring than we could perceive from the other parts. We learn that his hotheaded, cruel actions are motivated by the fact that a dealer will withhold morphine from Agnes unless Pascal leads him to the fleeing Bruno. Viewing events through Pascal's eyes changes our appreciation of him.
Belvaux's script is a tour de force of organization. Gratuitous scenes are expected in a work like this to provide continuity, but Belvaux cleverly makes sure that everything has a point.
The Trilogy:
On The Run, An Amazing Couple, After The Life
Produced by Agat Film Et Cie and Entre Chien Et Loup in association with Rhone-Alps Cinema and RTBF
Credits: Screenwriter-director: Lucas Belvaux
Producers: Patrick Sobelman, Diana Elbaum
Director of photography: Pierre Milon
Music: Riccardo Del Fra
Sound: Christian Monheim
Production designer: Frederique Belvaux
Costume designer: Cecile Cotten
Editors: Valerie Loiseleux ("An Amazing Couple"), Ludo Troch ("On the Run"), Danielle Anezin ("After the Life"). Cast: Cecile: Ornella Muti
Alain: Francois Morel
Jeanne: Catherine Frot
Bruno: Lucas Belvaux
Agnes: Dominique Blanc
Pascal: Gilbert Melki
No MPAA rating
Running times -- 117 minutes ("On the Run"), 100 minutes ("An Amazing Couple"), 124 minutes ("After the Life")...
- 7/9/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Trilogy
Opened
Friday, Jan 30 (New York)
NEW YORK -- Lucas Belvaux's experimental trilogy proves that the sum is often greater than the parts. Belvaux has made three stand-alone features, which share the same characters and milieu. The tales interweave, so each film elucidates those which came before. To increase the challenge, Belvaux has decided to work in three different genres: "One the Run" is a noirish crime thriller
"An Amazing Couple", a romantic comedy
and "After the Life", a tough drama.
On their own, they're passable movies, but -- with the possible exception of "After the Life" -- they lack definition for an international release. Yet viewed together, they improve one another. Shared situations are clarified and expanded, and characters are given new dimensions that completely change the way we understand them. The work suddenly expands to incorporate the wide-ranging perspectives of a good novel rather than the singular perspective of most films. Consequently, though it's flawed -- the romantic comedy sits uneasily with its harsher partners, for instance -- Belvaux's experiment is a success.
Magnolia Pictures opened "One the Run" on Jan. 30, "An Amazing Couple" on Feb. 6 and "After the Life" on Feb. 13 at New York's Angelika Film Center. A national release is to follow. Novelty value will certainly be a draw with artier audiences, and intriguing reviews will probably help. In New York, the trilogy's enemy will be time, and viewers may be discouraged by the fact that they have to see all three films to get the full picture.
"On the Run" is a crime thriller that introduces the inciting incident of the three stories -- a jailbreak by the leftist revolutionary Bruno (played by Belvaux himself). Once out of the pen, Bruno tracks down his old partner Jeanne (Catherine Frot) with the idea of restarting their leftist cell. But she's now settled and doesn't want to get involved.
Seamy cop Pascal Gilbert Melki) starts to pick up Bruno's trail, but then Bruno saves the cop's wife, Agnes (Dominique Blanc), from a drug overdose. Agnes decides to help him and hides him in a chalet belonging to a friend, Cecile (Ornella Muti). The story hinges on Bruno's revenge on the men who turned him in, and his attempts to persuade Jeanne to help him flee the country.
"On the Run" has some moments of excitement and is certainly uncompromising. Belvaux enjoys sticking within the conventions of the genre, using minimal dialogue, shadowy lighting with very dark blacks, shots of conniving characters through closed windows and so on.
"An Amazing Couple", the romantic comedy, is the weakest of the trio. It stands as something of an interlude, detailing the paranoid obsessions of Cecile and her husband, Alain (Francois Morel). Belvaux replicates the wordy banter of romantic comedies with gusto, but many of the jokes fail to ignite. It's obvious that he's more at home with the trilogy's darker sides.
A scene in which Cecile confronts Agnes and Bruno in her chalet is repeated from the first film. It's interesting to see Cecile -- originally the scene's supporting actor -- now become the focus. It's a textbook demonstration of how a change of camera angle can change the whole meaning of a scene. Technically, it's impressive to watch how Belvaux incorporates the similar dialogue and motion into two different styles of film without jarring.
"After the Life" is the strongest film. This concentrates on Agnes' battle with drug addiction and cop Pascal's attempts to help her. Seen third, the revelation is that while Pascal's still not particularly pleasant, he's more caring than we could perceive from the other parts. We learn that his hotheaded, cruel actions are motivated by the fact that a dealer will withhold morphine from Agnes unless Pascal leads him to the fleeing Bruno. Viewing events through Pascal's eyes changes our appreciation of him.
Belvaux's script is a tour de force of organization. Gratuitous scenes are expected in a work like this to provide continuity, but Belvaux cleverly makes sure that everything has a point.
The Trilogy:
On The Run, An Amazing Couple, After The Life
Produced by Agat Film Et Cie and Entre Chien Et Loup in association with Rhone-Alps Cinema and RTBF
Credits: Screenwriter-director: Lucas Belvaux
Producers: Patrick Sobelman, Diana Elbaum
Director of photography: Pierre Milon
Music: Riccardo Del Fra
Sound: Christian Monheim
Production designer: Frederique Belvaux
Costume designer: Cecile Cotten
Editors: Valerie Loiseleux ("An Amazing Couple"), Ludo Troch ("On the Run"), Danielle Anezin ("After the Life"). Cast: Cecile: Ornella Muti
Alain: Francois Morel
Jeanne: Catherine Frot
Bruno: Lucas Belvaux
Agnes: Dominique Blanc
Pascal: Gilbert Melki
No MPAA rating
Running times -- 117 minutes ("On the Run"), 100 minutes ("An Amazing Couple"), 124 minutes ("After the Life")...
Friday, Jan 30 (New York)
NEW YORK -- Lucas Belvaux's experimental trilogy proves that the sum is often greater than the parts. Belvaux has made three stand-alone features, which share the same characters and milieu. The tales interweave, so each film elucidates those which came before. To increase the challenge, Belvaux has decided to work in three different genres: "One the Run" is a noirish crime thriller
"An Amazing Couple", a romantic comedy
and "After the Life", a tough drama.
On their own, they're passable movies, but -- with the possible exception of "After the Life" -- they lack definition for an international release. Yet viewed together, they improve one another. Shared situations are clarified and expanded, and characters are given new dimensions that completely change the way we understand them. The work suddenly expands to incorporate the wide-ranging perspectives of a good novel rather than the singular perspective of most films. Consequently, though it's flawed -- the romantic comedy sits uneasily with its harsher partners, for instance -- Belvaux's experiment is a success.
Magnolia Pictures opened "One the Run" on Jan. 30, "An Amazing Couple" on Feb. 6 and "After the Life" on Feb. 13 at New York's Angelika Film Center. A national release is to follow. Novelty value will certainly be a draw with artier audiences, and intriguing reviews will probably help. In New York, the trilogy's enemy will be time, and viewers may be discouraged by the fact that they have to see all three films to get the full picture.
"On the Run" is a crime thriller that introduces the inciting incident of the three stories -- a jailbreak by the leftist revolutionary Bruno (played by Belvaux himself). Once out of the pen, Bruno tracks down his old partner Jeanne (Catherine Frot) with the idea of restarting their leftist cell. But she's now settled and doesn't want to get involved.
Seamy cop Pascal Gilbert Melki) starts to pick up Bruno's trail, but then Bruno saves the cop's wife, Agnes (Dominique Blanc), from a drug overdose. Agnes decides to help him and hides him in a chalet belonging to a friend, Cecile (Ornella Muti). The story hinges on Bruno's revenge on the men who turned him in, and his attempts to persuade Jeanne to help him flee the country.
"On the Run" has some moments of excitement and is certainly uncompromising. Belvaux enjoys sticking within the conventions of the genre, using minimal dialogue, shadowy lighting with very dark blacks, shots of conniving characters through closed windows and so on.
"An Amazing Couple", the romantic comedy, is the weakest of the trio. It stands as something of an interlude, detailing the paranoid obsessions of Cecile and her husband, Alain (Francois Morel). Belvaux replicates the wordy banter of romantic comedies with gusto, but many of the jokes fail to ignite. It's obvious that he's more at home with the trilogy's darker sides.
A scene in which Cecile confronts Agnes and Bruno in her chalet is repeated from the first film. It's interesting to see Cecile -- originally the scene's supporting actor -- now become the focus. It's a textbook demonstration of how a change of camera angle can change the whole meaning of a scene. Technically, it's impressive to watch how Belvaux incorporates the similar dialogue and motion into two different styles of film without jarring.
"After the Life" is the strongest film. This concentrates on Agnes' battle with drug addiction and cop Pascal's attempts to help her. Seen third, the revelation is that while Pascal's still not particularly pleasant, he's more caring than we could perceive from the other parts. We learn that his hotheaded, cruel actions are motivated by the fact that a dealer will withhold morphine from Agnes unless Pascal leads him to the fleeing Bruno. Viewing events through Pascal's eyes changes our appreciation of him.
Belvaux's script is a tour de force of organization. Gratuitous scenes are expected in a work like this to provide continuity, but Belvaux cleverly makes sure that everything has a point.
The Trilogy:
On The Run, An Amazing Couple, After The Life
Produced by Agat Film Et Cie and Entre Chien Et Loup in association with Rhone-Alps Cinema and RTBF
Credits: Screenwriter-director: Lucas Belvaux
Producers: Patrick Sobelman, Diana Elbaum
Director of photography: Pierre Milon
Music: Riccardo Del Fra
Sound: Christian Monheim
Production designer: Frederique Belvaux
Costume designer: Cecile Cotten
Editors: Valerie Loiseleux ("An Amazing Couple"), Ludo Troch ("On the Run"), Danielle Anezin ("After the Life"). Cast: Cecile: Ornella Muti
Alain: Francois Morel
Jeanne: Catherine Frot
Bruno: Lucas Belvaux
Agnes: Dominique Blanc
Pascal: Gilbert Melki
No MPAA rating
Running times -- 117 minutes ("On the Run"), 100 minutes ("An Amazing Couple"), 124 minutes ("After the Life")...
- 2/5/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.