jbgeorges

This movie is both beautiful and funny, and well served by excellent actors, including the young boy interpreting MimiSiku. There are so many comic situations, and even if the characters are somewhat carictural, it never goes into the "too much" area. The result is a funny and light family movie. If you don't laugh while watching this film, you should consider visiting a doctor...

This film based on real facts is incredibly powerful and moving. The relationship to his daughter Alice is the key to understand all what Cheval did. It's for her he will build this incredible palace. Most of the time he never speaks to anybody, but with Alice, the words spill out of his heart. He share with her his poetic vision of the world, full of legends, lost civilizations, ans symbolism. The way Cheval dies at the end of the movie is just so beautiful and moving... It's the most beautiful death of cinema history! Cheval was found of symbols, and interstingly enough, he died at the age of 88, symbol of eternity, and it took him 33 years to build his palace, the age of Christ. I like to believe that this was not just a coincidence...

This film is fascinating. The face to face between a suburbs' "mad dog" played by Gérard Depardieu and a retired "big cat" of organized crime interpreted by Yves Montand, makes a wonderful moment of cinema! The atmosphere is worthy of a great film noir. No trace of justice or forgiveness. A ruthless and blind mechanics will crush individual destinies one after the other. Only the end of the film escapes the tragedy and offers a deeply moving moment of hope. The photography is very beautiful, with memorable close-ups of the faces of Montand, Deneuve and Depardieu. Well done Mr. Corneau.