22 October 2021.
By Neptune
LES ILLUSIONS PERDUES **** (vo French)
This sumptuous tableau set in 19th century France about a young, idealistic poet’s coming-of-age (perfectly embodied by the delicate Benjamin Voisin), is based on one of Honoré de Balzac’s novels from his grand collection, ‘La Comédie Humaine’.
With his brilliant cast of character actors (including famed Canadian actor/director Xavier Dolan and the inimitable Gérard Depardieu), haunting music, glorious landscapes and rich, scintillating Parisian locales, director Xavier Giannoli has concocted a modern look at the lost illusions of an ambitious young man who somehow loses his way on his search for fame and recognition.
From his first encounter with the older, married Madame de Bargeton who takes him under her wing and into her bed in their original provincial town, to the rich Parisian salons where he falls in love with a young courtesan/singer, he becomes intoxicated by his swift rise in the ruthless literary and journalistic world of the time. This is where everything has a price, including critiques of new books and theater openings. Even the hurrahs and boos of an opening night can be bought by the highest bidder.
Giannoli has beautifully adapted Balzac’s exhilarating world of intellectual intrigues, deceptions and political back-stabbings, along with his romantic illusions and bitter disillusions. And his vast cast of characters are each unforgettable in this perfect depiction of the eternal human tragicomedy…It feels like being in the world of Toulouse Lautrec.
This is the French film that should have been chosen for the 2021 Oscars instead of the nauseous, sexploitation film, ‘Titane’.
PLEASURE *
This film about a pretty 19-year-old Swedish girl who flies into Los Angeles to become an actress in the porn industry is not about pleasure. The title is a come-on and a misnomer. It is mainly about the lengths a girl will go to, to get to the top of this profession. And it is not pleasant. It’s about mindless girls living in the moment. In fact it is utterly degrading and it made me feel soiled for having sat through it.
I thought there must be something more to it, other than merely cheap titillation. But there isn’t. And it has nothing to do with exploitation, as no one is forcing her to be there. Every step she takes is of her own initiative. In fact the film shows that the industry is extremely careful not to overstep the boundaries of choices and decisions taken by the multitude of girls who are willing to live this kind of life, many of them because they enjoy it.
I am not a prude, but I do believe in quality, class and self-respect. There’s none of that in this film. But it will attract those interested in sensationalism.
“Boogie Nights” from 1997 starring Mark Wahlberg was an innovative, moving tragicomedy, also about the porn industry. Two excellent thrillers – “Don’t Look Now” from 1973 starring Julie Christie, and “Body Heat” from 1981 starring Kathleen Turner had steamy, sensual scenes that were exciting, beautiful and unforgettable. They were art and not gratuitous, this one is pornography.
As the old saying goes, “It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it.”
Superb **** Very Good *** Good ** Mediocre * Miserable – no stars
By Neptune
Neptune Ravar Ingwersen reviews film extensively for publications in Switzerland. She views 4 to 8 films a week and her aim is to sort the wheat from the chaff for readers.
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