isabelle adjani recommendations please
 

la reine margot is excellent, and i have herzog's nosferateau in the mail, but what other movies would people recommend? any absoulute musts? and what dvds are the ones to buy?

btw i'm also a sophie marceau fan, and am looking for more of her dvds if anyone has suggestions. so far i just have the stinky american dvd of la fille de d'artagnan.

I didnt care much for la reine margot, but the other one most people recommend is Story of Adele H (which I also dont care for). Its probably her most famous outside of la reine margot.

I personally like english language The Tenant as well.

Camille Claudel for sure. It's the one that first made me an Adjani fan. She doesn't work as much as I wish she did, but I like the projects she chooses. La Reine Margot is incredible. The Story of Adele H is another personal favorite, although her characters in that and Camille Claudel are not dissimilar.

I love Posession

Other than La Reine Margot, I would recommend Possession, Camille Claudel, The Story of Adele H, One Deadly Summer, Adolphe, and Bon Voyage.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Adjani last September is Paris after a performance of La derniere nuit de Marie Stuart at the Theatre Marigny. She is even more beautiful and charming in person than I could ever have imagined.

Definitely Camille Claudel. That was the first thing I thought of when I saw the thread title.

On the Adjani subject all has been said: Wait for the upcoming 16/9 UK print of Camille. Some of the Truffaut titles are also being re-released in the UK later this summer (The Bride Wore Black, etc) so hopefully Adele H will be amongst those (finally) with a 16/9 transfer. As far as One Deadly Summer goes you are pretty much out of luck. The French disc which is not English-friendly but OOP is nowhere to be found with a decent price. The UK one is a chopped duff. Possession is considered a corner stone in Isabelle's career but I never really embraced it. I would also recommend Adolphe which was never released in the US but it is out on a French disc - I know many disliked it but I liked it a lot. Finally Subway may not be a typucal Adjani film but this film influenced so many...definitely worth owning-R1 is good.

Sophie Marceu - Unfortunately her biggest hits: La Boum and Fanfan are not available in the US. I would strongly recommend the R2 disc of Zulawski's La Fidelite (which is English-friendly). Marquise is also available on a subbed disc in the land down under. La Note Blue is a lovely little film but unfortunately is not available in the US. Marceau's rather better Firelight is available on a decent DVD in Germany (language is English) whch I would not mind recommending. Finally her second collaboration with Zulawski My Nights are Better Than Your Days is out here in the US on a non-16/9 disc whcih I strongly recommend as this is the one film where the ex-duo truly clicked. I also own the German disc of Anna Karenina but it is slightly cropped to 1.78:1. The R3 disc of Anthony Zimmer is also Eglish friendly but croped from 2.35:1 to 1.78:1. As far as directing goes I strongly recommend her (English-friendly R2 French disc) Speak to me of Love.

Ciao,
Pro-B

Subway?

;)

(Actually, I do enjoy this film quite a bit, and she looks amazing...aside from one specific hairdo. U.S. members may still be able to find the R1 for $2 at their local Big Lots.)

1978's The Driver, available on R1 DVD in a shortened version, priced on Amazon at $8.99. Adjani looks mysterious as the Connection, she dresses in black and she has only a few lines of dialogue. Things do not work out well for her, as is the case for many in the cast in this Walter Hill movie. The Driver was long unavailable on video, and now that the DVD is out, fans are waiting for a release of the movie in the longer 131 minute version, with an anamorphic picture.

What happened to her by the way? She hasn't been in a movie in 4 years? I miss my favorite Monica Bellucci look-alike!

Another Adjani film I especially enjoy is Claude Miller's noir-ish "Mortelle Randonnée", where she plays an enigmatic femme fatale tracked by an aging private detective (brilliantly played by Michel Serreault) called "The Eye". Much better than the US remake "Eye of the Beholder"... Available on a crappy Fox Lorber edition in R1... Not sure about what's available in other regions (Pro B?) but there's a new French release (TF1 video) scheduled for June 7th. Don't think that will be english friendly though...

Fun to watch this back to back with "Anthony Zimmer" since you get to see both Adjani and Marceau tackle similar roles. Also FYI, there's an R1 of "Anthony Zimmer" from Christal Films with english subs, and a making-of (not subbed). But this is a PAL port and, like the R3, it's cropped to 1.78:1 There are some compression issues (which mind you, also affected the French Studio Canal release) and some noticeable edge enhancement, but it's still watchable.

yes I would also like to know if a good version of mortelle exists that is english friendly?

Unfortunately the only English-friendly version is indeed the R1 disc. The TF1 disc is not announced as English-friendly as eXcentris points out above. Furthermore, I own the R1 and even though the back cover states that it is anamorphic it is not. It is in the correct aspect ratio of 1.66:1 though! Below average transfer gravitating around poor...but the only way to see the film!

Ciao,
Pro-B

Is there any latest news about the upcoming UK release Camille Claudel?

I can't waite!

I will pre-order at amazon-uk once show up...

thanks!

I don't think anyone has mentioned Beyond The Clouds yet for Ms Marceau.
I can't vouch for the actual quality of the film, but the disc looks good and Ms Marceau has ample nudity (not that that should be a factor of course).
La Boum was a cute film. Shame it hasn't gotten a R1 release (I think Columiba originally released it on VHS).

I wish la reine margot were available in a good version in R1. Of what is available here, my favorite would probably be Bon Voyage. Someone really needs to get on the ball and get out a decent version of One Deadly Summer as well.

L'été Meurtrier is a very good movie (thriller).
Highly recommended. It was a big success in France in the 80's.

You have to be fluent in French though as as far as I know the title in only available in France (TF1 vidéo) with no subs.

Out of curiosity, was Monica Bellucci ever compared or considered the "next' Isabelle Adjani? Monica Belluci's first respectable acting role was in L'Appartemente a year after the release of Adjani's Queen Margot - one of her last final masterpiece roles. Does anyone remember the French media comparing Belluci and Adjani?

Any more info on these?

I don't recommend these. This being said last year (I don't recall in what issue exactly as I am on a different subscription plan now and cannot go through the archive) Cahiers mentioned that all of his films are being digitally restored in France. I do not know whether or not MGM will have access to these new prints but I am fairly sure that at least some of them will arrive on BR in 2009. My suggestion to you is -- wait.

And to Toddly: No and no.

Pro-B

Both actresses have different backgrounds, Monica began as a top model, Isabelle had her first role she was 14, then entered the Comédie Française (national theatre company) at 17.
You can see her on stage playing Ondine from Giraudoux, Editions Montparnasse released the DVD (not english friendly).

Ondine 1974 (Adjani was 18)

The DVD.

^
Not sure why you quoted me Tutut, perhaps you wanted to respond to Toddly's questions. The short answers I gave to him actually stand: Monica was never compared to Isabelle by the French media, not even at large. As you noted above Monica entered cinema through modeling, Isabelle did not. Furthermore, more or less, Isabelle has always been involved with music (and theater), Monica has never done anything outside TV/cinema. Finally, even though Monica is an extremely attractive woman with an enormous sex appeal her acting skills are nowhere near close to Isabelle's. And her record shows it.

Pro-B

Yes, and I've never heard about Monica in a theatre on stage or writing songs, Isabelle is a more complete artist.
Her son is also involved in music, he's guitarist, singer and writer in the band Makali under the name of Barnabé Saïd-albert .

http://www.chezmakali.com/

but they look alike :)

that's what I meant...they look alike, act alike, and they express their femininity/sexuality in a similar style.

Monica's acting is much more based on her body and her sensuality, that reminds other italian stars such as Silvana Mangano or Sophia Loren.