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LE DEUXIEME SOUFFLE (Daniel Auteuil/Monica Bellucci)

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LE DEUXIEME SOUFFLE (Daniel Auteuil/Monica Bellucci)

Old 02-17-08, 03:15 AM
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LE DEUXIEME SOUFFLE (Daniel Auteuil/Monica Bellucci)



Alain Corneau's latest LE DEUXIEME SOUFFLE a.k.a Second Wind (2006) is set to be release on April 24 in France/Monaco. Nominated for 3 Cesars. Tech specs to be added shortly.

Variety:


"Second Wind" takes a second look at the late Jose Giovanni's tale of honor, and the lack of same, among thieves, the first of which was Jean-Pierre Melville's 1966 adaptation starring Lino Ventura. As opposed to Melville's hard, pared-down telling, Alain Corneau's new version imposes an almost operatic conception on its delineation of the tragic destiny of an old-school criminal faced with new realities after a long prison stint. Material's pedigree, exaggerated treatment and continental star names could put this ambitious production over in Europe and elsewhere, but it will be a hard sell Stateside, where its style and substance will appear both out of step and out of date.

A former criminal and longtime prisoner for whom subsequent surprise success as a novelist and filmmaker constituted significant redemption, Giovanni drew on his past for his subject matter, beginning with "Le Trou" and his novel "Le deuxieme souffle," the latter published in 1958. The writer battled constantly with Melville over changes the latter made to his material, and, although the 150-minute film was well received, Giovanni was never entirely happy with it.

New version, which runs even longer, is set in the early '60s, and while the fashions, cars and attitudes are consistent with this, the yarn unspools in a bizarrely artificial world, thanks to the gaudy, squint-inducing color scheme, grandiose music and almost underwater pace of the action; "stylized" scarcely begins to describe the approach here.

Still, there is no doubt that Corneau, a sometime specialist in policiers and crime dramas by virtue of "Police Python 367," "Serie noire," "Choice of Arms" and "Le Cousin," achieves precisely the effects he desires. In an opening scene that feels like the final sequence in a chapter of an old serial, one prisoner falls to his death trying to escape over a high prison wall, but two make it, one of whom is old Gu (Daniel Auteuil).

Just as she gets word Gu is out, nightclub cashier Manouche (Monica Bellucci) and bartender Alban (Eric Cantona) see their chic Paris boite shot up by three invading gangsters. Resulting deaths bring Inspector Blot (Michel Blanc), a nondescript, magnificently sarcastic cop who seems to understand the criminal mind better than do those who have them.

At length, Gu hooks up with his old associates, while Blot moves in on a rival criminal gang led by Jo Ricci (Gilbert Melki). Gu needs to get to Marseille, from where he believes he can disappear to Italy. To finance this, Gu agrees with elegant old crim Orloff (Jacques Dutronc) to pull one more heist, of a ton of gold from a warehouse.

In any such story, everyone knows "one last job" is destined to go awry. But the fallout among thieves here leads directly to Giovanni's point about changing ways, the declining value of trust, loyalty and one's word, and the complicity between criminals and cops.

In a nasty turn of events, Gu is tricked into betraying his basic code of honor, resulting in a shocking act of violence and sobering follow-up. Denouement is inevitable and a long time coming, which compounds the problem that a preoccupation with honorable behavior in crime films seems utterly quaint today, given the amorality that has become so rampant since this story was written.

Another issue is the casting of Auteuil. Now decidedly middle-aged, the longtime leading man seems to relish this meaty part, but the crucial aspect to such a role is not so much performance as gravitas, presence and past associations. For the figure of a legendary man outside the law, a film needs an actor with a history of playing such characters, an icon along the lines of Bogart or Cagney in the U.S., Gabin or Ventura in France. Without this, "Second Wind" feels half-cooked.

While dismissible and off-putting at times, the over-the-top embellishments nonetheless provide their own fascination, and resulting stew is indisputably high in cinematic calories. Blanc delivers a very amusing portrait of an obsessed, ultra-articulate cop, while Dutronc, in top hat and driving a Bentley, intrigues as the coolest customer on the criminal scene. Bellucci, as a lifelong companion to underworld types, amply embodies the curvy, bottle-blonde ideal of the era.

Given the familiarity of the theme at this point, perhaps a tight, 90-minute film would have been the ticket this time around. But this would have conflicted with Corneau's obvious desire to honor Giovanni's intentions. Resulting length and grandiosity make the picture a curiosity, a footnote to the genre rather than a conclusive statement.

Camera (color, Panavision widescreen), Yves Angelo; editor, Marie-Josephe Yoyotte; music, Bruno Coulais; production designer, Thierry Flamand; costume designer, Corinne Jorry; sound (Dolby SRD/DTS SR), Pierre Gamet, Laurent Quaglio, Gerard Lamps; assistant director, Vincent Trintignant. Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (Gala), Sept. 7, 2007. (Also in Rome Film Festival -- competing.) Running time: 156 MIN.




Ciao,
Pro-B

Last edited by pro-bassoonist; 02-17-08 at 03:27 AM.
Old 02-17-08, 06:29 AM
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Oh, thanks! I am so curious of this film bc of Daniel Auteuil...

Is there a chance that there will be English (or at least French) subs on it?

Hope is still alive, anyway....

Invierno, a DA-fan.
Old 02-17-08, 06:36 PM
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One review from Toronto: http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/tiff...ouffle-review/

Additional articles and trailer: http://twitchfilm.net/site/search/re...16b60ae20cf61/

Now am I mistaken or is there no version of the original Melville film available with subs? I'd love to get more of his stuff (have all the criterions released so far) - anything non-criterion subbed?
Old 02-18-08, 01:10 AM
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Originally Posted by Tuan Jim
Now am I mistaken or is there no version of the original Melville film available with subs? I'd love to get more of his stuff (have all the criterions released so far) - anything non-criterion subbed?
You are mistaken.

Rene Chateau have produced only two English-friendly discs: En cas de malheur and Le Samourai.

Ciao,
Pro-B
Old 02-18-08, 02:45 AM
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R2 BFI o Le Doulos is subbed. Although given the recent Rialto restoration, it may come to r1 soon enough. But the R2 isnt bad.

Un Flic by Anchor Bay is also a reasonable disc.

R2 MOC version of La Slence de la Mer is also quite a good disc.


pro-b, is this film any good?
Old 02-18-08, 01:48 PM
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Originally Posted by nitin77
pro-b, is this film any good?
Obviously I have not seen it yet but I am a big fan of Corneau and have never been disappointed by him. The cast and premise here also help.

I will be buying without hesitation.

Pro-B
Old 02-18-08, 04:00 PM
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http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1036997_eric_the_gangster

Here is an exerpt from a piece I read on the bus home tonight:
Cantona shares the screen with Hollywood star Monica Bellucci in the film shot in Paris and Marseille.

He plays Alban, a major part in director Alain Corneau's two-and-a-half hour adaptation of the novel by Jose Giovanni.

Its British premiere was at the Glasgow Film Festival on Saturday under the English title Second Wind. But, according to filmgoers, the film world's great actors such as Robert De Niro won't be having any sleepless nights. Film fan Paul Drury said: "I think the Oscars are safe this year.

"It's a dreadful performance and he's pretty wooden - although he plays a 1960s French gangster's right-hand man so he can get away with being a bit stiff. Alban is a leading character and Cantona is on screen for the majority of the first half of the film, before the action moves to Marseille.
Cantona used to play for Manchester United which means that some interest remains as to his latest exploits.
Old 02-19-08, 09:50 PM
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Originally Posted by nitin77
R2 BFI o Le Doulos is subbed. Although given the recent Rialto restoration, it may come to r1 soon enough. But the R2 isnt bad.

Un Flic by Anchor Bay is also a reasonable disc.

R2 MOC version of La Slence de la Mer is also quite a good disc.
Well, I already had Le Samourai on a Russian disc (read about the French but seemed a little expensive) before the CC came out. I was thinking about additional titles. I appreciate the suggestions, and will look into them.

Twitch also had some articles about the Le Doulos re-release and it sounds really good as well.
Old 02-21-08, 09:26 PM
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I'm a fan of Melville's original version (I prefer it by a fair bit over his more widely lauded efforts such as "Le Samourai" and "Le Cercle Rouge"). That said, I certainly am looking forward to checking out this re-make. It's probably for the best that they might have delivered this re-make in a more stylized fashion...closer maybe to something like Warren Beatty's "Dick Tracy"...as opposed to the more grounded, naturalistic original. Other than the stylized look, a lot of the rest in the trailer seems to follow the original...though it looks like they moved the heist to a cityscape as opposed to the winding mountain road in the original. I kind of liked the wide open space used for the heist in the original so I'm kind of sorry to see that go. But perhaps that outdoors openness might be in too stark a contrast to the intended look of this version. I'm not digging Bellucci as a blonde, and as much as I like Auteuil, you've got mighty big shoes to fill in following the original performance by Lino Ventura, and the rest of the cast was very good too.

And since I've brought up Ventura, when the heck is "Classe Tous Risques" going to come out in an English-friendly version.
Old 02-22-08, 06:24 AM
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does a good disc of Melville's original exist? english friendly.
Old 02-22-08, 12:21 PM
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nitin77, the answer to your question is "no", there is no official, English-friendly DVD release...just wait for the Criterion, Masters of Cinema, BFI, etc., release...whenever that is.

Last edited by flixtime; 02-23-08 at 06:49 AM.
Old 02-22-08, 09:21 PM
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flixtime,

cheer. I might just wait for an official release. Thans though.
Old 02-25-08, 10:05 AM
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I saw this on the day of its theatrical release last year... It's pretty long and drawn-out, and could have lost half an hour or so. The look of the film and period detail are immaculate, and it's always good to see Auteuil, Blanc, Dutronc & Bellucci in anything. It vanished pretty quickly from Paris cinemas, which I was slightly surprised at, given there was much hype and talk of it in advance. Worth a look, but I'm not sure if it'd stand repeated viewing.

Daza.
Old 04-11-08, 12:16 PM
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Originally Posted by nitin77
does a good disc of Melville's original exist? english friendly.
nitin77, I don't know if it is a "good" disc, but it looks like there was a recent release from Russia (see artpopdvd.com). There are listing an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, but if I recall correctly the aspect ratio should be 1.66:1. Perhaps their listed tech specs are incorrect (not an unusual occurrence), or perhaps this transfer is indeed the incorrect aspect ratio. So you might want to contact them first if you plan a purchase. Still there is the chance it is a port of the French DVD so it might be in the correct ratio.

Or just wait until Criterion (etc.) get around to it.
Old 04-11-08, 01:28 PM
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The Russian series the disc belongs to copy the corresponding French presentation(s) entirely. So, typically whatever is on the French disc, transfer, OAR, etc, comes via the Russian release. For example I am yet to see a Rene Chateau product that isn't ported entirely.

Pro-B

Last edited by pro-bassoonist; 04-11-08 at 01:30 PM.
Old 08-20-08, 11:08 PM
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TF1 are set to release the film on BR in France on November 27th.

Pro-B
Old 08-21-08, 04:24 AM
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still no english friendly dvd?
Old 08-21-08, 07:08 AM
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I've heard a lot of good things about this film, and I'd love to see it...plus, I worship Bellucci (imo the most beautiful creature walking the earth...though, I could do without the blonde dye job).
Old 08-21-08, 10:39 PM
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Originally Posted by nitin77
still no english friendly dvd?
No.

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