Irma Vep (1997)

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

A Chinese movie actress (Maggie Cheung as herself), in France to star in a remake of "Les Vampires", finds petty intrigues and clashing egos on the set.The idea for the film was born out of an attempted collaboration between Assayas, Claire Denis, and Atom Egoyan, who wanted to experiment with the situation of a foreigner in Paris. In the 1915 original serial, written and directed by Louis Feuillade, Irma Vep was played by French silent film actress Musidora (1889–1957). Much of the film depicts set-related incidents that echo scenes in Truffaut's "La nuit americaine", to which Irma Vep owes a large thematic debt. However, Assayas has publicly stated that although he considers "La nuit americaine" a great film, it is more about the fantasy of filmmaking than the reality. Assayas credits Rainer Werner Fassbinder's "Beware of a Holy Whore" as a much greater inspiration.I love that Atom Egoyan was involved in some way. I must have missed him on the crew list, unless he dropped out before the final version got started. This film works on many levels, because it features a remake of "The Vampires", which strikes me as a brilliant idea. It then takes that and makes it a film about making such a film, and generally speaking I think those sort of films work well. Then it goes to the third level and has Maggie Cheung play herself (sort of), almost making it sort of a pseudo-documentary...

We do see satires on the making of films from time to time but we really don't see many of them come from France and say what you will about the current state of movie making this film makes some extremely poignant references to the differences between film-making in America and Europe. Story is about an aging film director named Rene Vidal (Jean-Pierre Leaud) who has seen better days in terms of his career but he's just started the improbable task of remaking the 1915 Louis Feuillade classic "Les Vampires" starring Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung (playing herself) and things (naturally) just don't seem to be working.*****SPOILER ALERT***** Cheung doesn't necessarily know what Vidal expects of her in terms of a performance but they do fit her in a black latex costume which she enjoys. Since she doesn't know how to speak French and has no one to really talk to Cheung gets to know the wardrobe lady Zoe (Nathalie Richard) but things get a bit uncomfortable when Zoe (who's a lesbian) becomes attracted to her. One night Cheung puts her sleek black costume on and in an attempt to get into character prowls around the hotel she's staying at and even sneaks into the room of a naked woman and steals some of her jewelry. Meanwhile, Vidal has resigned from being director and another veteran filmmaker comes in to try and salvage the movie but he doesn't like the choices in casting and wants Cheung out of the film.This is directed by Olivier Assayas who is extremely talented and has alway's shown a keen eye for sharp dialog and here he succeeds in satirizing the movie making process with a French flair. Some of the best moments in the film come when characters talk about the differences between countries in the way of what audiences are entertained by in film. The highlight of the film (for me and I think for most viewers) comes when Cheung wears that Michelle Pfeiffer catwoman-like latex outfit and the scene wear she stalks around the hotel hallway and sneaks into a room to steal jewelry is captivating but it should be because Cheung is captivating herself. My only complaint about the film comes with the way that Cheung all but disappears at the end without as much as a reference to her fate. I guess she was just replaced in the lead role and headed back to Hong Kong but it would have been nice to see how she would have handled the whole situation. Instead, the last scene of her is being driven away in a cab after chickening out on going to a club with her lesbian admirer Zoe. In case you like trivia than you might like to know that Cheung and Assayas ended up getting married but were divorced in 2001 but have continued to work together.

We are introduced to `Irma Vep'(1996) as Maggie Cheung, playing herself, arrives on the frantic set of the film within a film remake of Louis Feuillade's `Les Vampires'. Maggie struggles to overcome a severe language barrier as she's introduced to the crew. Olivier Assayas exhibits beautiful camera work and an enticing introspective view into film making while commenting on contemporary French cinema. The director of the film within the film, René Vidal, recruits Maggie Cheung as the leading lady because he feels no French woman could do justice to the remake of the highly regarded silent film `Les Vampires'. This leads to a culture clash as a Hong Kong star is asked to portray one of the more dominant French female roles of the past. It quickly becomes apparent that René is obsessed with Maggie as they view some of her previous films together. René goes on and on about her beauty and grace in one of her Hong Kong fighter flicks and ignores Maggie when she tries to explain that it wasn't even her in the scenes he's praising. Of course Maggie must be properly outfitted for her role as the new vampiress. This is where she encounters the costume designer Zoé, Nathalie Richard. Like René, Zoé quickly becomes taken in by Maggie and develops a crush on her as well. At the fitting we see Maggie's role of the female present for the males pleasure. Though Maggie makes it clear she is terribly uncomfortable in the latex suit Zoé, René's ambassador, insists that it was exactly what René wanted, which of course all that matters. Maggie is the ultimate victim of the male eye as she is lonely, isolated in a foreign city and therefore forced to fulfill all the wishes of the male director. While throughout most of `Irma Vep' Maggie is objectified by stereotypes of the female as quiet, attractive and most importantly, obedient there is one scene where Maggie is allowed to break free from this role. In the only sequence Maggie is alone we enter the hotel room via fast paced camera movement, accompanied by loud equally quick moving music. Maggie fitted in her costume sneaks around the hotel stealing jewelry from an unsuspecting hotel guest. This scene is a powerful addition to the film as it allows the female to be the dominant party calling the shots independently of the male gaze.After this scene in which we're exposed to an alternate side of Maggie, René suffers a nervous break down and the fate of the film, as well as its leading lady's job is uncertain. It seems ironic how after this scene the course of the film within the film grows doubtful. Assayas has created a brilliant film that exposes the inner workings and troubles of the hidden cinematic apparatus and even allows for the development of a break through leading lady. Unfortunately Olivier Assayas doesn't allow for the complete breaking of stereotypes that females fall victim to and maintains the past tradition of keeping even the heroine subject to male dominancy in the cinematic gaze.

This movie is definitely a must see for every film-lover. Maggie gives her best performance ever in a movie that feels so close to reality you often get the impression you're watching a documentary. Enormously inspired by French cinema style, technique (camera) and references, it manages to observe from a distance French cinema while being a typical French movie. Without any doubt one of the best French movie ever made. 10/10.