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 | Beau Travail (1999) Directed by: Claire Denis Actors: Denis Lavant , Gregoire Colin , Michel Subor , Marta Tafesse Kassa , Richard Courcet |
Beau Travail: In loosely adapting Herman Melville's BILLY BUDD, Claire Denis has constructed a dreamy, detached visual poem that is at once somber and gorgeous. Denis transfers the tale's original location from the sea to the sparse landscape of East Africa's Djibouti. The film is narrated by Sergeant Galoup (Denis Lavant), a French Foreign Legion officer who is intimidated by the arrival of Sentain (Gregoire Colin). Galoup becomes jealous when his commander, Forestier (Michel Subor), begins showing the new recruit extreme favoritism, and after Sentain bravely aids in the rescue of a downed aircraft, Forestier bestows upon him a glowing commendation. Galoup, overcome with jealousy, recklessly acts out on his irrational emotion, with near tragic results. Denis boldly composes BEAU TRAVAIL like a silent film, including several extended scenes of the soldiers training in a rhythmic, choreographed manner. Agnes Godard's hypnotic cinematography captures the beauty of the soldier's tanned bodies and photographs the landscape with a rhythm that is both haunting and poetic. In what may be one of cinema's most electric final shots, Denis gives Galoup a last chance at redemption, after his recent descent into jealousy and cruelty. It provides an invigorating conclusion to the film and proves that Denis is one of the world's most gifted artists. Loosely based on Herman Melville's BILLY BUDD, BEAU TRAVAIL tells the story of a French Foreign Legion senior officer who becomes jealous of a younger soldier when he is commended by their commander for saving the life of a fellow officer. His descent into jealousy provides the backbone for the film, which has greater aims than telling such a simple story. Narrated by the officer (Denis Lavant), the film feels like a distant dream. Agnes Godard's photography captures the striking physiques of the soldiers with an alluring eye, and Claire Denis's direction makes BEAU TRAVAIL a work of deeply intense beauty. The actors worked with a choreographer to perfect their training drills. BEAU TRAVAIL world-premiered at the 1999 Venice Film Festival. The film was acquired for American theatrical distribution by New Yorker Films after screening at the 1999 New York Film Festival. Stephen Holden of the New York Times and Philip French of the Guardian Unlimited (UK) named BEAU TRAVAIL one of the 10 best films of 2000; the Village Voice and Film Comment named it the best film of the year. Agnès Godard won the Best Cinematography award from the Village Voice. Michel Subor also played Bruno Forestier in Jean-Luc Godard's 1963 film LE PETIT SOLDAT. "Maybe freedom begins with remorse. I heard that somewhere."--Sergeant Galoup (Denis Lavant) | |
| Beau Travail Topics: French, Drama (General), Soldiers, Essential Cinema, Based On A Novel | |
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