IFC Films announced that it has acquired the U.S. rights from European studio Studiocanal to director Bertrand Tavernier’s “The Princess of Montpensier,” which is screening in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film was produced by Eric Heumann and coproduced by Studiocanal, with a screenplay by Jean Cosmos, Francois-Olivier Rousseau and Tavernier, based on the novel by Madame de la Fayette. It stars Melanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson, Gaspard Ulliel, ...
- 5/21/2010
- Indiewire
"Port Djema" is a pseudo-existentialist journey into the dangerous conflict of a civil war in a small West African state, but it never becomes engaging, never touches the audience and, as an existentialist exercise, it comes several decades too late.
The story is about a French doctor named Pierre (Jean-Yves Dubois) who travels to war-torn Port Djema after the death of his friend -- a doctor who was probably killed by rebels. Everyone warns him about going too far into rebel territory, which he, of course, does. There, he experiences the horrors of war and returns empty-handed.
Eric Heumann, who just won the Silver Bear for best director at this year's Berlin festival, makes his directorial debut after producing 13 films, including "Indochine" and "Le Regard d'Ulysse" for Theo Angelopoulos films. In an pretentious attempt to seem artsy, Heumann focuses on scenes in which Pierre does little but arrive, sit around, walk around and leave. In fact, that pretty much makes up the bulk of the movie.
The dialogue is rare and usually empty of content, and Dubois' apathetic acting consists largely of walking around with his hands in his pockets.
The only engaging actor is Nathalie Boutefeu as the photographer Alice, whose face commands the screen for the few brief scenes she is in.
Production values are rather modest.
PORT DJEMA
Roissey Films
A Paradis Films production
of an Eric Heumann film
Director Eric Heumann
Producer Marc Soustras
Co-producer Theo Angelopoulos
Writers Eric Heumann, Jacques Lebas
Director of photography Yorgos Arvanitis
Production designers Danka Semenowicz,
Yves Bernard
Editor Isabelle Dedieu
Music Sanjay Mishra
Costume designer Valerie Delafosse
Color
Cast:
Pierre Jean-Yves Dubois
Alice Nathalie Boutefeu
Delbos Christophe Odent
Ousman Edouard Montoute
Running time -- 95 minutes
No MPAA rating...
The story is about a French doctor named Pierre (Jean-Yves Dubois) who travels to war-torn Port Djema after the death of his friend -- a doctor who was probably killed by rebels. Everyone warns him about going too far into rebel territory, which he, of course, does. There, he experiences the horrors of war and returns empty-handed.
Eric Heumann, who just won the Silver Bear for best director at this year's Berlin festival, makes his directorial debut after producing 13 films, including "Indochine" and "Le Regard d'Ulysse" for Theo Angelopoulos films. In an pretentious attempt to seem artsy, Heumann focuses on scenes in which Pierre does little but arrive, sit around, walk around and leave. In fact, that pretty much makes up the bulk of the movie.
The dialogue is rare and usually empty of content, and Dubois' apathetic acting consists largely of walking around with his hands in his pockets.
The only engaging actor is Nathalie Boutefeu as the photographer Alice, whose face commands the screen for the few brief scenes she is in.
Production values are rather modest.
PORT DJEMA
Roissey Films
A Paradis Films production
of an Eric Heumann film
Director Eric Heumann
Producer Marc Soustras
Co-producer Theo Angelopoulos
Writers Eric Heumann, Jacques Lebas
Director of photography Yorgos Arvanitis
Production designers Danka Semenowicz,
Yves Bernard
Editor Isabelle Dedieu
Music Sanjay Mishra
Costume designer Valerie Delafosse
Color
Cast:
Pierre Jean-Yves Dubois
Alice Nathalie Boutefeu
Delbos Christophe Odent
Ousman Edouard Montoute
Running time -- 95 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 2/26/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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