La Femme Nikita and the Death of French Cinema

           Luc Besson’s La Femme Nikita (1991) was a hit both in France and internationally upon its release in 1991. Despite its box office success and inspiring several iterations in both cinema and television La Femme Nikita (1991) received negative criticism. Expectations on what foreign films or French cinema should be influenced the negative criticism. French films that are distributed via the art house circuit internationally and in the United States have developed a certain reputation bordering on cliché in the decades since the French new wave shook and inspired the film world. Due to commercial considerations films need to classified and grouped. The distribution of French films is no exception. Despite the commercial necessity for being able to group and categorize films it can hurt the perception and reception of films that do not fit in categories or preconceived notions.

          Both for academic study and commercial distribution being able to group and categorize movies is beneficial. Both France and the United States have a long history with the motion picture. Both countries have individuals who can be credited as pioneers of cinema. Names like Thomas Edison and George Melies firmly entrench both countries in the development of the motion picture from attraction and amusement device to storytelling device to one of the most prominent mediums for storytelling consumption in the modern era.

          How do we define French cinema and how is it categorically different from traditional American or Hollywood cinema? How French film is perceived differently from American films is due largely to two factors. One factor is how movies are marketed and distributed both foreign and domestic. The second factor is France’s government subsidizing both French filmmakers and movie theatres that screen foreign and art house films. American films vary greatly but for the purposes of this paper American films will refer to Hollywood productions meant for wide theatrical release. French films that are distributed via the festival and art house circuit both domestically in France and internationally have a narrower audience then American films. Often times these audiences are educated consumers that one could call patrons of the arts. These audiences typically have no issue with films that require audience engagement or that are difficult to watch. An American film meant for a wide release will attempt to be a four quadrant movie. The four quadrants are the four main demographics movie studios want to appeal to in their attempts to have a blockbuster film. These four quadrants are men, woman, those under 25, and those older than 25. If an artist is not concerned with mass consumption they can be more specific in their vision and less compromising. Also it is more likely for filmmakers to make more experimental films and for theatres to specialize as art house theatres if the artists and theatre owners are receiving government support.

          ““La Femme Nikita” is shallow, glitzy, ultra-violent… the kind of foreign-language film that’s tailor made for people who want art and subtitles—the chic of it, the cachet—without the alleged pain or suffering of too many ideas or somber emotions.” (Wilmington 1991). This excerpt from a review from the Los Angeles Times helps highlight how American critics view what is French cinema. Given what French films typically make it to America is this review surprising? After decades of consuming French cinema what was once provocative and cutting edge has become first the norm and then what’s expected. A film like Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959) has come to be the cliché of what audiences in America have come to expect from French Cinema. An introspective character study that deals with emotion and psychology with an important historical backdrop that demands the audience to engage with the film to get the most out if it.

          When categorizing film two important distinctions that help clarify the difference between American cinema and French cinema are the terms first and second cinema. First cinema is your typical wide release Hollywood motion picture meant for wide conception. Typically these films employ continuity editing, 3 act structures, and meant to be immersive experiences where the audience suspends their disbelief. Amblin produced films such as Jurassic Park (1993) and E.T. (1982) are excellent examples of this ethos while being well made thoughtful films they are engrossing crowd pleasers. Steven Spielberg and Amblin Productions prove that art can still be accessible and great. Second cinema is films that are either foreign or independent films intended for a limited release. These films tend to screened on the festival circuit or in art house theatres. Because of their limited release these films can be more avant-garde in both craft and story. Films produced during the French new wave became famous for breaking the rules of continuity editing and ignoring the conventions of story structure.

          Tepid & negative reviews when La Femme Nikita (1991) was released were based on preconceived notions of what is and what is not French cinema. “Brainy French directors used to be acclaimed for elevating the look and structure of a movie over the content. But Besson’s ambitions are frankly commercial. He takes the “formalist” noodlings of an earlier generation of filmmakers and turns them into pop hooks, pumping up an absurdist thriller with lots of stylishly abstract atmosphere.” (Gleiberman 1991). Conventions and preconceived notions about the rules of visual storytelling are what the French new wave was rebelling against. Breaking the fourth wall and jump cuts must have been just as startling to movie goers and critics watching French films in the early 60’s as the intelligentsia was when they saw La Femme Nikita (1991) during its initial theatrical release.

          When one says I’m going to screen a French film to an American movie goer in 1991 a stylized, fast pace, action/spy film with a female lead isn’t what they would have guessed. During the French new wave it was commonplace for filmmakers to use pulp fiction like hardboiled detective stories as source material. One can draw a straight line from Luc Besson’s deconstruction of the action film in La Femme Nikita (1991) to what French filmmakers did decades earlier with film noir. French cinema has a long tradition of synthesizing and deconstructing American genres and motifs like gangster movies, film noir, and thrillers. Noted French filmmakers like Jean Pierre Melville and Francois Truffaut drew influence from American culture and genre literature & films. In 1991 an action movie with a female lead that passes the Bechtel test was not common place. La Femme Nikita (1991) is in the canon of French cinema because it deconstructs the action/spy genre by making the lead a strong female who by the conclusion takes agency over her future.

          La Femme Nikita (1991) has high production value and stylized editing that many associate with Hollywood. A French film that displays well crafted production values especially in the action scenes shouldn’t be seen as a negative. Shooting action well is an underrated craft in filmmaking. A kinetic action sequence can be like a violent ballet in the hands of filmmakers like Akira Kurosawa and John Woo. Action sequences are pure cinema with a lineage that can be traced back to the use of the slap stick and montage in silent film.

          The last decade of the twentieth century and the early twenty first century has seen the rise of the “international” filmmaker. This can be attributed to the growth of formal film education, home video, and the internet. Every year it becomes easier to share movies digitally and films that were once only seen by historians and preservationist can be viewed by the general populace via the internet or any one of the myriad of home movie mediums. Directors like Quentin Tarantino, Luc Besson, Bong Joon-ho, and Neil Blomkamp cinematic styles are less defined by the places they grew up but by the global genre films they consumed. It’s becoming harder to say a director has an Italian style or a Hong Kong style. La Femme Nikita (1991) was unfairly treated because Luc Besson was criticized by critics who said his style looks more American then French. Cinema has a cyclical nature of influence regarding American and foreign films. American film noir and pulp fiction influences the French new wave. The French new wave inspires the first generation of American film school directors like Coppola, Spielberg, and Scorsese. The Hollywood blockbuster influences Luc Besson and the snake continues to eat its own tail. “Besson may be the nearest French equivalent to the post-‘70s “movie brats”. He’s no thinker and he’s weak with character, he tends to ridicule or ignore literature, yet he works powerfully with the raw elements of movie-making.” (Wilmington 1991). The Los Angeles Times may not hold La Femme Nikita (1991) in as high esteem as I do but Mr. Hal Hinson does shares my observation of Luc Besson’s influences.

          The box office success of La Femme Nikita (1991) led to an American remake Point of No Return (1993) starring Danny Elfman’s better half Bridget Fonda. Despite being a shot for shot remake Point of No Return (1993) is the inferior film. The lack of success of Point of No Return (1993) both critically and financially shows La Femme Nikita (1991) is not another cliché action film that Hollywood churned during the 80’s and 90’s starring actors like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

          Do foreign films have to be ubiquitous with art house cinema? Visual storytelling is a versatile art form because it can be accessible and easy to understand and can be complex and demanding. Somewhere along the line complex and demanding became conflated with being superior to more accessible films. In the worlds of science and math the pinnacle achievement is finding simple and elegant answers to complex questions. Luc Besson was punished for having a stylized action packed film with a simple but emotionally powerful story. French cinema has always been stylized and emotionally powerful character driven films.

          The most powerful stories tend to be the simple ones recited over the centuries. The loner strolling into town to set right what has gone wrong or the farm boy finding his true destiny is to save the kingdom. “He seems to like playing off the generic, though he probably thinks of it as working with mythic, the classic. His sense of the mythic, though, is too impersonal to strike any deeper chords.” (Hinson 1991). Hal Hinson’s reductionist observation fails to realize that just because something is accessible it does not mean it is impersonal. Sometimes the most personal things are also the most relatable to audiences. Basic emotions like love and loss are cultural universals. If raw true emotion is expressed in such a manner that it is still fun and accessible to mass audience is it any less valid art then something esoteric that is only understood and appreciated by academics and intellectuals?  

          La Femme Nikita (1991) is the film that introduced Luc Besson to mainstream movie audiences around the world. Alfred Hitchcock said, “If it's a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on.” Luc Besson makes such a film with La Femme Nikita (1991) that is both well crafted and strong visual storytelling. It is an emotional, thrilling, feminist, action film that is truly a piece of French cinema. Long live French cinema, viva la France!  

 Works Cited

Gleiberman, Owen. "La Femme Nikita." Entertainment Weekly , April 5, 1991: 2.

Hinson, Hal. "'La Femme Nikita'." The Washington Post, April 4, 1991: 2.

Wilmington, Michael. "Movie Review: 'Nikita': French Thriller With Feminine Twist." Los Angeles Times, April 12, 1991: 1.

The Auditory Gaze in Coppola's The Conversation

         

            The voyeurism of film and its many different gazes are often associated with the visual but there is also the auditory gaze. Cinema is the combination of the visual and audio. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974, USA) builds tension by revealing parts of a recorded conversation throughout the film mostly when the protagonist Harry Caul works on the tape of the recording. Harry Caul is considered the best wire tapper but he fears people might be hurt because of his work. For this analysis I screened the Blu –ray edition of The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974, USA). The intended aspect ratio is 1.85:1 and shot on 35 mm film. The Blu- ray has been digitally re-mastered and presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1.

            On the Blu-Ray of The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974, USA) scene 6 titled He’d Kill Us If He Got The Chance displays using a piece of audio to build tension. The titular conversation that is the basis for the films mystery is captured in the film’s opening scene. Later on in Harry’s workshop “the conversation” that has been dubbed onto reel to reel tape and is being played and replayed as Harry tries to make previously inaudible sections now audible. The mystery has started to grab hold of Harry despite his adamant protests to the contrary. The watcher can see how curios and manic Harry is becoming.  

            The sound editor Walter Murch and the score by David Shire play a large role in creating the mood of the film and give insight into the psyche of Harry Caul. The Blu-Ray uses the original theatrical mono mix. One of the most significant choices that highlight how this particular scene highlights the auditory gaze is the use of sound board mixing with both the score and the replaying of “the conversation”. During the editing process a full sound board was used to alter both the score and the recorded conversation. As slight but consistent alterations are made to the soundscape as the film progresses the audience is left wondering how accurate their recollection is? As harry becomes more paranoid the score becomes more electronic. When Harry is replaying the conversation over and over again trying to reveal the inaudible portions the slight differences in the playback due to alterations made on the soundboard makes the audience question themselves similar to how conflicted Harry Caul is with his job. His worry that his work could lead to a murder is growing. Even something like faith that gives many practitioners solace creates even more conflict in Harry Caul’s psyche.

            This scene is notable for Gene Hackman acting with the late John Cazale. Their dynamic in this scene shows how two different people can react to the same piece of audio. Jon Cazale’s portrayal of Stan is the audiences POV character. He says what everyone’s thinking in many ways he is giving voice to the actions of Gene Hackman’s Harry Caul who refuses to admit to his growing obsession with the piece of audio in his possession. Harry claims to be only interested in the work and fetishizing the technical aspects of his career but as we see in the juxtaposition to Stan’s questions and statements he is on his way down the rabbit hole to see how far it goes.

            The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974, USA) is about technology and privacy. In this particular scene technology, time, or physical distance can’t separate Harry from his guilt and paranoia. Harry Caul is replaying a scene over and over again and just like memories the scene is slightly different every time he plays it. We may think of video or audio recordings as concrete recreations of life but The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974, USA) through the auditory gaze shows recordings can be just as ephemeral as memory. 

           

 

The 90’s Called and They Want Their Movies Back

                   

                   Straight Outta Compton (2015), Mission Impossible V (2015), Terminator V(2015), Jurassic World (2015), or as I prefer calling it Jurassic Park IV, and two Kurt Cobain documentaries hit theaters this summer. During those lazy hazy days of summer theater goers embraced a proliferation of reboots and sequels of intellectual property from the 90’s. While both NWA and the Terminator film series began in the 80's one could argue both had their largest cultural impact in the early 90’s. Poltergeist (2015), Fury Road (2015), and Vacation (2015) are all derivatives of film series with strong ties to the 80’s that hit theaters this summer too. With the exception of Fury Road (2015) none of the 80’s recycled movies performed as well as their 90’s counterparts both critically and financially. Of all the recycling that occurred this summer at least Straight Outta Compton is an original story and screenplay. However, its marketing and appeal has largely been fueled by the nostalgia for the late 80’s and early 90’s gangsta rap found on the film’s soundtrack.

                Both the Terminator film series and the Jurassic Park film series had to wait several years to produce their respective sequels. This was necessary to let the stink from previous iterations fade away. The Hollywood studio bean counters correctly surmised that their franchise’s name recognition would outlast the memory of shitty sequels.

                Studios are driven by data and cash. This may come as a shock to some who have been reading the countless editorials this summer deriding Hollywood for its misogyny and racism. While these articles are very accurate in their observations of the lack of representation on the big screen they are miles off as to why it occurs. It’s not a conspiracy by bigots who seek to oppress marginalized groups. Studios decisions right, wrong, or indifferent are purely based on what they perceive as the best way to make most cash for themselves and their share holders. I only mention this because this rational is why I lament the success of the 90’s rehashes. They made money which means Hollywood will drag out of moth balls every piece of I.P. they had laying around from approximately 30 years ago.

                 My youth has become nostalgia. Generation X is now doing what the baby boomers have been doing for decades. Trying to recapture their youth in some diluted attempt to forget the march of time and the inevitably of the end drawing nigh.

               

                 Full disclosure of my own hypocrisy, I cannot wait for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. At least its seventies nostalgia and not 90’s nostalgia :/

 

Luc Besson's Leon is a Super Hero

         Leon’s interpersonal relationships, ideology, and methodology can be seen in many mainstream super hero stories. These similarities are not just coincidences but key aspects and concepts that help create each character. One of the many concepts to be explored is Leon’s chief antagonist shares a dynamic that is reminiscent of the dynamic many super heroes have with their arch nemesis. If you’re using Superman as your pre and post modern super hero sign post the modern super hero is seventy five years old. The super hero as a concept for a protagonist is older if you want to include Zorro, The Shadow, The Spirit, and Doc Sampson to name a few. I will be citing super hero movie adaptations and original source material in demonstrating the titular character in Leon: The Professional (Luc Besson, France, 1994) is a super hero. Leon: The Professional (Luc Besson, France, 1994) is a film with two cuts one for American theatrical release and another cut for the international release. For this critique I screened the International release cut on DVD.

          I am dreadfully worried the structure of my essay might become a bit stale by the time my conclusion rolls around. To prove to you Leon is indeed a super hero, I will present a specific troupe or character trait of a modern day mainstream superhero and back it up with examples in both major motion picture adaptations and citing the original source material. Hopefully when I’m done beating you about the head with my encyclopedic knowledge of movies and super heroes you will be just as convinced as Matilda and I are that Leon is a super hero.

          The hero’s antagonist is often a mirrored reflection of him or herself. In The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008, USA) the Joker is defined as an agent of Chaos. Batman trying to impose order and justice on Gotham City is the antithesis of the Joker. Wolverine is a superhero who’s constantly at war with his bestial feral side of his persona. Wolverine embraces ideas like the Ronin to give himself a code to live by despite being a killer. His antagonist Sabertooth is just as much a killer as Wolverine however the key difference is Sabertooth embraces his more bestial nature and takes joy in killing. Sabertooth is a predator who clearly sees those weaker than him as prey. Setting him even further apart from Sabertooth Wolverine often finds himself in a paternal role mentoring teenage girls. In X-Men comics he mentors Kitty Pryde and Jubilee and in the cinematic adaptations produced by Fox Wolverine is a surrogate father to Rouge. Leon’s arch villain in Leon: The Professional (Luc Besson, France, 1994) is the corrupt DEA agent Norman Stansfield portrayed masterfully by Gary Oldman. Leon prides himself on his professionalism. Leon leads a Spartan lifestyle that’s very ordered and efficient. Conversely Norman Stansfield is chaotic and larger than life. Stansfield is always seen unshaven and unkempt.  He takes joy in his work and during the last third of the film he tells Matilda, “That's good, because I take no pleasure in taking life if it's from a person who doesn't care about it.” As opposed to Stansfield, Leon has a strict code that he will not kill woman or children. Besson strongly implies Leon is a hit man because he can do little else. Leon has poor interpersonal skills and can’t read. Leon and Norman are so diametrically opposed that while Leon’s diet largely consists of milk, Norman takes an unknown designer drug that causes his body and face to contort upon initial consumption.

          Leon’s lifestyle and relationships are very similar to Gotham City’s Caped Crusader. Both Batman and Leon live Spartan lifestyles with little personal ties. They choose to be dedicated to their work and perfecting their craft. The Mobster Tony played by Danny Aiello fulfills the role of Leon’s commissioner Gordon. Leon and Tony seem to have a genuine fondness for each other yet the audience is always aware these men’s relationship is based on mutual interest. Tony helps an ill-equipped Leon navigate the world similar to how Jim Gordon helps insure that G.C.P.D. does not interfere with Batman’s one man war on crime. Both Leon and Batman mentor orphans the best way they know how. And because both men have eccentric world views the best way they know how to mentor orphans is by teaching them their ways. In Batman’s case he instructs Robin how to be a vigilante and in Leon’s case he instructs Matilda in the ways of the assassin. Matilda’s background is very similar to the Jason Todd and Carrie Kelly iterations of Robin. Both these Robins have neglectful parents like Matilda’s and in Jason Todd’s case just like Matilda’s his father’s connection to the criminal underworld leads to the parent’s ultimate demise. Both Batman and Leon try to instill a code of ethics in their young charges. Leon insists that Matilda quit smoking, cursing, and not talk with strange boys. Not only does Matilda acquiesce but she appears to thrive under the tutelage of a strong father figure.  Carrie Kelly’s Robin was repeatedly scolded by Bruce in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight and threatened with being fired. Leon often threatens to not train Matilda if she does not follow his orders. Also, Leon instills his strict code of not killing woman and children in Matilda.

          Don’t super heroes refuse to take lives? In the world of Saturday morning cartoons one would be hard pressed to find a super hero who willingly took a life even if it was for the greater good however, if you go back to the original source material once could find several notable heroes that have taken lives and are still considered moral paragons of virtue. Captain America is a soldier and fought in World War II so it would be safe to assume he most certainly has taken a life. Despite Captain America killing people he is still considered one of the “good guys”. Steve Rogers is a soldier he kills when he must defend others.  Captain America detests bullies and views sacrifice for the community a moral imperative. Leon has a strict code he lives by and the men we see him kill all have varying levels of despicableness. The Punisher is one of the comic book world’s most notable anti-heroes. Similar to Batman Frank Castle wages a one man war on crime but unlike Batman The Punisher metes out justice from the barrel of an assault rifle. Clearly killing doesn’t prevent someone from being a super hero. Similar to The Punisher Leon is not only capable of dispensing violence he excels in it but just like The Punisher his violence is reserved for those who have morally trespassed and brought pain and suffering onto others like drug dealers and organized crime.

          The super hero is an outsider and in some cases an outlaw (or perceived to be an outlaw by the general public). Despite his or hers outsider status the super hero still strives to help and protect their respective communities. J. Jonah Jameson continues to slander Spiderman in The Daily Bugle turning public opinion against the friendly neighborhood Spiderman. Despite being an outsider and sometime outlaw Spiderman strives to protect NYC largely due to his personal dogma, “with great power comes great responsibility”. The X-men are often depicted as outlaws and the mantra used to describe Marvel’s mighty mutants is, “…fighting for a world that hates and fears them.” The X-Men don’t let hate or bigotry stop them from doing what is right including laying their lives on the line if need be. Leon lives a Spartan and sparse life and until he meets Matilda his best friend is a house plant. Despite having little connection to the community Leon goes out of his way to protect a young girl (Matilda) even though it complicate his regimented lifestyle and chosen profession. This action early in the film gives us insight into Leon’s personal code long before he articulates it to Matilda. Leon views children as innocent and that they should be shielded from the seedy often violent world of adults.

          Ironically it’s Matilda not Leon who follows the hero’s journey as outlined by Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In the traditional hero’s cycle Leon would be the wizard who initiates Matilda into a greater world and teaches her lessons she can bring back to aid her community. Matilda has very ordinary origins. Many of the people closest in her life like her father and older sister pay little attention to her. Leon empowers Matilda and makes her feel valued. One of the scenes that is in the international release cut that was not in the U.S. theatrical release was the Russian roulette scene. The scene has such gravitas because this is the scene where Leon finally comes to grips with how much Matilda means to him. Despite Leon’s life being easier and simpler without Matilda in it he prefers having her in his life. This is when he fully commits to being not only Matilda’s guardian but also her mentor.    

          Leon is a super hero. He even has a uniform consisting of a long wool coat, sunglasses, and a knit cap he dons before going to work. He is methodical in his preparation, he’s an outsider with his own code and protects the weak from predators, he’s an expert in his field, and he has an antagonist who is a distorted grotesque mirror image of himself. During the course of his relationship with Matilda he makes sacrifices for Matilda until he eventually commits the ultimate sacrifice for her. According to Joseph Campbell it’s not just brave or grand gestures that define a hero it’s those actions combined with the willingness to make sacrifice that makes someone a hero. The last and most strong piece of evidence of Leon being a super hero is the fact he fights for justice even when the community he fights for may not be deserving of his sacrifice. Chris Nolan’s Batman wasn’t the hero Gotham deserved but he was the hero Gotham needed. Leon was Matilda’s Batman and hopefully when confronted with evil and injustice. When the weak are being preyed upon, we will ask ourselves, W.W.B.D.?