Laetitia Casta Movies
- 1999
Asterix and Obelix, the French comic book heroes created by René Goscinny and Albert Underzo (their adventures have sold 280 million copies to date in Europe), are brought to the big screen in their first live-action adventure. Set in 50 B.C., Asterix (Christian Clavier) and Obelix (Gérard Depardieu) are a pair of comedic heroes living in a small but well-protected village in Gaul, where a magic potion concocted by Druids turns the townsfolk into mighty soldiers. When Roman troops carve a path through Gaul to reach the English Channel, Caesar (Gottfried John) and his aide de camp Detritus (Roberto Benigni) discover the secret elixir and capture the Druid leader who knows its formula, and Asterix and Obelix are sent off to rescue them. Shot in Brittany, Bavaria, and Arpajon, Asterix et Obelix Contre Cesar brings these cartoon characters to life on a grand scale; it was reportedly the most expensive French-language film ever, at a cost of 274 million francs ($48 million). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christian Clavier, Gérard Depardieu, (more)
- 2009
A filmmaker is attempting to complete an ambitious project in the midst of a family tragedy in this self-referential drama from writer and director Tsai Ming-Liang. Hsaio-Kong (Lee Kang-Sheng) is a director from Taiwan who is soon to begin shooting his next picture, a stylized adaptation of Salome, in France, though first he has to help his elderly mother (Lu Yi-Ching) with some plumbing problems. Hsaio-Kong arrives in Paris to discover his producers have cast a well-known model with no acting experience (Laetitia Casta) in the leading role, which adds to the challenge of working in a language in which he's not fluent and having a leading man (Jean-Pierre Leaud) who seems to have lost his memory. Hsaio-Kong's troubles with the shoot are at once exacerbated and made insignificant when he learns of the death of his mother. Featuring guest appearances from Fanny Ardant, Nathalie Baye and Jeanne Moreau, Face was an official selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fanny Ardant, Laetitia Casta, (more)
- 2000
Spanish dancing sensation Joaquin Cortes plays his first major dramatic role in this story about a musician who is struggling to put personal misfortune behind him. Andres (Cortes) is a flamenco singer who has just gotten out of prison after being falsely convicted of the murder of Romero (Antonio Carmona), a member of his band. As Andres tries to reacclimate himself to freedom, he discovers things have not been going his way while he was up the river; his wife Lucia (Laetitia Casta) is having an affair with another man, while his bullying father Isidoro (Manuel de Blas) is obsessed with getting revenge against Don Manuel, who rules a local crime syndicate known as the Junco Family. Word on the street has it that members of the Junco Family killed Romero while he was defending Andres in a fight; Don Manuel is also the father of Lucia, as well as Lola (Marta Belaustegui), the wife of another of Andres' bandmates, El Peque (Gines Garcia Millan), who wants Andres to put his problems behind him and get back on the road. Andres is eager to get his career going again, but he discovers Chino (Jose Manuel Lorenzo), a cop on the take, has been following him, with record company bigwig Manfredi (Juan Fernandez) paying him to dig up dirt on the flamenco. As well as introducing Joaquin Cortes, Gitano features French supermodel Laetitia Casta in her second acting role; her voice was dubbed into Spanish by actress Ana Fernandez. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joaquín Cortés, Laetitia Casta, (more)
- 2008
Laetitia Casta stars in director Gilles Legrand's drama concerning an Edwardian-era girl whose fate becomes permanently intertwined with that of the last wolf pack on Mont Blanc. Angele (Casta) is a child who lives in a French Alpine town with her taxidermist father Leon (Patrick Chesnais). Shortly after Leon receives a pile of wolf corpses that he plans to stuff, Angele notices an orphaned black cub descending from the mountains in search of his family. Angele realizes that trappers will kill the cub if they find him, so she quietly releases him back into the wild. Years later, following World War I, a local family named The Garcins have struck it rich from business at their foundry; Leon named the Garcin patriarch, Albert, Angele's godfather. A benevolent and generous soul, Albert has given a local gypsy and her developmentally disabled son Guiseppe (Stefano Accorsi) a lifetime lease on a nearby mountain shack. Giuseppe guards several surviving wolves with his life, taking a special shine to the black pack leader he names Carbone. Meanwhile, Angele - who is now a young woman - longs to become a veterinarian specializing in undomesticated animals. Though the local men scoff at the idea of a female veterinarian, Angele ignores these naysayers. In order to gain some professional veterinary experience, she recruits circus owner Zhormov (Miglen Mirtchev) to fly her into the mountains that tower above her hometown, where she hopes to find wild animals. During the course of their journey, however, the plane crashes and Angele must wait as Zhormov searches for help. But sometimes help arrives in the most unexpected of forms, such as the black wolf that recognizes Angele's scent from the days when he was just a frightened pup. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laetitia Casta, Jean-Paul Rouve, (more)
- 2001
One woman's actions inspire a variety of reactions among those around her in this period drama. Therese (Laetitia Casta) and Firmin (Frédéric Diefenthal) are a young couple of modest means living in France in 1882. Firmin earns a living as a blacksmith, while Therese finds work at an inn. At the inn, Therese makes a point of making the acquaintance of Mme. Numance (Arielle Dombasle), a wealthy woman who is known for her compassion and eagerness to help those less fortunate. When Therese loses her job after getting pregnant, Mme. Numance takes pity on the young couple, and invites them to move into the estate she shares with her husband (John Malkovich). Therese and Mme. Numance become close friends, and before long the lady of the house has come to regard Therese more as a daughter than a guest. But some believe Therese might be using her friendship with Mme. Numance for her own gain, which in their eyes is confirmed when Therese borrows a large sum of money from her benefactors after Firmin develops legal trouble. Therese and Firmin are unable to pay back the Numances, and soon the wealthy couple falls on hard times; those watching these events unfold wonder if Therese deliberately brought the generous family to ruin, or if is it all a product of simple naïveté. Alexandre Astruc helped to adapt the screenplay for Les Ames Fortes, based on the novel by Jean Giono; Astruc was also set to direct the project at one point, but after his unexpected death, Raúl Ruiz stepped up to the director's chair. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laetitia Casta, Frédéric Diefenthal, (more)
- 2002
Patrice Leconte directs the period drama Rue des Plaisirs, set in Paris during the 1940s. Born to a prostitute, Petit Louis (Patrick Timsit) grows up in a brothel called the Oriental Palace. He is raised by the family of prostitutes and eventually becomes the brothel's handyman. Having developed an idealized romantic nature, Petit Louis instantly falls in love with the new girl, Marion (supermodel Laetitia Casta). Though she doesn't return his affections, he shows his love by finding her auditions to develop her singing career. He also tries to find her the perfect mate in Dimitri Josco (Vincent Elbaz), who ends up being less than expected. After the end of World War II, the government shuts down the brothels just as Marion, Petit Louis, and Dimitri find themselves in trouble. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laetitia Casta, Patrick Timsit, (more)
- 1997
Supermodels Naomi Campbell and Eva Herzigova are two of the several women featured in this video documenting the photo shoots that produced the images used to compile the 1997 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Several cameras accompany photagraphers, crew and models to various exotic locations throughout the Bahamas. The focus of the documentary drifts between Playboy-like sequences of the women posing and back stage footage of crew and models laughing and joking. Several of the models also grant interviews that detail life as a model and the conditions of the shoot. The footage is definitely more explicit than the images shown in the magazine, making the film less suitable for younger audiences. Several videos in this series have been released in both a safe for television format and a version that does contain some nudity. ~ Ed Atkinson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
It is hardly a mystery why the Sport Illustrated Swimsuit Issue has become one of the most popular single issue magazines year in and year out. People's fascination with scantily clad women in exoctic locations is as close to a sure thing, in terms of sales, as you can get. And so it only makes sense for the magazine to back up its 1998 magazine release with a shot on location documentary. Filmed much like a Playboy Playmate video, the images range from behind the scenes shennigans, to wind wisped slow motion pans of the female body. Several of the scenes have voiced over interviews with photographers, camera crew and models Eva Herzigova, Heidi Klum and Tyra Banks accompanying the images. This video is definetly more risque than the magazine and may not be suitable for younger audiences. ~ Ed Atkinson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
In much the same way Playboy makes videos of the Playmates from their magazine, Sports Illustrated follows up its 1999 swimsuit issue with a behind the scenes video that offers more to see than the pages capture. Cameras follow the photographers, crew and models around the world and capture the backstage jokes, bloopers and intimate conversations that took place while shooting. Models Heidi Klum, Laetitia Casta and Rebecca Romjin also discuss the stress of being on set and life as a supermodel. Some of the footage may not be suitable for younger audiences. ~ Ed Atkinson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Each episode of The Secret World of... takes viewers behind the scenes to discover a tiny world within a world. Often, these are things and places taken for granted. In these videos, viewers take a look at the work that is necessary to keep the world running smoothly. In this episode, viewers examine the high-fashion and high-pressure world of supermodels. Many will discover that what looks easy actually involves a grueling amount of work. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide
- 2007
A caustic apartment owner finds her attempts to evict the ragtag occupants of a 3,000 square foot rent-controlled apartment challenged in a most unexpected way in director Pascal Thomas' communal comedy. Thanks to a legal loophole known as "the Law of 1948," a cap was placed on some rental units around Paris preventing real-estate speculation. As long as the original resident still resides on the premises, the statue still applies. Though Marie-Antionette (Gisele Casadesus)'s name does indeed remain on the lease, the free-spirited grandmother rarely stays at the apartment for any extended length, leaving Francisca (Laetitia Casta), her husband Martin (Mathieu Amalric), and the couple's daughter the primary beneficiaries of the unique law. Of course with all of that room there's plenty of space for others to enjoy, and in addition to three of Francisca's best friends additional occupants include a senile grandmother (Carmen Durand) and egocentric independent filmmaker Adrien (Pierre Arditi). When acrimonious landlord Charlotte Falingard (Noemie Lvovsky) makes it her mission to clear out the apartment in order to turn a tidy profit, former law student Francesca stands firm in challenging the conviction by putting her education to good use. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laetitia Casta, Mathieu Amalric, (more)
- 2002
Directed by David Teboul, Yves Saint Laurent 5, Avenue Marceau 75116 Paris takes a behind-the-scenes look at the elites of the fashion industry, particularly fashion mogul Yves Saint Laurent, and attempts to determine if and why this label is deserving of the high price it commands. The answer lies within the making of the clothes themselves. As Teboul follows the designers through their work schedule in an effort to define what it takes to "build" a dress, it becomes apparent that the seamstresses are not merely sewing clothes, but attempting to translate the vision of their employer onto fabric. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yves Saint Laurent, Anne-Marie Munoz, (more)
