Marc Caro Movies
Together with long-time artistic partner Jean-Pierre Jeunet, multi-talented French director/writer/cartoonist/occasional actor Marc Caro created two of the most visually striking feature films of the 1990s. Beginning with such short films as Le Manège (1980), Caro and Jeunet collaborated on ads, music videos, and shorts throughout the 1980s, drawing on animation and computer effects to create an idiosyncratic style shot through with their mordant sense of humor. Bringing their unique sensibility to features in the 1990s, Caro and Jeunet scored an international art house hit with their debut film Delicatessen (1991). An outrageous "retro future" black comedy, Delicatessen attracted devoted fans and critical raves for its ultra-stylish sepia-toned cinematography, dankly sinister setting, and gruesomely humorous yet sensitive story of post-apocalyptic survival by a group of characters that defined "oddball." Bolstered by international acclaim and several awards for Delicatessen, Caro and Jeunet next set their sights on making a film they'd been planning since the first years of their collaboration, The City of Lost Children (1995). Shooting entirely on studio sets using even more elaborate special effects, Caro devised appropriately fantastic Jules Verne-esque imagery for a tale about a mad scientist who steals children's dreams. Though some critics took issue with The City of Lost Children's occasionally opaque narrative, all hailed its peerless production design. While Caro and Jeunet parted ways after The City of Lost Children for their own artistic pursuits, Caro (who had always taken charge of the visuals while Jeunet dealt with the actors) received a design supervisor credit for Jeunet's solo Hollywood debut, Alien Resurrection (1997).~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi
Death takes one man on a journey that is by turns beautiful and terrifying in this feature from writer and director Gaspar Noé, who describes it as "a psychedelic melodrama." Oscar (Nathaniel Brown) is a small-time drug dealer who sells his wares at a club in Tokyo called "The Void." In the midst of a deal that goes sour, Oscar is shot dead, and finds himself crossing from one plane of existence to the next. When he was younger, Oscar made a pledge to his younger sister, Linda (Paz de la Huerta), to always look after her, and as his soul leaves his body, the spirit is led on a journey through Tokyo, past traditional consciousness, and into the moment of human creation as he struggles to be reunited with Linda, who now works as an exotic dancer. Soudain le Vide (aka Enter the Void) received its world premiere at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nathaniel Brown, Paz de la Huerta, (more)
Delicatessen and City of Lost Children co-director Marc Caro makes his solo directorial debut with this nightmarish tale of a deep space prison and the newly arrived inmate suffering from a mysterious alien infection. Dante 01 is a maximum-security penitentiary located at the edge of the galaxy. Upon arriving at Dante 01 for psychiatric evaluation, the sole survivor of a horrifying alien encounter finds himself in the middle of a battle to harness his strange new powers. But the volatile force that now dwells within Saint Georges is greater than anyone realizes, and as it begins to infect both his jailers and fellow inmates alike the entire facility is soon swallowed up in violent rebellion. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 2001
- R
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Vidocq (1775-1857) was a noted French detective who was one of the great trailblazers of modern criminal investigation; he's been credited with establishing the first private investigation firm, and pioneered a number of scientific techniques that are still being used today. Vidocq was also a master of disguise and a former thief with no small sense of adventure, and his exploits have been fodder for a number of novels, plays, and motion pictures in France; Vidocq is a high-tech retooling of his legend that employs cutting-edge digital technology to bring a new visual dazzle to his story. Vidocq (Gerard Depardieu) dies an unexpected death while battling his arch-nemesis the Alchemist, and Boisset (Guillaume Canet), an opportunistic journalist, sets out to write his life story, convincing Nimier (Moussa Maaskri), Vidocq's partner, that he had made arrangements with the great man himself to collaborate on such a book before his death. Boisset begins interviewing Vidocq's cohorts, but it seems someone is following the reporter, as his interview subjects have a habit of dying sudden and violent deaths shortly after sharing their stories. As it turns out, the deaths are tied into a case Vidocq investigated, in which a number of people were killed by lightning -- lightning that was conjured up by none other than the Alchemist. Shot on high-definition digital video equipment to allow special effects artists greater latitude to manipulate the images, Vidocq also features Ines Sastre, Andre Dussollier, and Edith Scob. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gérard Depardieu, Guillaume Canet, (more)
This visually inventive French sci-fi/fantasy tale began winning a cult following practically from the moment it was released. Krank (Daniel Emilfork) is a foul, monstrous creature who lords over the inhabitants of a small island; Krank's emotional being is every bit as ugly as his physical personage, largely because he does not have the ability to dream. However, he has developed a machine that can drain the dreams of others from their heads, and he devotes himself to kidnapping children from a nearby harbor town so that he can steal their pleasant dreams. Denree (Joseph Lucien) is one of the children who has been spirited off to the island; Krank discovers that he's an even bigger problem than he imagined when his big brother One (Ron Perlman), a harpoon-wielding mountain of a man, sets out on a rescue mission. Once he arrives on Krank's island, One encounters a brain in a fish tank that has learned to talk, a group of clones who can't decide who is the original, a pair of Siamese twins, an octopus that guides a group of orphaned thieves, and a girl named Miette (Judith Vittet) who says she can guide One to Denree. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ron Perlman, Daniel Emilfork, (more)
A post-apocalyptic future becomes the setting for pitch black humor in this visually intricate French comedy. The action takes place within a single apartment complex, which is owned by the same man that operates the downstairs butcher shop. It's a particularly popular place to live, thanks to the butcher's uncanny ability to find excellent cuts of meat despite the horrible living conditions outside. The newest building superintendent, a former circus clown, thinks he has found an ideal living situation. All that changes, however, when he discovers the true source of the butcher's meat, and that he may be the next main course. This dark tale is played out in a brilliantly designed, glorious surreal alternate world reminiscent of the works of director Terry Gilliam, who co-presented the film's American release. Like Gilliam, co-directors Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro hail from an animation background, and have a fondness for extravagant visuals, absurdist plot twists, and a sense of humor that combines sharp satire with broad slapstick and gross-out imagery. This mixture may displease the weak of stomach, but those attuned to the film's sensibility will be delighted by the obvious technical virtuosity and wicked sense of humor. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dominique Pinon, Marie-Laure Dougnac, (more)
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