Posterized: François Ozon
Friday, April 19, 2013 at 11:05AM Glenn here. Given my penchant for poster goodness I figured I'd pick up Nathaniel's regular "posterized" feature. A fun series that can time to time shine a curious light on the way films are marketed and how certain actors or directors can find themselves in a so-called "marketing rut" where it's the same thing over and over. Think of a Will Smith movie and don't you just picture his smug mug staring out at you in mid-range closeup? Even that one about selling his organs to Rosario Dawson (or whatever Seven Pounds was about - I've sure as hell forgotten!)
This week I've chosen François Ozon - and he's having a helluva week. Not only is his latest (un/lucky number thirteen) film, In the House [Dans le maison], getting a release in America, but his next picture, Jeune et Jolie, was just chosen to compete for the Palme d'Or in Cannes. Well done, Mr. Ozon! Still, don't the words "A film by François Ozon" feel like they should carry more weight than they do. Perhaps, but his career is too all over the place to give him the title of auteur and his films frequently go theatrically unreleased in western countries without a major star (Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Rampling for instance) at the center.
Combien avez-vous vu?
Sitcom (1998) | Criminal Lovers (1999) | Water Drops of Burning Rocks (2000)
Okay, I have no idea what it's about but that poster for Ozon's debut, Sitcom, is fabulous.
Under the Sand (2000) | Swimming Pool (2003) | 8 Women (2002)
I have not seen Ozon's latest film yet, but don't you think these three - purely by accident that they all sit side by side right here - make up a sort of holy three. If you're going to tell anybody who is new to Ozon's films which ones to start off with, I'd be hard-pressed to think of three more appropriate ones than these. The destroying drama of Under the Sand [Sous le sable], the melodrama thrills of Swimming Pool, and the campy quirk (and musical fun to boot) of 8 Women [8 femmes] is pretty hard to beat. His most prolific period stateside reaped brief flirtation with awards for Rampling and Ozon himself in the foreign language categories of various awards bodies, made a star out of Ludivine Sagnier, and achieved big arthouse box office. The English and French-language Swimming Pool remains his highest grosser at over $10mil. Compare that to Ricky (below) which made... $3,457. Only Potiche has since come close to these figures from the early '00s.
5x2 (2004) | Time to Leave (2005) | Angel (2007)
His movies were a fan of the colour white, it would seem. A curious period where Ozon was trying to stretch both structurally (5x2) and formally (Angel - a period costume drama adapted from the book by ELIZABETH TAYLOR!... no, not that one) but which didn't seem to stick with critics or audiences. The fact that the latter vanished off of the face of the Earth probably says all you need to know.
Ricky (2009) | Le Refuge (2009) | Potiche (2010)
Were you even aware Ozon had made a movie called Le Refuge (also known as Hideaway)? I wasn't. Curiously he made two films about babies in a row (at least it looks that way from the posters). In the same year, even. Was he feeling the biological clock ticking? No worries though because he soon moved on to Potiche and wasn't that fun? You could certainly do worse than remember the performances of Catherine Deneuve and Jeremie Renier, no?
In the House (2012)
Word on his latest has been mixed. Some call it incredible, others I have heard from personally are less enthused. But, "playful and sophisticated" sounds nice, right?
How many have you seen... (yes, that was me being French up the top. did I get it right?) Will you be seeing In The House this weekend (or have you seen it already? global releases of international titles are so muddled you can never tell who's seen what!)
Reader Comments (21)
Loved Angel. The beginning of my Fassbender infatuation.
PS. Not *that* Elizabeth Taylor, this one.
Haha, yes, I know its not THAT elizabeth taylor (that'd be such a bigger story), but it's fun to play with people's expectations. Still, I can almost see the moviestar Liz writing it. Seems opulent enough.
I've always felt ambivalent in regards to Ozon, even though I typically "enjoy" his films. He has a particular pop French sensibility that is more balanced than, say, Christophe Honoré, but he never seems to transcend his own cheeky aims to make a fully satisfying picture. I've avoided most of his straightforward melodramas ("Angel" looks like a dreadful bore) because I prefer his kicky camp even if it leaves me a bit empty. He likes making surface-defined movies about brainy people, it seems. "In the House" is an interesting compromise, and it feels personal due to its surface-witty investigation of the allure/perniciousness of storytelling and voyeurism, but it has its problems. I reviewed it here:
http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/in-the-house
"Under the Sand" is probably his most sophisticated and subtle--but with such committed, Claire Denis-esque gravitas and Charlotte Rampling, brilliance is a foregone conclusion.
By the way, I adore the poster for "Water Drops of Burning Rocks."
Saw ITH last month at the French Film Festival back in Australia. It's certainly worth seeing (and, given that I personally hated POTICHE, I was glad he was back on solid ground).
Great to see such a criminally underrated director get some well-deserved exposure! I'd say Under the Sand is his magnum opus, and I'm thrilled to see him reunite with Rampling for Jeune et Jolie aka "Young and Beautiful". Love that she's still like a muse for him despite being in her 60s (still radiant though). In the House is easily in his Top 5 greatest works; the screenplay is masterful.
I've only seen four - Criminal Lovers, The Swimming Pool, Time to Leave and Potiche. I always *want* to see Ozon's films, but reviews are often mixed and I can't escape the feeling that Ozon is still kind of a second tier director. As such his movies gradually slide down my list of priority viewing until, in the case of something like 8 Women, it's now 10.5 years on from it's US theatrical release and I still haven't seen it!
Of the four, Criminal Lovers and Time to Leave are my favorites - the former for objectifying a young Jeremie Renier in a most agreeable way; the latter for being a genuinely moving character portrait about death and mortality.
Angel is a spectacular, histrionic wreck and I have fun recommending it to people. I must have been smiling unintentionally the entire first time I was watching it because I couldn't believe what I was sitting down to. :)
I always saw Angel as a parody of the "history romance" genre, I laughed my ass off when I saw it...hmmm, maybe that´s all wrong? Either way, Under the sand and Time to leave are two of my all time faves, brilliant movies! Ozon is a very talented director even though I was a bit mehh when I saw In the house, too much of a intellectual exercise for my tastes.
I have seen seven of these and liked almost all of them which makes me wonder why i haven't seen the others. SITCOM is probably my least favorite of the seven I've seen but it's *completely * crazy and risque (Hello, Stéphane Rideau) and cult-ready if I recall it correctly.
I should add:
MY FAVORITES
Under the Sand
8 Women
Water Drops on Burning Rocks
MOSTLY GOOD
Potiche
Swimming Pool
5x2
DONT REMEMBER WELL BUT...
SItcom
@ Glenn: Well, I knew *you* knew... ;-)
I've seen all of these except Ricky and Le Refuge. Ozon's films usually get released in the UK, and I'm always up for seeing them. Which doesn't mean to say I think they're great - indeed, more often than not, I'm underwhelmed. But he has made several that I rate very highly - I think Criminal Lovers, Water Drops on Burning Rocks, Under the Sand and Angel are his best to date.
A few other points:
- Yes, your French was correct!
- I can't understand why the title of Le Temps qui reste was translated for its English language release as Time to Leave. Surely 'The Time That's Left' or 'The Time That Remains' would be better.
- Potiche was one of the films that underwhelmed me - but Jeremie Renier is absolutely wonderful in it as the gay son slowly coming out. His performance is funny and camp without once being crass.
- In the House is definitely worth seeing. The whole is less than the sum of the parts, but the parts are worth it!
- I'm very pleased for him re: the Cannes selection. I can't wait to see it!
Ann-Mari, I adore Pete's Dragon, and Helen Reddy is my all-time favorite singer. I saw her perform at a jazz club last fall in San Francisco, and let me tell ya, that lady's still got it! I gave my 3-year-old niece the movie for Christmas, and she loves it!
Ooh, I love Swimming Pool!
I've seen " Under the Sand", "Swimming Pool", "Eight Women" and " Time To Leave"
I've seen them all except Angel and Ricky. My favorites are Sous le sable, Swimming Pool and Le temps qui reste. I also love Huppert's character in 8 femmes and the kitsch style of the whole movie.
I urge everyone to go see Dans la maison. You won't get enough Kristin, but you will be pleased. It's a movie for everyone who's fascinated with the process of storytelling.
Ozon is one of my favorite directors, but I've still yet to track down Under the Sand or Sitcom.
He is an auteur. You don't have to be one of the most name notable directors to be an auteur, just a style that is overriding, and Ozon's oozes.
In the house is an EXCELENT movie, probably my favorite one from Ozon.
I also love:
Swimming Pool
Water Drops on Burning Rocks
And I like:
8 women
Under the Sand
Potiche
The other one I've saw but I didn't like it is Le Refuge.
Juan - agreed that he is an auteur. i've heard complaints that he borrows a lot (Fassbender, Sirk, etcetera) but a lot of directors do... and he definitely has a style/pov.
brookesboy -- i think you meant this comment for a different post ;)
and by Fassbender i mean Fassbinder. oops