La Ville Est Tranquille
2000
With THE TOWN IS QUIET, French writer-director Robert Guediguian (MARIUS AND JEANNETTE) brings the bustling, culturally diverse landscape of modern Marseilles to startling life. Opening with an extended pan of the Mediterranean city, Guediguian ingeniously prepares the viewer for the sprawling tale that is about to unfold. .. Read more
| Starring | Ariane Ascaride, Gerard Meylan, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Jacques Boudet |
|---|---|
| Director | Robert Guediguian |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
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La Ville Est Tranquille
With THE TOWN IS QUIET, French writer-director Robert Guediguian (MARIUS AND JEANNETTE) brings the bustling, culturally diverse landscape of modern Marseilles to startling life. Opening with an extended pan of the Mediterranean city, Guediguian ingeniously prepares the viewer for the sprawling tale that is about to unfold. Gradually, a revolving cast of characters is introduced, including: Michele (Ariane Ascaride), a struggling fish monger who cares for her heroin-addicted daughter, Fiona (Julie-Marie Parmentier); Paul (Jean-Pierre Darroussin), a former dock worker who has turned to driving a taxi; Abderramane (Alexandre Ogou) and Viviane (Christine Brucher), two apparent opposites who form an unlikely relationship; and Gerard (Gerard Meylan), a quiet bar owner with a mysterious connection to Michele. By the time the film builds to its somber, tragic conclusion, each individual is forced to confront his or her current situation, sparking a series of epiphanies that no one will ever forget.
Guediguian's film is the work of a truly gifted storyteller. Juggling at least four major plotlines, he brings his characters together naturally, without ever forcing it. Ascaride, Darroussin, and Meylan are standouts in the superb cast, actors who don't need to speak to convey the hidden sadness that lies just beneath the surface.
This film was screened as part of the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2001 festival organized by The Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City.
| Starring | Ariane Ascaride, Gerard Meylan, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Jacques Boudet, Pascale Roberts, Veronique Balme, Pierre Banderet, Christine Brucher, Alexandre Ogou, Julie-Marie Parmentier |
|---|---|
| Director | Robert Guediguian |
| Studio | ARTIFICIAL EYE |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 13 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: French |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 22 Apr 2002 Production year: 2000 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (6)
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Having misfired with A l'Attaque, director Robert Guédiguian returned to Marius et Jeanette form with this multilayered portrait of everyday life among the lower-class denizens of Marseille. As ever, he receives excellent service from his trusted ensemble cast in their depiction of numerous interlocking stories. Jean-Pierre Darroussin exhibits genuine pain as the lonely cab driver whose good intentions towards part-time prostitute Ariane Ascaride and her drug-addled daughter fail to alleviate an increasingly desperate situation. Elsewhere, an idealistic music teacher embarks on an affair with a black delinquent as an escape from her hated womaniser husband. Awash with drugs, vice, violence, poverty and racial tension, Guédiguian's beloved Marseille is very much a city on a knife edge. Yet, he commends the spirit of her inhabitants as they battle on against insurmountable odds, while also highlighting the communal values they have rejected.
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"...Guediguian's light, mobile camerawork and extensive location shooting expand Marseillais visual idiom, offering an imaginative cross between the warm theatricality of the [19]30s Pagnol films and British-style social realism..."
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Most helpful member's review
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5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
Not the most uplifiting experience!
Set in Marseille, against a background of rising right wing politics and lowering job prospects Guediguian portrays a short period in the lives of a number of unrelated occupants of the town.
The main characters in the film include Michelle, whose daughter Fiona is struggling with heorin addiction, leaving her mother to deal with Ameline, her illegitimate child.
Michelle's path crosses that of taxi-driver Paul, made redundant from the docks, and struggling to make ends meet.
There are many other characters, and Guediguian does well to combines the plot elements and characters.
Whilst the film could in no way be described as light hearted, Guediguian manages to capture joy from the smallest act of kindness.
The film reaches a stunning climax - just don't watch it if you're already feeling low! -
Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Not for us !
I wish we had avoided this film. Life's too short and piling on the misery like this isn't our cup of tea !!
The hard-to-like characters seemed hellbent on making things worse and worse for themselves as they hurtled down a neverending road of tragedy, futility, waste and grim hopelessness.
What ever happened to 'lightness' and 'shade' ? -
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La Ville Est Tranquille
With THE TOWN IS QUIET, French writer-director Robert Guediguian (MARIUS AND JEANNETTE) brings the bustling, culturally diverse landscape of modern Marseilles to startling life. Opening with an extended pan of the Mediterranean city, Guediguian ingeniously prepares the viewer for the sprawling tale ...
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