Monday, April 14, 2008

Mini-review and director interview: Roman de Gare and Claude Lelouch

By John P. Meyer

Updated 07:52 a.m., June 13, 2008

Roman de Gare

In the still of the night, three lives are about to cross--a woman abandoned, a stranger awaiting his chance and, a best-selling author who imagines the thriller of the year. Deceptively layered and intriguingly misleading, this film centers on an unlikely pair caught up in a game with high stakes--and deadly consequences.

Source: Cinema Source

• Showtimes and more on Roman de Gare

NOTE: this piece (with minor alterations) posted originally on April 14, which was also the date of the appended audio interview.

O.K., let's get down to it: I was really juiced about the opportunity to speak one-on-one with Claude Lelouch, arguably one of the great living film directors (as evidenced by his feting by the USA Film Festival folks). But, here's the deal: the only time slot available for me to talk with Claude overlapped with a press screening of Zombie Strippers. Sacre-friggin'-bleu!

Knowing good and well on which side of the bread my butter is slathered, I of course took the high-minded high ground and passed off zombie stripper duties to my fellow film fanatic, Alex.

But that's O.K., because it turned out to be a delight talking to M. Lelouch through his interpreter, Catherine. And I found out a bit about what it is that keeps a 70-year-old guy getting up in the morning and going back day after day to deal with the logistical intricacies and clashing personalities of a film set.

A novelist and a poseur - but which is which? (I'm not telling.)

After making an initial appearance at the USA Film Festival in April, M. Lelouch's witty comedy-thriller with a c'est la vie French twist, Roman de gare (Crossed Tracks), opens Friday, June 13 in limited release at the Angelika Plano and Magnolia theaters.

Roman de gare is a great deal of fun - full of sly misdirection, worldly wisdom and mysterious characters who may or may not be exactly who we think they are. Just prepare to keep your eyes on the screen, because it is -after all - a French language film, and thus you'll be needing to read the subtitles to keep up with things. Fortunately - judging by my screener copy - the text is clearly defined at the bottom of the frame without being particularly obtrusive.

As for the appended 11-minute audio interview: you'll have to excuse my Texan-ese mangling of French names and titles, as Mr. Lelouch (and interpreter Catherine) were kind enough to do.

Interview with director Claude Lelouch

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Among other things, you'll hear M. Lelouch state that:

"The weather is very cold in France."

"If there are so many unhappy people in the world, it is, in part, because they are trusting appearance too much - and appearances are often the reflection of the lies we are living."

Meanwhile, sexy-voiced interpreter Catherine can be heard to speak such delectable French phrases as "le faux orgasme", while Claude responds with reference to "consommé le terminé." (Ahem.)

Take THAT, Zombie Strippers.

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