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Grotesque
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Les clones
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Fantasia
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Title: La Cité des Enfants Perdus
Year: 1995
Director: Marc Caro / Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Format: Blu-ray
Label: Studiocanal
Notes:
I didn't get a chance to see this when it was first released so this viewing was my first chance to see this cult fantasy, from the days when steampunk wasn't so ubiquitous in popular culture. I did know about the film at the time it was released because, if I remember rightly, it was referenced in a review of a similar-looking computer game. It's that sort of aesthetic.
I was a bit hesitant to watch the film after all this time in case the twee legacy of Jeunet's later film AMÉLIE soured the experience. That would be unfair and fortunately it didn't. While this film has a similar unreal look, I prefer a grimy looking dystopia to pretty France. And the design is great - it looks like it was completely studio bound but with clever use of digital effects to create composite backdrops that build a world very effectively.
Onto the drama. I read somewhere this is considered difficult to follow but it really isn't. A mad scientist kidnaps children so he can harvest their dreams to save his own life. He's joined by an ensemble cast of child heroes and adult freaks who eventually foil his plans. The end.
It was fun to see DELICATESSEN'S Dominique Pinon digitally duplicated as the clones but my favourite aspect of the cast was the villainous star himself, Daniel Emilfork as Krank. Why? He has an instantly recognisable appearance and I did recognise him as he also played Hendrik, Roy Kinnear's henchman, in Polanski's 1986 film PIRATES. I love that film and it's definitely one I will cover in this blog at some point as I seem to watch it at least every couple of years!
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