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ASTERIX AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES
(U) 116mm 00
,- . \\ lhe thrrd of the lite aetron Asterrx rnovret; r. :tarns; (3erard Depardreu as
rotund r‘.l<l(:k|<:k Obelrx. but seer; Clovrs
(Zornrllar‘ taking; ()‘.'(}l from Christian (Ilax'rer as the drrnrnulrve warrior. Much llkt' the lllfll two entries; rn the series.
Aster/x at the ()lt/nprti Games wrestles;
rrrr:;trt:r:et;s;ltrll\ With the problems of Illllltllllt) the (itllllk‘ book humour established b\ Rene ("rosernny and
Albert leer/o to lrle, [)rreetors Frederic
l orestrer and lhornaz; l angrnann's r‘onrpnter enhanced usuals of Astenx and Obeer srnashrnu up the Greek stadrunt under the nose of JlllltlS Caesar ta slurnrnrno Alain Delonl have the approprrate anarehrt: style. but tashronrng; a plot about rnagre ootrons to rnrrrer rnodern steroid use rtheabenr: the wellloved Characters rn\ol\ed.
Sllt‘ll lllltit‘llltllllSllt‘. gags hate always been a part of the world of Asterrx. but most ot the. puns and the lrngturstrtt jokes on offer here get lost In translatron for Enolrsh sneakrng audrent‘es. De\ord of the orrgrnal books satire and reduced to Slapstick and lorntoolen. there's no reason for the knot‘kabout adventures of Asterrx and co to clock rn at nearlx two hours. padded out With an unnecessan rornanee wrth Greek prrncess. lrrna rVanessa HOSSIOrl. and cameo aprmarances from a \arreh of French sporting heroes tZrnedrne Zrdane brobabk berng t we only face recognisable out8rde of France. thrs rs lllllOCUOllS fare. lEddIe Harrisonl I General re'ease tom Frr 7 Feb.
MYSTUQ r” 5Q 3; MI. .lti NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS (PG) 124mm 00
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Da liner C(x’le ‘.‘."rtl‘ fir. «no: or; men. blather about the hrstor, «f the» US Constrtutron AM) .04. have the successful .‘orrr‘uia fo' the [\Jzttrorrgrl Treasure franchise lhe second rnstalrnent frnos; adventurer Ben Gates; rNr<:olas Cage. chasrno around yarrouf’. worldwmle fourrst traps: '.‘."h!!e dodorntr the attentrens of hrs |(}53:S-E;(:li;l>llll;.lfs r'rval Mllflll erkrnsson (Err Harr‘rs;
The shared objertt of tnerr desire a book of secrets. a sen‘r mythical torw: that supposedly contains; the dearrei. at even American president. In addrten to securing the book to preserve the Arnerrean Way. Gates; rs; further rnotrvated by hrs (1081“? to clear the name of hrs lather Patrick (Jon Vorgl‘tn who Harris has slurred by suggestrnt;
that Gates' famrh ancestors .‘rere plotting the assassmatron of Abraham Luteoln. Returning directcr Jon iarteltaub's son'rceabie ao‘xentme teatares a constant escalatron of action.
vet JCSINIC a roster of o\.er<taalrr:<:-o strpmrtrng acts. rnttluorng Haney Ke'te' ano Drar‘e Kruger. :t's left to Hole" Mrrrer‘ to 1er the box 'rtarked ‘cnaracte' corned; as Cages st; «1. morn EilZBL‘BIH. Producer Jeri. Bracmeir‘ier's trademark .rse e‘ s::' ::f GOCIO'S enSures t"er»;:-'s '33:. tween. lrnes along the \.'.a;.. 1.1.: true ess :tfieerieadrrtg ‘0' Arena 5 k»:- y. t': the same huge 8.rCl.€"C€ ‘fr Narrow freaSare 2 abroad that I racked up in the US. Edo'e Hanson I Genera release iron? Pr 5 Fer)
Film
A'ZUIR a; AMAR: THE ancss’ QUEST (PG) 99min 0...
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INTERVIEW
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ALPHABETA French Canadian actress Marie-Josée Croze talks about her pivotal role in a heartbreaking new film.
‘When I first met the director Julian Schnabel to discuss being in his version of Jean-Dominique Bauby’s memoir The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, I remember that Julian was wearing these beautiful silk pyjamas. They were the same pyjamas that Bauby [played by Mathieu Amalric] wears in the film, and they were actually made by Julian's wife Olatz Lopez Garmendia, who plays the role of the physical therapist Marie Lopez.
‘At our initial meeting, Julian didn't talk much about the film - instead he talked about life. I think he’d already seen my performances in The Barbarian Invasions and Munich. He gave me Ronald Harwood's script to take home, and he later rang me up and said, “Don’t accept any other film. I want you in my film." I called him back and said that I loved my character, Henriette the speech therapist, although her name was different at that stage.
‘I met the real-life woman on whom Henriette was based. I imagined what it would be like to do her job and to talk to somebody who couldn't respond to you because they’d suffered such a paralysing stroke. She says at one point in the film that this is her most difficult case and I realised how open you can be when the other person is in front of you like a new-born baby, without any defences. That’s why Henriette has that smile and why she’s so generous to Bauby, and why she’s so upset when he says he wants to die.
‘What was difficult in the film was that I had to play most of my scenes alone in front of the camera, and I could see myself in the lens. I’m best when I’m improvising with another actor, but Mathieu was sitting in another room watching these scenes. And Julian, who doesn’t speak French, didn’t really give me much direction except to say, “Do it again”.
‘A lot of people have asked me whether making the film has made me think more about my own mortality. Actually, I’ve always been thinking about that: when I was a child I’d lie on a table in the living room and pretend I was a princess in a coffin, and I’d ask adults where do we go when we die. I don’t think about death all the time now: I don’t have any answers, I just accept it, and my life feels lighter now.’
(Interview by Tom Dawson) I The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is on selected release from Frr 8 Feb. See revrew, page 48.
~ THE LIST 47