Name Virginie Ledoyen Born 5 November 1976
Background Ledoyen grew up in Aubervilliers (a Parisian suburb) and started her career at an early age by doing TV and magazine ads. all thanks to a friend of her restaurateur mother. By the time she was ten she had enrolled in a music and drama school. One of her first breaks came when director Philomene Esposito chose her to play a young Italian immigrant in France in the 19505 for Mirna. a Mafia tale. The late Marcel Came picked her out from the crowd for a part in Mouche. which remains unseen and unfinished after the producers walked off the project. it was Olivier Assayas who brought her to serious attention in L'eau froide, his 1994 film about two wayward teens. Roles from the likes of Claude Chabrol, Francois Ozon, Francis Veber, Jean-Paul Rappeneau and Benoit Jacquot have followed in quick succession as well as international acclaim alongside Leonardo Di Caprio in The Beach. She denies all rumours of an affair with the actor at the time. and is now married with a seven-year-old daughter. Lilas. Her talents have been likened to everyone from Jeanne Moreau to Sophie Marceau. What’s she up to now? In Mes amls, mes amours she plays Audrey, an expat French girl living in London who finds herself the object of romantic attention from a divorced countryman, played by Vincent Lindon. thereby causing a domestic rift with his friend (Pascal Elbe). also a divorced dad and with whom he's set up home. What she says about playing Audrey 'lnitially it was the idea of playing a very feminine woman who is prepared to take a grip on her life, her pleasures and her feelings. Then I got on really well with Lorraine [Levy. the director] who has a gentle sensibility and an old school attitude in a good sense, which seemed the perfect chemistry for a romantic comedy.‘ Interesting Fact She received her first screen kiss aged 14 from Marcello Mastroianni in 1991 in Christian de Chalonge's Le Voleur des Enfants. (Richard Mowe)
I Mes amls, mes amours is on selected release from 4 July. See review, page 52.
56 THE LIST 3—1 7 Jul 2008
Definitely, Maybe f IBM .0
(Adam Brookx. l'K. 20081 R_\'an Re_xnoldx. lxla l-‘ixher. lili/abeth Bankx. Rachel \‘l'cixL lllmin. Single. .itl-xomething Manhattan dad Will llayex ch}tlt1ltlxl anxwerx quextionx from hix ten-)ear-old daughter .\la_\'a (Abigail Brexlin) about hix life before marriage and realixex that he xtill hax opportunitiex with three \er} different women. Another crapola Working ‘l‘itle romantic drama with l-‘ixher. Bankx and \Vcix/ its the ladiex ill \Vill'x lllc. lilt’ [film/Hugh ()i‘nui. lat/i'nlmrg/i.
Derek 1 I81 tlxaac Julien. l'lx'. 20081 7(1min. Documenting the life and work of artixt and filmmaker Derek Jarman. Julien‘x conxidered the of unxeen interx iew x. out takex and f'amil} home lil(1\ iex aptl} drawx in e\ en thoxe unfamiliar with Jarman‘x work. Part of" the |.exbian and (iii) l’ilm l't‘xllHll. (II/(Ixt'rnt' I'l/lll Iii/It'tl/I't'. (i/rngrm; Dinosaurs Alive 3D 1 t ' 1 111m itl (‘lark/Ba_\'le}' Silleck. l'S. 20071-10min. l‘ollow palaeontologixtx ax the} xcour the globe for .xome fantaxtic dinoxaur findx. then watch the creaturex burxt into 30 life. /.lI.-l.\' 'I‘llt'um'. (i/usemr:
Eco-eye tl’(il t\'ai'ioux1(10min. Sexen experimental xhortx meditating on reprexentationx of the Britixh landxcape. l'eaturing l’aul Buxh'x Ski Ill/Ix Slice/1 llillt'l‘ (inm. William Raban'x lien and limi|_\ Richardxon'x .'l\/?('(‘l. The programme will be introduced b_\ l)a\ id Ingram. lecturer in experimental cinema at Brunel l‘t1i\erxit'\. I'i/mltuuu'. Iii/I'n/uu'e/l. The Edge of Love f l51 COCO .‘xlaflwury. 2008. l'lx'l Keira Knightle}. Sienna Miller. (‘illian \ftii'pli). Matthew Rh}x. I l0min. \Velxh chanteuxe Vera l’hillipx llx'niglitle} 1 happenx upon old lox er l)_\ lan 'l'homax th}x1 w ho ix now married to (‘aitlin l.\liller1. The} become a firm threexome until \"era fallx in line with )oung officer l.\lurph} 1 and group
d) namicx xhift unpleaxantl}. Baxed around real e\entx. .\la}bur} 'x film ix clex er. funn}. inxightful and ftlll of killer linex. (ii'm'm/ re/r'uu'.
Female Agents f Ht .0. (Jean-- Paul Salome. l‘rance. 20081 Sophie Marceau. Julie l)epardieu. .\larie (iillain.
1 17min. :\l|egedl_\ baxed on a true xtot'}: in ‘ltt‘iitg l‘l—H (‘hurchill ox erxeex a xuicidal xabotage and rexcue mixxion b} female memberx of the l‘rench Rexixtance a
xhow girl t(ii|lainl. an exploxivex expert tl)eborah l‘rancoix1. a proxlitute tDepardieul. a radio operator f.\l;l}tl Sanxa1 and their leader l.\larceaul. Salome ix an arch xt}'lixt and cop} ixt but l1e_\ond the handful of great performancex thix feelx like another po-faced 'l‘\' mini xeriex: interexting litll pedextrian. Si’li'i'li't/ I'r’lr'ilu’.
(John
Tfistanmdlsolde
Film Discussion Groupfxleet up with
film writer liddie llarrixon and lotx of other
film buffx to xwap opinionx and perceptionx of botli art houxe and big lilttcklillxlcl‘ recent l'clctlxcx, lleld till the xecond Wednexda} of exer} month. (i/(lwrm I’ll/ll 'Illi'illl‘t'. (i/uxuuu.
The Forbidden Kingdom t 12.-\1 (Rob .\linkoll. l'S. 20081Jackic (‘hatL Jet Li. Jackie .»\ngarano. 104mm. ('hop—xoek} xuperxtarx Jackie (‘han and Jet Li xhare the xcreen for the fier time iii thix liaxt-meetx- \Vext martial artx adtenture in which a kung fu obxexxed :\IllL‘l‘lc;tll teen makex a dixcoxer} that xendx him on a quext to ('hina to free the imprixoned Monke} King. 'l‘hink Rum/e Kill croxxed with (Tour/ling 'ligirr: Hull/en Dragon. (rl‘lft’l‘lll I.('/('(l\('.
Garbage Warrior f lSi 000
52. l‘l/HI/lrlllu’. lat/in/nu‘eh.
Global Haywire l 151 tliruce l’ett)‘. .'\uxtralia. 200(1182min Semi-animated documentar} probing at the current relationxhip between liaxt and \Vext. Illuminating debatex on terrorixm. oil crixex arid globalixation feature ‘l‘ariq .'\ll. Noam ('homxk}. (iore Vidal. Arundhati Ro} aiid Robert l’ixk. Part of the l.(1lltlt1l1.'\ll\ll';lliilll l’ilin l‘exti\al on Tour. (ill/won I'll/n 'l'lir'ulri’. (i/iiwmi'; l’ilmlmuu'. Inlill/mre/i. Gone Baby Gone I 151 O... ilien .v\f'fleck. lb. 20071(.;t\c_\ .-\ffleck. \lut'gtlll l‘reeman. .\lichelle .\lonagahan. l 13min. Beautiful _\oung girl Amanda l()’lirienl goex mixxing in lioxton and local pritate imextigator Ken/ie t.v\ff'leck1 and hix girlfriend are hired for their know ledge of the rundown area. Another raw tale of abuxe. pride. po\crt_\ and a \er} particular form of unliinged .\laxxachuxettx nobilit}. Xi'Il't’It’i/ I'(’/('(l\l'.
Hairspray f l’( i1 .000 l:\dam Shankman. IS. 20071 John ’l‘raxolta. Nikki Blonxk}. .v\manda li)tiex l 1(1min. l-‘aithf'ul adaptation of the lii'oadwa} mtlxical rather than a remake of John \Vaterx' [088 film. Although darker elementx of the xtor} are loxt in purxuit of fun and a mainxtream audience. thix all--xinging. all dancing teen flick xhinex amid a xummer of noix_\ blockbuxter xetiuelx. 'l‘ra\olta‘x xurprixingl) endearing performance tin ftlll dragl ax lidna 'l'urnblad ix the cherr} on top. liii' lat/iri/nrre/i ()('(’(lll. [Jilin/Hugh.
Hancock 1 l2.r\1 COO tl’etel' Berg. l‘S. 20081\\'ill Smith. (‘hai'li/e'l‘heron. Jaxon Bateman. 02111111. See rex iew. page
5 l. (it'lti’l'il/ I‘t'lr’rlu’.
The Happening l l51 0.. t.\l Night Sh)amalan. l'S/lndia. 20081 .\lark \Vahlberg. /.ooe} l)exchancl. John |.egui/amo. 00min. In N\‘(' people begin
Forget the 80-50 recent Hollywood treatment of Richard Wagner’s romance set in Dark Age Britain, this four-and-a-half-hour film of a staging of the opera at La Scala in Milan (directed by French auteur Patrice Chéreau) is the real thing.
IF/lmhouse. Edinburgh, Sun I3 Jul.
t()li\er llodge. l'K. 2007188min. See re\iew. page
www.list.co.uk/film
to inexplicabl} commit xtiicide in their driw'ex in another of M Night Sh)amalan'x paranoia thrillerx with twixt_\ endingx. l)expite dixerting from the narrative through teacher protagonixt lilliot (\Valilberg1 and hix dull-arxed marital problemx. thix ix at leaxt better than the dire [.(lllfi in The Water. which ixn‘t much pl'tttxc ttl ttll. Se/m‘fl’r/ I‘l'lr'uxr‘. Heartbeat Detector 1 DA) 0000 lNicolax lx'lotl. l’rance. 20071 .‘xlathieu l)ulac. .\liche| l.onxdalc. Jean-l’ierre Kalfon. 140mm. 'l‘hix l‘rench corporate thriller adapted from l'l'ttttcotx limmanuel’x no\ el l.u Qllr'xllmt I/unmim' ix demanding and rewarding in equal mcaxure. Amalric ix the pxychologixt of a (ierman-l‘rench petrochemical compatt) who‘x axked to dixcretel} axxexx the mental xtate of the l’arix officc'x ('li() ll.onxdalel until dixturbing liiikx between hix firm and the Na/ix .xtart to take their toll. .\ beautif'ull} executed and ltorribl) comincing film. Film/route. I'ji/l/i/uujeli.
Hortobagy ll’(i1 l(ieorg lloellering. llungar}. l‘)3(i182min. filmed in the llortobag) region of the (ireat Hungarian l’lain. lloellering prexentx three generationx of herdxmen and an arrexting depiction of xocietal progrexx. Part of the Modernit} arid 'l‘radition xeaxon. film/route. l'fi/in/iiu‘elt.
I Served the King of England 1 l51 0... (Jill .\lene/el. ('/ech Republic. 200(i1 l\an Barnex. ()ldrich Kttlxct'. Julia Jentxch. ll‘lmin. .\len/el depictx the life of hotelier .laii tBarnc\ 1 ax a non-xtop caxalcade of good food and exert-better xex enio} ed under the darkening xhadow of Na/i opprexxion. No dtixt} political tale. thix entertaining but xalutar} film balanccx an e\cl') man'x xexual and financial axpirationx. then tartly rexealx them ax meaninglexx in the face of global politicx. l‘l/Hl/lrlllu’. lat/in/mre/i.
In Search of a Midnight Kiss 1 151 ... l.»\le\ llt1ltll‘ldgc. [3. 20031 Scoot McNaii‘}. Sara Simmondx. Brian .\lc( iuire. 00min. lloldridge‘x acerbic and w arml) human dixpatch from the frontline of the l..'\ dating xcene xccx \Vilxolt lNlcNair} 1 dexperatcl} xcarching for a date to pro\ idc him with a New Year'x kixx. After ptittiiig an adxert on (‘raigxlixt. he meetx \'i\ ran tSimmondxl. an axpiring actrexx who ma) or ma) not match \Vilxon'x emotional unmailabilit}: (ill/remi- I'll/n 'l'lli'illri'. (i/uxeon: (ii/111w. l‘ji/rli/iiireli.
The Incredible Hulk 1 l3.-\1 ll.t1tflx l.eterrier. IS. 20081 lidward Norton. l.i\ 'l‘}ler. Tim Roth. l 12min. l‘i\e _\earx after .-\ng l.ee'x Hit/A commerciall} flopped l.eterriel'. ditchex cerebral iiiuxing for all~ out action. and little clxe. 'l‘he xctttlcl lititlx Dr Bruce Banner lNorlonl hiding from the American tiiilital‘}. reunited with lo\er Belt} Roxx ll} ler1 and purxued b} her father. (ieneral 'l'htinderbolt Roxx 1\\‘illiam llurt1. l)ixappointingl} dumb. thix Hulk ix an}thing btit incredible. (ii'rii'ml re/mu'. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 1 12.»\1 .0. tSte\en Spielberg. (S. 20081 llarrixon l-‘ord. (’ate lilanchett. Karen Allen. l22min. ll‘x “’57. the Sox ietx hate replaced the Na/ix ax the biggext xet of thugx on the planet and Jonex tl-‘ord1 hax returned for hix moxt outlandixih adxenture )et. Rtixxian baddie Spalko llilancheltl ix otit to trick the hero itito unco\ ering the xecretx of a tit}tl1ic‘;ilc‘r‘}xt;tl. a challenge which ptm ex that the old dog xtill hax a few new trickx. (it'lli’l'il/ I'l‘ll'ilu'.
Iron Man i l2:\1.... lJon l‘axreau. l'S. 20081 Robert [)owne} Jr. (iw_\neth l’altrow. Jeff Bridgex. l25min. Performing a perfectl} poixed balancing act betw een taking the fantaxtical material xerionxl} and treating it with a knowing xenxe of humour. thix xmart adaptation locatex ion} Stark/Iron .\lan‘x xtor) of pi'ofexxional irl'exponxibilit} and perxonal redemption firml} within the context of the war on terror. Kidnapped b} Afghan inxurgentx. Iron Man prompt!) renouncex armx manufacture and inxtead uxex hix xupeiv powered outfit to right hix w rongx. .S'liomuu' ('im'mu. (‘oul/n‘ii/gi'. (i/ii.\emi'.‘ lire I'fi/lIl/lllre/i ()(‘i'il/I. l'fi/iII/uujell.