Blue Is the Warmest Colour[2][3]
(French:
La Vie d'Adèle - Chapitre 1 & 2
– "The Life of Adèle: Chapter 1 & 2"), is a 2013 French
drama film written, produced, and directed by
Abdellatif Kechiche. It won the
Palme d'Or at the
2013 Cannes Film Festival.[4][5]
The film is based on the French
graphic novel
Blue Angel ("Le Bleu est une couleur chaude"), a 2010 comic book[6]
by
Julie Maroh[7]
which won several awards and will be published in North America in
October 2013.[8]
Plot
Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) is a 15-year-old girl who aspires to
become a teacher, but her life is turned upside down when she meets
Emma, a blue-haired art student at a nearby college, who instigates a
romance.[9][10]
Cast
Production
Initially planned to be shot in two-and-a-half months, the film took
five, from March to August 2012 for a budget of €4 million.[1]
750 hours of
dailies
were shot.[11]
Shooting took place in
Lille as
well as
Roubaix and
Liévin.[12]
Upon its premiere at the 2013 Cannes Festival, a report from the French
Audiovisual and Cinematographic Union (Syndicat des professionnels de
l'industrie de l'audiovisuel et du cinéma) criticised the working
conditions from which the crew suffered. According to the report,
members of the crew said the production occurred in a "heavy" atmosphere
with behaviour close to "moral harassment", which led some members of
the crew and workers to quit.[1]
Further criticism targeted disrupted working patterns and salaries.[13]
Reception
At Cannes the film shocked some critics with its long[14]
and graphic sex scenes, leading them to state that the film may require
some editing before it is screened in cinemas.[15]
Several critics placed the film as the frontrunner to win the
Palme d'Or.[15][16][17][18]
Justin Chang writing for
Variety said that the film contains "the most explosively
graphic lesbian sex scenes in recent memory".[19]
Jordan Mintzer of the
Hollywood Reporter said that despite the film being three hours
long, it "is held together by phenomenal turns from Léa Seydoux and
newcomer Adèle Exarchopoulos, in what is clearly a breakout
performance."[20]
In
The Daily Telegraph,
Robbie Collin awarded the film a maximum of five stars and tipped it
to win the Palme d'Or. He wrote: "Kechiche’s film is three hours long,
and the only problem with that running time is that I could have happily
watched it for another seven. It is an extraordinary, prolonged
popping-candy explosion of pleasure, sadness, anger, lust and hope, and
contained within it – although only just – are the two best performances
of the festival, from Adèle Exarchopolous and Léa Seydoux."[10]
Writing for
The Guardian,
Peter Bradshaw added that "it is genuinely passionate film-making"
and awarded it four out of five stars.[7]
Stephen Garrett of
The New York Observer said that the film was "nothing less than
a triumph" and "is a major work of sexual awakening".[21]
Julie Maroh stated that she does not consider the movie as a
betrayal, but as "another version ... of the same story",[22]
but criticised the sex scenes in the film, comparing them to porn. She
said "The
heteronormative laughed because they don't understand it and find
the scene ridiculous. The gay and queer people laughed because it's not
convincing, and found it ridiculous."[23]
She continued by writing that
As a feminist and lesbian spectator, I cannot endorse the
direction Kechiche took on these matters.
But I'm also looking forward to hearing what other women will
think about it. This is simply my personal stance.
Awards
The film won the
Palme d'Or at the
2013 Cannes Film Festival.[5]
The actresses were also given the Palme as a special prize.[24][25][26]
Kechiche dedicated the award to "the youth of France" and the
Tunisian revolution, where "they have the aspiration to be free, to
express themselves and love in full freedom".[27]
At Cannes it also won the
FIPRESCI Prize.[28]
In addition, this is also the first film adapted from either a
graphic novel or a
comic to win the Palme d'Or.[22]
See also
References
-
^
a
b
c
Fabre,
Clarisse (24 May 2013).
"Des techniciens racontent le tournage difficile de "La Vie
d'Adèle"".
Le Monde (in French).
Retrieved 26 May 2013.
-
^
"Cannes 2013: Blue Is the Warmest Colour". Cannes. 25
May 2013. Retrieved 25 May
2013.
-
^
"Wild Bunch: Blue is the Warmest Colour". Wild Bunch.
25 May 2013. Retrieved 25 May
2013.
-
^
"Cannes Film Festival: Awards 2013". Cannes. 26 May
2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ^
a
b
"Blue is the warmest colour team win Palme d'Or at Cannes 2013".
RFI. 26 May 2013.
Retrieved 26 May 2013.
-
^
(French) Julie Maroh, Le bleu est une couleur chaude,
Glénat – Hors collection, 2010,
ISBN 978-2-7234-6783-4
- ^
a
b
"Cannes 2013: La Vie D'Adèle Chapitres 1 et 2 (Blue is the
Warmest Colour) – first look review". The Guardian.
24 May 2013. Retrieved 24 May
2013.
-
^
-
^
"Blue is the Warmest Colour, Cannes Film Festival - film review".
London Evening Standard. 28 May 2013.
Retrieved 28 May 2013.
- ^
a
b
"Cannes 2013: Blue is the Warmest Colour, review". Daily
Telegraph. 24 May 2013.
Retrieved 27 May 2013.
-
^
«La Vie d’Adèle», la Palme de l’émotion - letemps.ch
-
^
http://www.crrav.com/images/pdf/cp/cp_selection_cannes_17_04_13.pdf
-
^
Fabre, Clarisse (23 May 2013).
"Le Spiac-CGT dénonce les conditions de travail sur le tournage
de "La Vie d'Adèle"". Le Monde (in French).
Retrieved 26 May 2013.
-
^
Cannes 2013 : les scènes les plus sexe du Festival - Le
Figaro
- ^
a
b
"Lesbian drama tipped for Cannes' Palmes d'Or prize". BBC
News. 24 May 2013.
Retrieved 24 May 2013.
-
^
"The Ten-Minute Lesbian Sex Scene Everyone Is Talking About at
Cannes". Vulture. 24 May 2013.
Retrieved 24 May 2013.
-
^
"Blue is the Warmest Colour installed as frontrunner for Palme
d'Or". The Guardian. 24 May 2013.
Retrieved 24 May 2013.
-
^
"The Best Film at Cannes Is the French, Lesbian Answer to
Brokeback Mountain". The Atlantic. 25 May 2013.
Retrieved 25 May 2013.
-
^
"Cannes Film Review: ‘Blue Is the Warmest Color’".
Variety. 24 May 2013.
Retrieved 24 May 2013.
-
^
"Blue Is the Warmest Color: Cannes Review". Hollywood
Reporter. 24 May 2013.
Retrieved 24 May 2013.
-
^
"Cannes: Ebullient Lesbian Romance Blue Is the Warmest Color Is
Stark Contrast to Dour Nebraska". New York Observer.
25 May 2013. Retrieved 25 May
2013.
-
^
a
b
Adèle's blue PDF (18.5
MB) - Text by
Julie Maroh about the film and its aftermath
-
^
Child, Ben (May 30, 2013).
"Blue Is the Warmest Colour sex scenes are porn, says author of
graphic novel". The Guardian.
Retrieved May 30, 2013.
-
^
Chang, Justin (26 May 2013).
"Cannes: 'Blue Is the Warmest Color' Wins Palme d' Or".
Variety. Retrieved 26
May 2013.
-
^
"Story of Young Woman’s Awakening Is Top Winner". NY
Times. 26 May 2013.
Retrieved 26 May 2013.
-
^
"Cannes Film Festival: Lesbian drama wins Palme d'Or".
BBC News. 26 May 2013.
Retrieved 26 May 2013.
-
^
"Cannes 2013 Palme d'Or goes to film about lesbian romance".
The Guardian UK. 26 May.
Retrieved 27 May 2013.
-
^
"Cannes: 'The Missing Picture' Wins Un Certain Regard Prize".
Hollywood Reporter. 26 May 2013.
Retrieved 26 May 2013.
External links