La Foire aux Immortels – the work of Enki Bilal

POSTED BY: Dayve
UPDATED: Thursday, April 26, 2007 01:09
VIEWED: 10309
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DAYVE

Thursday, April 19, 2007 4:32 PM

Is anyone familiar with the work of Enki Bilal – or the film Immortel (ad vitam)…2004 ? The movie is based on the comics by Bilal – La Foire aux immortels and La Femme piege…..and is said to be…

Quote:
one of several films around the world that were the first to use an entirely "digital backlot" (i.e. the actors were all shot in front of blue- and green-screens with all the backgrounds added in post-production

…a little story, if you don’t mind….

I woke up on my couch about 3 am on a Saturday morning – not so unusual – the TV was on, tuned to the Sci-Fi channel – this movie (Immortel) was on, probably half way through. I was mesmerized…. Also sleepy, and a little hung-over, but mesmerized all the same - and rather than watch the end without seeing the beginning – I went to bed. But I could not get some of the images out of my head. I looked for a tv listing of the movie in hopes of seeing the whole thing, but couldn’t find it anywhere –

A few days later I was able to find a copy and made time that evening to watch it in it’s entirety… I soon realized that I already knew this story. I remember seeing a book with Bilal’s work at a friend’s house. It must have been ten or fifteen years ago - an incredible story about a dystopian future in which Egyptian gods play the game Monopoly in a flying pyramid that has run out of fuel and hovers over Paris….(changed to New York for the film).

The more I watched the film the more I was drawn into it’s story – but in the end, I can’t say that I understood the whole thing – maybe it was just me reading more into it than needed, but it certainly made an impression on me.

I would be interested in anyone’s thoughts on the movie or the work of Bilal in general.

Oh, and I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys sci-fi.

DAYVE

Thursday, April 19, 2007 5:38 PM

Here are a couple of examples of Bilal’s art – cover art for publications in the U.S. and Europe….

....anyone?

DAYVE

Thursday, April 19, 2007 7:39 PM

.....hoping for a response....

PIZMOBEACH

Thursday, April 19, 2007 7:59 PM

Sorry - I have the movie at home but have not watched it yet. Now I'm curious though...

Scifi movie music + Firefly dialogue clips, 24 hours a day - http://www.scifiradio.com

DAYVE

Thursday, April 19, 2007 8:17 PM

thanks for the reply - let me know what you think of it - good, bad or indifferent - i'm just looking for some feedback...

PIZMOBEACH

Thursday, April 19, 2007 9:14 PM

Looks like there's a bunch of reviews over at Amazon, 52 in fact, have a looksee:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/B0008ENI0W/ref=cm_cr
_dp_pt/103-3400619-3527852?ie=UTF8&n=130&s=dvd

"WOW!!!!, September 26, 2006
Reviewer: D. Gramling

"This is a visually stunning movie. Sure, the plot is a little confusing and I hate to give the French credit for anything, but you will not be able to take your eyes off the screen. This movie moved me in some cerebral and emotional way and I urge you to see it. I keep playing it over just for the cinematic punch it offers."

Scifi movie music + Firefly dialogue clips, 24 hours a day - http://www.scifiradio.com

DAYVE

Thursday, April 19, 2007 9:43 PM

I did read a few of those after I saw a little bit of the movie on the tube - and I agree with most - or at least the the positive ones -

Even my wife was somewhat impressed (with the part she actually watched), and she is not a sci-fi fan, but rather an art teacher.

As far as Reviewer: D. Gamling goes - i agree about the confusing plot - no doubt having some knowledge of the material the movie is based on would help - (i've ordered the Nikopol Trilogy to try and better understand this strange story), but i don't mind giving credit where credit is due, French or otherwise.

I don't know... maybe I'm just hung up on this thing because I just don't see that many really good sci-fi adventures these days - the last one i really liked was a Korean film entitled 'Natural City' -

if you watch it... let me know what you think, thanks

MISSTRESSAHARA

Friday, April 20, 2007 12:04 AM

Well I recognize the art, and what you describe with the Egyptian gods reminds me of his stories in Heavy Metal magazine, weird, surreal, and very entertaining. The man has an imagination.

If you can find any Heavy Metal mags from the 80's to the 90's pick them up and you'll find his stories and see his amazing art.

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~*Peter* Peter*; power *re-peater*~
`@/
/Y
/_)

"We can be Heroes.... if just for one day."[/]

What do you mean I have to wait
4 fricken days for Heroes?
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DAYVE

Friday, April 20, 2007 12:16 AM

ok, i left out V for Vendetta and Children of Men.... IMO two very good films, although Children of Men is really more of my type of movie - probably because i am a more or less a pessimist when it comes to the future of this planet - and films like these tend to enforce my beliefs...

(can anyone sense that i'm trying to get a dialog started here... hey, i gave it a shot)

FREDGIBLET

Friday, April 20, 2007 12:20 AM

One of my friends loved the movie and showed it to me, it was weird, and decent, but IMO not spectacular. And it was hard to understand.

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