La Foire aux Immortels – the work of Enki Bilal by Dayve

OTHER SCIENCE FICTION SERIES

La Foire aux Immortels – the work of Enki Bilal

POSTED BY: DAYVE
UPDATED: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 15:09
SHORT URL:
VIEWED: 8087
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Thursday, April 19, 2007 6:32 AM

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.

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Thursday, April 19, 2007 7:38 AM

DAYVE

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

....anyone?

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Thursday, April 19, 2007 9:39 AM

DAYVE

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

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Thursday, April 19, 2007 9:59 AM

PIZMOBEACH

... fully loaded, safety off...

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

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Thursday, April 19, 2007 10:17 AM

DAYVE

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

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Thursday, April 19, 2007 11:14 AM

PIZMOBEACH

... fully loaded, safety off...

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

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Thursday, April 19, 2007 11:43 AM

DAYVE

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

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Thursday, April 19, 2007 2:04 PM

MISSTRESSAHARA

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.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~*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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Thursday, April 19, 2007 2:16 PM

DAYVE

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)

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Thursday, April 19, 2007 2:20 PM

FREDGIBLET

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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Thursday, April 19, 2007 2:22 PM

DAYVE

Quote:
Originally posted by Misstressahara:
Well I recognize the art, and what you describe with the Egyptian gods reminds me of his stories in Heavy Metal magazine

yes, of course - thank you - i knew i had seen this before - i just couldn't put my finger on it - and i haven't looked at Heavy Metal in years....

I would like to recommend the movie to you... if you like sci-fi or just some pretty amazing visual work - this is a movie to watch. At times the animation tends to get in the way - but not so much as to distract from the story... it's worth the price of a rental.

thanks again for the information

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Thursday, April 19, 2007 2:32 PM

DAYVE

Quote:
Originally posted by fredgiblet:
And it was hard to understand.

you're right - i still have questions about it, and i've watched it twice now - Who the heck is John?

I'm going to read the graphic novel by Bilal and maybe that will help - but i know from experience that some of the people who write this kind of fiction tend to keep secrets, and often the whole story is only in their heads...

but i like a good mystery, too...

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Thursday, April 19, 2007 4:59 PM

DAYVE

Quote:
Originally posted by pizmobeach:
Looks like there's a bunch of reviews over at Amazon, 52 in fact, have a looksee:

One last thing about this and then I’ll leave it alone.
Pizmobeach – I read some of the reviews at Amazon and did find several references to Heavy Metal...(Misstressahara), So thanks for the tip. A lot of reviews there… here’s part of one:

Quote:
Reviewer: Mitchell Wass “Euphoria Project”

……already watched it twice in the past week, sitting transfixed and helplessly drawn into the gorgeous, sensual, deeply textured world he has envisioned. It's like the best of Fifth Element meets the best of Stargate, only far more artistic and soulful……

…But IMMORTAL? God, it's just GORGEOUS!! A little cryptic at first for those unfamiliar with Enki Bilal's work; I just sat there, jaws literally agape, utterly astonished at the detail and depth of the artwork. This is definitely a science fiction masterpiece - a film for anyone who enjoys serious atmosphere, texture, sensuality, artistry, and of course, bleak dystopian views of our future world….

I don’t really agree with everything this guy says – I don’t like the Fifth Element part and I don’t think my jaws were ever agape – maybe not a “masterpiece”... yet, but I will vouch for gorgeous (in that bleak, dystopian view of our future world kind of way )

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Thursday, April 19, 2007 9:08 PM

MISSTRESSAHARA

You know the Immortals MUST be the story in Heavy Metal, I remember reading it and wondering what the hell was going on. Why were their people walking around in strange masks of birds and animals (this was the 80's, I was young and didn't know as much about Egypt and their gods then) then it got stranger seeing an astronaut who kept getting hurt hanging out with one of these gods, and if that wasn't weird enough suddenly there were men in Nazi uniforms looking very weird (and in some cases very effeminate) and I just didn't understand what the hell was going on. I think, if I can find all of them, I'll bring out my old mags, see if I have the beggining of this story and try to figure out what's happening. May not be Immortals but perhaps Immortals is based on his Heavy Metal stories. The art is stunning though.

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

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

What do you mean I have to wait
less than a week for Heroes?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

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Friday, April 20, 2007 5:01 AM

DAYVE

Quote:
Originally posted by Misstressahara:
perhaps Immortals is based on his Heavy Metal stories…

There is a connection there, no doubt – I noticed in the ending credits that the movie is “loosely based” on stories from the “Nikopol Trilogy - La Foire aux Immortels, 1980 (Carnival of the Immortals) and La Femme piège, 1986 (The Woman Trap). There are elements of the trilogy in the movie – combined into this story.

Bilal directed the movie – so it looks like he tried to condense the whole trilogy into one cohesive story. I’m not sure he completely accomplished this, but I haven’t read the original material yet, so it’s not really not fair to judge the final outcome just yet.

Some differences between the movie and the Heavy Metal story you mentioned are the absence of men in Nazi uniforms, although there is a organization known as the ‘Eugenics’ – that have a rather sinister, authoritarian regime like quality, and, in the movie Nikopol – (the protagonist?) is not an astronaut, but a prisoner, who has been in a state of cryogenic hibernation for 30 years… But, I don’t want to reveal too much of the story, because I hope that you’ll get a chance to watch it for yourself.

One other thing, in reading some of the reviews on Amazon, I noticed several references to Blade Runner and Fifth Element. Other than the overall atmosphere of the sets, I just don’t get that connection to Blade Runner, which, in my opinion, is a classic science fiction story, and one that most good sci-fi movies are invariably judged by. As far as Fifth Element, the only resemblance I see is in the types of vehicles used in both movies – old taxicabs. Here is a drawing from Bilal.

Since the Nikopol Trilogy was written in the early to mid eighties and Fifth Element was a movie from 1997 (and directed by the French born Luc Besson), I think it’s pretty obvious who “borrowed” from whom.

Probably safe to say that I have just a little obsession with this film, which is really a rare thing for me. I haven’t been this enthusiastic about a piece of work since, I don’t know…maybe Firefly…. And like several of the reviewers of the film have stated – this is the kind of movie you either “get” or “don’t get”…. So it’s not going to be a favorite of everyone who sees it.
I guess I ‘get’ it – and in turn – it has gotten to me.

I hope you’ll see the movie and come back and discuss it further.

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Friday, April 20, 2007 10:19 AM

DAYVE

different title - same thread

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Tuesday, April 24, 2007 10:02 AM

PIZMOBEACH

... fully loaded, safety off...

Ended up watching this finally late last night - crazy, weird (good weird) and just plain great to look at. I can see how you could get hypnotised by it.

Found this about the actress who did such a good job in the lead role:

Linda Hardy (born October 11, 1973, Nantes, France) is a French actress and model.
Hardy won the title of Miss France in 1992 and represented her country at Miss Universe and Miss World, after which she launched an acting career in French cinema, beginning with the 1999 film, Recto/Verso, which was followed by her role as Charlotte in the TV series H in 2000.
Internationally, her best known role to date has been the blue haired, blue teared, alien woman turning human, Jill, in the 2004 science fiction film, Immortel (Ad Vitam) (released in North America as Immortal). In the film, Hardy is dubbed by an English-speaking actress except for one piece of dialogue delivered in her native French.
Her most recent role was in a film titled A House Divided, or in the USA, Mount of Olives (2006). She has also had roles in the films Le Souffleur, the short film Dernière chance, and Recto/Verso. In addition she has made a number of appearances on television.

The cg was great - watching the extras very enlightening, wish there'd been more. Definitely reminded me of Heavy Metal, Aeon Flux - there's even some Jean 'Moebius' Giraud (sp, French graphic novelist) in there - very cool.

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

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Tuesday, April 24, 2007 11:31 AM

DAYVE

Quote:
Originally posted by pizmobeach:
Definitely reminded me of Heavy Metal, Aeon Flux - there's even some Jean 'Moebius' Giraud (sp, French graphic novelist) in there - very cool.

I'm glad you liked it, even the weird bits - maybe it's all weird bits... I watched it again this past weekend and I still want to know more of the backstory. There is just so much going on in this film - the riots of the 2060's - the spirit of Nikopol - what was his part in the revolution... Intrusion... where did Jill come from and John??
John says that he is a "passer" or "traveler" ..? near the end of his cycle...? Jill is only 3 months old... I may never understand it all.

Interesting to note the references to Fifth Element and your mention of Giraud, who is credited as Designer on that film (FE). From what i've read, The Nikopol Trilogy pre-dated the Fifth Element - so it looks like there was some borrowing going on there - in some of the designs at least.

Thanks for the information about Linda Hardy. I haven't seen Mount of Olives, but i will look for it just to see Hardy without the blue makeup...

It is an odd film and it is one that I have thought about more than most movies I see. Maybe that is what so interesting to me. I find myself thinking about the story and the whole strange world that Bilal has created.

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Tuesday, April 24, 2007 1:51 PM

MISSTRESSAHARA

I found one of my Heavy Metal mags, it's the very last one and it was an interesting read (I still don't know what's going on. I will say this (in spoilers just in case it was in the movie)

Select to view spoiler:

Nikopol gets voted by the people of France as the overall ruler for stopping a fascist govenment, and unfortunately goes completley insane. Horus (who was a companion to Nikopol and considered a traitor to the Egyptian gods) was condemned to a slow harsh torture. The new clique government try to figure how to use the now insane Nikopol as a token leader while keeping the power for themselves. Nikopol's son shows up (looking just like him) explains how Nikopol was condemned in 1993 by the military to stay in hibernated sleep in space, which is why they look the same age. The new governement decides to use his son instead as their token ruler, and poor poor Nikopol is put into an insane asylum for the rest of his days.

That's a lot for one man to go through. If the movie is anything like this, then maybe if I ever have the funds I'll try to find it and watch it.

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

*Petrelli for President. Together we can soar.*
**********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HEROE'S IS MY CRACK!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

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Wednesday, April 25, 2007 3:01 AM

DAYVE

Quote:
Originally posted by Misstressahara:
That's a lot for one man to go through

...not to mention that he has a leg made from a piece of a subway rail....!

Misstressahara, which issue of Heavy Metal is that ? I'd like to find that series. That story you tell about (the spoiler), must be a continuation of the story in the movie. It just gets stranger the more I find out about it.
Hope you get to see the movie. I'd like to hear what you think of it.

thanks for the information...

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Wednesday, April 25, 2007 3:09 PM

MISSTRESSAHARA

The issue is a bit tattered (I lost the cover

) but it's Vol.V,NO.9, and it's the last of the series. I may have the whole series but the magazines are all over the place. May be I won't find all of them unless I'm moving and I slowly begin to box things.
I knew about the metal leg

Select to view spoiler:

(in this issue one of the Egyptian gods negotiating for fuel mentions to Nikopol that they replaced his leg with another one and reconstructed his body)

but I never knew it was from a subway rail. It was never a favorite story of mine and I tended to pass it for other stories, now it makes me want to find all the Volumes.

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

*Petrelli for President. Together we can soar.*
**********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**********~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HEROE'S IS MY CRACK!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

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