This weekend I reviewed three new release movies for RNZ’s Culture 101 show and they were all so uninspiring that I chose one of most imaginative films of all time for our Saturday night Hollywood at Home watch.
The City of Lost Children, by Marc Caro (design director) and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (mis-en-scene), was plucked from the excellent Sony Pictures Classics 30th anniversary UHD box and it looked a treat.
On an abandoned oil rig, a monster named Krank and his hapless companions/assistants attempt to steal the dreams of kidnapped children1 while a circus strongman and some petty criminal kids mount a come to the rescue.
That’s an imperfect summary of a film that seems to be inspired by everything and yet still be entirely its own. Vast waterlogged indoor sets are supplemented by early digital effects – characters rapidly ageing and fleas delivering a mind control serum work well, the green mist not so much – but its the playful costumes by Jean-Paul Gaultier that really stand out. At one point, Ron Perlman’s red-haired hero uses the wool of his knitted sweater as a way to stay connected to his young partner Miette (Judith Vittet) and it even unravels in an entirely Gaultier way.
Vittet was only nine years old but cinematographer Darius Khondji shoots her superbly poised performance like she’s Hedy Lamarr.
One from the “they really don’t make them like that anymore” department, The City of Lost Children might be about kids and dreams but when the Cyclops cult turn up – eyeballs plucked and replaced by steampunk video cameras – it’s a horror film, but when the screen is occupied by Dominique Pinon’s six hapless clones it’s very much a comedy.
Where to watch La cité des enfants perdus / The City of Lost Childen
Aotearoa: Streaming on the Rialto Amazon channel or digital rental
Australia: Digital rental
Canada: Streaming on Crave or Tele Quebec (free with ads)
Ireland: Digital rental
India: Digital rental from Prime Video
USA: Digital rental
UK: Streaming on the Studiocanal Amazon channel
Further listening
As well as Culture 101 for RNZ on Sunday, I also had my usual fun chat with Emile Donovan on Nights at 8.45 on Friday. To celebrate the achievements of Artemis II, we played a section from Bill Conti’s Oscar-winning score from The Right Stuff and I reviewed The President’s Cake, Man on the Run and alerted listeners to the almost impossibly nostalgic MTV Rewind website.
