What classic films has Luc Besson directed?

1981 "Avant dernier, L'The Last Avant"

This is a short film. I have never seen it, so I am sorry. At that time, this film was Exhibited at the Fantastiqe d'Avoriaz Film Festival, it is Luc Besson's debut film.

1983 "Dernier Combat, Le Last Battle"

Besson's breakthrough work was 1983's "The Last Battle". This seems to be a film about the future, but the world in the film cannot see the continuity of current human society. There are a lot of imaginative, allegorical and pessimistic descriptions of the future of mankind in the film.

1985 "Subway"

The next is a thriller "Metro" set in the Paris subway. Imagination is still the biggest feature of the film, which also shows Besson only came into contact with the special thinking and imagination of the subway as an adult. The story takes place in the complex and vast space of the Paris subway. Fred robbed Helena's husband's safe and escaped into the subway, where he got acquainted with the pulley boy, drummer Anonymous and others who had been living in the subway for a long time. Fred asks Helena for money to redeem the documents, and Helena's husband's gang and the police are chasing Fred. In the process of searching for Fred to regain the documents, Helena gradually fell in love with him and became more and more betrayed by her class and living environment. Fred has been unable to sing since his voice was injured since he was a child, and he has always wanted to form a band. With the help of his subway companions, Fred successfully organized a band. He also robbed a cash carrier and used the money he robbed to get a chance to perform on the subway. As the band sang "Gans don't kill people, peoples kill people", Fred fell under the muzzle of the gun. Helena, who rushed over, could only cry for the first time. Kissed him for the last time.

The film is called "Metro", and most of the scenes in the film are in the subway. Luc Besson successfully expressed the living space and independent world in the subway. Fred broke into this small world and immediately found that it was more suitable for him than on the ground. This latecomer never got out from the moment he entered the subway until he finally died in the subway, handing himself over to this mysterious underground without reservation. world. Obviously, Besson uses the self-contained subway world as a metaphor for the non-mainstream alternative people in society. The unconventional life and rock music are the typical characteristics of this small world. Almost all the characters in the film have ambiguous pasts and only live in the present. Only Helena, played by Adjani, has traveled from the past to the present. This kind of psychological time level expression makes the film only in a state of superficial description, unable to shape the character in a deeper level. This is almost Luc Besson's biggest weakness. Several main characters in the film are illusory, and their surreality cannot win the audience's approval. On the contrary, several supporting characters are very interesting: the pulley boy, the drummer played by Reno, the flower seller who appears from time to time, and the two police chiefs. The subordinates - one is called "Batman", the other is called "Robin" and so on. Together, these supporting characters complete the subway world and make the film more entertaining, but they also reveal Besson's deliberate whitewashing of this alternative world. The result of this balance is to make the subway world more mediocre and more acceptable to society on the ground. It can be seen from the music in the film that although the lyrics of the final band performance are "cautionary" sentences such as "Guns don't kill people, people kill people", the music is a pop song melody similar to that of Hong Kong's "Winner" band. On the one hand, it emphasizes the alternative color of the personal world, on the other hand, it is packaged in an easy-to-accept way. This is Besson's "Metro World".

This is also a weird film in terms of film types: thriller, cops, romance, music. Besson here shows his familiarity and admiration for various types of Hollywood films. Perhaps, this combination makes people compare themselves to Almodovar's films in Spain, but Besson is far from the sharpness and intensity of Almodóvar's works, as well as the realistic and distorted description of real life. If Ashi's works are surrealism, Besson's "Metro" is just a packaged, chaotic and illusory dream.

1988 "Grand bleu, Le (The Big Blue) "

In 1988, Luc Besson directed the most successful film of his early films, "Grand Bleu, Le (The Big Blue)" 》. Jack and Asher grew up on the coast of Greece and were very familiar with water. When they grew up, they became the best divers in the world. Jack's mother left the two fathers and returned to the United States very early. His father died in front of Jack in a diving accident, which had a strong impact on Jack. Asher approached Jack and asked him to participate in the diving championship. After seeing Jack diving, Joanna, a female insurance officer in New York, became very interested in him and tracked him to the championship game. Jack achieved great success in the championship game, and established a deep friendship with Asher again, and he and Joanna also reached the point of being in love with each other. However, Jack is still very attached to the sea and his friends in the sea-dolphins. Jack rushed to New York to see Joanna, but the calls of the sea and dolphins often made him feel uneasy.

During a dive, Asher had an accident, and Jack sadly sent Asher's body into the deep sea. From then on, Jack fell deeper into confusion, as if he was no longer a human being, but a free dolphin in the sea. At the end of the film, Jack, who was about to dive into the sea, heard the news that his wife Joanna was pregnant. After gazing at his wife affectionately, he jumped into the night sea, followed the call of the dolphins, and disappeared into the dark water.

This film can be said to be Besson's most famous work. The memories and dreams from childhood are full of the author's endless affection. This sincerity touches the hearts of all viewers. The film contains a large number of exquisite underwater photography, showing the mysterious and deep underwater world, which is a feast for the eyes of the audience. The slightly comedic character description does not turn into vulgar gimmicks, but is filled with confidence and cheerfulness. The ridicule of the embarrassment of people living in the United States and New York also shows typical European pride, which is in sharp contrast to the open and clear seaside scenery. This film is one of Besson's finest films. It can be seen that Besson integrated some of his childhood experiences and teenage dreams into the film, and successfully created the image of Jack Mayor, a young diver who calls the sea his home and dolphins as his friends. There are a lot of divers in the film. The beautiful underwater photography expresses Besson's own love for the sea. The film won the Best Sound and Best Music awards at the Caesar Awards that year. After receiving enthusiastic requests from many viewers, Besson later released a three-hour version that included a lot of filming material, including this extra-long version. Two million viewers in the Paris area watched the film. Film. It can be said that this film was a brilliant success.

1990 "Nikita"

After more than two years, Besson once again released another masterpiece of his own, "Nikita". A few gangsters robbed a store and had a fight with the police who arrived. Only one woman among the criminals survived, but she was also sentenced to life imprisonment for shooting a police officer. The French secret police transformed Nikita into a secret killer working for the state. Nikita re-entered society with a new identity and had a new lover and life, but this new identity also brought her lies and blood. At the end of the film, Nikita escapes after completing a major mission.

The main plot and structure of the film are by no means perfect, and are even a bit loose. This should be a big "flaw" for a commercial film. The various fragments of Nikita's secret training and mission execution lack internal connections and become multiple isolated "life notes". The changes in Nikita's thoughts and behaviors in various periods are neither described in detail nor deeply understood. All kinds of inner twists and turns are covered up by perverse external behaviors. Apart from a principled explanation, these behaviors are more often ambiguous and more or less bluffing.

The beginning of the film is very successful. The strong drumbeat with African colors not only triggers the crazy behavior of a group of street gangsters, but also becomes the sound signature of the thrilling action scenes in the entire film. In this black passage where everyone is dead, although the protagonist Nikita only appears in the last few shots, her extremely black psychology and behavior give the film a tense and questionable start. The following scenes in the interrogation and courtroom vividly describe Nikita's wild nature. The sentence of life imprisonment also makes the story seem to be at the end of the road. It seems that Nikita has no way to overturn the sentence anyway, and the entire film will develop on this narrow road. Nikita is always in a dilemma of being isolated and helpless. , thereby pushing the plot development and the inner conflicts of the characters to the extreme.

Nikita has always been lonely. Life seems to her to be full of pain, and enduring pain is the main content of her life. No matter it was during the special training, or after returning to society, or even finding a man who loved her, nothing could calm the pain. This is the tragedy of Nikita and the tragedy of this society. Nikita keeps trying to find warmth in the world, but is constantly disappointed. On her birthday, special training instructor Bob took her out to eat, but the birthday gift he gave her was an instruction to kill someone; she and her boyfriend were traveling on vacation, but they were assassinated by a sniper in the hotel bathroom. Nikita was between the desire for peace and happiness and the helplessness. Struggling with the pain of speaking. This is almost a dead end: Nikita was originally a prisoner of life imprisonment, and this kind of life in which happiness can be touched but cannot be obtained is almost more unbearable than any imprisonment.

The final result of the film is really a bit helpless: Nikita walked away. Can it really be that simple? This result certainly freed Nikita from the abyss of pain, but if the situation was really that simple, then she wouldn't even have to perform the task at all, and the government's behavior was almost out of control. Fortunately, the nearly 100-minute film has almost driven the audience and Nikita crazy together. The audience's self-induced emotions have made them forget Nikita's dark past, and everyone is happy with Nikita's relief. Under the director's guiding and deliberate depiction, the audience understood and understood the crime on behalf of society. From this point of view, the director successfully achieved his goal. This is also one of Besson's films that shows his Hollywood characteristics.

1991 "Atlantis"

Besson made an "Atlantis" film in a personal way. He not only directed it himself, but also He personally served as the photography director and editor, but unfortunately the film did not create a big response.

In 1994, "Léon The Killer, Also Known as This Killer Is Not Too Cold"

In 1994, Besson struck again with "This Killer Is Not Too Cold" (Killer Leon ) caused a sensation in the entire world of cinema. Leon, who came to France from Italy to make a living, has always been a lonely hired killer. Until one time, he opened the door of his room to save a little girl who was in danger of death, and the two began to depend on each other for life. Leon taught her "killing techniques", she taught Leon French, and the relationship between the two became increasingly close. The crazy policeman who killed the little girl's family found the two men. After a bloody battle, Leon and the policeman died together.

The Italian killer’s life on the run in the United States is a rare subject in French movies. We seem to be able to find a bit of shadow in Martin Scorsese's American Italian community gangster film. In this new era of blockbusters, Besson's pursuit of entertainment, his focus, processing techniques, and image style are completely different from Martin's New York social realism films. The film is filled with more excitement from gunfights and explosions. Sex scenes. Although the film uses sensory stimulation and exaggerated comic techniques to enhance entertainment, what succeeds is the unique portrayal of the two protagonists. There is a delicate romance in it that we cannot insist on from Hollywood action movies.

Leon, the "cool" killer played by Reno, externalizes his inner loneliness and pain into indifferent and numb behavior and self-enclosed windbreaker and sunglasses. This look can be seen in Alain Delon's heyday The basis is found in French gangster movies, such as "The Lone Killer", "Jeff the Killer", etc. (this topic will be covered in future gangster movies). By comparison, it can be seen that new era movies emphasize external, flat, concise and extreme image styles. Leon's thinking seems simple and stubborn in modern society, and his various behaviors make him look like the "coolest" "country bumpkin" in the city - if he didn't have the killer ability to kill people instantly, then he would be a pure urban farmer. . The simple and closed lifestyle and emotional sustenance make this exaggerated character closer to the hearts of the audience. The combination of the coldness of the killer and the innocence of the country bumpkin is so natural. It is no wonder that Leon calls his job "cleaning work." In Leon's mind, killing is just a job, as ordinary as farmers farming and workers working, and equally inescapable. This is Leon's way of survival, and his emotions are also so closed and numb. The film vaguely reveals a "love history" of Leon back then, which allows us to speculate on the reasons for this closure. After the equally lonely little girl appeared, Leon began to recover his dead emotions. The symbol of his emotions was the famous pot of flowers and plants in the film.

The role of child star Natalie Portman may not have much of an attempt to expose the reality of French society. It is clearly a script operation with a speculative tendency. However, this character is loved by young movie fans around the world and can also reflect a common social problem from the side.

In this comic-like film, Besson not only created extremely distinctive characters and delicate emotions, but also created unforgettable gunfight sequences, which is why the film has been successful all over the world. one of the important reasons. Leon was the first to take the lead when he appeared, building momentum with his killer skills that are hard to see from the beginning to the end of the dragon. In the middle of the film, Leon showed his profound "professional theoretical foundation" in teaching the basic killer course, which consolidated his position in the hearts of the audience. The scene that establishes the "top master" scene is when Leon takes over the Drug Enforcement Administration building in ten minutes and rescues his little lover from the police. He has the demeanor of a general who warms wine and kills Hua Xiong. In the last scene of the film, Leon fights against more than 200 police officers alone. Although he dies, his ambition will last forever and he has achieved brilliant fame. These paragraphs are well-layered and cleverly designed, and are an excellent example of action film structure. Audiences rushed to the theater to watch this exotic Hollywood-style blockbuster that featured both violent gunfight scenes and tender, ambiguous love between young and old. Starring Leno and Portman also became world-class idol stars in one fell swoop.

1997 "Fifth Element, The Fifth Element"

If Besson is walking towards Hollywood step by step and declaring war on Hollywood with his own personal style blockbusters, then 1997 This year's "The Fifth Element" can also be said to be the result of Besson's negotiation with Hollywood. Not only has the film model been completely Hollywoodized, but the story also takes place in New York, and the one who saves mankind and the earth is also Hollywood star Bruce Willis. The film is still about saving the earth. This ancient theme is almost laughable when the government explains the task to Bruce Willis in the film, and Willis's expression clearly says "Here we go again, I'm tired of it." . Willis has indeed been very tired in the past few years, often saving the United States and the earth. He has saved New York alone several times. Fortunately, this is an entertainment film, and being able to laugh is also a selling point. Except for some unique imagination about the future where Besson's personal traces can be seen, the film can be completely classified into a large number of science fiction films produced by Hollywood.

The visual effects of the entire film are also quite "blockbuster-like". The design of future cities, future firearms and ammunition, the shapes of cosmic characters, etc. are all consciously or unconsciously imitating classic American science fiction films. But no matter what, the film became the French film box office champion in 1997, with a global box office of more than 200 million US dollars, and won the Technical Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

1999 "Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc, The Joan of Arc"

Towards the end of the century, Besson suddenly completed a major movie in the style of a Hollywood epic film. The period film "The Courier: The Story of Joan of Arc" was produced. You must know that "Joan of Arc" by Dreyer and Bresson is an insurmountable peak in the history of film. Moreover, Besson's French predecessor Jacques Rivette just filmed a version a few years ago, and the American version has also just been completed. , is Besson confident enough to challenge these masters? This is a question that almost all viewers and film critics have.

In 1429, a little French girl, Joan of Arc, saw her family being brutally murdered by the British. After experiencing a mysterious hallucination, she declared that she had received instructions from God and would lead the French army to attack the British. Withdraw from the British Army. The French crown prince Charles, at the instigation of his mother, met with Joan of Arc and handed over a large number of troops to Joan of Arc's leadership. Inspired by Joan of Arc's divine performance, the French army was invincible and miraculously repelled the British army. Charles was also crowned in victory. After the king ascended the throne, he blindly attempted to negotiate peace, and Joan of Arc was framed and fell into the hands of the British army. Finally, Joan of Arc was accused of being a witch and burned to death by the British authorities.

This seems to be a film tailor-made by Besson for his lover Jovovich. The luxurious costume scenes of the film have become an ideal background for Jovovich to show off his "acting skills". From the dramatic turn at the beginning of the film, the creation of a mysterious atmosphere, until the confrontation between the British and French armies, Besson has been busy portraying Joan of Arc's external image and magical deeds. Just like "Nikita" ten years ago, Besson left all the task of portraying the characters' inner feelings to the actresses, allowing them to perform ambiguous "neurotic", "panic", "crazy" and other external appearances. behaviors, and leaves the task of explaining the inner motivations of these behaviors to the audience. Such a single extreme technique cannot achieve the result of revealing the character's heart in a deeper level, but is more like a simple processing that is unable to shape the character or has no time to take care of it.

Like the American version, Besson spent a lot of ink describing the first two battles after Joan of Arc received the support of the King of France, and emphasized Joan of Arc's magical role as a spiritual commander on the battlefield. However, not enough attention was paid to Joan of Arc's trial against death and God. Obviously Besson did not want to be in line with the film industry's predecessors, Dreyer and Bresson. There is a thin line between a saint and a madman, maybe Besson thinks so. Other than that, there's not much to say about the film. We're treated to a sumptuous blockbuster in the style of French teacher DeMille at the turn of the century. By the way, the messenger of God who appears at the end of the film, played by Dustin Hoffman, can be regarded as Besson's "special treatment" of the Joan of Arc theme.

The tenth film is "Angel-A", Luc's final film.

]"Angel-A" - Luc Besson's black and white love

◆ Title: Angel-A / English: Angel-A

◆ Producer: Luc Besson

◆ Director: Luc· Luc Besson

◆ Screenwriter: Luc Besson

◆ Starring: Jamel Debbouze Rie Rasmussen

◆ Genre: Comedy Romance

◆ Country: France ◆ Language: French

◆ Distribution company: Europa ◆ Premiere date: December 21, 2005

◆ Production company: TF1 ◆ Production cost: unknown

◆ Site rating: None ◆ Premiere box office: None

◆ MPAA rating: None ◆ National box office: None

◆ Film length: None ◆ Overseas box office: None

◆ Official website: / ◆ Trailer: / video/2005-12/22/content_5879240.htm

Movie Story

This is the story of a person who has never understood love, looking for love. A frustrated man like Chaplin met a blonde beauty on the Seine River. Two people from different worlds staged a strange black comedy in the 15th arrondissement of Paris.

Luc Besson has finally returned to the director's chair. Since the poorly received "Joan of Arc" in 1999, Luc Besson has been appearing as a 'producer' while running his own Although the "Taxi" series launched by Europa Company has achieved great commercial success, French critics have not praised its artistic value.

Luc Besson's early works, such as "Subway" and "Grand bleu" are full of independent spirit. The César Award judges also exclaimed the birth of a genius. "Leon Profess" was a hit in the United States and France at the same time, and has become a classic collection of countless disc fans. However, French film critics only gave him a pass, thinking that he was losing his early humanistic spirit. face attention. Sure enough, Luc Besson was in decline after "The Fifth Element", and "Joan of Arc" became a commercial production with empty scenes, wasting the magnificent background themes and Malkovich. 'Europa' Europa Company basically follows Hollywood's operating methods in terms of film production and distribution, and has indeed achieved commercial success and entered the global market, including Jet Li's "Danny the Wolf Dog" this year. Under the cultivation and encouragement of Luc Besson, young directors such as Louis Letterie grew rapidly and created their own commercial film paths. Besson himself, as France's most internationally influential commercial director and producer, finally released this black-and-white feature film six years later, using Gamel, the most alternative comedian in the French film industry today, to recreate the story. Reorganize your career as a director. This is not the first time Besson has used black-and-white film. "Le dernier cambat" 22 years ago was an independent exploration by the then cutting-edge film.

In terms of actors, Jamel has not been the first protagonist for many years, although the boy in "Amelie" and the Egyptian architect in "Mission Cleopetra" left a deep impression on people. Impression, but as the male protagonist, he was only in the 1999 comedy "Le ciel, Les oiseaux, et ta mere The Sky, the Bird and Your Mother". His innate comedy talent and unique foreign accent allowed this humble Moroccan boy to gain a foothold in the French film industry and become the most successful Arab immigrant after Zidane.

As for the actress, Luc Besson gave up the beauty Milla Jovovichi for many years, and chose Rie Rasmussen, who was also a model. She had only appeared in two feature films and one short film before, as you can see from the stills His temperament is more in line with this film.