Les cent et une nuits de Simon Cinéma (1995)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Agnès Varda

Writer:

Agnès Varda (writer)

Release Date:

25 January 1995 (France)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Monsieur Cinema, a hundred years old, lives alone in a large villa. His memories fade away, so he engages...

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Michel Piccoli	...	Simon Cinéma
Marcello Mastroianni	...	L'ami italien / The Italian Friend
Henri Garcin	...	Firmin, le majordome / The butler
Julie Gayet	...	Camille Miralis
Mathieu Demy	...	Camille, dit Mica
Emmanuel Salinger	...	Vincent, revenant des Indes
Anouk Aimée	...	Anouk, en flash-back
Fanny Ardant	...	La star qui tourne la nuit
Jean-Paul Belmondo	...	Professeur Bébel
Romane Bohringer	...	La jeune fille en violet
Sandrine Bonnaire	...	La vagabonde métamorphosable
Jean-Claude Brialy	...	Le guide des Japonais
Patrick Bruel	...	Le premier orateur
Alain Delon	...	Alain Delon, en visite
Catherine Deneuve	...	La star-fantasme
Robert De Niro	...	Le mari de la star-fantasme en croisière
Gérard Depardieu	...	Gérard Depardieu, en visite
Harrison Ford	...	Himself
Gina Lollobrigida	...	L'épouse médium du professeur Bébel
Jeanne Moreau	...	La première ex-épouse de M. Cinéma
Hanna Schygulla	...	La seconde ex-épouse de M. Cinéma
Sabine Azéma	...	Sabine / Irène
Jane Birkin	...	Celle qui dit radin
Stephen Dorff	...	Un acteur muet à Hollywood
Andréa Ferréol	...	L'étonnée
Assumpta Serna	...	Une actrice muette à Hollywood
Daniel Toscan du Plantier	...	Le second orateur
Isabelle Adjani	...	Herself - in Cannes
Jean-Hugues Anglade	...	Himself - in Cannes
Daniel Auteuil	...	Himself - in Cannes
Clint Eastwood	...	Himself - in Cannes
Virna Lisi	...	Herself - in Cannes
Maximilien Maussion	...	Le Petit Clap
Salomé Blechmans	...	La Petite Lili
Carole Benoit	...	La Nîmoise, servante acrobate
Weiwei Melk	...	La Chinoise, servante aux assiettes
Christian Bouillette	...	Le jardinier du château
Frédéric Darie	...	Le laveur de vitres
Alexia Stresi	...	Alexia, la fleur de sang
Denis Sebbah	...	Robert dit Bob
Antoine Desrosières	...	Antoine
Marie Piémontèse	...	Sylvie
Jean-Claude Romer	...	L'historien du cinéma
Daniel Dublet	...	Un visiteur
Benjamin Salinger	...	Marco, frère de Vincent
Eleonore Pourriat	...	Mylène, l'amie de Camille
Marina Castelnuovo	...	Celle comme Liz T.
Francisco Rabal	...	La voix de Bunuel / Luis Buñuel's voice (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sandra Bernhard	...	La première quêteuse (uncredited)
Gary Chekchak	...	L'électricien (uncredited)
Leonardo DiCaprio	...	Un acteur muet à Hollywood (complete version) (uncredited)
Arielle Dombasle	...	La chanteuse à la Garden-party (complete version) (uncredited)
Emmanuelle Gaborit	...	La seconde quêteuse (uncredited)
Marcel Guéguan	...	Un des sept nains (uncredited)
Daryl Hannah	...	Une actrice muette à Hollywood (complete version) (uncredited)
Jean-Pierre Kalfon	...	Le premier Jean-Pierre (complete version) (uncredited)
Stéphane Krausz	...	Le chef op' (uncredited)
Bertrand Lalande	...	Un visiteur (uncredited)
Jean-Pierre Léaud	...	Le second Jean-Pierre (complete version) (uncredited)
Emily Lloyd	...	Une actrice muette à Hollywood (complete version) (uncredited)
Jean-Pierre Moerman	...	Le notaire (uncredited)
Henri Morelle	...	Le curé-nageur (uncredited)
Filippo Paese	...	Un des sept nains (uncredited)
Nicolas Pissaboeuf	...	Un des sept nains (uncredited)
Didier Rouget	...	L'élève de Mandrake (uncredited)
Martin Sheen	...	Un acteur muet à Hollywood (complete version) (uncredited)
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Un acteur muet à Hollywood (complete version) (uncredited)
Léonard Vindry	...	Un visiteur (uncredited)
Eric Zaouali	...	Le second des frères Lumière (uncredited)

Directed by
Agnès Varda

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Agnès Varda		writer

Produced by
Dominique Vignet	....	executive producer

Cinematography by
Eric Gautier

Film Editing by
Hugues Darmois

Costume Design by
Leila Adjir
Françoise Disle
Rosalie Varda

Makeup Department
Lynn Rodgers	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Eric Zaouali	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Didier Rouget	....	first assistant director

Sound Department
Jean-Pierre Duret	....	sound engineer
Jean-Pierre Duret	....	sound
Henri Morelle	....	sound
Dominique Vieillard	....	sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
François Berroir	....	gaffer
Xavier Cholet	....	electrician
Stéphane Fontaine	....	assistant camera
Anne Marie Fox	....	still photographer

Editorial Department
Brigitte Chanteloube	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Romain Chaveton	....	assistant location manager
Valentine Sentier-Devos	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Ciné Tamaris
• France 3 Cinéma
• Recorded Picture Company (RPC)

Distributors

• Cinema Village (1999) (USA) (subtitled)
• Laurenfilm (Spain)
• VTI Home Vídeo (199?) (Brazil) (VHS)

Also Known As:

A Hundred and One Nights
A Hundred and One Nights of Simon Cinema
Les cent et une nuits (France) (short title)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

UK | France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Spain:7

Filming Locations:

France

Company:

Ciné Tamaris

Movie Connections:

References Le professionnel (1981)

Soundtrack:

Le Cine Va ... Le Cinema

Sentimental journey

Agnes Varda, one of the best film directors from France, takes us on a nostalgic trip through the world of cinema. Ms. Varda pays homage to the Lumiere brothers, the inventors that revolutionized the art of making movies, as they keep appearing whenever Simon Cinema, the old character at the center of the film calls for them. The two men show up enveloped in lights, perhaps a tribute and a reference to their surname.

The film concentrates on Simon Cinema and his memories. After all, he has been around for quite a while and has survived many movements and styles during his time as a creator. Simon lives in splendor in a château in the country, attended by his male servant, Firmin, and two maids. Simon decides to employ an assistant to help him sort out his memories. When he engages the lovely Camille, he gets an eager young woman who is in love with a young would be director.

There are great moments in the film as when Simon is visited by Marcello Mastroianni. Both actors, now of a certain age, compare notes from their pictures. Simon Cinema accuses Fellini of copying his bathroom scene in Godadard's "Contempt", in his own "8-1/2". Hanna Schygula and Jeanne Moreau arrive together to see the great man. Alain Delon comes in a helicopter, only to be turned away by Firmin, the servant, who only wants to tell the actor how much he admired him and have him sign his autograph album.

There are other poignant vignettes, like the one involving Sandrine Bonnaire, who arrives at the estate dressed as the vagabond she played in Ms. Varda's own film. Then she changes into a noble woman and finally she transforms herself into Joan of Arc. Catherine Deneuve and Robert DeNiro have a good time together in a small vessel in the pond.

Michel Picolli is excellent as the older man who is recalling the movies. Julie Gayet makes a luminous contribution as Camille. Henri Garcin, is the servant Firmin, a crazy combination of servant and personal assistant. Mathieu Demy, the director's son appears as the aspiring director, Mica.

Ms. Varda created a light film about making movies. The material covers many years of film making, not only in France, but in America, and other places as well. It is indeed a sentimental journey that no cinema fan should miss.