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Belle verte, La (1996)

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12 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Disconnect yourself, 3 March 2004

Author: udi h bauman from Humanshphere

did you ever wonder why the floor under your feet , in the place where you live are covered with a gray material, & you can't see the soil? why this floor is full of poop? why are there boxes of metal emitting gases that you must breath? why you live in high cages, forced to hear the noise of these metal boxes? why you're driving them, & not using your feet, causing you to eventually have heart attack, if you won't die earlier from cancer from the gases, or an accident with the fast moving boxes? why you eat corpses of animals? why you use pieces of paper entitling you to any value, without which you won't have nothing, not even food? why you eat unhealthy food? why you're sitting every evening watching a box showing people telling lies, & dirtying your mind? why do you let yourself be led by fat selfish people caring only about themselves, their money & power, why don't we really listen to each other, talk to each other, why do we have these hierarchies, in which the stupidiest, incapable ones rule, control & exploit the goodness & capable weaker ones? why we go about doing wrong immoral things just because we're being told, why we we're constantly mad, worried & frustrated with such small trivial things, like a scratch in the mirror of our cars, & never see, appreciate & thank the beautiful wonderful life, nature & world that sorrounds & support us? why we ruin the world, poison ourselves, live in ugliness, support the rich selfish people exploiting us, selling us lies, tobbaco, weapons & arms, killing people with the money that we're forced to pay them as taxes?

if you haven't wondered on all this, its because you're like an ant, small cell in the super-organism, & can't see beyond your cell's vision. what you need is to be disconnected, shocked by artists such as Coline Serreau, that have a vision that you don't have, consciousness, different from that of the ants. such artists, like Jesus & Johann Sebastian Bach, cause the world to change, the super-organism to evolve into something more intelligent, more good for its cells, that are given life.

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7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Don't listen to Phroggy, best movie ever made., 26 January 2000
Author: maxsimona from ny, ny

This movie is undiscovered or perhaps denied genius. Watch it, give yourself to it, you can't help both feel great and wonder what our society's up to these days, how really far behind we are, of our own selves, even. Fantastic idea from start to finish, (ET's, super-advanced humans have been keeping track of a number of civilizations, including ours, which has been the slowest to develop. They're surprised we still use money, and live less than a hundred years. What they note through this point of view will astonish you.) Well done, really well done, every detail well cured, and thoroughly thought out. Surprising, entertaining, intelligent movie. Visually and conceptually stimulating, a more mature movie than say, Rambo. But fit for kids, too.

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5 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
A glimmer of hope, 17 November 2004

Author: merlin9877

As opposed to the last reviewer, I found this movie completely refreshing. Finally, a movie that presents the quirks of our modern and frantic living in a very humorous and simple way (check out Kooyaanisqatsi if you need a more abstract and poetic view). This movie doesn't "try" to make you laugh, you just do so because you can see yourself in it.

This may not be a movie that Americans will quite get into since the type of humor and cultural background is very French in deed (and it does point out the absurdity of a lot of things we do here in North America as well as in Europe). It is highly commendable for the social comments it passes (just check out the scene where Vincent Lindon accidentally scratches someone else's car's rear view mirror or when the baby doesn't exist since it doesn't have papers). The movie as a lyrical feel to it and gives us hope. We just have to listen a bit closely. I give it a solid 7,5/10

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4 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Simple and beautiful, 25 October 2006

Author: (s_henrik@hotmail.com) from Paris, France

Once again I am struck by the original talent of Coline Serreau, who shows in "la Belle Verte", in a very simple and yet beautifully profound way, all the insane sides of humanity. Very much unlike her later film "Chaos" (2001) ,the choice of style and expression for "La Belle Verte" is a very undemanding form of comedy, which gives the movie an altogether very light tone, totally free of complexions and not at all inviting to intellectual debate. She simply points to the almost ridiculously obvious differences between a life of beauty and respect of life and one of disease, stress and egoic battle. Interesting is off course also to see the director herself in the leading part. Merci Madame! /Henrik Ajax

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4 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Totally lovely, 19 October 2003

Author: Patrice from Montreal, Quebec

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This movie is very nice, talking about how important it is to be careful of the nature, and stuff like that. I would use those words: Gaïa is there, loving us, and we are part of it, and we most be careful, because She will survive, where we couldn't. Please do not interpret what i say a I spoiler, because it is not. It is just the way I see maybe one of the many messages passed by this lovely movie, a cult movie, for me, indeed!

In fact, one who see this movie and stay unaffected, is either totally unable to understand french language (or can't read subtitles if there is any ;) ) or has a mental or emotive blockage. The call to the truth of human nature, where the human life is leading, where there is a way to get the (f word here) away from this worldwide situation, in a better world, it lies in our hands to improve our world!!! =)

Anyway...

You do what you want, but this movie is a cult movie for me, as was The Fifth Element and The Matrix.. Keys are there, ready to be used to unlock some interesting realms...

Have fun seeing this movie and g'day!

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Hippie Almighty - The mess is the message, 22 October 2007

Author: Mikelito from Europe

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This is a very feminine movie. If the evil, vile, yes vicious rule of Man is ever abolished we could be looking at a plethora of movies like this.

The main character is a Woman and she is the only volunteer of her Planet willing to travel to and sanitize and re-educate Earth which is described as the most backward, idiotic, violent Planet in the Universe.

You see, there's this future advanced society of (let's say) hippies on another planet (or time) who don't drive cars, have no TV or money.

"Hippies from Space" - All of them are Caucasian by the way. But don't worry - later on it is revealed that Australian Aborigines are the ultimate sages of Planet Earth. Now if that doesn't convince you of the film's good intentions...

Our female hero comes to Earth via White Bubble (no less) in a garment from the time of the French Revolution and by golly she is repelled by all that horrific meat-eating, air-polluting etc. This is a setting that guarantees some people's instant vomiting:

Hippies from the Future/Cosmos in Paris. A sure-fire blockbuster and next in line to be re-done by Hollywood. Yeah right. "Universal Hippie" (Rated R).

Coline Serreau (of 3 Men and a Baby) wrote, directed AND starred in this movie. If you are frenchophobe and misogynous I strongly suggest you skip this one.

And by the way this happens to reek of eco-fascism in almost every scene. But it is a comedy we must assume - at least the first 30 minutes lead you to believe that. So who knows. In fact it looks like a generic 80s comedy from Europe but it was done in the 90s. Evidently genius transcends the time of mere mortals.

I only have a fuzzy idea of what the "Mastress" of this oeuvre wants but I think: She's criticizing the Modern Age but making fun of the supposed alternatives as well. I hope so because those future hippies are horrific. Almost as dull as the Eloi in Time Machine.

There are memorable, funny scenes in this movie and some that make you cringe. The low point of the movie comes your way during a hospital scene - our hero "re-loads" her energies with the help of a new-born which happens to be the product of a Serb having raped a Bosnian after which she abandoned the child. I have no idea what stuff like this is doing in and for a comedy. It is just one example why it all looks like the essay of a freakishly creative 8-year-old school girl.

Oh, and there is a silent concert here as well, meaning our future genius hippies participate in it telepathically. Can you dig it, man? You see, this is a very esoteric piece we have here. And lurking around every corner there are cathartic collapses and spiritual re-births of bad world-polluting evil-doers.

Incidentally Jesus was, of course, one of those E.T. hippies himself. This is a prequel to "Bruce Almighty" of some sorts. Kind of like "Hippie Almighty". That makes it 3 alternative titles with the word Hippie in this review. I guess we will leave it at that.

This mess of a movie seems to lose its way half-way through. There is a lot of dancing & prancing of people in nature. Skippy hippies on Planet Green. In fact this movie endangers you to believe the French are all women. With or without.

Bummer, I thought "Hippie" was written "Hippy" - what a pity - I imagined those "Hippys" jumping around on their Planet Green like "Skippy" - the credible land-bound Flipper of Australia.

I think it's best to watch this movie drunk or in a feminine state of mind. Of course this is a compliment. So flip your wig and dig it, "Man"?

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3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
A True reflection of our time, 29 August 2006

Author: guigarel from Sweden

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I saw this film at the theater in 1996 and I just loved it. But I never watch it again until today and I was not disappointed as I feared: This movie is as Wonderful as I remembered it! I think this movie is excellent but that most of the people find it disturbing. And it is (!!) as it's about the stupidity of our world!! And people don't want to know how stupid they are, how they live their lives, closed in in their comfort and habits. But if you're not like this, you will just love this movie as it is pure genius. The whole film is very well done, with beautiful pictures, good acting and it's very funny. It's just the scene of the football match that I think was a little too much and off the subject. Otherwise Coline Serreau offer us a perfect movie: smart, funny, beautiful and touching.

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3 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
La Belle Verte est un film génial, 24 September 2005

Author: funkeltropfen

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I'll write this comment as a response to another one.

First: "ET's all white and clean-cut": this is not automatically racist. This green planet is shown like a paradise, all right, but it is not shown as the only way to live right. "Sur les autres planètes, ils nous apprennent des choses!" - ("On the other planets, they teach us stuff!") says one of the Green-Planet-people. So, they are not perfect!

Also, they are saying that they have no problems because they only have ONE race on their planet. They are not saying that it is a BETTER race. They even explain the development of the Earth as "the most degenerated having the power" (and you honestly cannot say anyone else than the Whites are meant because humanity started to develop in Africa and I wouldn't say the colored people have the mass of the power on Earth.)

Later, the sons of Mila, the main character, talk to her about Aborigines: "They are beautiful! All black!" Also, the Aborigines are represented as the only people on Earth known to the Green-Planet-People who are as developed as they are, not destroying nature, knowing to do telepathy etc.

Yes, white people living in a paradise and making fun of humans on Earth - but making fun only of the WHITE people on Earth.

So much for "fascist" or "racist".

No work- simply not true. They live as farmers and farmers have to do farm work, as shown later on in the film.

No music - A CD with Elvis Presley music is brought to the people of the Green Planet, and they dance to it. Also, there has been music there in former times. This is perhaps what the Green Planet can still learn from the Earth.

No arts- well, you can say that you are bored without any arts, but those people are represented as having a very colorful life in their heads, and so many abilities with their heads - perhaps they don't need this. Or they can still learn to make visual arts, like learning to make music again. Nobody is telling you in the film that the arts are bad. Also, who knows what is happening on the other planets? Perhaps they have arts?

One of them is forced to go to Earth - oh come on. I could write the whole dialog down where Mila says she wants to go to Earth. Her sons try to keep her back and say "Mama, you're all right?" They are definitely not forcing her. Finally, the head woman asks here: "Mila, are you going or not?" and she says yes. That's it.

Do you know why they scramble the brain of some guys? Not to make it all 100 percent right. In the assembly of the Green Planet, before, they discussed that one can't make a whole population jump stages and stages of mental development, like "pulling on a salad won't make it grow." The head woman of the assembly says:" But we can put something on it" and that is what this "brain-scrambling" is.

They are attempting to make something better, but they can't change everything. What do you mean by saying "nothing gets any better?" You talk as if the Green-Planet-People had to make things better in terms of their paradise, and immediately, please. Don't forget that the film shows at the most some WEEKS of Mila and her sons on Earth. Wanna change the Earth in weeks?

They make the people around them THINK and change little ways of being. That's already much. They tell of their planet and they will come back. The Earth will not continue to be deserted of the "ET"s! And they're not messing everything up. Some mechanical devices like automates and two, three computers mess up, and a whole football match becomes a hilarious waltz dance - but this is really not the way a terrorist works to mess the Earth up. To say it short - it doesn't hurt and it makes spectators laugh. If you didn't laugh, fine. But let the others laugh.

To the football match again: maybe the fun of the people watching it is spoiled, but you certainly have fun watching it at home in front of your TV, and they don't DIE or anything. Also, the thing is not just to annoy people, but to make them think, again. Their fun could be spoiled when the game is boring. So what? They would hang in their seats and think: "Oh, I'd rather be home now." The way their "fun was spoiled" in the film, the masses rushed to the front, rushed in crowds from their seats, it wasn't clear what their emotions were, but they were certainly curious. Finally, the people playing the football match certainly had fun in the film reality. You don't get so often to kiss someone passionately on a football lawn while the judge is taking a shower on the same lawn and your whole team is dancing.

Finally: There are very few special effects, but there are some. Or can I go to your house and rent a white bubble with which to travel to the green planet? I promise I won't take you with me :-)

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4 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Good Idea at the start, but becomes boring towards the End, 18 May 2002
Author: Nicholas Rhodes from Ile-de-France / Paris Region, France

No doubt about it, the idea for the film is quite original. An alien from a lovely planet is sent to earth for the first time in 200 years to see how the earthlings are doing. The novelty comes from its reaction to earth's current state, pollution, noise, cars, big trees etc However, I find the novelty wears off about half way through the film and the story becomes incredibly weak and repetitive. The alien returns to its planet together with sons and 2 girlfriends found on earth. The latter part of the film shows long scenes of "gymnasts" prancing around in the grass and swinging from trees. The whole thing starts to get boring and I nearly fell asleep ! From what I can gather the "planet" scenes were shot in the Auvergne area of France, a region of extinct turf-coloured volcanoes, a very beautiful area and thus one of the saving graces of the Film. But let's face it, French cinema has never been very adept at this kind of film, it's more a US speciality. So certainly nothing to write home about, and nothing lost if you miss it.

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6 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
Openly fascistic !, 16 April 1999

Author: Phroggy from Paris, France

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This one of the most blatantly non-American fascistic movie I've seen in a long time. So we are treated with ET's living in an ecological paradise looking like a sixties leftover's wet dream. Notice that all of them are white and clean-cut ; apparently, there doesn't seem to be any opposition to this "ideal" way of life (no work, no music, no incentive, no arts, no nothing. Ah, yes : popping rug rats seems to be the only thing worthwile.) One of them is forced to go to Earth, though they admit they've been "quite racists" towards the earthlings. So, on ET's goes to Earth, and what does she do ? Nothing. Oh, yes, scramble the brain of some guys who doesn't think the right way, but in a playful manner. But… nothing gets any better. Obviously, their status of Unbermensch gives those aliens the right to mess everything up. Of course, if they are so powerful, they could do something against pollution or whatever seems to be bad, but no, they don't mess with Untermensch. At the end, the alien messes up a football match in a playful way, spoiling the fun of the people who watch it (considered as morons, I guess.) Well, I hate football and rather go to the dentist than see through a whole game, but why can't people appreciate it ? But apparently, in this ideal universes, This Is Bad. Thou Shalt Not Have Fun As Thou Wish. Great. So much for open-mindness. At the end, the ET's finally go back, bringing with them some "good" persons (meaning : who understands that there is nothing better than doing nothing but raising rug rats in a perfect, white, clean-cut environment and goose-stepping… no, they left that one out. Well, in the movie's world, those aliens can go to hell as far as I'm concerned. I'd rather listen to Faith No More with my Algerian friends than deal with their "Silence concertoes", whatever that is. If that makes me one of the subhumans (even if I'm white, so I have a redeeming quality), well, so I am and sue me. In France, the National Front leader is called… no, don't call him at all, just boo. It is obvious that if he was a woman and a mother, Mrs Serraut would have found her Führer. Oh, and for those interested, no, there are no special effects. Though those hippies dresses

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