LES TRIPLETTES
DE BELLEVILLE
THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE |
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Director: Sylvain Chomet
Screenplay: Sylvain Chomet
Awards:
Best Orginal Music, César Awards (2004)
Running time: 80minutes
Year of production: France - 2003
Rating: PG-13
Gauge: 35mm, DVD (color)
Language: Silent
Distributor: New Yorker Films
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“Fast,
funny, unexpected and uninhibited, “The Triplets
of Belleville” may be animated, but it is also the
product of an artistic vision every bit as rigorous as
any lofty Cannes prize-winner. Hearing about a film this
special isn't enough. It demands to be seen, and it generously
rewards those who…let nothing stand in their way.”
Kenneth Turan | Los Angeles Times |
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In a grayish
and decaying suburb of Paris in the 1950’s, old Madame
Souza raises her sad little grandson Champion, and desperately
tries to bring a little bit of joy into his sorrowful life.
When she discovers his obsessive dedication for bicycling,
she trains him to be an accomplished athlete and takes him
to the Tour de France. During the race, the young man is kidnapped
by gangsters and sent to Belleville, a huge and gaudy version
of New York City on the other side of the ocean. Madame Souza,
with her faithful dog Bruno, chases the kidnappers and meets
the Triplets of Belleville, three eccentric old ladies and
former music-hall stars. Together, they uncover the underground
gambling palace of the French mafia, where rich men place
bets on cycling athletes, and try to rescue Champion from
his dreadful fate. Sylvain Chomet’s animation is dragged
to the vertiginous edge and the caricature becomes both picturesque
and tragic at the same time. The Triplets of Belleville
pays homage to many great filmmakers, artists and musicians:
Jacques Tati, Djando Reinhardt, Fred Astaire, Joséphine
Baker… and pokes fun at the clichés of France.
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| PHOTO New
Yorker Films |
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