France: Belleville Rendezvous [film review]
Belleville Rendezvous directed by Sylvain Chomet in 2003 follows the story of an elderly women as she tries to find her grandson who was kidnapped while competing in the Tour de France. She gets help from three sisters- 'the triplets of Belleville'. The film starts with the grandson as a young boy and follows his journey from his first bike, to competing in the Tour de France. The film ends with the grandmother, the three sisters and the dog- Bruno saving the grandson from the gangsters.
The film is 'very french' in the sense that everything is quite stereotypically french and shows things from a french perspective. "Les Triplettes de Belleville is filled with clichés reflecting a French perspective. One such cliché is that Americans are obese." (Linsenmaier, 2006). Another thing in the film that might not be obvious to non-french viewers is that: "The high bridge that pushes Mme Souza's house into a tilt is typical of railway constructions in France during the first half of the 20th century." (Linsenmaier, 2006). The Tour de France is also parodied in the film: "This major sport event stands as a symbol of deep France summer vacation entertainment [...] The cycling and Tour de France related sequences are peak periods of the filmic time spent poking fun at typical aspects of the French working class." (Linsenmaier, 2006).
The design of the characters in the film is quite unique and different from the type of character design that audiences are used to seeing: "Heavy characters are massive and take up large sections of the screen, whereas the bicyclists are wiry and bony. Noses tend to protrude out of the face and are large than the characters' heads in some cases." (Levine, 2013) The odd proportions of the characters make the film's world seem more fantastical and less real.
The film uses a lot of exaggeration from the character design to the environments: "There is much exaggeration here: heights of buildings, bridges, and ships; steepness of streets; obesity of people; proximity of residence to mass transit." (Jaffe, 2004). The use of exaggeration adds to the fantastical feel of the film, with exaggeration elements drawing the audiences attention to specific parts of the film.
The film is portrayed a bit like a pantomime, with the physical acting of the characters taking over, over the little dialogue. "[Chomet] I also think that an animation without the constraints of spoken words is stronger. If you have to fit everything to the words, all the gestural movement revolves around the mouth. Without it, you are much freer to create true animation, to talk through animation itself." (Moins, 2003). This is saying that the little use of dialogue allows the characters actions to speak for themselves without it being restricted by the dialogue having to be spoken and focused on.
The film does have an absurd story and a strange way to telling it, with most audiences left questioning how the story makes sense. "The film delicately blends a thoroughly unpredictable storyline, an artistic style at once beautiful and grotesque, and a fierce sentimental streak [...] As a result, truly bizarre moments arouse a sense of wonder rather than repulsion." (Wilson, 2012). This is saying that because the film is full of bizarre moments that audience is left wondering about the story rather than being repulsed by things like the unusual character design.
The environments are quite illustrative and detailed. The environments are recognisable as a culmination of famous places but they have a twist to them: "To design Belleville, art director Evgeni Tomov's objective was to imagine a city that could instantly be perceived as a place that really exists, but without resembling one specific town in reality." (Aguilar, 2018). It is said that: "Belleville is an amalgam of New York, Quebec and Montreal" (Dawson, 2003)
The director of the film- Sylvain Chomet, was very involved in the making process. Talking about the making process he says: "With Belleville Rendez-Vous, I continued to animate scenes, its that team spirit that is important, you have to be totally involved in the physical production, For me, animation is like a manifesto. You have a style, a technique, but it is an art and you express yourself through that art." (Moins, 2003)
Illustration List
Figure 1. Belleville Rendezvous movie poster (2003) [poster] At: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/89720217552242618/?lp=true (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Figure 2. Tour de France (2003) [film still] At: https://cinemasips.com/tag/tour-de-france/ (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Figure 3. Characters (2003) [film still] At: https://characterdesignreferences.com/art-of-animation-2/the-triplets-of-belleville (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Figure 4. Exaggerated physical acting (2003) [film still] At: https://thumbs.gfycat.com/MindlessGraveBlueshark-mobile.jpg (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Figure 5. Sketch of the environment (2003) At: https://characterdesignreferences.com/art-of-animation-2/the-triplets-of-belleville (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Bibliography
Aguilar, C (2018) 'The Triplets of Belleville' 15th Anniversary: 7 Insights Into The Making Of A Contemporary Classic [online] At: https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/the-triplets-of-belleville-15th-anniversary-7-insights-into-the-making-of-a-contemporary-classic-159630.html (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Dawson, T (2003) Belleville Rendez-Vous (2003) [online] At: http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/08/06/belleville_rendezvous_2003_review.shtml (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Jaffe, M (2004) Belleville Rendezvous [user-generated comment] At: https://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/96398/belleville.rendez-vous-review (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Levine, S (2013) Intertextual Rendez-Vous: Viewing The Triplets of Belleville from an American Perspective [online] At: https://blogs.commons.georgetown.edu/cctp-748-spring2013/2013/03/13/intertextual-rendez-vous-viewing-the-triplets-of-belleville-from-an-american-perspective/ (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Linsenmaier, T (2006) Pierre Floquet- What is not so french in les triplettes de belleville [online] At: https://journal.animationstudies.org/pierre-floquet-what-is-not-so-french-in-les-triplettes-de-belleville/ (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Moins, P (2003) Sylvain Chomet's 'The Triplets of Belleville' [online] At: https://www.awn.com/animationworld/sylvain-chomet-s-triplets-belleville (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Wilson, S (2012) 118. The Triplets of Belleville [Les Triplettes de Belleville] (2003) [online] At: https://366weirdmovies.com/the-triplets-of-belleville/ (Accessed 8 February 2019)
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| Figure 1: Belleville Rendezvous Movie Poster |
The film is 'very french' in the sense that everything is quite stereotypically french and shows things from a french perspective. "Les Triplettes de Belleville is filled with clichés reflecting a French perspective. One such cliché is that Americans are obese." (Linsenmaier, 2006). Another thing in the film that might not be obvious to non-french viewers is that: "The high bridge that pushes Mme Souza's house into a tilt is typical of railway constructions in France during the first half of the 20th century." (Linsenmaier, 2006). The Tour de France is also parodied in the film: "This major sport event stands as a symbol of deep France summer vacation entertainment [...] The cycling and Tour de France related sequences are peak periods of the filmic time spent poking fun at typical aspects of the French working class." (Linsenmaier, 2006).
 |
| Figure 2: Tour de France |
The design of the characters in the film is quite unique and different from the type of character design that audiences are used to seeing: "Heavy characters are massive and take up large sections of the screen, whereas the bicyclists are wiry and bony. Noses tend to protrude out of the face and are large than the characters' heads in some cases." (Levine, 2013) The odd proportions of the characters make the film's world seem more fantastical and less real.
 |
| Figure 3: Characters |
The film uses a lot of exaggeration from the character design to the environments: "There is much exaggeration here: heights of buildings, bridges, and ships; steepness of streets; obesity of people; proximity of residence to mass transit." (Jaffe, 2004). The use of exaggeration adds to the fantastical feel of the film, with exaggeration elements drawing the audiences attention to specific parts of the film.
The film is portrayed a bit like a pantomime, with the physical acting of the characters taking over, over the little dialogue. "[Chomet] I also think that an animation without the constraints of spoken words is stronger. If you have to fit everything to the words, all the gestural movement revolves around the mouth. Without it, you are much freer to create true animation, to talk through animation itself." (Moins, 2003). This is saying that the little use of dialogue allows the characters actions to speak for themselves without it being restricted by the dialogue having to be spoken and focused on.
 |
| Figure 4: exaggerated physical acting |
The film does have an absurd story and a strange way to telling it, with most audiences left questioning how the story makes sense. "The film delicately blends a thoroughly unpredictable storyline, an artistic style at once beautiful and grotesque, and a fierce sentimental streak [...] As a result, truly bizarre moments arouse a sense of wonder rather than repulsion." (Wilson, 2012). This is saying that because the film is full of bizarre moments that audience is left wondering about the story rather than being repulsed by things like the unusual character design.
The environments are quite illustrative and detailed. The environments are recognisable as a culmination of famous places but they have a twist to them: "To design Belleville, art director Evgeni Tomov's objective was to imagine a city that could instantly be perceived as a place that really exists, but without resembling one specific town in reality." (Aguilar, 2018). It is said that: "Belleville is an amalgam of New York, Quebec and Montreal" (Dawson, 2003)
 |
| Figure 5: Sketch of the environment |
The director of the film- Sylvain Chomet, was very involved in the making process. Talking about the making process he says: "With Belleville Rendez-Vous, I continued to animate scenes, its that team spirit that is important, you have to be totally involved in the physical production, For me, animation is like a manifesto. You have a style, a technique, but it is an art and you express yourself through that art." (Moins, 2003)
Illustration List
Figure 1. Belleville Rendezvous movie poster (2003) [poster] At: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/89720217552242618/?lp=true (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Figure 2. Tour de France (2003) [film still] At: https://cinemasips.com/tag/tour-de-france/ (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Figure 3. Characters (2003) [film still] At: https://characterdesignreferences.com/art-of-animation-2/the-triplets-of-belleville (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Figure 4. Exaggerated physical acting (2003) [film still] At: https://thumbs.gfycat.com/MindlessGraveBlueshark-mobile.jpg (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Figure 5. Sketch of the environment (2003) At: https://characterdesignreferences.com/art-of-animation-2/the-triplets-of-belleville (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Bibliography
Aguilar, C (2018) 'The Triplets of Belleville' 15th Anniversary: 7 Insights Into The Making Of A Contemporary Classic [online] At: https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/the-triplets-of-belleville-15th-anniversary-7-insights-into-the-making-of-a-contemporary-classic-159630.html (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Dawson, T (2003) Belleville Rendez-Vous (2003) [online] At: http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/08/06/belleville_rendezvous_2003_review.shtml (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Jaffe, M (2004) Belleville Rendezvous [user-generated comment] At: https://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/96398/belleville.rendez-vous-review (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Levine, S (2013) Intertextual Rendez-Vous: Viewing The Triplets of Belleville from an American Perspective [online] At: https://blogs.commons.georgetown.edu/cctp-748-spring2013/2013/03/13/intertextual-rendez-vous-viewing-the-triplets-of-belleville-from-an-american-perspective/ (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Linsenmaier, T (2006) Pierre Floquet- What is not so french in les triplettes de belleville [online] At: https://journal.animationstudies.org/pierre-floquet-what-is-not-so-french-in-les-triplettes-de-belleville/ (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Moins, P (2003) Sylvain Chomet's 'The Triplets of Belleville' [online] At: https://www.awn.com/animationworld/sylvain-chomet-s-triplets-belleville (Accessed 8 February 2019)
Wilson, S (2012) 118. The Triplets of Belleville [Les Triplettes de Belleville] (2003) [online] At: https://366weirdmovies.com/the-triplets-of-belleville/ (Accessed 8 February 2019)
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