Movie about movie making are a cinematic genre that has produced many remarkable creations over time. Filmmakers like to make films about their profession. Many of them are tributes to the great creators of the past, rarer are films that critically address the film-making profession and bring into debate crisis situations or social and professional issues related to the film industry. ‘Irma Vep‘ made in 1996 by Olivier Assayas belongs rather to the second category. This film critically addresses the situation of the French film industry at the end of the last century, the connection with the French New Wave tradition, and its place in a world where commercial cinema and violent international productions were already becoming dominant. ‘Irma Vep‘ was made 35 years after the revolutionary impact of the New French Wave. Another 24 years have passed since then. From the perspective of watching or re-watching it in 2020, the film seems just as fresh and clear in its messages, which are confirmed by the perspective of the time that has passed since its making.
The year is 1996 and the generation of the New Wave was going through the mid-age crisis. Many of its famous directors were beyond the peak of their creativity, their innovations had long since ceased to be surprises, and viewers had left their films attracted by Hollywood productions or violent international co-productions. This is also the case of Rene Vidal (played by Jean-Pierre Léaud) who, perhaps in the absence of original scripts, accepts the proposal to direct a remake of Louis Feuillade‘s vampire films (‘Irma Vep’ is an anagram of the word ‘vampire ‘) and cast in the lead role (a kind of parody of Catwoman) Maggie Cheung he had seen in a martial arts film (actually he had rather seen the stunt that doubled her). The film follows a few days of filming in which the Hong Kong actress faces the culture and mentality shock created by the differences between what she knows about French cinema and reality, and the chaotic way the local team works.
‘Irma Vep‘ is a film about how movies are made and about people who make movies. Maggie Cheung plays her own self, as an actress who uses the method of entering the role, even wearing at night at her hotel the latex costume of her character from the movie and emulating the thefts of the heroine of the adventure movies. In her interactions with the French colleagues many details are lost in translation, but the incipient lesbian idyll with the props girl Zoe (played by Nathalie Richard) gives both actresses the occasion of making sensitive creations and scenes of confusing delicacy. Olivier Assayas matches the cinematography style to the film director in the film, until his hero abandons filming (personal crisis?, drugs? both likely), and then the shoulder-held mobile camera is replaced by fixed frames that his replacement, a more conservative director (played by Lou Castel) prefers. There are a few more memorable scenes including an ending that I will just describe as great and that I recommend you watching along with the whole movie. ‘Irma Vep‘ is a love story and a critical vision of French cinema. We criticize what we love, because we care.