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With the screening of
UN BAISER PAPILLON at the Montreal
World Film Festival, Vincent and his wife were on hand to meet the
press to discuss the film, which was given a Special Mention by the
first feature film jury. Festival president Serge Losique has
announced that Vincent has already agreed to serve as president of
the festival jury next year. You can view their August 20th
interview with Radio Canada by clicking on the photo below.
Film critic Nikola Grozdanovic, reporting from
the Montreal Film Festival, reviewed Karine's film with these
comments:
As you may have guessed, the movie’s major
flaw comes in trying to show too much in too little time. If
this were a mini-series with each
character given equal time to develop and grow, the story would
have sustained its ambitions and turned into something
wonderful. As it stands, Silla Perez introduces us to so many
characters that we end up caring a little less about each of
them. Moments that should be savored, such as a key revelation
of a buried family secret, pass by in a flash and lose their
weight in the process.
With a brilliant cast on hand, Golino, Perez and Lespert being
the absolute stand-outs, great score from David Lynch
collaborator Angelo Badalamenti (I couldn’t believe it either),
some wonderfully amusing moments and all-around striking
production values, "Butterfly Kiss"
has all the ingredients of a great film. As Vincent Perez
himself said when he presented it with his wife, it has a lot of
heart and even more soul. Its commendable ambitions, however,
are too heavy for the support that the screenplay provides.
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The Italian edition of
Vogue's July issue features some interesting photography by
Peter Lindbergh. The spread was called "Stills from a Movie"
showcasing Vincent and Farida Khelfa, the striking and respected
fashion symbol and actress of Algerian-Arab origin. You can view the
backstage film of the photo session called "Separation"
at this link. Michael Philouze stylizes the couple as a
forties-married couple. In Italy, which reveres older women, Farida
could possibly be seen as a mistress. The hair says it all by
the hands of stylist, Leonardo Manetti where Farida exhibits
perfectly styled, voluminous hair that was on trend throughout the
decade while Vincent maintains a simple shape. In staying with a
trip back in time, Lindbergh
captures the chemistry of this couple
where their actual looks and the looks between the two say more than
any dialogue.
Mario Fortunato, who writes
for Vogue Italia, describes his impression:
When Farida and Vincent appear on the set – I
see them through a doorway; or rather, more than see them, I spy
on them, like a child in front of a primary scene – there, I say
to myself, it is them. They are my parents.
She is tall on high heels and has her hands on one hip; she
almost seems to be twisting in the air. He is wearing a
double-breasted suit like one carries a secret, hands in his
pockets, his gaze to the floor. The Forties. A lamp, behind
them, throws a yellow light, I would say inconclusive. Apart
from the walls overloaded with fabrics, on the streets, there is
a war going on.
Farida and Vincent obviously are not my parents. Apart from
everything else, they were born after me. Both in 1962. He in
Switzerland, she in the Lyon area. Both actors, have
complicated, distant roots: in their veins there is a bit of
Spain, a bit of Germany (him) and Algeria, France (her).
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 On
July 3rd, Vincent participated in the Etape du Coeur, a unique
occasion when celebrities ride under the Mécénat Chirurgie
Cardiaque colors on the time-trial stage of the Tour de France.
This charity ride has already helped save more than 190
under-privileged children suffering from heart conditions.
The ride took place in Essarts,
where the team of cyclists
completed the 23km race, aiming to collect
enough for 10 children to have surgery, thus reaching 200
saved lives. The French celebrities included Paul
Belmondo, Dominique Pinon, Patrice Leconte, Magali Le Floc'h,
Christian Moran, Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, Marc Raquil, Guy Roux and
Stéphane Sanseverino. You can view an interview with Vincent by
clicking on the photo below. You can also
watch a clip at youtube.
La Fête du Cinéma
was represented this year by five ambassadors - Jean-Paul
Rouve, Déborah François, Ariane Ascaride, Claudia Cardinale
and Vincent. From June 25 to July 1, movie tickets could be
purchased for only 3 euros. When asked about the festival, Vincent
responded that he thought it was great for moviegoers to only have
to pay 3 euros. He kidded that they could go see his wife Karine's
film, "Un Baiser Papillon" several times! He added, "I think the
more you go to the movies, the more you want to go. It's like books,
like wine, like all good things! Does Vincent go to the cinema? He
answers, "Yes, I need to go to the movies. I like to know what's
happening. When you go into a theater and share the emotions and
vibrations with an audience, you respond to the film all the more
strongly and they stay with you. What was the last film he saw? He
says it was Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris", which he recommends.
He was hoping to catch "Omar Killed Me" during the festival. He
lastly commented on Karine's next film, "Santa Claus is African",
which will be shot in Senegal, his wife's birthplace.
 Known
for his passion for the nostalgia, Vincent has co-authored a
guidebook called "Le Paris du cinéma : Guide illustré de
la Ville Lumière, 800 adresses liées au septième art".
Collaborating with journalist Philippe
Durand, he created a sumptuous illustrated guide to the City of
Light in connection with the cinema. "Le Paris du Cinema", which
features memorable photographs, 100 of which were taken personally
by Vincent, is a fascinating book teeming with juicy details for
those wishing to visit many of those famous places brought to the
screen. Vincent recalls his passion for movies being fed by the
likes of Chaplin and Kazan, Ford and Kurosawa. He also remembers
with relish and without shame his emotions during childhood and
adolescence watching a myriad of films from "Bambi" to "Grease".
How did you get the idea
for the book?
VP: The idea was not mine, but that of Pierre-Marcel Favre and
journalist Philippe Durand, who did all the research. When I
started reading this Paris film guide, I was fascinated. I was
thinking constantly of the impressions that I had the first time
I came to Paris when I saw the mythical places I had seen in
films that had made me dream. Places like the Rue de Rivoli, the
Place du Trocadero and the Sacred Heart. You want to know more
about them and this book offers that possibility.
Was Paris always linked to
the cinema for you?
VP: Initially, it was linked to painters like Monet, Van Gogh and
Picasso. In my childhood imagination, it was also linked to poetry
and songs. All the arts were linked; it was the Paris of artists...
This is an extraordinary city with a wealth of incredible artists.
Do you remember your first
visit?
VP: I came with my best friend, whom I went to school
with in Longeraie at Morges.
We were 15 and came with our mothers. All day we walked, we
looked, we walked, we looked. We were the kings of the world for five
days.
What were your favorite places
in relation to the cinema?
VP: Rue de Richelieu,
where Cocteau had lived with Jean Marais. So when
you go there, you
wonder about this great man living
in this neighborhood and where he drank
his coffee, bought his bread. I often went to a
restaurant called Natacha, rue Campagne-Premiere, and
this street will forever remind
me of the death of Jean-Paul Belmondo in "Breathless." Every
time I pass it, I think
of that... We cannot be alone in Paris for there are all these
ghosts among us... |
