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An unusual heat wave has
descended upon France and I can't help but wonder how this is
affecting film production on Vincent's latest directorial effort.
Filming for MAÎTRE D'ARMES
(Master of Arms) began recently in Paris and will continue
through August for 39 days. The screenplay, written by Vincent and
wife Karine, is a historical drama. The story takes place in Paris
in 1887. The synopsis reads - "In a rapidly changing society, where
dueling is the last way out to uphold one's honour, Clément Lacaze,
charismatic fencing master, and Marie-Rose Astié de Valsayre, a
feminist ahead of her time, will fight side by side, ignoring the
threats and dangers that await them."
  Coincidentally,
I just finished watching an interesting historical Korean series,
which takes place in the late 20th century as well, where actress
Kim Min-Jung gets to wield her sword against her enemies. Yes,
another feminist ahead of her time. In another recent Asian
production, Vincent was photographed with his sword in his last
film, THE CURSE OF TURANDOT, a Chinese romantic fantasy film
based on the Italian opera Turandot. The film debuted in China last
fall to disappointed audiences and is now available on Blu-ray.
Monsieur Perez appears to fare more successfully with his roles in
French films. His pursuits into English and Russian-speaking cinema
have not served him well. His last attempt at directing was six
years ago with ALONE IN BERLIN.
The IMDB has not acknowledged
"Maître d'Armes" yet so I don't
have all the production details. I have obtained a few images, which
includes cast members. Vincent appears to have a minor role and
perhaps daughter Iman has been given a nonspeaking cameo. Lucie Baudinaud has been hired as the film's cinematographer.
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I didn't realize until
recently that Vincent is actually sporting a man bun these days,
capturing a classic samuri warrior look. The following photos were
taken last month in Switzerland at Scabal's, which sells luxury
clothing for men.
Vincent was also
photographed with wife Karine and Sarah Lavoine at an Off Vendôme
event on March 22nd.
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Six months have passed since
the last update because there simply hasn't been any news. The
pandemic can be blamed for the lack of social events but the fact
that Vincent has not appeared in a film's leading role in over four
years gives way to concern for the future of his acting career. This month
he presided over the 5th edition of the Rencontres du 7e Art.
It was held from March 12-20 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
As the festival's president,
Vincent explained that he decides on the theme each year - "It comes
from an idea, then it becomes an obsession. I then discuss it with
others and test it with my team." This year the chosen theme was "Mirror, Mirror, cinema facing itself",
which thus provided a wonderful opportunity to (re)discover
masterpieces and cult films mirroring the multiple facets of
movie-making. Vincent explained, "We chose this striking and
powerful image of Marilyn Monroe because it perfectly symbolizes the
theme in all its complexities. Doesn’t this image, frozen in time of
one of cinema’s greatest stars, express the multiple reflections
that cinema casts upon us - beauty, celebrity, seduction, fantasy,
mystification, but also illusion, fragility and… tragedy?"
This year, American actor
Willem Dafoe was the guest of honor. His filmography includes well
over one hundred films, many of which I have seen. Since first being
introduced to him in the Vietnam film, "Platoon", I have enjoyed
many of his performances through the years. A more recent favorite
is "The Lighthouse" - absolutely spellbinding! At the festival,
Dafoe gave a master class and was also honored on Saturday evening,
March 19th, with the Think Cinema prize during a ceremony in Vevey
to celebrate his entire career.
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Master Class on
March 14 |
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In the third photo below, Vincent
poses with Jean Dujardin and Anne Fontaine. The last portrait is by
Swiss photographer Anoush Abrar.
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