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Special Features
None.
Editorial Reviews
Dvd. 3 films
1) on the Run
2) An Amazing Couple
3) After Life
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Either you enjoy European cinema or you don't.
Hollywood blockbusters overwhelm your senses and leave you breathless and dazed but without being too intellectually demanding; Quentin Tarentino not withstanding Hollywood doesn't leave audiences confused. The Hollywood philosophy is that people don't want to think when they go to the movies. I believe this is true for most people most of the time. (Well it's true for me anyway.) I also believe that most people do enjoy something thoughtful some of the time and Lucas Belvaux's trilogy then fits the bill.
The three movies of the trilogy do not take place one after the other, but all at the same time. We see the same people and sometimes the same scenes but following a different dramatic progression.
The movies follow three women, Cécile, Jeanne, and Agnès. They teach at the same university in Grenoble, France. All women appear in all three movies, but each film focuses on just one.
The first film starts with a worried Cécile organizing a surprise party for her hypochondriac husband Alain who is trying to hide his (he belives) terminal condition from her. She mistakenly suspects him of having an affair. The surprise party scenes appear in all three films. Her colleagues Jeanne and Agnès both come, and Agnès faints after drinking too much champagne.
The second film, with the most complex plot of the three, centers on an old Marxist revolutionary friend of Jeanne's named Bruno. Bruno escapes from jail and makes for Grenoble where he tries to enlist Jeanne in continuing the revolution. She's now a married mother and refuses, but provides some assistance. During the party scene, we see Jeanne helping Agnès recover from her fainting spell, with no one realizing she needs a fix. Agnès was supplied by her policeman husband Pascal who had an arrangement with the local mob boss: supplies in exchange for no trouble. Bruno and the mobster were linked and Bruno was out for his blood. The mobster wants Pascal to kill Bruno, rather than arrest him, and cuts off Agnès supply until Bruno is out of commission. While prowling around Grenoble at night, Bruno bumps into Agnès who is looking for a fix. Agnès's husband Pascal is looking for Bruno.
Agnès and her policeman husband Pascal are the focus of the third film. When the party scenes comes up there we already know (from that movie) that she is a drug addict going through withdrawal, which we did not know when she fainted in the first film. We follow what it means for an addict to face withdrawal and that the educated elite fare no better than anyone else.
Each of the movies stands on its own but taken as a trilogy we realize that neatly packaged stories only present us with a slice of life, that what is a detail or a distraction in one film contains the seed for just as dramatic or poignant a story in another film.
Vincent Poirier, Dublin
Hollywood blockbusters overwhelm your senses and leave you breathless and dazed but without being too intellectually demanding; Quentin Tarentino not withstanding Hollywood doesn't leave audiences confused. The Hollywood philosophy is that people don't want to think when they go to the movies. I believe this is true for most people most of the time. (Well it's true for me anyway.) I also believe that most people do enjoy something thoughtful some of the time and Lucas Belvaux's trilogy then fits the bill.
The three movies of the trilogy do not take place one after the other, but all at the same time. We see the same people and sometimes the same scenes but following a different dramatic progression.
The movies follow three women, Cécile, Jeanne, and Agnès. They teach at the same university in Grenoble, France. All women appear in all three movies, but each film focuses on just one.
The first film starts with a worried Cécile organizing a surprise party for her hypochondriac husband Alain who is trying to hide his (he belives) terminal condition from her. She mistakenly suspects him of having an affair. The surprise party scenes appear in all three films. Her colleagues Jeanne and Agnès both come, and Agnès faints after drinking too much champagne.
The second film, with the most complex plot of the three, centers on an old Marxist revolutionary friend of Jeanne's named Bruno. Bruno escapes from jail and makes for Grenoble where he tries to enlist Jeanne in continuing the revolution. She's now a married mother and refuses, but provides some assistance. During the party scene, we see Jeanne helping Agnès recover from her fainting spell, with no one realizing she needs a fix. Agnès was supplied by her policeman husband Pascal who had an arrangement with the local mob boss: supplies in exchange for no trouble. Bruno and the mobster were linked and Bruno was out for his blood. The mobster wants Pascal to kill Bruno, rather than arrest him, and cuts off Agnès supply until Bruno is out of commission. While prowling around Grenoble at night, Bruno bumps into Agnès who is looking for a fix. Agnès's husband Pascal is looking for Bruno.
Agnès and her policeman husband Pascal are the focus of the third film. When the party scenes comes up there we already know (from that movie) that she is a drug addict going through withdrawal, which we did not know when she fainted in the first film. We follow what it means for an addict to face withdrawal and that the educated elite fare no better than anyone else.
Each of the movies stands on its own but taken as a trilogy we realize that neatly packaged stories only present us with a slice of life, that what is a detail or a distraction in one film contains the seed for just as dramatic or poignant a story in another film.
Vincent Poirier, Dublin
Format:Amazon Instant Video|Amazon Verified Purchase
The first part of Belvaux's 'The Trilogy', where three films with very
different tones overlap some characters and incidents.
This first part is a taught, well made, violent thriller, following an
escaped communist revolutionary, determined to return to the bombing
and violence that put him in jail 20 years ago, while settling old
scores with enemies, and re-contacting old allies.
Belvaux shows daring in not working to make his character very
sympathetic, and allowing our initial almost automatic sympathy for our
lead character to be ever more harshly challenged. We come slowly to
realize this is a violent zealot, unmoved by the fact that the
revolution that seemed to make sense as a young man now seems arbitrary
and insane, and that his callous disregard for his victims isn't much
of a start on a new world order.
In a vacuum, this dark, cynical noir would still be a good film, but
with the next part of the Trilogy, it gains in levels and meanings.
There are real flaws here - a few plot twists are hard to buy, some
character behavior unclear (although less unclear after part 2). A guy
this smart wouldn't make a couple of the mistakes he does. And the
score is frustratingly repetitious. But it's never boring, always
involving, and with the next film, it's something more.
BTW, frustratingly I noticed Amazon has put this review, which was
written only for the first part of 'The Trilogy' - 'On the Run' -
on the whole set. So for those reading this review under 'The Trilogy'
here are my comments on films 2 and 3;
Part 2: 'An Amazing Couple'
This is mostly a well plotted and acted lighthearted farce about marriage,
trust and fidelity, with serious issues not far below the surface.
Seeing this airy fare right after the darkness of 'On the Run' (part 1 of the Trilogy)
gives an almost Zen like insight into the two sides of life - light and dark,
silly and tragic, and how those two dance and interweave.
Yes, a few of the comic twists are a bit forced, but many more are
clever and really amusing, and all the characters are simultaneously
lovable and infuriating.
But most amazing is the chill one feels when the overlaps with 'On the
Run' become apparent. Even more than "On the Run", "An Amazing
Couple" is a far better film for being part of the bigger whole.
Interestingly the top professional critics were split on this film in particular,
and on 'The Trilogy' as a whole, calling it everything from 'a masterpiece' to
'a self involved misfire' .
Part 3. After the Life
This intense drama of a cop trying to deal with his morphine addicted life puts
more pieces in place of the world of stories Belvaux has created. It is fascinating
to see scenes that played as comedy in part 2 "An Amazing Couple", repeated here,
exactly as they were, but now they feel dead serious because of the change in context.
The only problem for me - and most critics disagree, is that for me this was the
weakest of the three films, the acting sometimes over the top, character logic
sometimes vague or missing. I felt disappointed, because after part 2 made me like
part 1 even better, I was hoping part 3 would raise the whole into more than the
sum of it's parts, into 'great film event' territory. Sadly, that didn't quite happen for me
- maybe because I was expecting too much.
I'd certainly give this another shot, and it's absolutely a good film, with some very
touching moments.
It just felt a little more obvious in how it brought 'The Trilogy's' stories and themes
(obsession, blindness in service of an idea or need) together than what I wished for.
In the end I do highly recommend 'The Trilogy'. It's a fascinating, brave cinematic
experiment - three films of wildly different styles and tones combining to tell
one story. If in the end it doesn't quite achieve greatness, it still is strong
filmmaking with excellent acting, and is unlike any other series of films
I can think of.
different tones overlap some characters and incidents.
This first part is a taught, well made, violent thriller, following an
escaped communist revolutionary, determined to return to the bombing
and violence that put him in jail 20 years ago, while settling old
scores with enemies, and re-contacting old allies.
Belvaux shows daring in not working to make his character very
sympathetic, and allowing our initial almost automatic sympathy for our
lead character to be ever more harshly challenged. We come slowly to
realize this is a violent zealot, unmoved by the fact that the
revolution that seemed to make sense as a young man now seems arbitrary
and insane, and that his callous disregard for his victims isn't much
of a start on a new world order.
In a vacuum, this dark, cynical noir would still be a good film, but
with the next part of the Trilogy, it gains in levels and meanings.
There are real flaws here - a few plot twists are hard to buy, some
character behavior unclear (although less unclear after part 2). A guy
this smart wouldn't make a couple of the mistakes he does. And the
score is frustratingly repetitious. But it's never boring, always
involving, and with the next film, it's something more.
BTW, frustratingly I noticed Amazon has put this review, which was
written only for the first part of 'The Trilogy' - 'On the Run' -
on the whole set. So for those reading this review under 'The Trilogy'
here are my comments on films 2 and 3;
Part 2: 'An Amazing Couple'
This is mostly a well plotted and acted lighthearted farce about marriage,
trust and fidelity, with serious issues not far below the surface.
Seeing this airy fare right after the darkness of 'On the Run' (part 1 of the Trilogy)
gives an almost Zen like insight into the two sides of life - light and dark,
silly and tragic, and how those two dance and interweave.
Yes, a few of the comic twists are a bit forced, but many more are
clever and really amusing, and all the characters are simultaneously
lovable and infuriating.
But most amazing is the chill one feels when the overlaps with 'On the
Run' become apparent. Even more than "On the Run", "An Amazing
Couple" is a far better film for being part of the bigger whole.
Interestingly the top professional critics were split on this film in particular,
and on 'The Trilogy' as a whole, calling it everything from 'a masterpiece' to
'a self involved misfire' .
Part 3. After the Life
This intense drama of a cop trying to deal with his morphine addicted life puts
more pieces in place of the world of stories Belvaux has created. It is fascinating
to see scenes that played as comedy in part 2 "An Amazing Couple", repeated here,
exactly as they were, but now they feel dead serious because of the change in context.
The only problem for me - and most critics disagree, is that for me this was the
weakest of the three films, the acting sometimes over the top, character logic
sometimes vague or missing. I felt disappointed, because after part 2 made me like
part 1 even better, I was hoping part 3 would raise the whole into more than the
sum of it's parts, into 'great film event' territory. Sadly, that didn't quite happen for me
- maybe because I was expecting too much.
I'd certainly give this another shot, and it's absolutely a good film, with some very
touching moments.
It just felt a little more obvious in how it brought 'The Trilogy's' stories and themes
(obsession, blindness in service of an idea or need) together than what I wished for.
In the end I do highly recommend 'The Trilogy'. It's a fascinating, brave cinematic
experiment - three films of wildly different styles and tones combining to tell
one story. If in the end it doesn't quite achieve greatness, it still is strong
filmmaking with excellent acting, and is unlike any other series of films
I can think of.
4 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
"The Trilogy" is a 2-disc set that consists of 3 award-winning films that intersect, with the same time-frame viewed from different perspectives, enabling the ensemble cast to take turns in the lead roles. The concept is clever, but the individual lives it follows are empty of meaning, creatures of habit and need, and 341 minutes of watching them mangle their lives can be quite tiresome. Writer/director/actor Lucas Belvaux has assembled a fine group of actors, and the production, filmed in Grenoble and its environs is good, though the pacing at times is very slow, and the plot lines are stretched to their limit.
Trilogy One: "Cavale" ("On the Run"), is about a terrorist who escapes from prison after 15 years of a 30-year sentence. He's an arrogant thug who kills with impunity for his "cause," and after his breakout contacts his old comrades to either make them complicit in his plans or to shoot them. The ending however is perhaps the best thing in the entire trilogy. Director Belvaux plays Bruno the thug, and Catherine Frot plays Jeanne.
Trilogy Two: "Un Couple Ëpatant" ("An Amazing Couple"), is "comedic relief," with some Keystone Kops moments that are sometimes amusing. It is about a forgetful hypochondriac and his wife, who both suspect each other of being unfaithful. Ornella Muti plays Cécile, and François Morel is Alain.
Trilogy Three: "Apres la Vie" ("After Life"), follows the life of heroin addict Agnes, and her husband, a policeman, Pascal. He becomes her "pusher," and she manipulates his love with her needs. Agnes is on the surface a character who would evoke compassion, but she is ultimately a "user" in every sense of the word, dominated by her selfishness, and one of the 2 least likeable characters in the trilogy, the other being the other model of selfishness, the despicable Bruno. Pascal is weak, and not more than the fly in her web. Dominique Blanc is Agnes, and Gilbert Melki is Pascal.
Trilogy One: "Cavale" ("On the Run"), is about a terrorist who escapes from prison after 15 years of a 30-year sentence. He's an arrogant thug who kills with impunity for his "cause," and after his breakout contacts his old comrades to either make them complicit in his plans or to shoot them. The ending however is perhaps the best thing in the entire trilogy. Director Belvaux plays Bruno the thug, and Catherine Frot plays Jeanne.
Trilogy Two: "Un Couple Ëpatant" ("An Amazing Couple"), is "comedic relief," with some Keystone Kops moments that are sometimes amusing. It is about a forgetful hypochondriac and his wife, who both suspect each other of being unfaithful. Ornella Muti plays Cécile, and François Morel is Alain.
Trilogy Three: "Apres la Vie" ("After Life"), follows the life of heroin addict Agnes, and her husband, a policeman, Pascal. He becomes her "pusher," and she manipulates his love with her needs. Agnes is on the surface a character who would evoke compassion, but she is ultimately a "user" in every sense of the word, dominated by her selfishness, and one of the 2 least likeable characters in the trilogy, the other being the other model of selfishness, the despicable Bruno. Pascal is weak, and not more than the fly in her web. Dominique Blanc is Agnes, and Gilbert Melki is Pascal.
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