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| Fig 1. Belleville Rendez-Vous (2003) [Poster] |
Belleville Rendez-Vous is a 2003 animated feature film by Frenchman Sylvain Chomet. Madame Souza is an elderly grandmother raising her young grandson named Champion, who has lost his parents. Souza tries to cheer him up by trying to interest him in the piano, but with only limited success, so then decides to get him a puppy to see if that will improve his mood. The puppy, named Bruno, does initially cheer him up, but he soon slips back into a permanent state of sadness. Souza subsequently discovers that Champion has a keen interest in cycle racing and decides to get him a tricycle. This has a positive effect and his interest develops to the point where, in time, he becomes a professional cyclist with his Grandmother, Souza, as his coach. His cycling skills improve and he enters the Tour de France but he, along with two other riders, is kidnaped during the race and held by the French Mafia in the city of Belleville who make the riders race on stationery cycling machines so that they can gamble on the outcomes. In her search for Champion, Souza meets with the Belleville Triplets, now elderly performers, once having been jazz performers from the 1930’s. The Triplets, Souza and Bruno eventually infiltrate the Mafia hideout to rescue Champion.
“To call it weird would be a cowardly evasion. It is creepy, eccentric, eerie, flaky, freaky, funky, grotesque, inscrutable, kinky, kooky, magical, oddball, spooky, uncanny, uncouth and unearthly. Especially uncouth.”
- (Ebert 2003)
Sylvain Chomet was born in Paris and moved to London in 1988 to work in animation, quickly establishing a freelance practice with several large corporate clients. Chomet also produced comics, such as ‘Secrets of the Dragonfly’ in 1986. In 1993 Chomet wrote a story that was illustrated by Nicholas de Crecy, with whom he had collaborated on other projects. However, their partnership ended when de Crecy accused Chomet of plagiarizing his work as the visual style of ‘The Triplets of Bellville’ very closely resembled de Crecy’s earlier work.
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| Fig 2. Belleville Rendez-Vous (2003) [Film Still] |
The hand drawn style of the characters within the film is unusual, with certain features and proportions significantly exaggerated or distorted. The whole visual atmosphere is as though much of the colour has been drained away, leaving a dry sepia effect for much of the film.
“Most animated features have an almost grotesque desire to be loved. This one doesn't seem to care. It creates a world of selfishness, cruelty, corruption and futility -- but it's not serious about this world and it doesn't want to attack it or improve upon it. It simply wants to sweep us up in its dark comic vision.”
- (Ebert, 2003)
The film received many good reviews and critical praise. It was Oscar nominated in 2004 in the categories ‘Best Music’ (for its original jazz musical score by Benoit Charest) and ‘Best Animated Feature’, losing out to Finding Nemo. It also achieved a BAFTA nomination the same year for ‘Best Film not in the English Language’. A subsequent film by Chomet, The Illusionist in 2011, was also Oscar nominated but again lost out –on this occasion to Toy Story 3.
Bibliography
Ebert, R. (2003) The Triplets of Belleville [Online] At: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-triplets-of-belleville-2003 (Accessed 09.05.18)
Ebert, R. (2003) The Triplets of Belleville [Online] At: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-triplets-of-belleville-2003 (Accessed 09.05.18)
Illustration List
Figure 1. Belleville Rendez-Vous (2003) [Poster] At: http://i.imgur.com/TGXlwTX.jpg (Accessed 09.05.18)
Figure 2. Belleville Rendez-Vous (2003) [Film Still] At: https://www.intofilm.org/films/2737 (Accessed 09.05.18)
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