And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen...

Claude Lelouch's "And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen" ... (2002) tries to be a lot of things. It has the elements of romance, thriller, and drama and much more. It could be called "Another Man and Another Woman 36 years later" and it takes us to London, Paris, and Morocco. A successful and creative jewel thief Valentin (Jeremy Irons) sails alone around the world. The fate brings him to Morocco where he meets a night singer Jean (Patricia Kaas) who hopes to escape from the heartache of the failed affair. They both suffer from blackouts and amnesia that may be caused by brain tumors - of course, they were meant to meet. They will seek the way to save their lives and then change them.

The movie is beautiful to look at, and the songs that Patricia Kaas sings are wonderful, the best asset of the movie. I read that Kaas's album "Piano Bar", a hand-picked collection of the popular love songs inspired Lelouch to make this movie where Kaas debuted as an actress. I've heard her singing before and I like her a lot. I also think that her screen debut was successful. Her songs kept the movie together because there were too many stories intermingling and even though they were all interesting and compelling, it was not just easy to keep track of all them.

There was one bitter-sweet moment when I realized that the actress who played a countess in Morocco's hotel and whose jewels were stolen in a very manner Valentin would do, was Claudia Cardinale, yes, The Claudia Cardinale. She is still a beautiful woman but the first thought that came to my mind was, "What does time do to all of us?"

"And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen" was fun while it lasted. I don't think I'll want to see it again any time soon but I am going to order Patricia Kaas's CD and I'll be listening to it often.

I was sure Claude Lelouch was 80 or 81. After all, hadn't it been about 40 years since I saw, "A Man and a Woman"? But I didn't know that Mr. Lelouch began as a child director!

"And Now - Ladies and Gentlemen" is an exciting, engrossing, intelligent, funny, cynical and symbolically thought-provoking film by a writer/director who I'm still sure is over 80 but is allowed to deduct several years due to the nature of the business.

Mr. Lelouch uses music to move the action forward. to establish time and place and (no surprise at all) to elicit emotion and, not coincidentally, to entertain. And the acting - brilliant Jeremy Irons captures each and every nuance of his demanding role. The film is worth it if you only attend to see his performance.

I can't guarantee you'll walk out singing. As a matter of fact, I doubt it. I can't even guarantee you'll enjoy the film. But I can guarantee you will be talking about what it all meant long after the New Year has dawned.

This takes me back to my childhood, when the likes of "A Man and A Woman," "Hiroshima Mon Amour," "Last Year at Marienbad," "Jules et Jim," and a host of other fine european films were part and parcel of the "film-going" experience -- where you were not only entertained but fiercely challenged to think about what you thought you had just seen!

My plea, my suggestion to you is see this film and make up your own mind. Never, ever, let anyone make up your mind for you. Experience the power of movies for yourself, whenever you can.

I saw this on the Sundance Channel recently and its oddness kept me interested. Jeremy Irons is quite good as is the French lead actress who I am not familiar with and whose singing talent is jazzy and soulful. I think there is a very "French" ambiance to this film, although I'm not sure really what I mean when I say this. The movie takes its time in terms of hooking up the two lead characters...by the time they do meet each other (albeit in kind of a far fetched way perhaps) the audience knows a lot about each of them and I, for one, had grown to like them and was glad to see them meet up. I also liked the fact that there is a bit of mystery thrown into the storyline in the midst of them meeting. There is also a strong emotional undercurrent in this film of sadness. So if you are a Jeremy Irons fan or if you just want to see a decent contemporary story about people maneuvering middle life while still searching for themselves and love, this film is possibly worth your time.

And Now Ladies and Gentlemen captures from the start--artistic, well- written, well-directed, and underscored with the rich, languid jazz of Patricia Kaas who will surely become more accessible to Americans with this film.

The love story is first degree, without Hollywood schmaltz. Starting with Jeremy Irons delicious tricks of thievery, segueing to Patricia Kaas's nightclub duet and solos, the director moves us seamlessly from one character to the other. We discover them--who they are, what they suffer, and how they will meet and connect.

The director's brilliant use of Kaas's vocals to effortlessly glues these vignettes together becomes the film's best asset, beginning with them far apart, gradually moving these fascinating creatures closer and closer, until we can taste the sand and feel the parched, thirsty souls. Destiny builds from a dream to filmy reality. Irresistible. Intimate. Broad and beautiful.

The score haunts you for weeks. A must see--must own. We want the soundtrack!

Check this out on Sundance; it's all about the eyes and the music. Irons and Kass, speak with their eyes and Lelouch gets it all. Kass's voice and eyes take "lounge singing" to a whole new and great place. The non-lineal mix of fantasy and reality worked for me, as did the interweaving of Kass's songs and the Moroccan scene. As an American I enjoyed the fact that the actors spoke their lines in whatever language worked: the Italians spoke Italian among themselves, French to Moroccans, the Moroccans Arabic and French, & of course, Jeremy's French was more than passable. Were that I were as comfortable in multiple languages--it says we can all be hospitable and get beyond what we were born with.