And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen...

Thank you, Claude Lelouch, for such a beautiful movie! I am still thinking about it days after seeing it. Musical, suspenseful, poignant, and ever romantic, it has something for everyone, including wonderful work by Jeremy Irons and Patricia Kaas, with a welcome Claudia Cardinale. If you're tired of chases, explosions, crash and burn stories with no story or emotion, check out this movie. It's refreshingly adult. Highly recommend for people who like to think and be entertained at the same time.

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.

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.

The smart and bold thief of jewelries Valentin Valentin (Jeremy Irons) decides to leave his mate and travel around the world for one hundred days in a sailing boat. In the coast of Morocco, he has an amnesia problem and comes onshore looking for a doctor. Meanwhile, the piano-bar singer Jane Lester (Patricia Kaas) is brokenhearted when her lover leaves her to stay with her beast friend and decides to accept a job in Morocco to forget the past. An incident in the hotel where they are lodged joins them and they fell attracted for each other.

"And Now…Ladies and Gentlemen…" is a delightful romance, with many attractions: the story is very charming; the cinematography is beautiful; the chemistry between the elegant Jeremy Irons and the lovely Patricia Kaas is stunning; and the voice of the gorgeous Patricia Kaas is awesome. This singer is completely unknown in Brazil, and I was surprised and touched hearing such beautiful interpretation of wonderful songs. Patricia Kaas herself alone makes this movie very worthwhile. It is difficult to assimilate Claudia Cardinale old, but she has a great performance in the role of an unfaithful countess. Claude Lelouch is amazing as usual, making a perfect combination of an attractive story with the magnificent interpretation of this wonderful Patricia Kaas. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Amantes & Infiéis" ("Lovers & Unfaithful")

Plenty of food for thought and honey for the music heart'n'soul. The story of this weary master thief and a disillusioned (with love)jazz singer meeting,finding common ground and falling 'for each other' is age old. However, their common ground is quite unusual and a bit of a stretch (but hey...it's a story). Where they meet and how the story plays out, is an unexpected and interesting twist. To my mind, the acting and Morrocan setting are great. Jeremy Irons is his usual cool and collected self and the lead actress suits the part beautifully...and can she sing!! The soundtrack, to my mind (and heart) definitely steals the show. - I love blues/jazz and I found this sound track hauntingly, thought provokingly absorbing.