And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen...

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!

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.

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.

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.