Time of the Gypsies

Written and Directed by: Emir Kusturica

Year of Release: 1988

Country: UK/Italy/Yugoslavia

Runtime: Yugoslavia 270 min.(extended version)

Emir Kusturica's this cult film won Best Director award in Cannes Film Festival and also Guldbagge Award in Best Foreign Film category. It has nominated for Golden Palm in Cannes Film Festival, Cesar Award in France, and Europian Film Award.

Hope to watch this cult movie as soon as possible and comment on.

Arizona Dream

Written and Directed by: Emir Kusturica

Year of Release: 1993

Country: USA/France

Runtime: 142 min.

This impressing film begins with the scene that a fish comes out of the water in the Arctic and travels all around the world, and passes even the desert under full moon because Axel(Johnny Depp) dreams about an Eskimo caughting fish. Axel's uncle Leo(Jerry Lewis) tries to persuade Axel retaining the family business, selling Cadillacs when Axel was indeed reluctant in this. Axel's father was dead and his uncle was therefore like a father to him. One day Axel meets Elaine(Faye Dunaway) and her stepdaughter Grace(Lili Taylor) and he immediately falls in love with Elaine. Grace was cultivating a great hate to her stepmother being jealous with her beauty and the ability to charm men. As an extraordinary character, Grace was dreaming to recarnated as a turtle, thus showing her turtle a greater interest. Soon, Axel begins to live with those two beautiful and interesting women. He builds a flying machine to his love Elaine who was dreaming to fly. Grace who is being jealous with this situation harms the machine and Axel rebuilds. After a bad flying accident Elaine becomes mad. Axel with the time passed also becomes depressive and mad. He knew he must make a decision between these two women and kill the other. He slowly grows an interest in Grace, but can't kill his ex-love either. He talks with Grace and professes his love to her. On a stormy night, on Elaine's birthday Grace gives her the present as everybody then frees her turtles, wears the white dress and a hat(wedding gown) and lets the flash of lightening kills her. Axel watches her death and feels very very miserable. At the end of the film he dreams that he and his uncle catch a fish as Eskimos, and then free it.

Arizona Dream was the first Emir Kusturica film I watched and the film that made me love his films. The soundtrack album of the film that was composed by Goran Bregovich and Iggy Pop, has been one of my favourite albums since my childhood. It won Silver Berlin Bear in Berlin Film Festival when nominated for Golden Berlin Bear, and Jury Special Prize, Golden Camera 300 in Brother's Manaki International Film Festival, and Audience Award in Warsaw International Film Festival.

An absolutely cult film. Don't miss it!

AngelA

Written and Directed by: Luc Besson

Year of Release: 2005

Country: France

Runtime: 90 min.(original)

Luc Besson's this last movie resembles to a black and white fairytale. In this film in which Rie Rasmussen and Jamel Debbouze were sharing the leading roles, the ungifted Andree has millions of dollars debt to everyone in town. He wants to make that the police arrest him and put in prison; however, he can't achieve that. As he was about to commit a suicide, he suddenly recognizes the beautiful lady with long legs who was intended the same destiny with him. Angela this long-legged lady was an angel whose mission was to survive Andree from his faith. Together they engage in a lot of actions, and Andree finds himself finally engaging in a deep love with Angela.

This lovely romance combines fantastic elements with emotional scenes as most Besson films. As a Luc Besson fan, I should profess that I didn't like this film as his other films. However, the fact that film was black and white, and included the familiar themes with all Besson films made me enjoy this film.

The film haven't won or nominated any awards. Watch it for fun! It surely makes fun!

The Fifth Element

Written and directed by: Luc Besson
Year of release: 1997
Country: France
Run time: 126 min.

In Luc Besson's this techno-thriller, science-fiction movie an evil power which appears in every 5000 years, was threatening the Earth with collapse. Only the fifth elementh could stop this collapse. The finger of the fifth element was found and by this the fifth element was reshaped as a women(Milla Jojovich). Father Cornelius has realized the fifth element, the only power that could rescue the Earth as soon as he had seen her. Fragile, but also swift Leeloo(Jojovich) has faced with a lot of problems with the help of Korben Dallas(Bruce Willis) who was a taxi-driver. As they were overwhelming the difficulties and tring to gather other four elements Jean Baptiste Emannuel Zorg(Gary Oldman) was creating every possible barriers to them in order to make them fail their mission.

This wonderful, entertaining science fiction was nominated for oscar in 1997 when it had 7 wons other than 17. It won Bafta Film Award in best special effects category and Bogey Award from Germany. Also it won Cesar Awards in Best Cinematography, Best Director, and Best Production categories. Other than Cesar Awards it also won Lumiere Awards from France and Golden Screen Awards from Germany. There were lots of thrilling and entertaining scenes in the movie that you cannot take your eyes off it. The opera scene in which was an amazing sounded women with an interesting blue costum, and the last scene with indifferent five people trying to survive the Eath was really worthwhile to see in my opinion. Also the kissing scene with Korben and Leeloo and the moment that the Eath was rescued was a classic theme of a Besson movie, reflecting the importance of emotions in the movie. The costums of the movie has been prepared by the famous French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier as 954 pieces.

A movie that must have seen! Old but gold!

Jeanne D'Arc

Written and directed by: Luc Besson

The year of release: 1999

Country: France

Runtime: 160 min.

The film Jeanne d'Arc, also known as The Messenger, The Story of Joan of Arc, is a typical history, war, and drama movie including as well as some typical Luc Besson features. Jeanne who is represented by Milla Jojovich in the movie, has born and grown up a little town in France: Domremy. The time when Jeannne was born was hard. The Hundred Year Wars were lasting between England and France. Jeanne has grown up a religious Catholic girl. One day in her early adolescence she had her first vision. She spoke to the God and found a sword in the field. Her task was simple: To end the war and survive France! As she was returning home, her village had been raided. Her sister, who was a priestess, hid her to protect her and she herself was aggressieded and killed. Little Jeanne having witnessed all those horrible things with her eyes, swore to survive France. Yet she had to find the Dauphin. Having heard her glory as a witch, the king sat up a little puzzle for Jeanne. The actual Dauphin(John Malkovich) pretended to be just a constant men of the pretended Dauphin, who was his brother in real. However, Jeanne solved the puzzle and found the real Dauphin. She had to face a lot of problems from make the royal family believe her to gather some really constant men. She lost many men in the war, her men betrayed her, once she seriously got injured that she hardly pulled through, and so on. She was taken as prisoner by English at last, impaled, and fired at the age of 19.

This permanent stuffed visual show includes many famous artists: Milla Jojovich, Dustin Hoffman, John Malkovich, Faye Dunaway, Vincent Cassel... With tragic scenes, successful visual effects, beautiful music, influential construct, and lovely cinematography this successful movie is aspired to be a classic Besson movie. Cinema lovers who are interested in history, as well as wish to see a successful drama, shouldn't miss that film.

The movie Jeanne d'Arc has nominated 10 awards and won 5:Cesar Award in The Best Costume Design and Best Sound categories, Lumiere Award in the Best Director and Best Film categories, and the Golden Reel Award in the Best Sound Editing category.

Le Grand Bleu

Written and directed by: Luc Besson
Year of release: 1988
Country: France
Runtime: 132 min.(original)

An amazing, breathtaking romance, an alltime classic, the story of an incredible passion and pure love.

Jacques(Jean Marc Barr) and Enzo(Jean Reno) have known each other for a long time. Since they both used to grown up a near sea village by Mediterrennian, they had interest in diving. When Jacques was a child one day he witnessed his father's death who was an unfortunate fischerman drowned in the sea. Feeling sorry for his dad, Jacques decided to become a diver hoping to find his father's corpse. Both Enzo and Jacques grown up and became worlwide famous divers. Nobody else could broke up their records, and this brought them together after all those long years. Jacques had a special talent that no normal person has; he could slow down his breathe and swim for long hours like dolphins without needing to take a breathe. Thus, he knew that he was different than his friend Enzo and could break up any records.
As Jacques was diving for some scientific projects he met Johanna. At first he loves Johanna as a lover, but then the friendship of dolphins and the passion of the sea overcomes to this love. Dolphins were Jacques' family and the sea was his home.

This emotional film ends with the scene with Johanna's farewell to Jacques sending him to the deep blue sea. The musics of the film by Eric Serra won 2 awards (Cesar) including best music and best sound. In 1989 Luc Besson also won the Academy Award of France when the film has nominated 6 other awards.

A breattaking romance. Absoulutely a cult film!

Leon

Written and directed by: Luc Besson
The year of release: 1994
Country: France
Runtime: 136 min.(uncut version)

Also known as "The Professional", Leon is one of the most significant Luc Besson films! It handles the relation between an even-tempered professional killer and a little girl named Mathilda(Natalie Portman). Mathilda is a little girl who lives with his father, step mother and step sisters. Her father is owning a drug-store. She dislikes her family so much that she keeps herself away from home as much as possible. Her life changes forever when she leaves home to go to the grocery store. When she has been away, the mafia raids their house and kills her whole family because of a drug problem. The godfather Stansfield(Gary Oldman) becomes Mathilda's top enemy after that moment and she swears an oath to kill him one day. The fabulous relationship between her and Leon(Jean Reno) begins with the scene when Leon opens Mathilda his door when the mafia were looking for her as if she was coming to him. Neither Leon nor Mathilda can return their previous lives again after that moment and everything changes.

This film, like all other Luc Besson films, influences the audiece and captures with its emotional and smartley arranged scenes. THe film has nominated for 2 awards and won 2 awards(Czech Lion and Golden Reel Award(as the best motion sound)). The famous song of Sting "Shape of my Heart" appears in the very last scene. People who are looking for emotional scenery besides action shouldn't miss that film. Highly recommended.