runamokprods A sweet, whimsical, slightly absurd French comedy. A young tour guide is spotted as the unknown son of a famous dead New Wave film maker. While he's skeptical at first, he never did know his own father, so who knows? And suddenly a world of artists, actresses, etc. open up to him, as he 'finds' himself in what might be a complete fiction. This garnered critical reaction all over the spectrum, though mostly positive, some raving. I'll go with funny and clever, but I'm not sure I buy it as the deep work of art that some see. Still, I'd be happy to re-visit.

MartinHafer This is an interesting movie because the plot is truly unusual. A young man ("Harvey") supposedly looks a lot like a dead Bohemian named "Gascogne". Well, apparently Gascogne seemed to know all the chic and artsy people of the 60s and 70s and he was sorely missed--so much so that when people hear that this young man is his son. The problem is that it never really is certain whether or not he is Gascogne's son plus a rogue named "Marco" is trying to exploit all this hoopla for financial gain--though Harvey doesn't know about this ulterior motive.Concurrently, there's a plot involving Harvey as he acts as a guide for a traveling group of Georgians (the ex-Soviet type, not the ones from the Southern US). A very pretty young lady (in this group is the object of Harvey's desires and later their relationship blossoms after they meet up with Marco.While the plot is quite unusual and features lots of cameos by French actors, directors and writers, it SHOULD have been a lot better. While it was a diverting little film, it never really drew me in to care about the characters. In particular, this is supposed to be a romance between Harvey and Dinara, but there are serious problems that prevent it from seeming very romantic. First, while Harvey is pursuing Dinara, he has a quickie with two groupies. Second, after he and Dinara consummate their love sexually, she then leaves to go back home and he never follows or does much to try to convince her to stay. What a jerk. What, exactly, is romantic about all this? "Wham, bam, thank you ma'am" (an American expression for meaningless sex without love) isn't what I consider romance!Two final notes: First, director Claude Chabrol is in one segment and there aren't that many opportunities to see him on film. Second, the film has a fair about of nudity and is too explicit for kids--parents beware of this.

eyeseehot The crowd of French stars and directors scattered through this movie makes it that much more fun for those who know them, but the movie goes beyond in jokes and star-spotting. A tour manager hired to shepherd a Georgian male singing group falls slowly and sweetly in love with their accompanying young Russian translator, a fanatic film fan. In a restaurant the men spontaneously sing a beautiful song and another customer joins in. Turns out he's a former (?) film actor. Looking at the guide, he says "Gascogne's son". Gascogne, now dead, turns out to be a nearly mythical figure from the 60s who knew everyone and did everything. The guide has never known his father and is sensitive and angry about it: he both wants and doesn't want to believe. Through this actor he meets another, and through him a whole society of film people who instantly open their doors to the "son of Gascogne." The Russian girl is more entranced with the stars than the boy, but both retain an innocence that flowers amid the strange and sometimes dangerous film world crossed with the musical tour. A chase after Gascogne's long lost final film (perhaps hidden in the boy's attic?) gives the movie a nice little thread of plot, tied to the old actor (now a chauffeur) trying with some charm to turn the lost film into cash. The mystery of Gascogne, as father and film maker, and the travails of the would-be lovers thrust into a glamorous, fast-traveling society, provide a dual focus, mixing memory and desire with odd and intriguing story, characters and atmosphere. Nostalgic, charming and fun.

PolitiCom The question here is why this film has taken so long to find an audience. Produced in 1995 and lightly reviewed in America, it isonly now available in video stores.This movie works wonderfully on two levels: a whimsical caper and love story built around an attempt to pass off a young travel guide as the illegitimate son of a fictional New Wave director; and a feast of cameos and in-jokes involving figures from French cinema in the 60Õs and 70Õs.Comedic elements at play include a touring Georgian singing group, their young Russian escort Dinara trying to understand French idioms by questioning the tour guide, and her love interest, Harvey (ÒWhat is Ônot my thing?Ó), the unscrupulous chauffeur who attempts to pass off Harvey as the illegitimate offspring of the dead director and the search for a copy of his last unseen film.Each introduction of Harvey to various French film legends who play themselves elicits reminiscences of Gascogne by those who worked with or under him. (ÒYou know the 1960Õs? Well he invented them.Ó ) Stephane Audran is particularly delicious portraying a caricature of herself and you donÕt have to be a French cinema buff to appreciate the scene where Harvey is introduced to director Claude Chabrol dining at home alone. New Wave references and film clips abound including a chase sequence inter-cut with shots from GodardÕs ÒBreathless.Ó Thereis even a bonus bit of philosophy thrown in when Harvey listens to the charming Dinara talk about the fall of communism and the changes in Russia and opines, ÒFreedom is managing your soul without too much soul searching.Ó The soul of this film is simply fun and entertaining.