...'Les Triplettes de Belleville', 'The Triplets of Belleville'.
Genre....Animation
Rating....12
Language....French and English
Subtitles....English
Length....72 minutes
If you happen to be someone who finds that subtitles are off putting and spoil a film, then it should be said that ... Read review
An animated comedy set in France during the 1960s this is the story about a boy called ... more
Champion. His grandmother Madame Souza encourages Champion to take part in the Tour de France. Unfortunately Champion is kidnapped by gangsters and so Madame Souz...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
One of the more surprising critical hits of 2003, Sylvain Chomet'sBelleville Rendezvousis ... more
a French animation that combines occasional beauty and charm with sardonic grotesquerie. People have commented about its bitchy portrait of a USA where everyone i...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
One of the more surprising critical hits of 2003, Sylvain Chomet'sBelleville Rendezvousis ... more
a French animation that combines occasional beauty and charm with sardonic grotesquerie. People have commented about its bitchy portrait of a USA where everyone is overweight and over-helpful; it is equally nasty about a provincial France, where everything is grey and nothing is convenient. A grandmother and her dog set out to rescue a cyclist who has been kidnapped by the French Mafia and is forced to race endlessly into a receding projected landscape; she is helped by a superannuated trio of female close-harmonychansonniersmarooned in American poverty.Nothing in this film is mere chance--almost everything we see turns out to be relevant. There is also little dialogue--most of the time, sound effects and music take its place, from the irritating squeak of a mechanic's breathing to the sublimity of Mozart's "Kyrie" as a storm rages at sea.Belleville Rendezvoususes the best of traditional animation techniques and modern technology to produce something sharply funny and beautifully composed; it is not quite like anything you have seen before. --Roz Kaveney
Postage & Packaging:£2.69 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Production Year: 1956 - Comedy - Director: Joshua Logan - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Don Murray, Betty Field, Hope Lange, Eileen Heckart, Arthur O'Connell, Casey Adams, Hans Conried, Robert Bray
Production Year: 1947 - Comedy - Director: Henry Koster - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: James Gleason, Gladys Cooper, Elsa Lanchester, Sara Haden, Regis Toomey, Cary Grant, David Niven, Loretta Young
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Advantages: Unique, inspired animation Disadvantages: some find subtitles annoying but there use here is minimal
...The Plot
''''''''''''''''''''''
Belleville Rendez-vous begins with scenes from the theatre circuit in the 1930s and a varied selection of performers. We soon come to see that an old lady and a little boy are watching this on television.
Champion is a little boy who, having been orphaned, is now living with his grandmother, Madame Souza, in very quiet and humble surroundings. He is naturally very sad and lonely, and his kindly ... ...They follow the ship to Belleville which is a thinly veiled New York where they see Champion being taken away. Penniless and in a strange city of vast proportions, the hope of finding the grandson seems forlorn.
Cutting to the henchman it is now revealed that Champion and two other cyclists have been captured as part of a mafia gambling enterprise. Meanwhile, down on her luck we find the grandmother back at the docks sitting by a fire where ... more
A word of warning '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' This is a review of the film only.
Although watching this on dvd,I cannot find a dvd package that I am confident has the same features as mine, and I do not want to mislead. The film is readily available on dvd as explained further on in this review.
General Information '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Alternative titles....'Les Triplettes de Belleville', 'The Triplets of Belleville'.
Genre....Animation Rating....12 Language....French and English Subtitles....English Length....72 minutes
If you happen to be someone who finds that subtitles are off putting and spoil a film, then it should be said that dialogue is minimal here and therefore so are the subtitles. On my copy the subtitles are actually optional and are not necessary to fully enjoy the film.
Cast ''''''' There are no notable names to list as there is little in the way of dialogue in voice over. The story and the emotions are conveyed through the animated characters.
Written and directed by Sylvain Chomet Soundtrack by Ben Charest
The Plot '''''''''''''''' Belleville Rendez-vous begins with scenes from the theatre circuit in the 1930s and a varied selection of performers. We soon come to see that an old lady and a little boy are watching this on television. Champion is a little boy who, having been orphaned, is now living with his grandmother, Madame Souza, in very quiet and humble surroundings. He is naturally very sad and lonely, and his kindly grandmother is anxious to find something that will make his life a little happier. She buys him a dog, Bruno, but although the dog is a welcome addition to the family, it does not bring Champion out of himself. Realising that she needs to find an alternative means to help Champion get over his loss, Madame Souza finds Champion's scrap book which is filled with pictures of bikes. Buying Champion a tricycle gets the response she is looking for as he is immediately smitten. The story moves on a few years. Their home, once in the country, has now been encroached upon by the modern world in the form of housing, flight paths and the railway. The latter is now the one thing which seems to get the extremely fat Bruno excited - well that and food. Champion, now a yong man, is still in love with cycling and is now out in all weathers training. It has become his life and Madame Souza is ever supportive from mending the spokes on his wheels down to massaging him in a very unique way (!). The viewer realises what all the hard work is for when Champion enters the Tour de France. As Champion competes, Madame Souza follows in a van with the faithful Bruno. However matters take a sinister turn when two mafia-type characters kidnap Champion, whilst Souza has a puncture fixed. When she discovers Champion's cap, she resolves to find him with the help of Bruno. The dog leads her to the docks just in time to see a ship departing. Madame Souza and Bruno follow (in a pedillo) in a memorable sequence. They follow the ship to Belleville which is a thinly veiled New York where they see Champion being taken away. Penniless and in a strange city of vast proportions, the hope of finding the grandson seems forlorn. Cutting to the henchman it is now revealed that Champion and two other cyclists have been captured as part of a mafia gambling enterprise. Meanwhile, down on her luck we find the grandmother back at the docks sitting by a fire where she finds a bicycle wheel and out of habit starts to tap the spokes. This leads to another inspired scenario when, who should pass but three sisters. These ladies, now advanced in years, are the same ones seen performing on TV in their heyday at the start of the film - as the Belleville Triplets. Taking pity on Madame de Souza and Bruno they put the pair up for the night . The Belleville triplets are still performing and invite the grandmother to join their ensemble. During a performance, Madame de Souza is alerted to the presence of the henchmen in the audience. She also discovers a newspaper article on a mass grave of cyclists that has been discovered. Following one of the mafia associates she learns the whereabouts of Champion and the other cyclists, and enlisting the help of the sisters, they get in to the building. The finale sees the four old women and the dog attempting a daring rescue, during which there is fighting, shooting and an inspired car chase. You will have to see the film to determine the outcome for yourself.
Opinion ''''''''''''''''''''' The animation....
The animation of some of the opening sequences looks very dated (deliberately) in what I presume is homage to early cartoons. But when we are shown that these are images on the televsion it is apparent that this is not representative of the animation of the whole film. The animation of the rest of the story is far removed from cgi and modern cartoon. The closest resemblance that I think will help you to get an idea of the style, is the Aristocats. However the artwork here is generally superior. The similarity with the Disney film in question is the occasional lack of polish in the character drawings, but this is not a criticism - it actually is part of the charm. This is a story that is told with some wonderful animation, with backdrops that are dramatic and well-conceived. The pale shades of the palette also give the film an orignal look and feel.
The story....
Although the plot is pretty fundamental, there are so many original touches that you know that you are watching something unique. The humour is observational and intelligent throughout. You are more likely to be smiling at the story than necessarily laughing out loud and clutching your sides, but I would imagine that you WILL be smiling a lot.
The characterisation....
As already mentioned, there is little dialogue and all the character derives from what you see, which to me is one of the strengths. Madame Souza is a wonderful character, who evokes unquestionable sympathy and respect from the viewer. The stars, however, are the incredibly eccentric Belleville sisters who really lift the film. They are extremely amusing to watch. But all the characters in the film are well defined and accutely observed, right down to the waiter serving the mafia henchmen.
The soundtrack....
The music for this film is largely unobtrusive, and consists of stereotypically French accordian, and gentle classical/jazz guitar, brass and violin. There is also some easy rock'n'roll when the radio is being played on screen. The music isn't clumsy like in so many modern animations but executed and placed with skill and thought in a manner that actually strengthens the telling of the story. The soundtrack gives the film its own unique character. Apparently the composer, Ben Charest was involved with writing the score whilst the film was being made and not during post-production, working closely with Chomet - and it shows in the way the film and sound gel.
The most notable musical interludes however centre around the impromptu performances of the Belleville triplets, and these pieces are nothing short of inspired. Additionally the epic style of the classical music which compliments the oceanic crossing is another example where the music actually leaps to the fore. But again this is done in a most appropriate way.
Charest and Chomet have said that the soundtrack would not stand out on cd and they are right, it is definitely an integral part of the telling of the story.
Overall impression....
This is not a film that would appeal to the very young as it is quite gentle and the humour is such that would be appreciated by an adult audience. There is not the outrageous slapstick associated with cartoons. Anyone who likes a quirky story and animation in general will enjoy this film. The drawing is superb and lends the film an original style, whilst its length of just over an hour is just about right. This may seem fairly short for a film but to me it felt that I got a lot of entertainment and quality in that time. If you took out some of the appalling disney tunes of their releases of the last few years, many of their films would be not far off the same time scale. But do not confuse this with a disney, it is not. The only animated film I have seen that impressed me as much in its quality was the acclaimed 'Spirited Away'.
What the experts say....
"Endlessly inventive, stunningly rendered and deliciously dark and twisted" (Uncut)
"Moving, funny, totally cinematic and graced with moments of genius...unique" (Empire)
Availability and Price ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' As I said before, this is a review of the film only because I have not seen my version anywhere since buying it in a closing sale at a local video store. But below are some of the places you can get this excellent little film on dvd.
Amazon....
'Belleville Rendez-Vous' 2003 - dvd by Tartan video 11.97 used and new available from 5 pounds. Also available for rental.
Play.com....
'Belleville Rendez-Vous' - dvd by Tartan video 14.99
(special features making of documentary, making of the music documentary, animation lesson, music video, interview with director and art director, scene specific audio commentary and original theatrical trailer)
HMV online....
'Belleville Rendez-Vous' - dvd by Tartan video 7.99, video 5.99
If you can get this for around 5 to 8 pounds (sorry the pound sign doesn't work on my pc!) then I would say this is a very good buy.. if you are unable to get hold of this for less than a tenner and can rent it, I would do the latter first. I have however enjoyed this film many times over and found the purchase to have been wise.
Advantages: Fresh, funny and fantastic. Disadvantages: It ends.
...feel, all the characters in Belleville Rendez-Vouz have a unique distinctness which really makes them come alive. They are far more charachatured than in, say, Disney's recent movies - it's almost as if each person is a seperate species, with the result that even the background characters ooze personality from every line. And while there is some CG in the film, it's very much underplayed and used to compliment the hand-drawn animation rather than ... ...and "Treasure Planet".
Perhaps because it was largely the work of one man (Sylvain Chomet, who wrote and directed it), it has a very singular style which gives the film an atmosphere unlike anything else I've seen. And, more importantly, it's also very, very funny. From the Triplet's bizarre fishing methods to Bruno's canine nightmares, the film uses its lack of dialog to rattle off one visual joke after another. Most of the time, words would have ...
lostdog 08.06.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Belleville Rendez-Vous (DVD)
Advantages: Freeview Disadvantages: Not in English much
My copy of Belleville Rendez - vous came free with a copy of the Times on Saturday. The cover of the DVD gave away the cartoon style that was about to follow. Written & directed by Sylvian Chomet for predominantly French audiences, it is also known by the name 'The Triplets of Bellville' for English speaking audiences. The film came in DVD format, rated PG parental guidance for children under 12 years old due probably to mild nudity & moderate violence ... ...Atlantic to a seaport called Belleville HQ of the French mafia. Lost in the metropolis they encounter 3 eccentric female music sisters (The Belleville Triplettes) battle with the evil French Mafia. Can they recapture Champion.....?
***CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE***
CAST
Beatrice Bonilassi............................Triplette (voice)
Lina Boudreau................................... '' ''
Marie - Lou Gauthier......................... '' ''
Charles Linton................................... ...
JeffreyB 29.11.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Belleville Rendez-Vous (DVD)
Advantages: quirky, original style animation, funny Disadvantages: very bizzare
...to immunise it from criticism. Belleville de rendez Vous (or Les Triplettes de Belleville) is a French, animated film with almost no dialogue, combining 2D and 3D animation, though creating the impression of traditional sketches. Having said that, there’s nothing traditional about it; In Chomet’s world everything is a monstrous exaggeration, and communication is unnecessary. When a gormless dope of a man is dumped with the aspiration to compete in ... ...witch-like musicians that are the Belleville triplets, who eat nothing but varyingly prepared frogs. A percussive, jazzy soundtrack makes up for the obvious lack of speech, though most characters, whilst ultimately devoid of personality, have silently distinguishing traits, allowing their extraordinary antics to be portrayed – through sheer slapstick wit – with full coherence. The Film is only 78 minutes short, though debatably there is a limit to ...
zak-2 28.03.2004 (23.06.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Belleville Rendez-Vous (DVD)
Advantages: entertaining, original, amazing creative animation Disadvantages: none at all - pure perfection!
This is one of the best animations ever produced! By far the work of very talented and skilled people.
The story line of a man kidnapped during 'le tour de France' in order to cycle for the French mafia in 'Belleville' is a little abstract. However this adds to the beauty of this piece of artwork. The fantastic detailed play on various stereotypes (particularly those of the French and the Americans) is very amusing and pinpointingly detailed. The ... ...allows you to truly feel part of this dreamlike animation. Although barely a word is said in the film, there is no need, as the pure strength of the animation and the great soundtrack are already more than enough for our senses.
I definitely recommend this animation for anyone who enjoys pure original, creative and talented work. ...
chrisd22 26.07.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Belleville Rendez-Vous (DVD)
An animated comedy set in France during the 1960s, this is the story about a boy called Champion. His grandmother, Madame Souza, encourages Champion to take part in the Tour de France. Unfortunately Champion is kidnapped by gangsters and so Madame Souza and a jazz trio called the Triplets Of Belleville set out to rescue him...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
PALISADES TARTAN; FUSION MEDIA SALES
Release date
26/01/2004
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
TVD 3456
Barcode
5023965345622
Languages
Main Language
French
Subtitle Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Scene Selection, Original Theatre Trailer, Making Of Documentary, Interview With Director And Art Director, Animation Lesson, Music Video, Making Of The Music Video, Belleville Theme By M, 3 Scenes With Commentary
Aspect Ratio
1.77 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
DTS 5.1 English French Dolby Digital 5.1 English French
Animated
Animated
Professional reviews
Review
Endlessly inventive, stunnungly rendered and deliciously dark and twisted. (Uncut, )
DVD Description
In this animated French film, a boy named Champion trains relentlessly for the Tour de France, with the help of his loyal grandmother and overweight dog, Bruno (who loves to bark at passing trains). When the big race comes, Champion and a few of his fellow racers are kidnapped by some thugs who spirit them off to Belleville (a surreal impression of 1930s-1950s Manhattan) where they are forced to pedal as part of a clandestine gambling operation. Bruno and grandma set out across the sea in a paddle boat to rescue their boy, but once ashore they soon become lost, hungry and penniless, that is until the frog-eating Triplets of Belleville, former scat singing jazz prodigies turned experimental musicians, come to their rescue. Filled with inspired, twisted imagery, this nearly dialogue-free film is a crowd-pleaser of unusual power, with the strange, measured pacing of a dream, and a great soundtrack of bizarre alternate-reality '30s jazz. It also offers a touching and believable evocation of a dog's life. A great throwback to the time before animation became dominated by CGI effects, BELLEVILLE RENDEZ-VOUS is a very strange, very loving French salute to obsession, affection, and persistence.
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