Directed by: LucBesson

Certificate: 12A

Running time: 107minsRelease date: 22April2011

Synopsis:The year is 1912.AdèleBlanc-Sec, an intrepid young reporter,will go toany lengthstoachieveheraims,evensailingtoEgypttotacklemummiesofallshapesandsizes.Meanwhile,inParis,it’spanicstations!A136million-year-oldpterodactyleggonashelfintheNaturalHistoryMuseumhasmysteriouslyhatched,andthebirdsubjectsthecitytoareignofterrorfromtheskies.ButnothingfazesAdèleBlanc-Sec,whoseadventuresrevealmanymoreextraordinarysurprises…

These Study Notes are intended for use in Film and Media Studies or related subjects at GCSE and AS/A2 or equivalent.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec

Study Notes

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Before ViewingLucBessonthedirectorofAdèle Blanc-Sec,isassociatedwiththeideaof‘CinemaduLook’.

z Conductsomeonline research into the ‘CinemaduLook’.Whatdefinitionsofthiscanyoufind?z Whatcriticismshavetherebeenofthiskindoffilmmaking?

Searchforimagesof‘TardiAdèleBlanc-Sec’ontheinternet.Youshouldfindsomeimagesfromthe1970sgraphicnovelbyTardionwhichthefilmisbased.

z Whydoyou thinkgraphicnovelsare suchapopular sourceof inspiration forfilmmakers?z Whatsortofideasdotheimagesfromthegraphicnovelconjureupforyouintermsof:

-Musicandsoundtrackforthefilm-Casting–whoshouldplayAdèleandwhatqualitieswouldbecrucialinrealisinghercharacter?

After ViewingDoes Meaning Matter?AnumberofcriticshavesuggestedthatwhileAdèleBlanc-Secis‘agorgeousfolly’and‘atastytrifle’,itis‘altogetherwithoutpoint’¹.

z Towhatextentdoyouthinkthatthesecriticismsarelegitimate?z Doesafilmneedtobe‘about’something?

A Cinema of SpectacleBessonhassaidthattheglobalfinancialcrisiscastashadowoverthemakingofthefilm,yetarguedthatfilmmakingisonemeansofescapefromthis,saying:‘I can’t do anything about the crisis, but I can at least make you smile for a couple of hours, and give you a little happiness’².

z Towhatextentdoyouagreethatfilmshouldofferescapism?z Doyouhaveanysympathywiththeideathatfilmshouldbesociallyresponsibleandtrytomakesenseoftheworldratherthanprovideameansofescape?

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©Film Education July 2011. Film Education is not responsible for the content of external websites.

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Considerthesortsoffilmsyouenjoy.

z Howimportantisasenseofspectacle(ratherthannarrative)inthesefilms?z DoyouthinkanemphasisonspectaclemeansthatfilmshavelesssubstanceandlikeAdèleareessentially‘daftbutcharming’³?

Adèle Blanc-Sec - A Postmodern Film?

Adèle Blanc-Sec‘semphasisonstyleoversubstanceanditsemphasisonvisualpleasureover meaning are characteristics commonly associated with ‘postmodern’ cinema.Postmodernism,amongstotherthings,isassociatedwithideasofself-reflexivenessandintertextuality(looktheseconceptsupifyou’venotcomeacrossthembefore).

ItcouldbearguedthatAdèle Blanc-Secisself-reflexiveinthatitactuallydrawsattentionto its own process of construction – for example, the pterodactyl in the film looks‘constructed’ratherthanconvincinglyrealistic.

z Doyoufeelthatthedirectordoesnotreallymindus‘seeingthejoins’?z Towhatextentdoespartofthefilm’s‘daft’charmcomefromthefactthatwearealltooawarethatsomeoftheeffectsarealittleclunky?

Similarly,thinkbacktotheearlyscenessetinEgypt.

z Towhatextentdothesescenesattempt topresenta realisticviewofancientEgyptiantreasuresbeingexaminedin1912?Doesitfeellikethetreasuresarereallyancient?Doesitfeellike1912?z InwhatwaysdoyouthinkthissequencerefersmoretootherfilmrepresentationsofEgypt(notablyIndiana Jones)ratherthantoEgyptitself?

Besson and Women

Bessoniswellknownforhisempoweredandpowerfulrolesforwomen,mostnotablyinNikita(1990).HehasdescribedAdèleas‘the grandmother of Lara Croft and the mother of Indiana Jones’⁴thatindicatesafurtherdegreeofintertextuality.

z Whatqualitiesdoessheappeartohavecomparedtothemeninthefilm?z InwhatwaysdoyouthinkthecomparisonswithIndiana JonesandTomb Raiderarevalid?

Thefilmhasa12ACertificateandistargetedatafamilyaudience.Thefactthatitcontainsanapparentlyneedlesssceneinwhichthestar,LouiseBourgointakesabathhasmetwithsomecriticaldisapproval.

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z TowhatextentdoyouthinkthatthisscenecompromisestheenlightenedrepresentationofAdèleintherestofthefilm?

z Doesthesceneaddanythingtothefilmasawhole?

What next?Thefilm’sending,featuringtheTitanic,seemstobesomethingofacodainthatitistaggedontothefilmratherthanbeingintegraltothefilm’snarrative.Ithasbeensuggestedthatthisisdesigned(perhapsmockingly,perhapsseriously)topavethewayforasequel.

z BasedonyourunderstandingofAdèle’scharacterandthestyleofthefilm,writeabriefsynopsisforasequel.z Trytostoryboardsomesequencesforasequel.

1. The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec: ‘A gorgeous folly’ – video – available athttp://www.guardian.co.uk/film/video/2011/apr/22/extraordinary-adventures-adele-blanc-sec

2. Interview with Luc Besson: The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, Leon, Taken 2, and more available athttp://www.denofgeek.com/movies/850837/luc_besson_interview_the_extraordinary_adventures_of_adle_blancsec_leon_taken_2_and_more.html

3. Anthony Quinn on The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, available at http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-extraordinary-ad-ventures-of-adele-blancsec-12a-2270996.html

4. Luc Besson interview available atwww.littlewhitelies.co.uk/interviews/luc-besson-14914

Written by Adam Robbins