05 December,2009 10:09 AM IST | | Bryan Durham
Think French cinema and the first genres that come to mind are brooding dramas that dwell on everything from love and relationships to politics. Most French films (some with stars that have an international presence) have a theatrical release in India and come and go without so much as a by-your-leave.
Show up an hour or two before Vertigo begins and you can pick up free passes to the film on a first come-first serve basis and watch the film before its theatrical release in February, 2010.
The film will be released theatrically in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu with over a 100 prints going out to 20 cities (roughly averaging around 175 cinema halls nationwide) in India.u00a0
The lead actress of Vertigo, Fanny Valette was in town and available for a short chat.
In Vertige, she plays Chloe, a young girl aiming to overcome her fears by going on a trip with her boyfriend and a group of friends. Their trip soon turns perilous and their adventure nightmarish.
Ask her how her trip to India (and Mumbai in particular) has been and she shoots back, "It's my first time here. It's been totally fascinating to see cultures mixing together as one. It's a festival of the senses."
I remind her that France has a thriving multi-ethnic culture too. She chooses to differ, "Not at this point. At least not in this way. France today is divided into groups that don't mix at all."
Valette's big break came with 2005's La petite Jerusalem (Little Jerusalem) a film she says, "was the first real film that everyone discovered me. It helped me in my career." It not only got her a nomination for Most Promising Actress at theu00a0 Cesar Awards (France's National Awards) but also helped her bag Vertige. She reminisces, "Abel Ferry saw me in 'Jerusalem' and he told me he thought I was perfect (for this role)."
She started acting at the age of eight, and says she was always fascinated by cinema. "I've done 14 films so far. My desire is to embrace all genres. If the right offer comes, why not a Bollywood film?"
She's aware that the film is being marketed as the French Cliffhanger. "I hope it enjoys the same amount of success the original did."
Not many are aware that while Fanny has had simple training in mountain climbing, she also rehearsed with professionals on location in the Alps and the Pyrenees. "I did my own stunts," she says proudly.
The one scene, she says weu00a0u00a0 just can't miss, comes when she fights with a psychopath (the film's villain).
"Chloe initiates the fight. It's a strong scene that hits you hard. People clap for that scene anywhere in the world."
It's all in the figures
Vertige, made at a production budget of about $2 million (roughly Rs 9.3 crore) did reasonably well in France for a film belonging to the horror/ adventure thriller, with 175,000 admissions (read: ticket sales) at around five euros a ticket earning the film an amount equivalent to Rs 1.22 crore at the French B-O.
It was a huge success in South Korea with 250,000 admissionsu00a0 (at 5000-7000 won a ticket) and a B-O turnover of Rs 6.25 crore.
The film had a limited run in the US (only 20 to 30 prints) and did okay business. Sales, admission figures are not known.
It also released in Belgium and Turkey.
