Eye For Film >> Movies >> Les Chansons D'Amour (2007) DVD Review
No razzle dazzle, no pizzazz, no electronic press kit stylings – the main extra here is an extended interview (32 minutes) with Christophe Honoré, writer/director of Les Chansons d'Amour, plainly shot (and shot plainly) in Artificial Eye's offices. Even the interviewer's questions have been edited out, leaving just Honoré himself under the fixed glare of a single camera (and the occasional scene from the film intercut to underscore his points).
This may be as lo-fi as an extra can be – and no, the interviewee does not at any point burst into song – but who needs hype and fireworks when the interlocutor is as engaging and articulate as this? For Honoré has plenty of interest to say about the genesis and personal nature of his film, his approach to writing screenplays, his long-time friendship with composer Alex Beaupain, his unusual relationship (which he terms a "marriage") with his regular leading man Louis Garrel, the challenge of naturalising songs into a film of unusual psychological complexity, and the current, troubled state of French cinema.
Also included is the original theatrical trailer for Les Chansons d'Amour, selected filmographies for Honoré, Garrel and Ludivine Sagnier, and a trailer reel of other Artificial Eye titles.
Reviewed on: 20 Apr 2008