The story is well known. The premiere took place in Cannes in 1997. The fifth Element Luc Besson was a hit. The director, already known for his excesses and satirical sense of humor, brought a sense of absurdity to the festival. So the first projection held in the middle of an extravagant party. And one that, even by sophisticated Cannes standards, was expensive, with its million-dollar budget. During the screening of the film, a fashion show was organized for Jean-Paul Gaultier, the costume designer for the film. There were also fireworks at the end.
But beyond the artificiality, the film was dazzling. Then the best European film ever made, it immediately became a phenomenon. Besson, who worked in the production for seven years, created a festival of color and meaning of the absurd which is still fascinating. Not only did he bring together the great Hollywood stars, he did it with a new take on science fiction. It also turned the film into a collection of quirky and complex characters.
From Milla Jovovich’s “Multipass Leeloo” to witty, unclassifiable villain Gary Oldman. The film supported the idea of a space opera, but at the same time a theatrical production that surprised critics and the public. It was not a love story – although it was – and not a story of transcendent heroes – although there were several of them. For Besson, who spent decades planning every moment of the film’s production, The fifth Element it was a provocation.
Created, conceived and stylized to tell a beautiful take on good and evil. But at the same time, a journey through the best examples of the genre. With the same desire The fifth Element He even had the opportunity to star in one of Hollywood’s action icons. Bruce Willis, parodying himself and surrounded by extravagant surroundings, was the culmination of a visual experiment. And after an iconic work aged with a freshness that is still appealing.
all the stories in the universe
Upon its official release, the film grossed $260 million at the box office, making it one of the highest-grossing films of 1997. This achievement surprised critics in many ways. The fifth Element it was neither intellectual work nor pure entertainment. It was somewhere between two things and it put her in the midst of a debate of pure surprise. It was wild, extravagant and carefree. But it also had an existential undertone to a story about a world that was about to be destroyed and that needed to be saved. And what hero was assigned to such a mission? A primal being dressed in a white lace suit with orange hair and natural charm.
Milla Jovovich has brought to cinema what will be the first of her long list of strong and extraordinary women. But Liilu Multipass, a being created to carry the fate of the universe on his shoulders, it was incomprehensible. Or at least for North American audiences accustomed to female objects or menacing heroines like Ellen Ripley or Sarah Connor. Leeluu was something in between and even more. Jovovich created a fragile, vital and strong character. The one who, although he was supposed to save the universe from destruction, but also had to be saved. About myself?
Luc Besson showed the story that he also wrote and that he first came up with at the age of 16, was more than a brilliant combination of ideas. It was a well-constructed sci-fi concept coupled with a sense of sensibility incomprehensible to producers and studios. It took the traditional Gaumont studio seven years to piece together the monumental project. He took the cost and the risk. In addition, the rarity condition of the film, covering a certain air of experiment, which can very easily fail.
Actually, The fifth Element it was just a summary bigger idea when Gaumont began work on its production. The script was created by a team of creatives, Besson’s requirements between calculations. And his line of proposals was very long. The director wanted Hollywood stars, but he needed the film to have a “strong European identity”. And all with a very American action star at the helm. Is it possible to achieve something similar? It took another four years before the script finally landed in the director’s hands.
Meanwhile, Besson was filming La Femme Nikita in 1990 and Leon: professional 1994. With his fame anchored in successful productions, the rest was to begin filming his apotheosis of absurdity, extravagant beauty and weirdness. “the fifth Elementor there was nothing I could do but succeed,” Besson said at Cannes to the applause of the public.
The rest is the galactic history of The Fifth Element.
The fifth Element it became an immediate success. And it was a coincidence. On the one hand, with crime novel Quentin Tarantino in tow and Glass jungle as a cover letterBruce Willis was a huge star in Hollywood. But also one that had fun. And that’s exactly what he did as Korben Dallas, a futuristic taxi driver determined to do his job and save the universe.
Even weirder was the villain Zorg, played by Gary Oldman. The English actor, who had previously worked with Besson, wore Gautier clothes and experienced irrational outbursts of anger. And all this under the guise of an evil type “monstrous, but beautiful,” as the director later commented. Finally, actors Ian Holm and Chris Tucker joined the cast. With his eclectic cast of characters, Besson began his journey “to an epic that will surprise.”
And he did. With baroque staging, colorful cinematography and a sometimes unpredictable screenplay, Besson made a film that went down in history. Science fiction has become something alive, poignant and organic. As well as, brilliant and funny argument that captivated the public. A great film that was born as the idea of a teenager who dreamed of a blue-eyed heroine came to the cinema and stunned. Twenty-five years later, this is still the case.
Source: Hiper Textual
