Alps (film)
Encyclopedia
Alps is a 2011 Greek drama film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
. It stars Aggeliki Papoulia and Ariane Labed
, and was co-written by Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou. It premiered in competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival
where it won Osella for Best Screenplay
.
and Efthymis Filippou developed the premise for the film out of the idea of people who allege something which is fabricated, for example via prank calls or by announcing their own deaths. The story took form as they needed a setting which could work well cinematically. Lanthimos considers it the complete opposite of his previous film, Dogtooth
, which he says "is the story of a person who tries to escape a fictitious world. Alps is about a person who tries to enter a fabricated world."
The film was produced by the Greek company Chaos(Χάος) Film, which previously had produced Lanthimos' 2005 film Kinetta. The budget included funding from the Greek Film Center. Filming started in October 2010. Some scenes were added on the set and parts of the dialogue were improvised by the actors.
. Lee Marshall of Screen Daily
started by comparing Alps to the director's last film. He called it "a sort of Dogtooth 2", and wrote that "the cultured urban audiences turned on by the sheer kookiness of that film may feel a slight sense of dejà vu here." On the film in its own right, Marshall wrote: "Hollywood might have fashioned a weepie or a thriller out of the same material - and there are echoes here of some of Hitchcock
's fascination with surrogates, from the Roger Thornhill/George Kaplan of North by Northwest
to the Madeleine/Carlotta of Vertigo
. But Alps is so intriguing because of what it refuses to explain. ... It's also a film which manages to juggle absurdist comedy with bleak tragedy, a yearning desire for human warmth with outbreaks of sudden violence, all the while maintaining an impressive control of tone."
Yorgos Lanthimos
Yorgos Lanthimos is a Greek filmmaker and theatre director.Yorgos Lanthimos was born in Athens. He studied directing for Film and Television at the Stavrakos Film School in Athens. Through the 90’s he directed a series of videos for Greek dance-theater companies...
. It stars Aggeliki Papoulia and Ariane Labed
Ariane Labed
Ariane Labed is a French actress.She has played in Attenberg and was awarded the Coppa Volpi for the Best Actress at the 67th Venice International Film Festival.-Biography:...
, and was co-written by Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou. It premiered in competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival
68th Venice International Film Festival
The 68th annual Venice Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, took place from 31 August to 10 September 2011. American film director Darren Aronofsky was announced as the Head of the Jury. American actor and film director Al Pacino was presented with the Glory to the Film-maker award on 4 September,...
where it won Osella for Best Screenplay
Golden Osella
The Golden Osella is the name of several awards given at the Venice Film Festival. They are awarded irregularly and in various categories such as directing, screenwriting, cinematography and 'technical contributions'.-Best Director:...
.
Production
Yorgos LanthimosYorgos Lanthimos
Yorgos Lanthimos is a Greek filmmaker and theatre director.Yorgos Lanthimos was born in Athens. He studied directing for Film and Television at the Stavrakos Film School in Athens. Through the 90’s he directed a series of videos for Greek dance-theater companies...
and Efthymis Filippou developed the premise for the film out of the idea of people who allege something which is fabricated, for example via prank calls or by announcing their own deaths. The story took form as they needed a setting which could work well cinematically. Lanthimos considers it the complete opposite of his previous film, Dogtooth
Dogtooth (film)
Dogtooth is a 2009 film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos about a husband and wife who keep their children imprisoned on their property into adulthood. The Greek drama stars Christos Stergioglou, Michelle Valley, Aggeliki Papoulia, Mary Tsoni and Christos Passalis. Dogtooth is Lanthimos' second feature...
, which he says "is the story of a person who tries to escape a fictitious world. Alps is about a person who tries to enter a fabricated world."
The film was produced by the Greek company Chaos(Χάος) Film, which previously had produced Lanthimos' 2005 film Kinetta. The budget included funding from the Greek Film Center. Filming started in October 2010. Some scenes were added on the set and parts of the dialogue were improvised by the actors.
Reception
The film premiered on 3 September 2011 in competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival68th Venice International Film Festival
The 68th annual Venice Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, took place from 31 August to 10 September 2011. American film director Darren Aronofsky was announced as the Head of the Jury. American actor and film director Al Pacino was presented with the Glory to the Film-maker award on 4 September,...
. Lee Marshall of Screen Daily
Screen International
Screen International is a multimedia film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by EMAP, a British b2b media company.The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global movie business...
started by comparing Alps to the director's last film. He called it "a sort of Dogtooth 2", and wrote that "the cultured urban audiences turned on by the sheer kookiness of that film may feel a slight sense of dejà vu here." On the film in its own right, Marshall wrote: "Hollywood might have fashioned a weepie or a thriller out of the same material - and there are echoes here of some of Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's fascination with surrogates, from the Roger Thornhill/George Kaplan of North by Northwest
North by Northwest
North by Northwest is a 1959 American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau...
to the Madeleine/Carlotta of Vertigo
Vertigo (film)
Vertigo is a 1958 psychological thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart, Kim Novak, and Barbara Bel Geddes. The screenplay was written by Alec Coppel and Samuel A...
. But Alps is so intriguing because of what it refuses to explain. ... It's also a film which manages to juggle absurdist comedy with bleak tragedy, a yearning desire for human warmth with outbreaks of sudden violence, all the while maintaining an impressive control of tone."