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Renaissance (film)
Encyclopedia
Renaissance is a 2006 French black-and-white
animated science fiction
film by French director Christian Volckman
. It was co-produced in France
, United Kingdom
and Luxembourg
and released on 15 March 2006 in France and 28 July 2006 in the UK by Miramax Films
. Renaissance features a rare visual style in which almost all images are exclusively black and white, with only occasional colour used for detail.
Jonas Muller had been working to cure progeria
, which his brother was suffering from. Muller worked for Avalon as their top scientist but left after he failed to cure his brother. He took up new work at a free clinic. After Karas probes Jonas he finds that "No one ever leaves Avalon", throwing the corporation under suspicion. Karas leaves to visit one of Avalon's CEOs and questions him about Ilona's disappearance, suggesting that he may have been sleeping with her, to which the CEO replies "I sleep with my wife, I sleep with my secretary, I even sleep with my sister-in-law but I would never sleep with one of my researchers".
After following a series of dead leads, Karas finds Illona's car travelling on the road. He captures the driver, one of the CEO's bodyguards, and turns him over to Farfallah, an Islamic mobster. In return, Karas receives footage of Illona's car initially being stolen by an incredibly old man. Karas turns to Ilona's sister, Bislane. He asks her to break into the Avalon archives as she is currently employed there, and Bislane discovers that a Dr. Nakata worked with Muller and that their quest to find a cure failed when some of the children they were testing on started to mutate, causing them to destroy all evidence of their work.
Once they escape from Avalon security, Karas opens up to Bislane and tells her that he and Fafallah were raised on the streets and seemed to work with gangs. After a mission went wrong they ended up in a prison cell with Farfallah escaping leaving Karas to the mercy of the other gang members. Karas then puts Bislane under false arrest to protect her from Avalon. As this occurs, Ilona is shown confined in a cyber ball, with the old man controlling what she sees.
Dr. Muller tells Karas that Ilona found the secret to eternal life and he couldn't let Avalon have it, revealing why he kidnapped her. Muller is mistakenly shot by the police when Karas confronts him. It is revealed that the old man is Jonas's younger brother, trapped in an old man's body. Karas is eventually shot after he rescues Ilona; when he wakes up it is clear that she has gone mad and refuses to take the fake passport to start a new life, wanting to live forever. Karas is then forced to shoot her with the CEO watching on CCTV cameras.
As Karas is mortally injured from his gunshot wound, he imagines himself apologizing to Bislane for killing her sister, for which she forgives him. It then cuts to Jonas's little brother now living as a tramp, throwing his picture of him and his brother together in a burning bin. The last scene shows an advert for Avalon with an old woman becoming young again saying, "With Avalon, I know I'm beautiful and I'm going to stay that way."
and computer graphics to create the film's unique look. The cast performed their scenes in motion-capture suits in front of a blue screen
. Computer animators translated these animations to digital models used for the characters. The animated characters were placed in three-dimensional computer backdrops, with post-process effects added to achieve the film's final look.
French automaker Citroën
designed a car specially for the film, imagining what a Citroën might look like in 2054. Volckman initially wanted Karas to drive a Citroën DS
and approached the company for permission to use it in the film. Citroën suggested the filmmakers work with their designers to design a new car. The final design was produced after three months.
The film cost €
14 million to make over six years. It was funded by Disney with US$3 million provided from Miramax.
reported that 47% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 73 reviews. Metacritic
reported the film had an average score of 57 out of 100, based on 17 reviews.
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
animated science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film by French director Christian Volckman
Christian Volckman
Christian Volckman , a graduate of Ecole Supérieure d'Arts Graphiques in Paris, is a French painter, graphic designer, photographer, author and producer....
. It was co-produced in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
and released on 15 March 2006 in France and 28 July 2006 in the UK by Miramax Films
Miramax Films
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
. Renaissance features a rare visual style in which almost all images are exclusively black and white, with only occasional colour used for detail.
Plot
The film opens with scenes establishing the kidnapping of scientist Ilona Tastuiev, who works for the megacorporation Avalon. The focus transitions to Barthélémy Karas, a policeman, as he defuses a hostage situation by killing the hostage-takers. Karas is soon after charged with solving the mystery of the disappearance of Ilona. Karas begins by contacting Jonas Muller, a former Avalon scientist familiar with Ilona.Jonas Muller had been working to cure progeria
Progeria
Progeria is an extremely rare genetic condition wherein symptoms resembling aspects of aging are manifested at an early age. The word progeria comes from the Greek words "pro" , meaning "before", and "géras" , meaning "old age"...
, which his brother was suffering from. Muller worked for Avalon as their top scientist but left after he failed to cure his brother. He took up new work at a free clinic. After Karas probes Jonas he finds that "No one ever leaves Avalon", throwing the corporation under suspicion. Karas leaves to visit one of Avalon's CEOs and questions him about Ilona's disappearance, suggesting that he may have been sleeping with her, to which the CEO replies "I sleep with my wife, I sleep with my secretary, I even sleep with my sister-in-law but I would never sleep with one of my researchers".
After following a series of dead leads, Karas finds Illona's car travelling on the road. He captures the driver, one of the CEO's bodyguards, and turns him over to Farfallah, an Islamic mobster. In return, Karas receives footage of Illona's car initially being stolen by an incredibly old man. Karas turns to Ilona's sister, Bislane. He asks her to break into the Avalon archives as she is currently employed there, and Bislane discovers that a Dr. Nakata worked with Muller and that their quest to find a cure failed when some of the children they were testing on started to mutate, causing them to destroy all evidence of their work.
Once they escape from Avalon security, Karas opens up to Bislane and tells her that he and Fafallah were raised on the streets and seemed to work with gangs. After a mission went wrong they ended up in a prison cell with Farfallah escaping leaving Karas to the mercy of the other gang members. Karas then puts Bislane under false arrest to protect her from Avalon. As this occurs, Ilona is shown confined in a cyber ball, with the old man controlling what she sees.
Dr. Muller tells Karas that Ilona found the secret to eternal life and he couldn't let Avalon have it, revealing why he kidnapped her. Muller is mistakenly shot by the police when Karas confronts him. It is revealed that the old man is Jonas's younger brother, trapped in an old man's body. Karas is eventually shot after he rescues Ilona; when he wakes up it is clear that she has gone mad and refuses to take the fake passport to start a new life, wanting to live forever. Karas is then forced to shoot her with the CEO watching on CCTV cameras.
As Karas is mortally injured from his gunshot wound, he imagines himself apologizing to Bislane for killing her sister, for which she forgives him. It then cuts to Jonas's little brother now living as a tramp, throwing his picture of him and his brother together in a burning bin. The last scene shows an advert for Avalon with an old woman becoming young again saying, "With Avalon, I know I'm beautiful and I'm going to stay that way."
French cast
- Patrick Floersheim as Barthélémy Karas
- Laura Blanc as Bislane Tasuiev
- Virginie Mery as Ilona Tasuiev
- Gabriel Le Doze as Paul Dellenbach
- Marc Cassot as Jonas Muller
- Rick WardenRick WardenRichard George Warden is an English television and movie actor.Warden studied at Dr Challoner's Grammar School and received a B.A. Honours in History at Churchill College, Cambridge, 1994. He married actress Lucy Barker on 1 May 2004.He is probably best known for his appearances in the HBO...
as Amiel - Bruno Choel as Pierre Amiel
- Kevork MalikyanKevork MalikyanKevork Malikyan is an English character actor of Armenian descent, perhaps best known for his role as Kazim in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade....
as Nusrat Farfella - Marc Alfos as Nustra Farfella
- Chris Bearne as Multiple
- Lachele Carl as Nora
- Radica Jovicic as Woman Hostage
- Breffni McKenna as Dmitri
English cast
- Daniel CraigDaniel CraigDaniel Wroughton Craig is an English actor. His early film roles include Elizabeth, The Power of One, A Kid in King Arthur's Court and the television episodes Sharpe's Eagle, Zorro and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Daredevils of the Desert...
as Barthélémy Karas - Catherine McCormackCatherine McCormackCatherine McCormack is an English actress, known for her stage acting as well as her screen performances in films such as Braveheart, Spy Game and Dangerous Beauty.- Early life :...
as Bislane Tasuiev - Romola GaraiRomola GaraiRomola Sadie Garai is an English actress. She is known for appearing in the movies Amazing Grace, Atonement, and Glorious 39, and for appearing in the BBC adaptation of Emma.-Early life:...
as Ilona Tasuiev - Jonathan PryceJonathan PryceJonathan Pryce, CBE is a Welsh stage and film actor and singer. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and meeting his longtime partner English actress Kate Fahy in 1974, he began his career as a stage actor in the 1970s...
as Paul Dellenbach - Jerome Causse as Amiel & Dmitri
- Ian HolmIan HolmSir Ian Holm, CBE is an English actor known for his stage work and for many film roles. He received the 1967 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in The Homecoming and the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of King Lear...
as Jonas Muller - Pax Baldwin as Farfella
- Wayne Forrester as Administrator
- Julian Nest as Parisien
- Sean PertweeSean PertweeSean Pertwee is an English actor known for his television, film and voice-over work.-Career:In the early 80s, he auditioned for a place at the Surrey County Youth Theatre where he was cast as Captain Fitzpatrick in the play Tom Jones, based on the novel by Henry Fielding...
as Montoya - Jessica Reavis as Multiple
- Nina SosanyaNina SosanyaNina Sosanya is an English actress. She was born in London and her father is Nigerian. She trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, gaining A-Levels in Performing Arts....
as Reparez - Leslie Woodhall as Elderly Man
Production
The producers used motion captureMotion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
and computer graphics to create the film's unique look. The cast performed their scenes in motion-capture suits in front of a blue screen
Chroma key
Chroma key compositing is a technique for compositing two images together. A color range in the top layer is made transparent, revealing another image behind. The chroma keying technique is commonly used in video production and post-production...
. Computer animators translated these animations to digital models used for the characters. The animated characters were placed in three-dimensional computer backdrops, with post-process effects added to achieve the film's final look.
French automaker Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
designed a car specially for the film, imagining what a Citroën might look like in 2054. Volckman initially wanted Karas to drive a Citroën DS
Citroën DS
The Citroën DS is an executive car produced by the French manufacturer Citroën between 1955 and 1975. Styled by Italian sculptor and industrial designer Flaminio Bertoni and the French aeronautical engineer André Lefèbvre, the DS was known for its aerodynamic futuristic body design and innovative...
and approached the company for permission to use it in the film. Citroën suggested the filmmakers work with their designers to design a new car. The final design was produced after three months.
The film cost €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
14 million to make over six years. It was funded by Disney with US$3 million provided from Miramax.
Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics. The review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 47% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 73 reviews. Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
reported the film had an average score of 57 out of 100, based on 17 reviews.
Box office
The film grossed a total of $1,831,348 worldwide — $70,644 in North America and $1,760,704 in other territories — including $1,520,587 in Algeria, France, Monaco, Morocco and Tunisia.See also
- List of animated feature-length films
- List of post-1960s films in black-and-white