On April 15, 2019, viewers watched live as a fire destroyed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The firefighters stationed at the scene of the tragedy only needed boundless courage to prevent the building from being completely destroyed. But the damage caused by the fire and the intervention of firefighters are still significant.
A few months after the tragedy, in December 2019, the producer Jérôme Seydoux contacted the director Jean-Jacques Anna to propose a documentary film project that would depict the main stages of the drama. By looking at the elements available to him, he discovers all the elements that make a blockbuster film a success:
What I found there was incredible. A fascinating cascade of failures, obstacles, dysfunctions. Totally unbelievable, but true. In addition, all the components of a fictional scenario: in the title, an international star, Notre Dame de Paris.
Obviously unable to shoot his film within the confines of Notre-Dame, Jean-Jacques Annan chose the Cathedral of Saint-Étienne in Bourges, whose structure is reminiscent of Notre-Dame. Thus, the similarity between the two cathedrals made it possible to maintain the illusion necessary for the credibility of the film.
Success in cinema is not expected
Footage was also shot around Notre-Dame de Amiens and Saint-Étienne-des-Seins. As for the fire scenes, they were filmed entirely at the Cité du Cinéma studios in Saint-Denis in the Paris region.
“We built it identically. We lit our kit with hundreds of nozzles.”details the filmmaker in the film’s press kit. We built in the studio in 1 scale, the bulk of the nave, the spiral staircase, the external passages and the frame of the north transept and the interior of the colossal belfry of the last scene.
Filmed on a budget of 25 million euros (including 5 million dedicated to the construction of the sets), it unfortunately did not achieve the expected success when it was released in cinemas on March 22, 2022. Despite the emotion caused by the fire. Jean-Jacques Anne’s feature film Notre Dame drew just 794,000 theatergoers.
The press was not particularly fond of the film (3.5 stars out of 5 out of 32 reviews recorded by AlloCiné), while audiences were hardly less harsh (3.8 out of 5). Notre Dame still won a César for Best Visual Effects in 2023 (its one and only nomination).
Notre-Dame Brûle, the fascinating and gripping story of the famous cathedral fire, will leave the Prime Video catalog on January 17.
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Source: Allocine

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.