The mythical Jean-Jacques Annaud directs this recreation of the disastrous fire suffered by the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris in April 2019.
The operation is similar to the one perpetrated by Oliver Stone in ‘World Trade Center’ (2006). It is about recruiting a prestigious director to illustrate, with as much emphasis as possible, a recent tragedy in his country; make a big show out of the catastrophe. Annaud isn’t a bad choice: blockbuster and IMAX blood runs through his veins and he’s crafty. His seniority brings an unusual charm that connects, although not exactly, with the disaster-movie predigital.
Orthodoxy also prevails in the narrative section: the first 20 minutes magnificently recreate the ordinary day at Notre Dame, with its rivers of tourists and agitation, until the warning of the fire breaks out (a cigarette butt? a spark? dove?…). The arrival of the firefighters is chaotic, it shows that they are ‘Macronian’ and not ‘Bushian’. Although they are granted heroism in the final stretch, here the eulogy and sentimentality are banished of Stone’s film, perhaps thanks to co-writer Thomas Bidegain, Jacques Audiard’s colleague, who has never been a bootlicker.
For those nostalgic for canonical catastrophism, even if it doesn’t have a multi-star cast.
DATA SHEET
Direction: Jean Jacques Annaud Distribution: Elodie Navarre, Chloé Jouannet, Jesuthasan Antonythasan, Kevin Garnichat Original title: Notre-Dame brule Country: France Year: 2022 Release date: 04-22-2022 Gender: Drama Film script: Jean-Jacques Annaud, Thomas Bidegain Duration: 110 minutes
Synopsis: The film recreates the fire that the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris suffered in April 2019. The virulent fire caused its emblematic spire, built between the 12th and 14th centuries, and the roof of the Gothic cathedral in the French capital to collapse and just an hour after the fire broke out they collapsed.
Source: Fotogramas
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
