Walk in the shade : a great first time for Michel Blanc
After achieving a series of successes in front of the camera, notably under the direction of Patrice Leconte, Edouard Molinaro and Jean-Marie Poiré, with or without the Splendid crew, Michel Blanc decided to move into production. And with Walk in the shade (1984) with which he made his first feature film, written together with Patrick Dewolf. In it, she plays one of the two leading roles opposite Gerard Lanvin. Together they play Denis and François, two men who find themselves homeless upon returning to Paris, abandoned by a friend who should have welcomed them. They are forced to beg by playing songs on the guitar. But still struggling, they go to a squat where people of African origin and also musicians live. As they bond and help each other, François falls in love with Mathilde (Sophie Duez), a dancer who has to go to New York. He will therefore do anything to join her.
With Walk in the shadeproposed Michel Blanc a touching dramatic comedy, but also and above all very funny. The actor and director has given himself the role of complainer that suits him so well, with Gérard Lanvin to support him. Two characters at odds, but who nevertheless don’t let each other go. Furthermore, the director avoids any miserability while showing a poor France of the 80s, thanks to the quality of the writing hilarious dialogues – like Denis and his distortions that become infected.
The biggest hit of the year
For the first time as a director, Michel Blanc could hardly have dreamed of anything better. Although everything didn’t go as planned, given that he initially thought of shooting with Bernard Giraudeau and Mathilda May, before having to turn to Gérard Lanvin and Sophie Duez. The latter also obtained this first role thanks to a stroke of luck. But given the success of the film there are no regrets. When it came out, Shadow Walk was a success, over 6 million registrations. An impressive result, especially since this year 1984 there was competition.
In 1984 several classics of American cinema were released, such as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. But Steven Spielberg’s cult film managed to sell only 5.6 million tickets. Michel Blanc also surpassed Miloš Forman and his team Amedeo (4.5 million entries), as well as the Gremlins by Joe Dante (3.5 million entries). And as for French productions, The Morphalus accumulated 3.6 million entries, while Corrupt cops by Claued Zidi stopped at 5.8 million admissions.
Walk in the shade so it was the biggest hit of the year at the French box office. The party could have continued throughout the Ceremony of the 10th Caesar, in 1985. Nominated for the César for best first film and for best female talent for Sophie Duez, the film was not awarded. It is, however The madman’s diagonal by Richard Dembo, winner, and Laure Marsac, awarded the César for Most Promising Woman The pirate.
However, despite the success of Walk in the shadeMichel Blanc had difficulty with this success (seeing “the end of a chapter”) and with whom he spent 10 years making another film Tiredness (1994).
Source: Cine Serie
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