Tagline: A man meets a woman in Paris…
Angel-A movie storyline. A freeze frame shows Andre (Jamel Debbouze), who describes himself via a voice over, stating that he lives in America though is currently in Paris. Andre concludes that he is a good guy, though laments that he is lying all the time, including to himself. When the frame unfreezes, Andre is slapped to the ground, and three thugs demand he pay back the money he owes.
In the next scene, Andre is shown being held over the railing of the Eiffel Tower by a bodyguard of Franck (Gilbert Melki), who also demands Andre repay him owed money. Desperate, Andre pleads his case to both the American embassy and a Paris police station, though neither is able to help him.
Andre decides to kill himself by jumping off a bridge into the Seine, but first he notices a beautiful young woman (Rie Rasmussen) who is also standing over the railing. The woman jumps off the bridge, and Andre jumps in after her, dragging her to safety. The woman states her name is Angela, and that she jumped because she had the same problems as Andre. In order to thank him for saving her, Angela pledges her life to Andre, stating she will do everything she can to help him.
Angel-A, directed by Luc Besson, is a 2005 French fantasy and romantic drama film featuring Jamel Debbouze, Rie Rasmussen, Olivier Claverie, Gilbert Melki, Kate Nauta, Serge Riaboukine, Akim Chir, Venus Boone, Jérôme Guesdon, Solange Milhaud and Michel Chesneau.
Director’s Statement
My first great thrill in making this film was to rediscover Paris. Le Dernier Combat (The Last Battle – 1983) had allowed me to glimpse its flesh and bones. Subway (1985) took me down into its innards. What was left for me to discover was the true, beautiful Paris – the one that enthralls millions of tourists every year and that we Parisians walk past each morning, head down, lost in our own personal paradise. After all these years, I had a burning desire to film the wonders of Paris, which has witnessed, over forty years now, all my sorrows and joys.
The second thrill was being face-to-face with actors again. I hadn’t been behind a camera in six years. I hadn’t really missed it. Shooting The Fifth Element (1998) and Joan of Arc (1999) consecutively, with barely a weekend between them, had tired me out and almost turned me off the whole process.
On Angel-A, from the very first day of rehearsals, the pleasure returned. The pleasure of hearing the lines in somebody else’s mouth. Wrapping the words in a thousand nuances or expressions, blending them infinitely, seeking, grasping, smiling, laughing and often feeling tears well up.
The shoot went like a dream, thanks to an amazing crew, which bonded together as never before, and thanks to two wonderful actors, to whom the book pays tribute. Rie, first of all. She writes, paints, takes photos, directs. Being an actress is, for her, just another string to her bow. In one month, this Danish-American was speaking French and knew her lines backwards. Assiduous, upright and as strong as an oak, she entranced the whole shoot with her smile, good humor, kindness and loyalty.
And Jamel. We already knew each other, though not very well. As soon as you meet him, you sense that the irresistible clown’s mask conceals a true tragedian. Like all great comics, his genius for laughter hides certain wounds. That is what laughter is for, to hide a truth that words weigh down and make unapproachable. The big question for me was whether he would trust me enough to let me work on him, knead him, delve into his wounds. Cinema is a kind of anesthetic but it’s difficult to take the first step. With a great deal of humility, courage and reserve, he stripped bare, while I tried to capture and enhance his nakedness without ever being vulgar. True feelings never are. I thank them both. – Luc Besson
Related Links
Continue Reading and View the Theatrical Trailer
Angel-A Intervew: Luc Besson from A to Z (2007)
Angel-A Interview: Jamel Debbouze’s First Times (2007)
Angel-A: Who Are You, Rie Rasmussen? (2007)
Angel-A (2007)
Directed by: Luc Besson
Starring: Jamel Debbouze, Rie Rasmussen, Olivier Claverie, Gilbert Melki, Kate Nauta, Serge Riaboukine, Akim Chir, Venus Boone, Jérôme Guesdon, Solange Milhaud, Michel Chesneau
Screenplay by: Luc Besson
Production Design by: Jacques Bufnoir
Cinematography by: Thierry Arbogast
Film Editing by: Christine Lucas Navarro, Frédéric Thoraval
Costume Design by: Martine Rapin
Music by: Anja Garbarek
MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual content.
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Classics
Release Date: May 25, 2007
Views: 175
