Le radeau de la Méduse (1994)

Director:

Iradj Azimi

Writer:

Iradj Azimi (writer)

Release Date:

15 July 1998 (France)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | History

Plot:

Jean Yanne, Daniel Mesguich, Claude Jade: A la recherche de la fortune et du paradis ils ne connurent que l'enfer.

Plot Keywords:

Senegal | France | Ship | Raft | King Louis Xviii

Cast

Jean Yanne	...	Duroy de Chaumareys
Daniel Mesguich	...	Coudein
Alain Macé	...	Henri Savigny
Claude Jade	...	Reine Schmaltz
Philippe Laudenbach	...	Julien Schmaltz
Laurent Terzieff	...	Théodore Géricault
Victor Garrivier	...	Richefort
Michel Baumann	...	Maître d'équipage
Rufus	...	Soldat musicien
Jean Desailly	...	La Tullaye
Marie Matheron	...	La cantinière aveugle
Laurence Hamelin	...	La cuisinière
Patrick Potot	...	L'aspirant
Sébastien Keran	...	Le matelot
Patrick Cheval	...	Le soldat sénégalais

Also Known As:

The Raft of the Medusa (International: English title)

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Hong Kong:III

Filming Locations:

Guadeloupe, Départements d'Outre-Mer, France

Company:

Utopia Productions

Trivia:

Production began in 1987, but was interrupted when Hurricane Hugo demolished the sets. Finally finished in 1990, it did not get distributed until director-writer-producer Iradj Azimi slashed his wrists before officials of the French Ministry of Culture.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre (2002)

as awesome as Géricault's famous painting

A movie inspired by a tragic maritime event happened in 1816 and a movie produced in France and in Iran, "le radeau de la Méduse" is a movie that required 4 years of work! During this very long time, you feel that the director, Iradj Azimi significantly put a lot of time and effort in his project. But his efforts weren't vain at all because the result is terrific.

In his movie, Azimi's speaking to the spectator. It means that he tries to understand and explain us how such the "Méduse" drama could happen. Thus, his directing turns out to be rigorous, precise and sometimes inventive. There's also a quiet but sustained use of the voice-over.

If the director chose to shot his film with a special photography (that spawned several gorgeous pictures), it's because he wanted to find similar colors again as the ones used on Géricault's famous painting. It deals with dark but a little shiny colors. This photography gives more strength to the dramatic side of the story. You can also notice that Azimi decided to shot the appalling castaways' living conditions with a minimum of reserve. Thanks to this, it avoids the movie to fall into the sordid.

A stunning movie supported by a quite weird but fascinating photography and Jean Yanne's extraordinary performance.