L'homme sans tête (2003)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Juan Diego Solanas

Writer:

Juan Diego Solanas (writer)

Release Date:

18 December 2003 (France)

Genre:

Short | Fantasy | Romance

Plot:

Phelps, a solitary man who lives in a big industrial city by the sea, is very happy tonight. He is getting ready for a ball...

Plot Keywords:

Flowers | Flower Market

Awards:

6 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Laurent Bert	...	Un client du bar
Patrick Béthune	...	Le fleuriste / Un docker (voice)
Yannick Blivet	...	Le vendeur de journaux (voice)
Christophe Botti	...	Le vendeur de têtes bellâtre
Stephane Botti	...	La deuxième tête
Ambre Boukebza	...	La jeune femme
Damien Carrand	...	Le vendeur de journaux
Laurent Casanova	...	L'homme au vélo
Evelyne Chartier	...	Le corps de la cliente âgée au visage jeune
Jacques Cusin	...	L'acheteur de journaux
Alain Donadio	...	Un docker
Laure Dratler	...	L'une des trois jeunes femmes (voice)
Philippe Ferrandini	...	Un docker
Danielle Hazan	...	Les clientes / L'une des trois jeunes femmes (voice)
Alain Hocine	...	Alain Phelps
Lucien Jean-Baptiste	...	La toisième tête
Lucie Jeanne	...	Le jeune visage de la cliente
Bruno Magne	...	Un docker (voice)
Mady Malroux	...	L'une des jumelles qui sort du magasin
Monette Malroux	...	L'autre jumelle qui sort du magasin
Karine Pinoteau	...	L'une des trois jeunes femmes (voice)
Maurice Portalier	...	Un docker
Alain Prorok	...	Le fleuriste
Karine Rouard	...	L'une des trois jeunes femmes
Andrée Rozenn	...	L'une des trois jeunes femmes
Juan Diego Solanas	...	Un docker (as Juan Solanas)
Karine Steger	...	L'une des trois jeunes femmes
Salah Teskouk	...	Le marchand de têtes
Julien Vanni	...	Le marin dans le bar
Yorkshire	...	Yorkshire

Also Known As:

El hombre sin cabeza (Argentina) (festival title)
The Man Without a Head (International: English title)

Runtime:

Argentina:18 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Country:

France | Argentina

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Argentina:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Bar Les Flots Bleus - 82 Corniche Kennedy, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Company:

Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC)

Trivia:

The post production lasted 900 days.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Near the end, when they are walking to the ball, a huge ship floats by, creating no visible wake. A ship of that size would make a very large and obvious wake.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Phelps l'homme sans tête - Making of (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

All of you

A rare visual treat

THE MAN WITHOUT A HEAD is naturally a very strange film--after all, the title character is a man without a head!! Oddly, when he walks about town, no one seems to take much notice. Despite this serious malady, he seems to function just fine and can speak--asking a lady over the phone if she'd like to go to the ball with him. The trouble is that without a head, he's worried she won't like him. So naturally, he goes to a head shop (get it?) and buys a head. But when it comes time to put on his handsome new head, there is a complication.

While the plot of this film is enough to give you a headache, don't take it too seriously. Understand that it is an experimental film and a very surreal one at that. When you let go of your need to have a conventional plot, then you'll notice just how incredibly groundbreaking and exciting this film is. You just can't help admire all the work that went into this film as well as its sweet sense of humor. A rare visual treat.

By the way, this film is part of the CINEMA 16: European Shorts DVD. On this DVD are 16 shorts. Most aren't great, though because it contains THE MAN WITHOUT A HEAD, COPY SHOP, RABBIT and WASP, it's an amazing DVD for lovers of short films and well worth buying.