The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010)
"Les aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec" (original title)

An adventure set in the early part of the 20th century and focused on a popular novelist and her dealings with would-be suitors, the cops, monsters, and other distractions.

Director:

Luc Besson

Writers:

Luc Besson (screenplay), Jacques Tardi (comic books)

Stars:

Louise Bourgoin, Mathieu Amalric, Gilles Lellouche

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Louise Bourgoin	...	Adèle Blanc-Sec
Mathieu Amalric	...	Dieuleveult
Gilles Lellouche	...	Inspecteur Albert Caponi
Jean-Paul Rouve	...	Justin de Saint-Hubert
Jacky Nercessian	...	Marie-Joseph Espérandieu
Philippe Nahon	...	Le professeur Ménard
Nicolas Giraud	...	Andrej Zborowski
Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre	...	Agathe Blanc-Sec (as Laure de Clermont)
Gérard Chaillou	...	Président Armand Fallières
Serge Bagdassarian	...	Ferdinand Choupard
Claire Pérot	...	Nini les Gambettes
François Chattot	...	Raymond Pointrenaud
Stanislas De la Tousche	...	Le chauffeur Pointrenaud
Youssef Hajdi	...	Aziz
Mohamed Aroussi	...	Traître égyptien

Storyline

Desperate to cure her near catatonic sister, intrepid authoress Adèle Blanc-Sec braves ancient Egyptian tombs and modern Egyptian lowlife to locate a mummified doctor and get him back to Paris. Her hope is that oddball Professor Espérandieu will then use his unusual powers to bring the doctor back to life so he, in turn, can use his centuries-old skills on the unfortunate sister. In Paris however Espérandieu is already causing mayhem, having brought to life what was a safe museum egg but is now a very active pterodactyl. Paris 1911 may not be the healthiest place to be.

---

Plot Keywords:

pterodactyl | tomb | monster | based on graphic novel | surrealism | 

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Mystery

---

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [jp]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

14 April 2010 (France)

Also Known As:

Adèle and the Secret of the Mummy

Filming Locations:

Cairo, Egypt

Box Office

Budget:

€25,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

EuropaCorp, Apipoulaï, TF1 Films Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Near the opening scenes, immediately after the can-can scene, when Mr Ferdinand Choupard arrives in front of the Jeanne D'Arc monument, the speaker says he's in the "place des pyramides" but it appears the place got this name only in 5 January 1932: in 1911, at the time when the story goes, its name was still "place de Rivoli".

---

Connections

Referenced in Special Collector's Edition: Titanic - 1ª Edición (2011)

---

Soundtracks

"L'Adèle"
Performed by Catherine Ringer
Lyrics by Catherine Ringer
Music by Catherine Ringer and Eric Serra

User Reviews

Luc Besson's almost family-friendly fantasy

An interesting alternative to Spielberg's Tintin. This adaption of a French graphic novel compares in many ways. Besson uses actors to represent comic book characters rather than the far more expensive motion-captured, computer-generated people of Tintin.

That's not to say there aren't extensive visual effects in Adèle. CGI portrays impossible characters, like the pterodactyl. Digital compositing is used to present Paris and Egypt of a hundred years ago. And for the more grotesque and bizarre human characters, there are elaborate prosthetic make-ups.

Adèle is on a trip to Peru to complete her latest book. That's what her publisher thinks. She's actually in Egypt raiding tombs. Why has she lied, and what has this to do with a pterodactyl terrorising Paris? The police can't believe that a prehistoric animal has killed a senior politician, they need to solve the case fast, no matter how much Adèle gets in their way...

Like the Tintin stories, there's a detailed and realistic presentation of the past, but with more magical and fantasy elements. Like Tintin, Adèle is also a writer, giving her the opportunity to travel. Similarly, her only real advantages are knowledge, contacts and personality - she doesn't bow to convention. It may not be ladylike to ride a camel, but if she needs to learn, she will. With a burning desire to succeed, she overcomes the odds with little more than an umbrella and a bag of bird seed...

As a newcomer to the stories, I loved the completely unpredictable nature of the story, and it's always nice to see a guillotine in action... This wasn't as consistently funny as it wanted to be, but maybe I was missing out on the Frenchier in-jokes. It could almost be a family film, though some of the more intense drama and some casual nudity might not be for younger viewers.

Luc Besson has mentioned that this story was a childhood favourite of his. He spent many years gaining the trust of the author, Jacques Tardi, who'd already dealt with three film studios trying to adapt the story. While this isn't as dark or as adult as many of Besson's earlier films, I think that's because he's committed himself to being as faithful to the original story as possible. While more likely to be the producer nowadays, after writing the script he couldn't allow another director make this one.

I haven't read any of the original stories yet, but I will. Actress Louise Bourgoin is far more beautiful than the grumpy character in the comics. The first two stories (which combined to form the basis for the film) have been translated into English as one volume.

Mark Hodgson (Black Hole Reviews)