Irma Vep (1996)
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- Not Rated
- 1h 39min
- Comedy, Drama
- 30 Apr 1997 (USA)
- Movie
Hong Kong starlet Maggie Cheung arrives in France to portray Irma Vep in a remake of Les Vampires (1915), but the production is plagued by behind-the-scenes intrigues.
Director:
Writer:
Awards:
- 2 wins & 3 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast
| Maggie Cheung | ... |
Maggie Cheung
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| Jean-Pierre Léaud | ... |
René Vidal
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| Nathalie Richard | ... |
Zoé
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Antoine Basler | ... |
Journalist
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| Nathalie Boutefeu | ... |
Laure
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| Alex Descas | ... |
Desormeaux
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Dominique Faysse | ... |
Maïté
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| Arsinée Khanjian | ... |
L'américaine
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Bernard Nissile | ... |
Markus
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Olivier Torres | ... |
Ferdinand / Moreno
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| Bulle Ogier | ... |
Mireille
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| Lou Castel | ... |
José Mirano
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| Jacques Fieschi | ... |
Roland
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Estelle Larrivaz | ... |
La standardiste
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Balthazar Clémenti | ... |
Robert, assistant
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Lara Cowez | ... |
Script supervisor
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Dominique Cuny | ... |
Grip
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Jessica Doyle | ... |
Jessica, Roland's Friend
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Sandra Faure | ... |
Vendeuse, sex-shop
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Catherine Ferny | ... |
Policewoman
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Maryel Ferraud | ... |
Make-up Woman
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Filip Forgeau | ... |
Camera Operator
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Valerie Guy | ... |
Valerie, in Mireille's apartment
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Laurent Jacquet | ... |
Electrician
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Philippe Landoulsi | ... |
Inspector
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Smaïl Mekki | ... |
Kermor, unit manager
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Maurice Najman | ... |
Maurice, Roland's Friend
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Nicolas Giraudi | ... |
Directeur de la production
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Yann Richard | ... |
Kevin
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Jérôme Simonin | ... |
Property Man
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Alexandra Yonnet | ... |
Lili, Markus's Friend
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Pierre Amzallag | ... |
Emergency Doctor
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Françoise Clavel | ... |
René's Wife
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Françoise Guglielmi | ... |
Producer
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Odile Horion | ... |
Zoë's Assistant
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François-Renaud Labarthe | ... |
TV Cameraman
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Alain Martin | ... |
Boy at Cafe Des Oiseaux
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Guy-Patrick Sainderichin | ... |
TV Dignitary
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Willy Martin | ... |
Bellboy
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Directed by
| Olivier Assayas | ||
Written by
| Olivier Assayas | ... | (written by) |
Produced by
| Georges Benayoun | ... | producer |
| Françoise Guglielmi | ... | executive producer |
Music by
| Philippe Richard | ||
| Philippe Richard | ... | (music by) |
Cinematography by
| Eric Gautier | ||
Editing by
| Luc Barnier | ||
Editorial Department
| Tina Baz | ... | assistant editor |
| Nabila Daniault | ... | color timer |
| Raymond Terrentin | ... | color timer |
Casting By
| Pierre Amzallag | ||
Production Design by
| François-Renaud Labarthe | ||
Art Direction by
| François-Renaud Labarthe | ||
Set Decoration by
| Yann Richard | ||
Costume Design by
| Françoise Clavel | ||
Makeup Department
| Isabelle Nyssen | ... | makeup artist |
| Nancy Tong | ... | makeup artist |
Production Management
| Sylvie Barthet | ... | production manager |
| Eric Bassoff | ... | post-production manager |
| Ivan Fegyveres | ... | assistant unit manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Alice de Andrade | ... | assistant director |
| François-Renaud Labarthe | ... | assistant director |
| Jérôme Tardieu | ... | second assistant director (as Jerôme Tardieu) |
Art Department
| Christophe Mercier | ... | régisseur d'extérieur |
Sound Department
| William Flageollet | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Laurent Lévy | ... | foley artist |
| Olivier Marlangeon | ... | foley artist |
| Marie-Christine Ratel | ... | sound editor |
| Philippe Richard | ... | sound engineer |
| Marie-Christine Ruh | ... | sound editor |
Special Effects by
| Grégoire Delage | ... | special effects |
| Olivier Zenenski | ... | special effects |
Stunts
| Michel Julienne | ... | stunt consultant |
| Leslie Rain | ... | stunts |
Camera and Electrical Department
| François Berroir | ... | gaffer |
| Jean-Luc Bezeau | ... | key grip |
| Xavier Cholet | ... | electrician |
| Stéphane Fontaine | ... | first assistant camera |
| Sophie Lemaire | ... | clapper loader / second assistant camera |
| Michel Michau | ... | electrician |
| Isabelle Weingarten | ... | still photographer |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Jessica Doyle | ... | costume designer: Irma Vep |
Location Management
| Philippe Letode | ... | location scout |
Script and Continuity Department
| Edmée Doroszlai | ... | script supervisor |
Additional Crew
| Dina Arbib | ... | assistant director |
Thanks
| Claire Denis | ... | thanks |
| Christopher Doyle | ... | thanks |
| Stanley Kwan | ... | thanks |
Production Companies
- Dacia Films
- Canal+ (participation)
Distributors
- Haut et Court (1996) (France) (theatrical)
- Mikado Film (1996) (Italy) (theatrical)
- Ovo Films (1996) (Greece) (theatrical)
- Zeitgeist Films (1997) (United States) (theatrical) (subtitled)
- NFM Distributie (1997) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- Prime Time Entertainment (1997) (Netherlands) (video)
- Cinema Mondo (1998) (Finland) (theatrical)
- Good Movies (2003) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- Umbrella Entertainment (2009) (Australia) (DVD) (subtitled)
- Umbrella Entertainment (2009) (Australia) (video) (VOD)
- Kino Lorber (2017) (United States) (DVD) (subtitled)
- Herald Film Company (Japan) (theatrical)
- Janus Films (2020) (United States) (theatrical)
- Kairos Filmverleih (1998) (Germany) (theatrical)
- novemberfilm (1998) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Atalanta Filmes (Portugal)
- Avalon (2022) (Spain)
- Fox Lorber (United States) (DVD)
- HBO Max (2020) (United States) (video) (VOD)
- The Criterion Channel (2019) (United States) (tv) (digital)
- The Criterion Collection (2021) (United States) (Blu-ray)
Special Effects
Other Companies
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
French filmmaker René Vidal was once a renowned director, but most see his career on a quick downward slide based on his last several films. In Paris, he is just starting to film his latest movie, a remake of Les Vampires (1915), and has hired Hong Kong based Chinese actress Maggie Cheung as the title lead, "Irma Vep" (an anagram for "vampire"), despite she knowing no French and she not being an obvious choice to most. Maggie has never worked with Vidal before and knows little about his movies, but many of his primarily French crew are part of his regular stable. As such, Maggie may become isolated among the cast and crew, unless there are those who bring her into their English conversations, they who may have somewhat ulterior motives in doing so. There are also factions within the cast and crew, who, based on their history, have a poisoned sense of what is going on. With Vidal, he is dealing with some personal issues while he tries to regain his film making form. He may transfer his thoughts of Irma Vep to Maggie, who he hired because he too sees her as strong and sexy like the skin-tight latex clad Irma. And Maggie may take her research for the comic bookish character to an extreme. Written by Huggo |
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| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | Much of the film depicts set-related incidents that echo scenes in François Truffaut's Day for Night (1973), to which Irma Vep owes a large thematic debt. However, Olivier Assayas publicly stated that although he considers Day for Night (1973) a great film, it is more about the fantasy of filmmaking than the reality. Assayas credits Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Beware of a Holy Whore (1971) as a greater inspiration. See more » |
| Goofs | After René says, "respect the silence" to Maggie, he speaks to a woman and takes a drink from a big plastic Coke bottle. He screws the cap on, then hands her the bottle. She turns around, and the cap is missing. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Seventh Heaven (1997). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Bonnie and Clyde See more » |
| Quotes |
Zoé:
Why do we do what's already been done? Why don't we do more personal films? See more » |