The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010)

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 | mummy | female explorer | belle epoque | 

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Mystery

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some violence, language, brief sensuality and rude humor

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

France USA

Language:

French English Spanish

Release Date:

14 April 2010 (France)

Also Known As:

Adèle and the Secret of the Mummy

Filming Locations:

Cairo, Egypt

Box Office

Budget:

EUR25,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$34,051,868

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?

Trivia

In the original french narration. "Pourtant, au même instant, à 953m de la rue de Rivoli, la vie battait son plein." "Pendant ce temps, Ferdinand n'avait parcouru que les 280m qui séparent la Concorde...de la place des Pyramides."

However, the Moulin Rouge is approximately 2 km from Rue de Rivoli, and la Place des Pyramides is nearly 953 m from Place de la Concorde. Maybe, followings are the original texts.

"Pourtant, à exactement 1,857 mètres de la rue de Rivoli, la fête bat son plein. " "Ferdinand Choupard ne lui a permis de couvrir que les 953 mètres séparant la place de la Concorde de la place des Pyramides. "

---

Goofs

The book, "Le Monstre des glaces" that Adele signs for Andrej, is a paperback book with a glossy colour card cover. Books were not printed in that style until at least the 1930s. There were, however, "penny dreadfuls" and "yellowbacks" published in Europe as early as the 1880s that did have color paperback covers though not on heavy card stock.

---

Quotes

Adèle Blanc-Sec: Death is the only path that leads to birth.

---

Crazy Credits

In the credits there is a little story about the great wildlife hunter after he shot the prehistoric pterodactyl.

---

Alternate Versions

US version was cut by ca. 2 minutes to secure a PG rating. The scene where Adèle takes a bath was edited to remove nudity and smoking. In addition Professor Espérandieu's beheading and Adèle's accident at the tennis game were edited to remove frightening images.

---

Connections

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

---

Soundtracks

Mon truc en plumes
(uncredited)
Music by Jean Constantin
Lyrics by Bernard Dimey
Performed by Louise Bourgoin

User Reviews

French fantasy adventure feature film well written, produced and directed by Luc Besson and loosely based on the comic book series

An adventure set in the early part of the 20th century and set in Paris in the years before and after WWI, revolve around the protagonist Adèle Blanc-Sec in a succession of far-fetched incidents . It is loosely based on the comic book series of the same name by Jacques Tardi and, as in the comic, follows the eponymous writer and a number of reoccurring side characters in 1910s Paris and beyond, in this episode revolving around parapsychology and ultra-advanced Ancient Egyptian technology. A cynical heroine, she is initially a novelist of popular fiction, who turns to investigative journalism as her research and subsequent adventures reveal further details of the mystical world of crime. It starts with the popular novelist named Adele ( rising central star Louise Bourgoin) and her dealings with would-be suitors (Amalric), a Police Inspector (Lellouch), a Pterosaur , and other distractions . She finds herself involved after returning from Egypt, where she was searching for Ramesses II's mummified doctor. She wants to revive the mummy with the help of Espérandieu (Nercessian) so the Egyptian doctor can save her sister Agathe (Clermont) .

This entertaining film packs fantasy , Science and action which both pastiche and subvert adventure and speculative fiction of the period ¨Belle Epoque¨. The popularity of the comic has made it much in demand for adaptation into other media, the first to be approved by Tardi being a projected trilogy of live-action feature films adapted and directed by Luc Besson, the first of which, also titled like the comic book The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec was released in France on April 14, 2010 and latterly in numerous other markets, including the United Kingdom. The picture incorporates contemporary action film as well as much use of computer animation to portray its fanciful elements , furthermore visual effects within the form of the older-style adventure films they have largely superseded. Atmospheric musical score by Eric Serra , fitting splendidly to action and intrigue . Colorful cinematography by Thierry Arbogast and perfectly remastered . The motion picture is lavishly produced by Eurocorps (Besson Production Company) and professionally directed by Luc Besson with his ordinary visual pyrotechnics . He often casts Jean Reno (though here doesn't appear) and music always by Eric Serra. Besson is the greatest producer and director from France with hits as ¨Leon¨ , ¨Joan of Arc¨ , ¨The fifth element¨ , the ¨Taxi¨ series , ¨Big blue¨ , ¨Arthur and the Minimois¨ , ¨Nikita¨ and many others . Rating : Acceptable and passable, 6 .This is a highly amusing and frequently funny action-adventure romp with a witty script, sensational special effects and a terrific performances from main cast .