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:

€25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$4,607,170 (France), 18 April 2010, Wide Release

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$34,522,487, 6 May 2011

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

President Fallières has a Scotch terrier called Nelson. This is ironic given that two of greatest defeats suffered by the French Navy (the Battles of the Nile and Trafalgar) were inflicted by the British admiral, Horatio Nelson.

---

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".

---

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

J'ai Deux Amours
Music by Vincent Scotto
Lyrics by Georges Koger and Henri Varna
Performed by Josephine Baker

User Reviews

Good enough to rise from eternal slumber for 107 minutes and not more

The movie world's interest in comic book adaptations does not seem to wane anytime soon with the latest one to reach our shores being Adèle. Now before you fan boys start wondering whether she's from Marvel or DC, just know that she's a hugely-popular Franco-Belgian comic book character and no, she doesn't have any superpowers. However, she does make up for it with feistiness, and gung ho courage that would give Indiana Jones a run for his ancient gold. Those who grew up on a childhood staple of Tintin and Snowy's adventures could definitely appreciate Adèle.

In fact, the movie itself is more of a funny action-adventure flick than a contemporary comic book adaptation, so those who are looking forward to a gritty dark tone a la the recent batman movies or whatever Zack Snyder comes out with (minus that owl cartoon) would not find it here.

But don't let the title fool you into thinking that the movie uses the predictable plot of Mummy horror where a long-dead associate of some Pharaoh is foolishly awaken and immediately wreaks havoc and unleashes curses on humanity, because it's not. Director Luc Besson attempts to really carry the audience through its own adventure with several unpredictable plot twists that are hilariously quirky and surreal and also quite typically French. Famous for shooting a young Natalie Portman and Milla Jovovich to fame in 'Léon: The Professional' and 'The Fifth Element' respectively, Besson's choice of heroine this time is Louise Bourgoin – a former weather girl of France's popular night talk show, Le Grand Journal. Far from her days of looking good on TV while reporting on rain and sunshine, Bourgoin is easily likable as she plays the heroine's spunk and resourcefulness like a true spunky and resourceful heroine should – without the use of feminine wiles.

Except for one scene early in the movie where she desperately needed to escape the evil clutches of a villain, Adele does not suddenly turn sexy to squirm her way out of a sticky situation. Considering the slapstick comedy and witty humour ever present in the movie to appeal to children and families, Adele's neutered sexuality is not really out of place. In fact, Adèle is acted out with such endless tomboy aggression that at times, one feels that it's Indy himself in an early 20th century dress.

The costume and look of the characters are also other things to be enjoyed. Trust the fashionable French for taking particular care in choosing beautiful period dresses for Adèle herself to ruin with her lack of fear for pterodactyl rides or dusty mummy coffins. For those who have watched Golden Globes 2008's Best Foreign Film, 'The Diving Bell and The Butterfly' and remember Mathieu Almaric, the actor who played stroke-paralyzed Elle French Editor, it would be a challenge trying to identify him under the ugly villain makeup. Adèle herself is transformed under multiple hilarious yet realistic disguises that include a fat grumpy prison cook and a male lawyer among others as she attempts to jailbreak a comrade.

Overall, the movie is just simply family fun. Even though the whole thing would be forgotten after that post-movie toilet trip, the laugh out loud comedy and fantasy element are enough to remind us why most of us bother to spend a few dollars for a few hours of sitting in the dark – to escape.

• www.moviexclusive.com