As a child of the ’60s and ’70s, I vividly remember the enigmatic figure that was Serge Gainsbourg. His music, his poetry, and his scandalous antics were the talk of the town, and yet, there was always an air of mystery surrounding him. The upcoming animated documentary, “Gainsbourg: Rue de Verneuil”, promises to delve into the complex life of this French pop icon like never before.
An upcoming animated documentary focusing on the life of Serge Gainsbourg, a French pop artist known for his provocative poetry and stirring up controversy throughout his long career, is being produced by Logical Pictures and their documentary label The Jokers Lab. This film will be showcased in the co-production forum this week at the MIA Market in Rome.
According to an interview he gave with Les Inrockuptibles in 1989, two years before his death, the movie “Gainsbourg: Rue de Verneuil” tells the story of a musician whose life was filled with public scandals, passionate love affairs, and abusive relationships that frequently made headlines. This well-known Parisian figure passed away in 1991 at the age of 62.
Gainsbourg” is a film penned by Gilles Cayatte and Daniela de Felice, and it is directed by none other than Gilles Cayatte himself. Cyril Houplain takes on the role of artistic director, while Logical’s Frédéric Fiore and The Jokers Lab’s Carole Mirabello handle the production.
Back in the late 2000s, I found myself crossing paths with Christian Fevret, a seasoned French journalist. It was during this time that he shared with me the intimate interview he had conducted with Serge Gainsbourg in 1989 – a conversation that would later become the foundation for a project dear to my heart.
In 2016, he passed on to me an entire collection of audio tapes, hinting they could serve as the basis for a movie. However, the conversation was so intimate and unpolished that I found it challenging to visualize how to represent it using traditional archive footage.” – said Mirabello.
Originally, the seasoned documentarian had put on hold ideas for a conventional film documentary, leaving the reels untouched in a container for numerous years. However, it wasn’t until 2023 that a spark of creativity hit: the tale would be more effectively presented through animated visuals, showcasing the extraordinary meeting between a budding journalist and a renowned artist. As she expressed, “This was the ideal way to narrate the story.” Following this revelation, she started gathering a talented team under the leadership of Cayatte, who collaborated with de Felice in crafting the narrative.
A seasoned TV writer and director, Cayatte, had over three decades of experience in the industry when he first collaborated with Gainsbourg towards the end of the artist’s illustrious career. However, this timing turned out to be advantageous for Cayatte. As he put it, “I was moved by his music, his poetry – his self-torment. At that time, I was a young adult, so it resonated with what I was experiencing.
This period served as a melancholic conclusion to Gainsbourg’s life, which was filled with legendary tales and started to crumble in the limelight. “I had the chance to see him perform live. It was a profound memory. He seemed older than he actually was,” Cayatte shared. “He was ravaged by alcoholism. Yet, he could still sing beautifully, work with musicians, and engage with his audience.
As a film enthusiast, I’d put it this way: “On that stage, anything was possible. There were moments when he’d trip or even take a tumble to the floor. This man was deeply scarred, not just emotionally, but physically as well. Yet, he was an intriguing enigma, a captivating figure to watch.
As a dedicated cinephile, I found myself diving headfirst into Fevret’s extensive interview archives, a veritable treasure trove of raw footage spanning over 11 hours, as attested by Cayatte. These tapes were brimming with personal, introspective musings that had previously remained unpublished, offering a unique and intriguing glimpse into Fevret’s inner world.
According to Cayatte, “I began seeing a pattern between his public statements during the ’80s, which were often made while he was intoxicated, and his personal life, his views on life, himself, women, couples, relationships. It all started to fit together coherently.
De Felice was deeply touched by his words, hearing a voice that seemed to belong to someone on their last breath,” she expressed. As a mother of two daughters and with a keen interest in exploring Gainsbourg’s tumultuous ties with women, she aimed to shed light on his struggles and the battles he waged against his inner turmoil. In his final interview, she perceived an element of confession, a desire to seek redemption – a journey towards the light.
The animated film titled “Gainsbourg: Rue de Verneuil,” named after the Parisian street where the artist resided during his final two decades, presents distinct challenges, as stated by artistic director Cyril Houplain. He grappled with the questions of how to make it stylistically and visually contemporary while maintaining a captivating storytelling approach, and how to visually depict the various stages of Gainsbourg’s life effectively.
In simpler terms, the goal was to create a visual aesthetic and content that instantly evokes the essence of Gainsbourg, with an organic and sensory feel from the very start. Additionally, they aimed to capture the same spirit found in the original cassette recordings.
Ultimately, the artist opted to animate “Gainsbourg” entirely in a distinctive ballpoint pen style that he believed was perfect for portraying and conveying the intricacy and full spectrum of feelings present within this interview and its subject.
At the MIA Market, the filmmakers are on the lookout for both a broadcasting network and an animation studio that can help translate Houplain’s vision into a screen production.
Despite the movie being constructed from countless candid revelations about the musician’s troubled past, Cayatte emphasized: “Our intention isn’t to judge this individual. The aim here is not to convict.
In today’s world, it’s simple to pass judgment and make decisions. However, I believe we aimed to pose the question in a unique manner,” he stated. “Perhaps the movie might provoke the query as to whether such actions are justified, given the title of ‘genius.’ Is being a genius enough reason for acting this way?
As I pondered upon it, I couldn’t help but reflect, “I too found myself questioning.” Indeed, de Felice referred to the movie as a tale of redemption, a story that resonated deeply within me, and one that I yearned to discuss.
The MIA Market takes place Oct. 14 – 18 in Rome.
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2024-10-14 11:18