"Irma Vep" is a 1996 cult classic about film and filmmaking written and directed by Olivier Assayas. It is a film for film buffs, which is its limitation. At the same time, it has a charming sense of humor not usually found in art house fare. Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung, playing herself, arrives in Paris a the request of director Ren Vidal (Jean-Pierre Laud) to star in a remake of the 1915 silent French serial "Les Vampires". She is to play the leading role, that of Irma Vep, leader of a group of Parisian burglars who commit their crimes wearing black catsuits and hoods. The film's friendly costume designer Zo (Nathalie Richard) gets Cheung fitted into her latex catsuit and makes her feel at ease. But the director's state of mind is not as stable.

When I saw the holes in Ren's shoes, I suspected this might turn out to be something fun. Ren is a has-been director whom his own crew thinks past his prime and perhaps a little touched in the head. His recreation of "Les Vampires" does nothing to disabuse them of that notion. Zo doesn't like American films or the tendency of French directors to dwell in the past. Another crew member adores big Hollywood popcorn movies and disparages the French film industry for making films for themselves rather than for audiences. Maggie from Hong Kong is caught in the middle. Ren hates the dailies and might be having a nervous breakdown. And it's not clear why he would make a shot-for-shot remake of this old French classic -to him or to anyone else.

There is something delightfully realistic about the characters. Their minds are going off in different directions. Ren is losing his. Zo is having sexual fantasies about Maggie in the catsuit and hopes the actress is game. Maggie understands her character a little too well when she puts on that costume and begins to have criminal impulses. All of this on a chaotic, low-budget movie set. It's funny. The characters are fun to watch. It's easy to understand Ren's inspiration to cast the Chinese Cheung as a Parisian burglar. Maggie is captivating and easy-going. She's the calm amid the chaos who lets everything wash over her, like the audience. In English and French with optional English subtitles.
"Irma Vep" is a 1996 cult classic about film and filmmaking written and directed by Olivier Assayas. It is a film for film buffs, which is its limitation. At the same time, it has a charming sense of humor not usually found in art house fare. Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung, playing herself, arrives in Paris a the request of director Ren Vidal (Jean-Pierre Laud) to star in a remake of the 1915 silent French serial "Les Vampires". She is to play the leading role, that of Irma Vep, leader of a group of Parisian burglars who commit their crimes wearing black catsuits and hoods. The film's friendly costume designer Zo (Nathalie Richard) gets Cheung fitted into her latex catsuit and makes her feel at ease. But the director's state of mind is not as stable. When I saw the holes in Ren's shoes, I suspected this might turn out to be something fun. Ren is a has-been director whom his own crew thinks past his prime and perhaps a little touched in the head. His recreation of "Les Vampires" does nothing to disabuse them of that notion. Zo doesn't like American films or the tendency of French directors to dwell in the past. Another crew member adores big Hollywood popcorn movies and disparages the French film industry for making films for themselves rather than for audiences. Maggie from Hong Kong is caught in the middle. Ren hates the dailies and might be having a nervous breakdown. And it's not clear why he would make a shot-for-shot remake of this old French classic -to him or to anyone else. There is something delightfully realistic about the characters. Their minds are going off in different directions. Ren is losing his. Zo is having sexual fantasies about Maggie in the catsuit and hopes the actress is game. Maggie understands her character a little too well when she puts on that costume and begins to have criminal impulses. All of this on a chaotic, low-budget movie set. It's funny. The characters are fun to watch. It's easy to understand Ren's inspiration to cast the Chinese Cheung as a Parisian burglar. Maggie is captivating and easy-going. She's the calm amid the chaos who lets everything wash over her, like the audience. In English and French with optional English subtitles.