When a relatively unknown director from another country takes the Academy by storm and wins three of the top five prizes at the awards ceremony there is going to be heightened interest in that mans career. Such is the case with Michel Hazanivicius and his two brilliant parodies of the Eurospy genre OSS 117 CAIRO, NEST OF SPIES and LOST IN RIO. I recently had the good fortune to see a twin billing of these two great comedies at the New Beverly and Hazanivicius great love of the classic directors and their films is obvious, just as Jean Dujardin's amazing talent shines through in all three films he has done with Hazanivicius. And all three are great examples of postmodern films as they capture many traits and characteristics of that period.
The two films strengths begins with there superb writing. These narratives are witty and satirical, always funny and so decadent in there appreciation of not taking oneself too seriously. They seemingly mock our society and it's constant barrage of political correctness with every quip. The characterization of our protagonist is a display of postmodernism in the blowing up of the conventions of the genre. Hubert de Bath (Dujardin) is a fool, prone to racist and sexist remarks and stumbles upon the solutions to his adventures. Not your typical master spy. Yet we root for him all the same. This isn't to say that he doesn't have moments of genuine like-ability and heartfelt tenderness. In CAIRO, he repeatedly turns the lights on and off at his poultry factory. He sincerely can't get over the fact that chickens cluck in the light. In RIO, the chasing of the Nazi in the hospital, while attached to an IV is pure comedy.
It is Dujardin that gives the role and the film this sense of like-ability and he also provides his comic flair to the role. Some are calling him the French George Clooney, and like Clooney he is a master of using his face to convey so much. His eyebrow raising alone should be nominated for something. Dujardin also plays his being French to complete extreme, serving to mock that which he is portraying. The best example of this is the portrayal of French men being masculine and great lovers. Throughout both films Dujardin exemplifies this except for two moments. The first when he is receiving a rubdown at the steam bath from a Russian man in CAIRO and then again in RIO as he encounters hippies and the free love lifestyle and may or may not have sex with a man. Dujardin can play both forms of sexuality with guile and ease and this is the destruction of the classic star persona that is yet another trait of the postmodern period of filmmaking.
The overt display of the female sexuality also stems from the postmodern period and there are four beautiful examples in the two films. In CAIRO we get to see Aure Atika as the Princess and the lovely Berenice Bejo as Larmina. In RIO we see Louise Monot and Reem Kharici, with Kharici a constant display of feminine sexuality. The best example of this overt display occurs as Hubert subdues and ties up Larmina. As he escapes his devout Muslim captors can't decide whether to stop him or watch the tied up and mostly naked Larmina. They are using her sexuality to propel the narrative and further destroy the conventions of the genre (and religion).
Ultimately Hazanivicius crafts a loving homage to films and filmmakers. Through the very postmodern characteristic of pastiche he crafts his entire film. The works of Wilder, Hitchcock, Edwards and any director of a Bond film can immediately be seen. The entire final sequence of RIO, as Hubert chases Von Himmel (Rudiger Vogler) out onto the massive Christ statue in Rio, it is essentially a shot after shot mimicking of the great Hitchcock works. We see the VERTIGO staircase followed closely by the SABOTAGE statue sequence. In this way Hazanivicius follows those two great filmmakers from France, Godard and Truffaut in his love of American cinema. And we are all the better off for being able to view his works!
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