dir. Claude Miller
A private detective nicknamed "Eye" (Michel Serrault) pursues a murderess (Isabelle Adjani), whom, against all rational arguments, he believes to be his daughter, lost many years ago. Shrouded in a hallucinatory haze, simultaneously dark and romantic, this psychological thriller was an oddity among the French polars of the early 1980s.
It all began with producer Samuel Bronston, who commissioned writer Marc Behm (who, by a strange coincidence, died, like Serrault, in July of 2007) to write a thriller intended either for Charlton Heston or Robert Shaw. Meeting with outright bewilderment from the above mentioned stars, the script was later transformed by Behm into the novel Eye of the Beholder, published in 1980. The book caught the attention of screenwriter Michel Audiard, who adapted it with his son Jacques for director Claude Miller. Perhaps the personal drama of losing a child, which connected Audiard Sr., along with Michel Serrault, to the film's protagonist, inspired him to write one of his best scripts (and one of his last). He used words to convey the state of obsession that increasingly engulfs the main character. Audiard's dialogues give the film a unique tragicomic, bitterly ironic tone.
The ambitious concept, the scattered filming locations, and the associated logistical challenges made Mortelle Randonnée a very expensive film, significantly exceeding its budget, and ultimately a commercial failure. Critics and audiences overlooked the film's visual beauty, preferring to applaud Adjani in One Deadly Summer and Serrault in That Is My Pleasure. Moreover, even in its homeland, the film was invariably shown in a version cut by 25 minutes, and this was the version released on American DVD in 2003. The full version, released in 2007 in France, finally allowed viewers to take the deadly journey along its full route. The film has grown in critical stature over the past two decades and now is considered an underrated gem.
Pierre Lhomme’s semi-subjective camera transforms everything—from the palaces of Brussels, the French Riviera, Baden-Baden and Rome to the gray-blue dreariness of the Île-de-France suburbs—into a grandiose, unforgettable dreamscape. Other identified locations include Biarritz, Hendaye, Montfort-l'Amaury, Charleroi, Grimbergen, Agnetz and Gennevilliers.
So far this post only covers Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Rome (thanks to Lois for sharing her Rome pictures with me.)
The Meyerganz Wedding
This was filmed at the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, 1 Avenue Ephrussi de Rothschild, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France. Béatrice de Rothschild was born in 1864. She was the daughter of the baron, Alphonse de Rothschild, a banker and renowned art collector. At the age of 19, Béatrice married Maurice Ephrussi, a Parisian banker of Russian origin, 15 years her senior, and a friend of her parents. Maurice was a gambler and his debts eventually reached 12 million gold francs. The Rothschild family decided to bring Maurice to court, and Beatrice divorced him in 1904. Béatrice's father died in 1905 and the Baroness inherited his immense fortune. That same year, she decided to construct her dream home in Cap Ferrat. The Villa was built between 1907 and 1912 and became her winter residence. She came here regularly for a period of ten or so years, dividing her time between Paris, Monaco and Deauville. In 1933, a year before her death, Beatrice bequeathed her Villa and the entirety of its collections to the Académie des Beaux-Arts.
Rome
"Eye" arrives in Rome - Stazione Termini, Rome, Italy.
"Eye" exits the station - Via Giovanni Giolitti, 65, Rome, Italy.
"Eye" visits Comolli's agency - Galleria Sciarra, Via Marco Minghetti, Rome, Italy.
Catherine's (alias Charlotte) art gallery - Via Quattro Novembre, 157, Rome, Italy.
"Eye" watching Catherine - Largo Magnapoli looking north, Rome, Italy.
Forbes (Sami Frey) asks "Eye" to help him cross the street - Largo Magnapoli looking east, Rome, Italy.
"Eye" looks to the right before pushing Forbes under a bus - Via Nazionale at Largo Magnapoli, Rome, Italy.
