by Cindy Lo
Wind, fire, water, and earth are the four elements of the universe according to the Western tradition. What is the fifth element that completec this circle of fullness? Genius French movie director, Luc Besson, gives us an answer—life. What kind of person would think of a lively answer like this? Let us trace his growth as a filmmaker and see if we can find the elements that compose the life of Luc Besson. Born on March 18, 1959, in Paris, Luc Besson is a shining star in his field. His abundant creativity generates from his childhood experiences. Following his scuba- diving-instructor parents, Luc grew up around the waters of Mediterranean, where he fell in love with the blue sea and was enchanted by dolphins. At the age of ten, he made up his mind to become a marine biologist specializing in dolphins. However, at seventeen he was involved in a diving accident which badly injured him, especially his inner ear. When he was told he could never dive again he had to give up his childhood dream. He returned to the “civilized” city of Paris and went to a boarding school. Being unable to dive again seemed to be a tragedy for Besson, but his close interaction with nature has greatly influenced his style of filmmaking, which has been praised for its “stunning use of wide lens photography and fluid camera movement.” We can see this in his gorgeous film about sea divers, The Big Blue, which was so loved by French audiences that it was released twice. School life was extremely boring for him. According to an interview, he recalls that “There was nothing to do but steal things, or take drugs, or smoke. All I wanted to do was escape into my little world, so I would write.” During this time, he also conceived the story of best known film, The Fifth Element. Besson finally decided to drop out of school and found odd jobs working on French films. For the first two years he wasn’t paid and was frequently on the edge of starving. He used to eat only when he was able to. “ I ate a lot on Friday because there was the weekend afterward.” This is how Luc Besson started his film career. You may wonder why he persisted so long. He once admitted: “I would like to be a painter or singer. My voice is terrible, and I can’t draw. I express myself with a little design, a little music. I’m not good enough to do one, so I do many things in movies.” Then, he traveled to Hollywood where he spent three years. In 1983, at the age of 24, he finally made his first film. Shot in black and white without any dialogue at all, Le Dernier Combat (The Final Combat) was praised highly, and won twenty international prizes. The interesting thing is that he never dreamed of becoming a famous director, and he wasn’t even crazy about movies at first place; “I have no TV. I don’t know about movies, just what I like.” Each of Bresson’s films has its own character. For example, Subway is a comedy set in an actual Paris subway, while Atlantis is a documentary about life under water. On the other hand, Taxi is a fast-paced film about car racing. Though they use different styles, they all share the same qualities–the warmth of humanity, the decay of society, and, especially, fantastic visual imagery. He also combines European and American filmmaking techniques. There is more to excite us. Luc Besson’s latest film, Joan of Arc, is due to be released in France and the U.S. this fall. It will be Besson’s first film set in the middle ages, and will star John Malkovich, Faye Dunaway, Dustin Hoffman, and Milla Jovovich (Besson’s wife) as Joan. Besson is continually challenging himself, and giving us the fifth element of life. a
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The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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