Irma Vep (1996)

91% of critics liked it
(35 reviews)
67% of users liked it
(2,728 ratings)

Written and directed by Olivier Assayas, Irma Vep tells the story of has-been French filmmaker René Vidal (Jean-Pierre Léaud). In an attempt to reinvigorate his career, Vidal decides to remake Les Vampires, the classic silent serial featuring the adventures of jewel thief Irma Vep. Playing herself,… More Written and directed by Olivier Assayas, Irma Vep tells the story of has-been French filmmaker René Vidal (Jean-Pierre Léaud). In an attempt to reinvigorate his career, Vidal decides to remake Les Vampires, the classic silent serial featuring the adventures of jewel thief Irma Vep. Playing herself, actress Maggie Cheung is cast as the lead, joining Vidal on a chaotic set where he gets little respect from the rest of the cast and crew. Speaking no French, Cheung finds herself fending off the advances of lesbian costumer Zoé (Nathalie Richard), sticking up for Vidal, and becoming so immersed in her role that she burgles the guests of her hotel while in costume. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 39 min.
Directed By: Olivier Assayas, Olivier Assauas
Written By: Olivier Assayas
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Sep 28, 1996 Wide
On DVD: Mar 31, 1998

Critic Reviews

David Edelstein, Slate
Irma Vep's director, Olivier Assayas, evinces a love of the process that's nearly as palpable as Truffaut's.
David Rooney, Variety
Slender but appealing.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
Minor but witty.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
As effortless as a shrug and boasts a film buff's dream cast.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Scripted in ten days and shot in less than a month, the film unravels like a delirious piece of automatic writing, though in this case the sinister implications apply to a very different world -- our own.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Assayas turns the camera on the behind-the-scenes process, and the results are both comic and revealing.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Light, playful, and self-reflexive, Assayas' film is a mi or work but it's enjoyable and boasts a graceful performance from Maggie Cheung.
Fernando F. Croce, Slant Magazine
Alternately dreamy and scratchy, Assayas's meta-satire still beguiles.
Fernando F. Croce, Slant Magazine
The post-modern compulsions on display here may bring movies together, but they also keep people apart.
, Film4
A wonderful tribute to filmmaking that could only be made in France, it has delightful performances and a low-budget style -- like the film it parodies -- which work beautifully.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
A delightfully nonchalant movie, complete with some nice satirical barbs aimed at contemporary French film culture, and fine performances throughout.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Amusing satire on French cinema and the insanity that is filmmaking.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
We just love to make movies about movies to deconstruct them, to see what's behind them.
Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Cheung, slinking around the corridors of her hotel in her sheath of shiny black latex to the dissonant chords of Sonic Youth, is an instant icon of everything cool.
Oz, Hollywood Bitchslap
Like many French products, it's quirky but not all it's cracked up to be.
Andrea Chase, Killer Movie Reviews
One of the few movies about making movies that captures the kinetic madness of the process. Maggie Cheung, playing herself, floats like a bemused Buddha through the maelstrom, offering a welcome sense of grace and normalcy.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Love of film is the magical point of the film.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

El Hombre I

Burned out new wave director, played by one-time Truffaut alter ego Jean-Pierre Léaud, decides to remake Louis Feuillade's french melodrama, Les Vampires, with the Hong Kong starlet Maggie Cheung as the black-latex-clad leader of a gang of jewel thieves. Amusing… More
Burned out new wave director, played by one-time Truffaut alter ego Jean-Pierre Léaud, decides to remake Louis Feuillade's french melodrama, Les Vampires, with the Hong Kong starlet Maggie Cheung as the black-latex-clad leader of a gang of jewel thieves. Amusing behind-the-scenes look at the French film industry that's critical of how it's funded, how it looks upon its' cinematic legacy and how its' complancency, seriousness, self-importance, fighting and jealousies crush any real creativity. Maggie Cheung, who in the film can't understand the french language, is great to watch as she's allowed to be herself and put her own personality into the film, improvising and reacting with surprise and incomprehension to the insanity around her. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view&current=IrmaVep.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/IrmaVep.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Brett W

A movie about a failed movie that ends up being a failed movie...gee...what paradox. Save yourself an hour and thirty minutes and just skip to the 55 min mark which is the only worth while scene in the film; the lovely Maggie Cheung in a rainy, Blade Runner-esque rooftop scene. Other… More
A movie about a failed movie that ends up being a failed movie...gee...what paradox. Save yourself an hour and thirty minutes and just skip to the 55 min mark which is the only worth while scene in the film; the lovely Maggie Cheung in a rainy, Blade Runner-esque rooftop scene. Other than her drop-dead gorgeousness and that brief moment of poetic cinematography, this is an extraordinary failure of "story within a story" storytelling...mostly because there is no story. There's no focus at all unless you count the bland, never ending, disoriented French/Chinese culture clash.
Anthony V

Lots of inside jokes, especially for fans of Truffaut.
Krystle C

I don't know how to react to this movie - it's uber-stylish and Maggie Cheung's wide-eyed disorientation is perfect (I mean, the role was written for her, after all); it's an entertaining glimpse into the behind-the-scenes catfights in filmmaking, as well. The… More
I don't know how to react to this movie - it's uber-stylish and Maggie Cheung's wide-eyed disorientation is perfect (I mean, the role was written for her, after all); it's an entertaining glimpse into the behind-the-scenes catfights in filmmaking, as well. The hand-held cam gives it a documentary touch and gives us a sense of Maggie's disorientation in a foreign land, and of the disconnect between the people on-set. But do I love it? Needs a second viewing...

Cast

            Maggie Cheung as Maggie

            Jean-Pierre Léaud as Rene Vidal

            Nathalie Richard as Zoe

            Antoine Basler as Journalist Who Loves John Woo

            Lou Castel as Jose Mirano

            Arsinée Khanjian as American Woman

            Philippe Landoulsi as Inspector

            Jacques Fieschi as Roland

            Françoise-Renaud Labarthe as TV Cameraman

            Bulle Ogier as Mireille

            Guy-Patrick Sainderi as TV Dignitary

            Alex Descas as Desormeaux

            Pierre Amzallag as Emergency Doctor

            Françoise Clavel as Rene's Wife

            Filip Forgeau as Camera Operator

            Francoise Guglielmi as pr

            Nathalie Boutefeu as Laure

            Dominique Faysse as Maite

            Maryel Ferraud as Make-up Woman

            Smail Mekki as Kermor Unit Manager

            Jessica Doyle as Jessica Roland's Friend

            Estelle Larrivaz as Switchboard Operator

            Olivier Torres as Ferdinand Moreno

            Balthazar Clémenti as Robert Assistant

            Lara Cowez as Script Supervisor

            Dominique Cuny as Grip

            Sandra Faure as Sex Shop Salesperson

            Catherine Ferny as Policewoman

            Nicolas Giraudin as Unit Manager

            Valérie Guy as ValÃ©rie In Mireille's Apartment

            Odile Horion as ZoÃ©'s Assistant

            Laurent Jacquet as Electrician

            Bernard Kissile as Markus

            Alain Martin as Boy At "CafÃ© Des Oiseaux"

            Willy Martin as Bellboy

            Maurice Najman as Maurice Roland's Friend

            Yann Richard as Kevin

            Jérôme Simonin as Property Man

            Alexandra Yonnet as Lili Markus' Friend

            Natalie Richard
            
See full cast