(Fig 1, Movie Poster)
'Les Triplettes de Belleville' (2003) directed by Sylvain Chomet, follows an elderly french woman, Madame Souza, as raises her grandson who she is constantly trying to cheer up since he mopes around due to his parents seemingly passed away. One day Madame Souza buys her grandson a bike and from then on he continues to ride and takes part in the Tour de France. However, during the race Madame Souza's grandson is kidnapped, accompanied by faithful dog, Bruno and aided by the three sisters 'the triplets of Belleville'.
(Fig 2, Movie Still)
The film's core premise essentially comes down to it begin a rescue, adventure, comedy. The film has barely if not no dialogue, so it is up to the viewer to pay attention otherwise things can get confusing. The film gives off a vibe that it is playful and joyful despite what goes on. You can see this from the character design to the animation. This film is definitely unique and a breath of fresh air for some people. French says " It is a pleasant change from, or antidote to, the current wave of bland, airbrushed, computer-generated animated movies from the States" (French, 2003)
(Fig 3, Movie Still)
The animation in the film starts off different from the rest of the film. It starts out using rubber hose to set the time period as well as showing Hollywood at the time. It included people such as Django Reinhardt playing jazz guitar and Josephine Baker performing a "topless shimmy" (French, 2003) However, shortly after starting the film the camera pans out and what we had seen up until that point was only a television broadcast and this is when we see the real art style and animation of the film. Chomet is known for his comic-strips and throughout the film you can clearly see a hand style to it especially in the buildings .
(Fig 4, Movie Still)
Character design in the film plays a big part, there is a range of people with different shapes and sizes. Some characters personify animals such as the cyclists in the Tour de France representing horses and the engineer looking like a mouse. Other examples are when Madame Souza reaches America and the other being the club scene when a waiter is literally bending over backwards to please the gangster. All the characters in the film feel so unique and slightly unsettling, as further empahaised by Ebert "The movie's drawing style is haunting in a comic way" (Ebert, 2003)
(Fig 5, Movie Still)
The whole film gives off a stereotypical french feel and uses this to its advantage by showing us a french perspective on things. For example, the way America is represented, "Les Triplettes de Belleville is filled with clichés reflecting a French perspective. One such cliché is that Americans are obese." (Linsenmaier, 2006) In this scene you see exaggerated obese parents and children. There is also the most obvious part which is the Tour de France scene, where we cut from the race to reactions of french civilians, "The cycling and Tour de France related sequences are peak periods of the filmic time spent poking fun at typical aspects of the French working class." (Linsenmaier, 2006). However, there are aspects of the film that are not so obvious to non-french viewers. What at first seemed to be a strange way of showing that time had passed, turns out to be real. As France develops we see a bridge built next to Madame Souza's house which leads to it tilting. "The high bridge that pushes Mme Souza's house into a tilt is typical of railway constructions in France during the first half of the 20th century." (Linsenmaier, 2006).
Illustration:
Fig 1, Movie Poster: https://livre.fnac.com/a1572923/Amelie-Sarn-Cantin-Les-triplettes-de-Belleville
Fig 2, Movie Still: http://www.auditorium-lyon.com/Programmation-17-18/Cine-concerts/Jazz/Les-Triplettes-de-Belleville
Fig 3, Movie Still: https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/the-triplets-of-belleville-15th-anniversary-7-insights-into-the-making-of-a-contemporary-classic-159630.html
Fig 4, Movie Still: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4CVtL0fuBM
Fig5, MOvie Stil: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/240379698837714895/?lp=true
Bibliography:
Ebert, R. (2003). The Triplets of Belleville Movie Review (2003) | Roger Ebert. [online] Rogerebert.com. Available at: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-triplets-of-belleville-2003 [Accessed 9 Feb. 2019].
French, P. (2003). Wacky races | Reviews | guardian.co.uk Film. [online] Theguardian.com. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Observer_review/0,,1032657,00.html [Accessed 9 Feb. 2019].
Linsenmaier, T. (2006). Pierre Floquet – What is (not) so French in Les Triplettes de Belleville | Animation Studies. [online] Journal.animationstudies.org. Available at: https://journal.animationstudies.org/pierre-floquet-what-is-not-so-french-in-les-triplettes-de-belleville/ [Accessed 9 Feb. 2019].
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