This French masterpiece made the rounds at Alamo during October’s theme of Dystopias in order to warm up the audiences for the new Blade Runner 2049. Somara had never seen it so I pounced on the chance to watch it again on the big screen, something I hadn’t done since the late Nineties. I remember reviewing it 21 years ago when Picayune had a physical form and was the featured movie with the headline of City of Frights. I did tweak the review below for grammar.
One is a carnival strong man whose little kid brother Denree has been kidnapped by the mysterious Cult of the Blind. Denree turns out to be one of many victims. Dozens of young children have been abducted by the cult for weeks. The cult does this because they trade the children to an evil scientist named Krank in exchange for technology.
Krank then takes the children to an island he lives on with his dwarf aunt, his uncle (a brain in a fish bowl) and the six clones of his younger, narcoleptic brother. Together they’re using the children to find a cure for Krank’s rapid aging.
Meanwhile, One gains the help of Miette, a young girl who leads a gang of pickpockets. She and her gang operate from the orphanage where they are bullied by the Octopus; conjoined sisters via a mutual foot.
Surreal enough? Probably not anymore than a typical Tim Burton, David Lynch or Terry Gilliam movie. The visuals and effects are impressive enough to forgive any holes in the movie’s execution (it tends to meander around for very little reason in my opinion). City has all their touches; the dark settings, a city where there is no sun, freaks, the silly impossible things that really couldn’t happen (see what kind of Rube Goldberg disruption one tear drop can create) and the retro technology.
It is a movie that is just fascinating to watch because it’s a dark fairytale. Besides, how often do the Europeans produce a movie with top-notch special effects too? Maybe it’s my bias toward French film but if you don’t speak the language, La Cité des Enfants Perdus (The City of Lost Children) will still hold your attention. It’s too visually interesting like Brazil and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Minor point of trivia, One is played by American Ron Perlman who is more famous as the Beast from the TV show. He was the only non-French person cast in the film and he had to have his lines written out for him phonetically. As always, get the subtitles, dubbing sucks and fails to catch the real mood.
City has withstood the years thanks to Jeunet and Caro relying on practical effects instead of CG, which was still pretty crude in 1995-6. Having seen this a few times, it doesn’t meander as much as I remember, it stays on task with One hunting down his brother’s kidnappers. I don’t agree with the romantic argument subplot between Miette and One. Miette has a crush on One, that is obvious but One doesn’t reciprocate. He may be a big, strong dumb guy yet he demonstrates strong morals and understands its really infatuation from a little girl who wants to grow up too quickly. If you haven’t seen this movie after 20-plus years, get off your fanny and check it out, especially if you’re into Steampunk, Dystopia and dark Faerie Tales.