There are several levels of reading and mise en abyme in the funny and dense miniseries Irma Vep from HBO, so let’s keep it as simple as possible, shall we?
Posted at 7:15 a.m.
Let’s close a pressing file right away: Irma Vep does not refer to the supercharged play The mystery of Irma Vep with Serge Postigo, Éric Bernier and their arsenal of funky wigs.
Irma Vep — an anagram of the word vampire — first brings us back to the film that Olivier Assayas shot in 1996 with his partner at the time, the breathtaking Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung. And what was it Irma Vep in 1996 ? The story of the chaotic filming of a real silent film, The vampiresdirected by Louis Feuillade in 1915.
Are you still following? Its good. I googled everything so you don’t have to. So Irma Vep is the name of the heroine of the cult film The vampires, divided into ten episodes of about forty minutes each. The Parisian actress Musidora – muse of the surrealists – camped this Irma Vep in 1915, a sulphurous femme fatale, one of the first vamps of French cinema.
That’s it for the appetizer. Let’s continue. Twenty-six years after the creation of his own film, Olivier Assayas (carlos, Clean) reshuffles Irma Vep in a Franco-American television series of eight one-hour episodes for HBO, which the Crave platform offers in English and in a French version with subtitles.
The plot of 2022 remains the same as in 1996, but the actors change, of course. Basically, it’s a remake of a remake, orchestrated by the same person (Olivier Assayas).
Very meta as a concept. It is a sophisticated series of nesting Russian dolls.
Yes, reading Irma Vep may seem self-referential and hermetic. It is not. If I, who have difficulty following a draw of The goose that lays golden eggs without losing track, I managed to embark on Irma Vep, everyone can. Yolo the gang.
Photo Carole Bethuel, provided by HBO
Scene from the series Irma Vep
In the Irma Vep of 2022, the excellent Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl, Ex Machina) portrays a young American actress who is a hit in blockbusters, of which she gets tired. In heartbreak and in search of professional credibility, she accepts the role of Irma Vep in the new version of the film The vampires from 1915, prepared by a renowned filmmaker whom she admires.
The Hollywood star therefore arrives in Paris for several months and plunges into this bewitching project, which drives the whole production team a little crazy, let’s say it.
There is a flap call my agent super funny in Irma Vep. It’s full of self-mockery, behind-the-scenes secrets and snipes at the not-so-healthy film industry. On the set, a completely pissed German actor (Lars Eidinger) freezes on crack every day. A young first (Vincent Lacoste) multiplies the crises of star.
The costume designer (Jeanne Balibar) improvises herself as a drug dealer and rebels against the dictatorship of service sheets. And the neurotic director (Vincent Macaigne), the alter ego of Olivier Assayas, survives thanks to the powerful drugs he swallows.
Irma Vep was captured in the City of Light with a host of French actors. The dialogues skilfully waltz between the languages of Shakespeare and Molière. The most amazing thing is the shape. The realization, both modern and retro, is sublime.
Olivier Assayas inserts several restored scenes from the film The vampires of 1915 in the episodes ofIrma Vep from 2022, in addition to adding shots from his 1996 film, where Maggie Cheung dons the famous black cat jersey of the mysterious vamp.
Confusing, the first episode, the only one available for the moment on Crave, does not do justice to this work full of pretty winks. In the third episode, this multi-layered TV series reveals its full potential through the different eras that skilfully intertwine and the reflections on art and celebrity offered by Olivier Assayas.
I know, that sounds pretentious and pedantic. It is not. It’s downright fun and smart. Episodes are released in dribs and drabs on Mondays.
Where is Borgenmess ?
Many of you quibbled with me after the publication of my column on the fourth season of Borgen, arriving on Netflix on June 2. Basically, I summarize your messages: despite all my research, I cannot find Borgen 4 on Netflix, there are only the first three seasons online, you were wrong, would there be a problem with my account?
No, your Netflix is not faulty. And yes, the fourth chapter of Borgen is currently offered. To view it, type Borgen: Power and Glory in the search tool. Netflix grouped the first three seasons under the Borgen tab and placed the fourth, apart, in the box Borgen: Power and Glory.
Well, it wasn’t more complicated than that. As we say in Denmark: selv tak!