Without a doubt, The three Musketeers is one of the jewels of French literature. Enjoying an undeniable popularity since its publication in 1844, Alexandre Dumas’ novel has been adapted countless times, but especially by Hollywood. The most recent French production dates back to… 1961. Now, France is reclaiming its rights to the most famous of cloak and dagger stories with a blockbuster by Martin Bourboulon on display there from Wednesday, and which stars Vincent Cassel, Pio Marmaï, Romain Duris, Eva Green and Louis Garrel. And it turns out that a Quebecer, Nicolas Bolduc, signs the direction of photography for this long-awaited diptych entitled The three Musketeers. D’Artagnan And The three Musketeers. Milady. Portrait.
” Me and The three Musketeersit’s a funny coincidence, “says the native of Montreal joined by videoconference.
« Matias Boucard, the director of photography ofeiffelMartin’s previous film, was to make The three Musketeersbut he had to withdraw for another film: Athena, by Romain Gavras. As we left, Matias mentioned me to Martin. At the same time, the company Pathé France also suggested my name to him. The visual ambition of my work on the films of Nicolas Bedos, Mr and Mrs Adelman And The good times, corresponded to what he was looking for. »
Nicolas Bolduc’s “foreign” status was also a major asset in the eyes of director Martin Bourboulon and producer Dimitri Rassam.
“They liked that I had a distance, because they wanted to get out of the usual performances. They knew that I would see their castles in a different way, their churches in a different way, and that I would bring a looks which would not be at all “à la française”, if I may say so. »
In this case, it is comic strips, Tintin in particular, that Nicolas Bolduc attributes his taste for large-scale stories.
“Very young, I was an erased child, always in my world. Steven Spielberg’s films have changed my life. One should understand… “
Pausing, Nicolas Bolduc continues in a tone of confidence:
“His last film, The Fabelmans (The Fabelmans), is completely autobiographical; it is his youth. And what does it say? The story of a child who discovers a passion for cinema and decides to make it, but within a family that does not really understand his aspirations: his father is an engineer, his mother is a pianist. Like my own parents. And at Spielberg, there’s this uncle who shows up and encourages him, and that’s what happened to me. All this is my life too. »
Create atmospheres
It was therefore with the aim of making films that Nicolas Bolduc enrolled at Concordia University, after having briefly considered becoming an architect.
“I did not make a distinction, at the start, between the film professions. It was the cinema that I liked, period. At Concordia, I wanted to write and direct films; I pushed on it. Except that at the same time, I was doing the photo direction of almost everyone, because I knew how to handle a camera, and because my images were accurate. I knew how to tell visually. And I understood that it was that, telling stories visually, which fascinated me, and that it did not necessarily pass through the realization. »
You should know that Nicolas Bolduc has developed his own working method, and that he handles the camera himself — this is not always the case with photography.
“André Turpin does it, Yves Bélanger too… We have perhaps more of this tradition, in Quebec, of getting even more involved. I come back to architecture: I believe that what attracted me were the notions of volumes and space, which I found in the cinema. With the camera, I know how to inhabit space, how to move in space; I feel a bit like a dancer. The camera and I are one. »
In this respect, if he designs lighting before filming, Nicolas Bolduc claims to give pride of place to his instinct once in the “space” of the moment.
“I build a lot ‘inside the camera’, that is to say when my eye is glued to it. In this sense, I am an artisan. My role, basically, is to create atmospheres, moods. In each film, there are a handful of pivotal sequences, “tableaux”, to use François Girard’s expression. [avec qui Nicolas Bolduc a collaboré sur Hochelaga, terre des âmes] and those are the ones I pay the most attention to, because they are what give tempo, color and personality to the film. »
They liked that I had a distance, because they wanted to get out of the usual representations
In this regard, Nicolas Bolduc insists on the “intimately collaborative” nature of his relationship with filmmakers. This explains the frequency, from the start, of repeated associations with certain directors such as Sébastien Rose and Kim Nguyen. Rebel, of the latter, marked a milestone in his career for the account. Same with enemy (Enemy), by Denis Villeneuve (after a first collaboration on the award-winning short film NextFloor).
“I tried a lot of things for ten years and suddenly, with Rebel, it was like a strong wind of love and freedom. I acquired a confidence that I didn’t have before, a confidence that grew later on enemy. These films are in my heart forever. »
In the industry, these two films considerably increased Nicolas Bolduc’s notoriety on the international scene. Hence this interest of French filmmakers like Nicolas Bedos, and hence his participation in the diptych The three Musketeers.
full view
This blockbuster, with a budget – huge for France – of 72 million euros and 150 days of filming, is by far the most imposing project on which Nicolas Bolduc has worked.
“It was really cool, with Martin. When I arrived three months before the start of filming, the locations had been found and the watchword was not to make a “classic” musketeer film. Martin often talked about westerns. And I’m a fan of westerns. So I naturally started to imagine something dusty, dirty, weathered; nothing clean. I suggested something along those lines. Martin and Dimitri got on board immediately, but the rest of the team was less convinced. »
The reason ? Nicolas Bolduc describes yellow and chocolate filters, used to evoke the end of the day, and which suddenly changed the perceived color of the costumes, the sets… Hence the circumspection. Faced with the result, however, everyone rallied enthusiastically.
It is true that the Quebec director of photography seems to have impressed – literally – his French colleagues, as evidenced by this anecdote:
“When I entered the cathedral of Meaux, which is enormous, what immediately struck me were the many windows. Knowing that we would be shooting there for five days and that the changing sun would be a problem, I had the whole exposed side blacked out, then I had nacelles mounted on the other. From afar, on the obscured side, it looked like Christo had packed the cathedral. On the other side, there were these twelve nacelles equipped with projectors: the French had never seen that. But I wasn’t trying to impress them: it just seemed like the best approach given the narrative and logistical imperatives. »
We certainly can’t comment on the film before having seen it, but obviously, Nicolas Bolduc’s contribution was appreciated. As proof, he confirms that he will be from the next Dumas adaptation planned by producer Dimitri Rassam: The count of Monte Cristowhose development is going well.
The three Musketeers. D’Artagnan hits theaters in Quebec on April 28.