Directed by award-winning French-Tunisian actor-turned-screenwriter, Abdellatif Kechiche, Blue is the Warmest Colour won the coveted Palme D’Or (Golden Palm) at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Based on a graphic novel by French illustrator, Jul Maroh, this heart-warming movie was well-received by critics, as well as being a box office smash. But its release also generated some controversy. Why? Because its central theme – lesbian love – unfolds so vigorously. The central character, Emma (Léa Seydoux), an aspiring artist with striking blue hair, enjoys a passionate relationship with Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos), a quiet, much younger, high school student. It wasn’t the age-gap aspect of their love affair that grabbed the headlines – after all, a disparity in ages between leading actors is as old as moviemaking itself. It had more to do with the explicit girl-on-girl sex scenes. To understand why this excellent film might have ever been thought of as contentious, it...
- 10/4/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
I shouldn’t be the one to tell you about this book: I’m the wrong gender, the wrong orientation, the wrong nationality, the wrong generation. So don’t trust me.
Blue Is the Warmest Color is a graphic novel by Julie Maroh – that’s what the edition I read says; I see indications that the author goes by Jul Maroh now and is transgender and nonbinary, which adds another wrinkle to the story. But this presents itself as fiction, even if, like anyone’s first big story in public, we suspect there are autobiographical elements in the mix.
Maroh is French; so is her cast. I found the story to be in a older mode than I expected: a frame story, coming out amid self-loathing, the clear tragedy of older gay/lesbian stories. It wasn’t nearly as 21st century as I was hoping from a book published in...
Blue Is the Warmest Color is a graphic novel by Julie Maroh – that’s what the edition I read says; I see indications that the author goes by Jul Maroh now and is transgender and nonbinary, which adds another wrinkle to the story. But this presents itself as fiction, even if, like anyone’s first big story in public, we suspect there are autobiographical elements in the mix.
Maroh is French; so is her cast. I found the story to be in a older mode than I expected: a frame story, coming out amid self-loathing, the clear tragedy of older gay/lesbian stories. It wasn’t nearly as 21st century as I was hoping from a book published in...
- 7/12/2023
- by Andrew Wheeler
- Comicmix.com
DC has big plans for June’s Pride Month, including the launch of an 80-page anthology comic featuring Lgbtqia+ characters from across the DC Universe.
The anthology DC Pride #1 will feature cameos by Batwoman, Renee Montoya, Alan Scott, Midnighter, Apollo, Extraño, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Constantine, and more. The DC Pride creative teams, and the characters they’re developing stories for, are:
• Batwoman (Kate Kane) by James Tynion IV & Trung Le Nguyen
• Poison Ivy & Harley Quinn by Mariko Tamaki & Amy Reeder
• Midnighter by Steve Orlando & Stephen Byrne
• Flash of Earth-11 (Jess Chambers) by Danny Lore & Lisa Sterle
• Green Lantern (Alan Scott) & Obsidian by Sam Johns & Klaus Janson
• Aqualad (Jackson Hyde) by Andrew Wheeler & Luciano Vecchio
• Dreamer by Nicole Maines & Rachel Stott
• Renee Montoya by Vita Ayala and Skylar Patridge
• Pied Piper by Sina Grace, Ro Stein & Ted Brandt
The anthology will include full-page profiles of Dctv’s Lgbtqia+ characters...
The anthology DC Pride #1 will feature cameos by Batwoman, Renee Montoya, Alan Scott, Midnighter, Apollo, Extraño, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Constantine, and more. The DC Pride creative teams, and the characters they’re developing stories for, are:
• Batwoman (Kate Kane) by James Tynion IV & Trung Le Nguyen
• Poison Ivy & Harley Quinn by Mariko Tamaki & Amy Reeder
• Midnighter by Steve Orlando & Stephen Byrne
• Flash of Earth-11 (Jess Chambers) by Danny Lore & Lisa Sterle
• Green Lantern (Alan Scott) & Obsidian by Sam Johns & Klaus Janson
• Aqualad (Jackson Hyde) by Andrew Wheeler & Luciano Vecchio
• Dreamer by Nicole Maines & Rachel Stott
• Renee Montoya by Vita Ayala and Skylar Patridge
• Pied Piper by Sina Grace, Ro Stein & Ted Brandt
The anthology will include full-page profiles of Dctv’s Lgbtqia+ characters...
- 3/11/2021
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
In the same vein of the Overlook Hotel from Stephen King's The Shining or the spa center from Gore Verbinski's A Cure for Wellness, the Therme Vals in Lucas Harari’s graphic novel Swimming in Darkness holds a potentially sinister secret for its visitors... not all of whom are guaranteed to check out. With Swimming in Darkness being released in the Us and Canada on November 5th from Arsenal Pulp Press, we've been provided with exclusive preview pages to share with Daily Dead readers!
You can begin your journey into the mystery of the Therme Vals in our exclusive preview pages below, and to learn more about Swimming in Darkness, visit:
https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/S/Swimming-in-Darkness
"This we know to be true: the award-winning architect Peter Zumthor designed the Therme Vals, the internationally famous hotel and spa complex in the Swiss Apps. Zumthor’s intention was not...
You can begin your journey into the mystery of the Therme Vals in our exclusive preview pages below, and to learn more about Swimming in Darkness, visit:
https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/S/Swimming-in-Darkness
"This we know to be true: the award-winning architect Peter Zumthor designed the Therme Vals, the internationally famous hotel and spa complex in the Swiss Apps. Zumthor’s intention was not...
- 11/4/2019
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Jim Dandy Oct 25, 2019
Rainbow Boys writer & Blue is the Warmest Color creator retell Aqualad's origin.
DC has been on a nice run with young adult graphic novels lately - Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo's Teen Titans: Raven has been an unquestionable hit, to the point where the duo is getting spots in big anniversary books in the mainstream Dcu. And it looks like that trend is going to continue with the summer's You Brought Me the Ocean, an Aqualad origin with a queer Ya twist from Alex Sanchez and Julie Maroh.
Sanchez is the Lambda Award-winning author of Rainbow Boys, and Maroh the creator of Blue is the Warmest Color, the French graphic novel that was eventually adapted into the award winning film. The new story tracks Jake Hyde through his senior year of high school in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, as he comes to grips with his superpowers...
Rainbow Boys writer & Blue is the Warmest Color creator retell Aqualad's origin.
DC has been on a nice run with young adult graphic novels lately - Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo's Teen Titans: Raven has been an unquestionable hit, to the point where the duo is getting spots in big anniversary books in the mainstream Dcu. And it looks like that trend is going to continue with the summer's You Brought Me the Ocean, an Aqualad origin with a queer Ya twist from Alex Sanchez and Julie Maroh.
Sanchez is the Lambda Award-winning author of Rainbow Boys, and Maroh the creator of Blue is the Warmest Color, the French graphic novel that was eventually adapted into the award winning film. The new story tracks Jake Hyde through his senior year of high school in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, as he comes to grips with his superpowers...
- 10/24/2019
- Den of Geek
40. Road to Perdition
One of the more surprising and lesser-known facts about Sam Mendes’ second film, Road to Perdition, is that it’s actually adapted from a graphic novel of the same name by Max Allan Collins. The plot follows Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks), an Irish mob enforcer as he goes on the run with his son Michael Jr. after Jr. witnesses a murder and their family is killed in an effort to cover up any witnesses. There’s many great things in this film that standout, such as Jude Law’s creepy performance as assassin Harlen Maguire, one of Paul Newman’s final and finest performances as mob boss John Rooney, and Hollywood got an early look at the talent of Daniel Craig as the unstable Connor Rooney. However, it’s the climax that remains the most memorable thing in it, featuring some of the most iconic work from...
One of the more surprising and lesser-known facts about Sam Mendes’ second film, Road to Perdition, is that it’s actually adapted from a graphic novel of the same name by Max Allan Collins. The plot follows Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks), an Irish mob enforcer as he goes on the run with his son Michael Jr. after Jr. witnesses a murder and their family is killed in an effort to cover up any witnesses. There’s many great things in this film that standout, such as Jude Law’s creepy performance as assassin Harlen Maguire, one of Paul Newman’s final and finest performances as mob boss John Rooney, and Hollywood got an early look at the talent of Daniel Craig as the unstable Connor Rooney. However, it’s the climax that remains the most memorable thing in it, featuring some of the most iconic work from...
- 9/2/2015
- by Staff
- SoundOnSight
La blessure
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche // Writer: Abdellatif Kechiche, Francois Begaudeau
Few auteurs have reached the heights of emotional realism in narrative cinema as has Tunisian born director Abdellatif Kechiche. Starting out as an actor (his last stint in front of the camera was in Jeff Stanzler’s 2005 American indie Sorry, Haters with Robin Wright), Kechiche’s 2000 debut, Poetical Refugee premiered in Venice and starred a host of faces we’ve seen frequently, including Sami Bouajila, Elodie Bouchez, and Aure Atika. His coming titles would prove Kechiche’s preference for non-professional and/or character actors, including the excellent 2005 title Games of Love and Chance, which won Kechiche the Cesar for Best Film, Screenplay, and Director, and would introduce us to actress Sara Forestier. He’d win Best Film, Director, and Screenplay again at the Cesars in 2007, along with several awards in Venice, including the Special Jury Prize for The Secret of the Grain,...
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche // Writer: Abdellatif Kechiche, Francois Begaudeau
Few auteurs have reached the heights of emotional realism in narrative cinema as has Tunisian born director Abdellatif Kechiche. Starting out as an actor (his last stint in front of the camera was in Jeff Stanzler’s 2005 American indie Sorry, Haters with Robin Wright), Kechiche’s 2000 debut, Poetical Refugee premiered in Venice and starred a host of faces we’ve seen frequently, including Sami Bouajila, Elodie Bouchez, and Aure Atika. His coming titles would prove Kechiche’s preference for non-professional and/or character actors, including the excellent 2005 title Games of Love and Chance, which won Kechiche the Cesar for Best Film, Screenplay, and Director, and would introduce us to actress Sara Forestier. He’d win Best Film, Director, and Screenplay again at the Cesars in 2007, along with several awards in Venice, including the Special Jury Prize for The Secret of the Grain,...
- 1/9/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Take another look @ Nsfw footage and images from writer/director Abdellatif Kechiche's Cannes award-winning, romantic feature "Blue is the Warmest Color".
"Blue is the Warmest Color" is based on the 2010 award-winning French graphic novel "Blue Angel" by Julie Maroh.
"...15-year-old 'Adèle' (Adèle Exarchopoulos), aspires to become a teacher, but her life is turned upside down when she meets 'Emma'...
"Emma is a blue-haired art student at a nearby college, who instigates a romance..."
"This is a landmark film with two of the best female performances we have ever seen on screen," said North American distributor, Sundance Selects/IFC Films President Jonathan Sehring about "Blue Is The Warmest Color".
"The film is first and foremost a film about love, coming of age and passion..."
"For me the film is a great love story," said previous Cannes Jury President Steven Spielberg.
"We were absolutely spellbound by the brilliance of the performances...
"Blue is the Warmest Color" is based on the 2010 award-winning French graphic novel "Blue Angel" by Julie Maroh.
"...15-year-old 'Adèle' (Adèle Exarchopoulos), aspires to become a teacher, but her life is turned upside down when she meets 'Emma'...
"Emma is a blue-haired art student at a nearby college, who instigates a romance..."
"This is a landmark film with two of the best female performances we have ever seen on screen," said North American distributor, Sundance Selects/IFC Films President Jonathan Sehring about "Blue Is The Warmest Color".
"The film is first and foremost a film about love, coming of age and passion..."
"For me the film is a great love story," said previous Cannes Jury President Steven Spielberg.
"We were absolutely spellbound by the brilliance of the performances...
- 12/28/2014
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Pretty much any film with a lesbian sex scene captures pop culture’s attention. But Blue Is the Warmest Color is one of those films that transcends any social media punchline in its portrayal of a very real and romantic (and heartbreaking) coming of age story. The film, adapted from a graphic novel by Julie Maroh, swept the Cannes last year winning the Palme d’Or not only for director Abdellatif Kechiche but also for the stars Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux (making them the only women to ever win the award other than Jane Campion). With so much positive buzz surrounding the film it’s baffling how it failed to snag an Oscar nomination (although the film that did win the Oscar, The Great Beauty, also had its own Criterion release recently).
Read more...
Read more...
- 4/4/2014
- by John Keith
- JustPressPlay.net
Sneak Peek more Nsfw restricted footage and images from writer/director Abdellatif Kechiche's Cannes award-winning, romantic feature "Blue is the Warmest Color".
"Blue is the Warmest Color" is based on the 2010 French graphic novel "Blue Angel" by Julie Maroh, which previously won several awards.
"...15-year-old 'Adèle' (Adèle Exarchopoulos), aspires to become a teacher, but her life is turned upside down when she meets 'Emma'...
"Emma is a blue-haired art student at a nearby college, who instigates a romance..."
"This is a landmark film with two of the best female performances we have ever seen on screen," said North American distributor, Sundance Selects/IFC Films President Jonathan Sehring about "Blue Is The Warmest Color".
"The film is first and foremost a film about love, coming of age and passion..."
"For me the film is a great love story," said Cannes Jury President Steven Spielberg.
"We were absolutely spellbound by the...
"Blue is the Warmest Color" is based on the 2010 French graphic novel "Blue Angel" by Julie Maroh, which previously won several awards.
"...15-year-old 'Adèle' (Adèle Exarchopoulos), aspires to become a teacher, but her life is turned upside down when she meets 'Emma'...
"Emma is a blue-haired art student at a nearby college, who instigates a romance..."
"This is a landmark film with two of the best female performances we have ever seen on screen," said North American distributor, Sundance Selects/IFC Films President Jonathan Sehring about "Blue Is The Warmest Color".
"The film is first and foremost a film about love, coming of age and passion..."
"For me the film is a great love story," said Cannes Jury President Steven Spielberg.
"We were absolutely spellbound by the...
- 3/22/2014
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
★★★★☆Discourse surrounding Tunisian-French director Abdellatif Kechiche's adaptation of Julie Maroh's eponymous graphic novel Blue Is the Warmest Colour quickly shifted from festival sensation to media sensationalism. Chided for exploring lesbian sexuality through masculine subjectivity to fastidious critics questioning Kechiche's 'demanding' directorial approach, Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013) has become one of the most talked about of Palme d'Or winners. Divided into two chapters, the film tracks the capricious nature of young love, from the ecstasy of adolescent infatuation to the inevitable waning of corporeal desires and inescapable heartbreak.
- 3/18/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Stars: Adèle Exarchopoulos, Léa Seydoux, Salim Kechiouche, Aurélien Recoing, Catherine Salée, Benjamin Siksou, Mona Walravens, Alma Jodorowsky | Written by Abdellatif Kechiche, Ghalia Lacroix | Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche
Love is a complicated thing, it can also be destructive but for those fleeting moments when you are truly in love they can shape your life forever. Blue is the Warmest Colour is a film about love and a young woman’s discovery of herself, in both good ways and bad. Controversial to some it also features some intense performances, and sex scenes that almost seem to go too far. While I myself can understand the reason for this, some find it just a little too uncomfortable especially depending on who you are viewing it with.
When Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) experiences love at first sight, she never expected it to be with another girl, a stranger on the street with blue hair. Trying...
Love is a complicated thing, it can also be destructive but for those fleeting moments when you are truly in love they can shape your life forever. Blue is the Warmest Colour is a film about love and a young woman’s discovery of herself, in both good ways and bad. Controversial to some it also features some intense performances, and sex scenes that almost seem to go too far. While I myself can understand the reason for this, some find it just a little too uncomfortable especially depending on who you are viewing it with.
When Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) experiences love at first sight, she never expected it to be with another girl, a stranger on the street with blue hair. Trying...
- 3/15/2014
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
Comic book movies are often seen as the domain of spandex-clad demigods who battle moustache-twirling villains, but if 300 and Sin City - which both originated on the pages of Frank Miller works - are anything to go by they're not essential to telling a great story.
With sequels to 300 and Sin City incoming, we take a look at 8 great examples of comic book-inspired films with no superheroes in sight.
Sin City (2005)
Co-directed by comic creator Miller and digital filmmaking pioneer Robert Rodriguez, this adaptation stayed faithful to the source material, with the filmmakers shooting actors on green screen and rendering the locations - almost exactly how they appeared on the page - in post-production.
With an all-star cast, ranging from Bruce Willis to Mickey Rourke, and interlocking narratives, this was Pulp Fiction for the comic book movie geek crowd.
Ghost World (2001)
Long before he was jousting with Shia Labeouf, comics...
With sequels to 300 and Sin City incoming, we take a look at 8 great examples of comic book-inspired films with no superheroes in sight.
Sin City (2005)
Co-directed by comic creator Miller and digital filmmaking pioneer Robert Rodriguez, this adaptation stayed faithful to the source material, with the filmmakers shooting actors on green screen and rendering the locations - almost exactly how they appeared on the page - in post-production.
With an all-star cast, ranging from Bruce Willis to Mickey Rourke, and interlocking narratives, this was Pulp Fiction for the comic book movie geek crowd.
Ghost World (2001)
Long before he was jousting with Shia Labeouf, comics...
- 3/6/2014
- Digital Spy
Not quite a year after its memorable premiere at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, where it would snatch the Palme d’Or from the Steven Spielberg headed jury, Criterion adds Blue is the Warmest Color to the collection, of which Abdellatif Kechiche’s 2007 film The Secret of the Grain is also a part of. Shortly after Cannes and throughout the remainder of 2013, we witnessed a very public drama play out in the media between the director and stars of the film. Both damned and praised for its graphic, and (to some, arguably) realistic portrayal of sexuality and identity in its portrayal of a lesbian relationship, the difficulty of filming behind the scenes should come as no surprised considering the achievement at hand. And while untoward comments flew back and forth, both between the cast and crew and rankled critics, there’s nothing that can demean the superlative end product.
Kechiche returns...
Kechiche returns...
- 2/25/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Publishing house to launch book pitching event Shoot the Book at Cannes.
French publishing house Gallimard has launched a drive to ramp up its adaptation rights business both at home and abroad.
“We’re already very active but we want to becoming even more proactive in terms of presenting our catalogue to producers,” said Frédérique Massart, director of Gallimard’s audiovisual department, told ScreenDaily.
Recent adaptations from the Gallimard catalogue include Norwegian Joachim’s Trier’s Oslo, August 31st, based on Drieu La Rochelle’s tale of an ex-junkie Feu Follet, and Korean Bong Joon Ho’s post-apocalyptic ice age tale Snowpiercer, which was adapted from Jean-Marc Rochette and Benjamin Legrand’s graphic novel Transperceneige, originally published by Gallimard subsidiary Castermann.
As part of the drive the company and its subsidiary labels Mercure, Castermann, Futuropolis and Flammarion were out in force at Ile de France Film Commission’s Location Expo in Paris on Thursday with a new pitching...
French publishing house Gallimard has launched a drive to ramp up its adaptation rights business both at home and abroad.
“We’re already very active but we want to becoming even more proactive in terms of presenting our catalogue to producers,” said Frédérique Massart, director of Gallimard’s audiovisual department, told ScreenDaily.
Recent adaptations from the Gallimard catalogue include Norwegian Joachim’s Trier’s Oslo, August 31st, based on Drieu La Rochelle’s tale of an ex-junkie Feu Follet, and Korean Bong Joon Ho’s post-apocalyptic ice age tale Snowpiercer, which was adapted from Jean-Marc Rochette and Benjamin Legrand’s graphic novel Transperceneige, originally published by Gallimard subsidiary Castermann.
As part of the drive the company and its subsidiary labels Mercure, Castermann, Futuropolis and Flammarion were out in force at Ile de France Film Commission’s Location Expo in Paris on Thursday with a new pitching...
- 2/14/2014
- ScreenDaily
Paramount Pictures
Controversy is a strange word in cinema. Some films court outrage as a form of free publicity, many stumble into moral debates by accident and, of course, Auteurs are immune.
2013 barely had a month go by without an outrageous new film gaining headlines for some reason or another, and a particular trend that grew this year, fueled by social networks, was that of the contentious comic book and sci-fi film. As such this list is effectively split in two with the second half dedicated to this growing section of outrage.
Of course some of cinema’s controversies were not actually in the films but came from comments made during press junkets and promotional tours so some of those have made the list too. As usual with a list like this there are many options that didn’t make the cut and for those that did, tread carefully. Spoilers-ahoy!
Controversy is a strange word in cinema. Some films court outrage as a form of free publicity, many stumble into moral debates by accident and, of course, Auteurs are immune.
2013 barely had a month go by without an outrageous new film gaining headlines for some reason or another, and a particular trend that grew this year, fueled by social networks, was that of the contentious comic book and sci-fi film. As such this list is effectively split in two with the second half dedicated to this growing section of outrage.
Of course some of cinema’s controversies were not actually in the films but came from comments made during press junkets and promotional tours so some of those have made the list too. As usual with a list like this there are many options that didn’t make the cut and for those that did, tread carefully. Spoilers-ahoy!
- 1/18/2014
- by Terry Hearn
- Obsessed with Film
Sneak Peek a new restricted 'red-band' trailer from writer/director Abdellatif Kechiche's Cannes award-winning, romantic feature "Blue is the Warmest Color".
"Blue is the Warmest Color"is based on the 2010 French graphic novel "Blue Angel" by Julie Maroh, which previously won several awards.
"...15-year-old 'Adèle' (Adèle Exarchopoulos), aspires to become a teacher, but her life is turned upside down when she meets 'Emma'...
"Emma is a blue-haired art student at a nearby college, who instigates a romance..."
"This is a landmark film with two of the best female performances we have ever seen on screen," said North American distributor, Sundance Selects/IFC Films President Jonathan Sehring about "Blue Is The Warmest Color".
"The film is first and foremost a film about love, coming of age and passion..."
"For me the film is a great love story," said Cannes Jury President Steven Spielberg.
"We were absolutely spellbound by the brilliance...
"Blue is the Warmest Color"is based on the 2010 French graphic novel "Blue Angel" by Julie Maroh, which previously won several awards.
"...15-year-old 'Adèle' (Adèle Exarchopoulos), aspires to become a teacher, but her life is turned upside down when she meets 'Emma'...
"Emma is a blue-haired art student at a nearby college, who instigates a romance..."
"This is a landmark film with two of the best female performances we have ever seen on screen," said North American distributor, Sundance Selects/IFC Films President Jonathan Sehring about "Blue Is The Warmest Color".
"The film is first and foremost a film about love, coming of age and passion..."
"For me the film is a great love story," said Cannes Jury President Steven Spielberg.
"We were absolutely spellbound by the brilliance...
- 12/31/2013
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Acclaimed French filmmaker Abdellatif Kechiche’s latest, based on Julie Maroh’s graphic novel, was the sensation of this year’s Cannes Film Festival even before it was awarded the Palme d’Or. Adèle Exarchopoulos is a young woman whose longings and ecstasies and losses are charted across a span of several years. Léa Seydoux (Midnight in Paris) is the older woman who excites her desire and becomes the love of her life. Kechiche’s movie is, like the films of John Cassavetes, an epic of emotional transformation that pulses with gestures, embraces, furtive exchanges, and arias of joy and devastation. It is a profoundly moving hymn to both love and life. This is the first film adapted from either a graphic novel or a comic to win the Palme d'Or.
- 12/31/2013
- ComicBookMovie.com
As with any year, some people have begun arguing that 2013 was a bad year for film, because of the expected glut of effects-heavy blockbusters that litter the multiplexes each summer, or because there was a lack of auteur-driven storytelling for the majority of the year. Though it is indeed frustrating that studios hold their more prestigious films until the last month or two of this or any year, 2013 was an excellent year for film. You shouldn’t have to look first to Sound on Sight’s list of the 30 best films of 2013 for proof, but you should add it to the pile, no doubt. We asked our film writers to provide their personal lists of the 15 best films of the year; everyone’s number-one pick got 15 points allocated, everyone’s number-two pick got 14 points, and so on. (As you’ll see, the point values for each of the 30 films is included here.
- 12/28/2013
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
This intense and emotionally draining story of a lesbian relationship has caused much controversy
When Abdellatif Kechiche's lengthy and "freely inspired" adaptation of Julie Maroh's graphic novel Le bleu est une couleur chaude won the Palme d'Or at Cannes earlier this year, its two lead actresses were officially recognised in the citation alongside the director, an unprecedented acknowledgement of the defining role of the key cast that flew in the face of the festival's longstanding love affair with the haughty tenets of auterism. Certainly the performances by Léa Seydoux (already an important screen presence) and newcomer Adèle Exarchopoulos are extraordinary. Their portrayal of a blossoming, fragmenting relationship is shot through with genuine grace and conviction even when the film itself descends into indulgence.
Originally titled La vie d'Adèle, chapitres 1 & 2, Kechiche's raw love story traces the formation and disintegration of a relationship so powerful that it transforms the life of its coming-of-age heroine.
When Abdellatif Kechiche's lengthy and "freely inspired" adaptation of Julie Maroh's graphic novel Le bleu est une couleur chaude won the Palme d'Or at Cannes earlier this year, its two lead actresses were officially recognised in the citation alongside the director, an unprecedented acknowledgement of the defining role of the key cast that flew in the face of the festival's longstanding love affair with the haughty tenets of auterism. Certainly the performances by Léa Seydoux (already an important screen presence) and newcomer Adèle Exarchopoulos are extraordinary. Their portrayal of a blossoming, fragmenting relationship is shot through with genuine grace and conviction even when the film itself descends into indulgence.
Originally titled La vie d'Adèle, chapitres 1 & 2, Kechiche's raw love story traces the formation and disintegration of a relationship so powerful that it transforms the life of its coming-of-age heroine.
- 11/24/2013
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche; Screenwriters: Abdellatif Kechiche, Ghalia Lacroix, Julie Maroh; Starring: Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Salim Kechiouche; Running time: 179 mins; Certificate: 18
More than just a love story, this Palme d'Or winning French drama depicts a primal hunger - for love, sex and a sense of belonging.
Newcomer Adèle Exarchopoulos is simply stunning as the gauche teenager, also named Adèle, who just so happens to desire other girls and though much of the chatter around this film relates to a couple of prolonged sex scenes, Exarchopoulos carries a whopping three hours of screen time with seemingly natural intensity, devouring every frame.
It turns out this performance actually required a lot of concerted effort because the actress has since publicly accused director Abdellatif Kechiche of pushing her too far. Indeed, she is very young and in those intimate scenes, Kechiche's camera lays her bare (along with her co-star Léa Seydoux) with an almost clinical coldness.
More than just a love story, this Palme d'Or winning French drama depicts a primal hunger - for love, sex and a sense of belonging.
Newcomer Adèle Exarchopoulos is simply stunning as the gauche teenager, also named Adèle, who just so happens to desire other girls and though much of the chatter around this film relates to a couple of prolonged sex scenes, Exarchopoulos carries a whopping three hours of screen time with seemingly natural intensity, devouring every frame.
It turns out this performance actually required a lot of concerted effort because the actress has since publicly accused director Abdellatif Kechiche of pushing her too far. Indeed, she is very young and in those intimate scenes, Kechiche's camera lays her bare (along with her co-star Léa Seydoux) with an almost clinical coldness.
- 11/20/2013
- Digital Spy
London, November 20: Lea Seydoux has revealed that the sex scenes in her upcoming film 'Blue Is The Warmest Colour' was humiliating to shoot.
The 28-year-old actress said that making the loose adaptation of Julie Maroh's graphic novel, about a high-school girl's lesbian love affair with an older, blue-haired art student had been "extremely difficult", Metro.co.uk reported.
Seydoux said that the three-hour, intimately photographed drama's explicit sex scenes as "humiliating" and "gross" to shoot, and one has to be out of their body and it was too difficult.
The film is due to release on November 22. (Ani)...
The 28-year-old actress said that making the loose adaptation of Julie Maroh's graphic novel, about a high-school girl's lesbian love affair with an older, blue-haired art student had been "extremely difficult", Metro.co.uk reported.
Seydoux said that the three-hour, intimately photographed drama's explicit sex scenes as "humiliating" and "gross" to shoot, and one has to be out of their body and it was too difficult.
The film is due to release on November 22. (Ani)...
- 11/20/2013
- by Abhijeet Sen
- RealBollywood.com
Several films set in those teenage high school years deal with the main character’s sexual awakening, be it The Summer Of 42 or Tea And Sympathy, This film festival winner goes further (very far) in dealing with that awakening and a revelation for the protagonist. Blue Is The Warmest Color is adapted from a celebrated graphic novel from Julie Maroh by screenwriter Ghalia Lacroix and director Abdellatif Kechichi. Besides reaping awards it has been generating a lot of controversy for its no-holds barred, shot in real-time love scenes (and also for its 3 hour running time). Time to set aside the press and the hype and see how it works at telling this very adult story.
Blue is mainly the journey of Adele (Adele Exarchopoulos), a smart, sassy seventeen year-old attending high school in France. She gets along with her mother and father, enjoys school (particularly French literature) and has many friends.
Blue is mainly the journey of Adele (Adele Exarchopoulos), a smart, sassy seventeen year-old attending high school in France. She gets along with her mother and father, enjoys school (particularly French literature) and has many friends.
- 11/8/2013
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Blue is the Warmest Color
Written and directed by Abdellatif Kechiche
France, 2013
Simultaneously distant and distinct, unfamiliar and knowing, Blue is the Warmest Color is an emotionally raw yet mildly troublesome epic drama. This year’s winner of the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival is but two chapters in the life of its lead character, Adèle, spanning years, houses, life changes, and relationships, all of which pile up like cigarettes worn down to the nub. We are in her volatile, free-floating headspace from the first shot and leave it well after the credits roll; the metaphorical scars she receives from the harsh world around her are transferred outward, not so easy to shake off while exiting the theater. As emotionally raw as the two lead performances at the heart of this film are, though, the story suffers from a deliberate unwillingness to offer clarity and context.
Adèle Exarchopoulos is Adèle,...
Written and directed by Abdellatif Kechiche
France, 2013
Simultaneously distant and distinct, unfamiliar and knowing, Blue is the Warmest Color is an emotionally raw yet mildly troublesome epic drama. This year’s winner of the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival is but two chapters in the life of its lead character, Adèle, spanning years, houses, life changes, and relationships, all of which pile up like cigarettes worn down to the nub. We are in her volatile, free-floating headspace from the first shot and leave it well after the credits roll; the metaphorical scars she receives from the harsh world around her are transferred outward, not so easy to shake off while exiting the theater. As emotionally raw as the two lead performances at the heart of this film are, though, the story suffers from a deliberate unwillingness to offer clarity and context.
Adèle Exarchopoulos is Adèle,...
- 11/1/2013
- by Josh Spiegel
- SoundOnSight
Ever since Blue Is the Warmest Color was first screened at this summer’s Cannes Film Festival, tongues have wagged about the three-hour French movie’s explicit lesbian sex, including a centerpiece scene that runs a full seven minutes. Last weekend, New York Times critic Manohla Dargis took the film to task, airing concerns about the way Tunisian-French director Abdellatif Kechiche filmed the bodies of actresses Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos. The piece was an expansion upon her initial review from Cannes, in which she wrote, “[As Adèle] sleeps with her derrière prettily framed, the movie feels far more about Mr. Kechiche’s desires than anything else.”But Dargis’s critiques weren’t the first and they certainly weren’t the harshest. In May, the day after Blue Is the Warmest Color won the Palme d’Or, graphic novelist Julie Maroh, who wrote the book from which the movie is adapted, called...
- 10/31/2013
- by Kera Bolonik
- Vulture
While watching Blue Is the Warmest Color, one particular question repeatedly came to the forefront of my mind: What right does a male filmmaker (Abdellatif Kechiche) have in telling this particular story? Considering the historical shortage of female filmmakers -- and even fewer female filmmakers from the Lgbt community -- men have typically told female-centric stories, albeit from an overtly male perspective. For a male to tell a female story, such as adapting Julie Maroh's comic Le Bleu est une couleur chaude, there is no other option than to take the role of an outsider looking into a world that he can never fully understand. Additionally, men who are attracted to women seem to be hopelessly fascinated by same sex relationships of women. So, for a male to direct a film about two female lovers seems perversely voyeuristic; being that the lead protagonist of this particular narrative -- Adèle...
- 10/31/2013
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Sneak Peek more new images from writer/director Abdellatif Kechiche's Cannes award-winning, 'lesbian' romantic feature "Blue is the Warmest Color".
"Blue is the Warmest Color", opening in North America October 25, 2013 is based on the 2010 French graphic novel "Blue Angel" by Julie Maroh, which previously won several awards and will also be released in North America October 2013:
"...15-year-old 'Adèle' (Adèle Exarchopoulos), aspires to become a teacher, but her life is turned upside down when she meets 'Emma'...
"Emma is a blue-haired art student at a nearby college, who instigates a romance..."
"This is a landmark film with two of the best female performances we have ever seen on screen," said North American distributor, Sundance Selects/IFC Films President Jonathan Sehring about "Blue Is The Warmest Color".
"The film is first and foremost a film about love, coming of age and passion..."
"For me the film is a great love story,...
"Blue is the Warmest Color", opening in North America October 25, 2013 is based on the 2010 French graphic novel "Blue Angel" by Julie Maroh, which previously won several awards and will also be released in North America October 2013:
"...15-year-old 'Adèle' (Adèle Exarchopoulos), aspires to become a teacher, but her life is turned upside down when she meets 'Emma'...
"Emma is a blue-haired art student at a nearby college, who instigates a romance..."
"This is a landmark film with two of the best female performances we have ever seen on screen," said North American distributor, Sundance Selects/IFC Films President Jonathan Sehring about "Blue Is The Warmest Color".
"The film is first and foremost a film about love, coming of age and passion..."
"For me the film is a great love story,...
- 10/31/2013
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Acclaimed French filmmaker Abdellatif Kechiche’s latest, based on Julie Maroh’s graphic novel, was the sensation of this year’s Cannes Film Festival even before it was awarded the Palme d’Or. Adèle Exarchopoulos is a young woman whose longings and ecstasies and losses are charted across a span of several years. Léa Seydoux (Midnight in Paris) is the older woman who excites her desire and becomes the love of her life. Kechiche’s movie is, like the films of John Cassavetes, an epic of emotional transformation that pulses with gestures, embraces, furtive exchanges, and arias of joy and devastation. It is a profoundly moving hymn to both love and life. This is the first film adapted from either a graphic novel or a comic to win the Palme d'Or. Blue Is The Warmest Color stars Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux, and opens November 22nd in the UK and...
- 10/30/2013
- ComicBookMovie.com
Acclaimed French filmmaker Abdellatif Kechiche’s latest, based on Julie Maroh’s graphic novel, was the sensation of this year’s Cannes Film Festival even before it was awarded the Palme d’Or. Adèle Exarchopoulos is a young woman whose longings and ecstasies and losses are charted across a span of several years. Léa Seydoux (Midnight in Paris) is the older woman who excites her desire and becomes the love of her life. Kechiche’s movie is, like the films of John Cassavetes, an epic of emotional transformation that pulses with gestures, embraces, furtive exchanges, and arias of joy and devastation. It is a profoundly moving hymn to both love and life. Starring Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Salim Kechiouchea and Jérémie Laheurte, Blue is the Warmest Color is rated Nc-17 and began its...
- 10/30/2013
- by Pietro Filipponi
- The Daily BLAM!
Sneak Peek new revealing images of 20-year old actress Adèle Exarchopoulos, one of the stars of writer/director Abdellatif Kechiche's Cannes award-winning, romantic feature "Blue is the Warmest Color", in the November 2013 issue of "GQ" magazine.
"Blue is the Warmest Color", opening in North America October 25, 2013 is based on the 2010 French graphic novel "Blue Angel" by Julie Maroh, which previously won several awards and will also be released in North America October 2013:
"...15-year-old 'Adèle' (Adèle Exarchopoulos), aspires to become a teacher, but her life is turned upside down when she meets 'Emma'...
"Emma is a blue-haired art student at a nearby college, who instigates a romance..."
"This is a landmark film with two of the best female performances we have ever seen on screen," said North American distributor, Sundance Selects/IFC Films President Jonathan Sehring about "Blue Is The Warmest Color".
"The film is first and foremost a film about love,...
"Blue is the Warmest Color", opening in North America October 25, 2013 is based on the 2010 French graphic novel "Blue Angel" by Julie Maroh, which previously won several awards and will also be released in North America October 2013:
"...15-year-old 'Adèle' (Adèle Exarchopoulos), aspires to become a teacher, but her life is turned upside down when she meets 'Emma'...
"Emma is a blue-haired art student at a nearby college, who instigates a romance..."
"This is a landmark film with two of the best female performances we have ever seen on screen," said North American distributor, Sundance Selects/IFC Films President Jonathan Sehring about "Blue Is The Warmest Color".
"The film is first and foremost a film about love,...
- 10/28/2013
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Abdellatif Kechiche won a Palme d'Or for his latest film, Blue Is the Warmest Colour, about a lesbian relationship between two students. But since then the director has been criticised for his working methods, and the film's young stars have said they'll never work with him again
Abdellatif Kechiche has not been a happy man lately. His new film, Blue Is the Warmest Colour, about a French teenager embarking on a lesbian relationship, has been garlanded with ecstatic reviews and is performing robustly at the box office since its release in France earlier this month. And at the Cannes film festival, back in May, Steven Spielberg's jury awarded his film the legendary Palme d'Or.
Still, even the Palme seems a mixed blessing for this eminently serious, soft-spoken man. "There's a certain anxiety that comes with that sort of recognition," he says in French, making a habitual pensive gesture with his hands,...
Abdellatif Kechiche has not been a happy man lately. His new film, Blue Is the Warmest Colour, about a French teenager embarking on a lesbian relationship, has been garlanded with ecstatic reviews and is performing robustly at the box office since its release in France earlier this month. And at the Cannes film festival, back in May, Steven Spielberg's jury awarded his film the legendary Palme d'Or.
Still, even the Palme seems a mixed blessing for this eminently serious, soft-spoken man. "There's a certain anxiety that comes with that sort of recognition," he says in French, making a habitual pensive gesture with his hands,...
- 10/26/2013
- by Jonathan Romney
- The Guardian - Film News
It's hard to tell if Blue is the Warmest Color (La vie d'Adele) is going to gain more attention for its Palme d'Or win at the Cannes Film Festival, the outstanding performances from its two lead actors or for its explicit (and questionably necessary) sex scenes. Either way, once you get beyond the talking points there's a lot more to see and it's a film that won't be soon forgotten. Running only a minute shy of three hours, the narrative, adapted from a graphic novel by Julie Maroh, follows the story of Adele (Adele Exarchopoulos), a young high school junior as she begins exploring her sexuality. Sex with men leaves her feeling empty and unfulfilled as her mind wanders and she dreams of a blue-haired girl she only saw briefly on the street, a chance encounter that caused something to stir inside her and she's compelled to learn more. Exarchopoulos'...
- 10/25/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Editor’s Note: Our review of Blue Is the Warmest Color originally ran during this year’s Cannes Film Festival, but we’re re-running it now as the film opens in limited theatrical release. Lea Seydoux has been one of the toasts of the Cannes Film Festival this year, what with her stellar work opposite Tahir Rahim in Un Certain Regard entry Grand Central, and now, In Competition, she delivers the stronger of her two performances in the sweeping, epic, sexy romance Blue is the Warmest Color. The bigger story here, however, might just be the coming out party for newcomer Adele Exarchopoulos, who is sure to become an in-demand young actress overnight. Adapted from Julie Maroh’s graphic novel, Blue follows a young high school student, Adele (Exarchopolous), through the passage of adulthood as she attempts to come to terms with her sexuality. After a failed relationship with a classmate, Thomas...
- 10/25/2013
- by Shaun Munro
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Blue is the Color of My True Love’s Hair: Kechiche Takes Us Deep Sea, Baby
For his latest film, Abdellatif Kechiche returns to themes of love and maturation with Blue Is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d’Adele, Chapters 1&2), based on the graphic novel by Julie Maroh. As with other entries in the actor turned director’s filmography, his latest masterpiece sports a lofty running time, at nearly three hours covering a relatively small amount of time in one character’s life in the length of time that most epic sagas run out of steam. But if you give Kechiche your time, he hardly tries your patience, once again creating a beautiful, engrossing film that manages to capture human emotion like few others films ever have. Inordinately simple on paper, as, in essence this is a coming out drama, Kechiche understands how to pace, guiding us expertly as he...
For his latest film, Abdellatif Kechiche returns to themes of love and maturation with Blue Is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d’Adele, Chapters 1&2), based on the graphic novel by Julie Maroh. As with other entries in the actor turned director’s filmography, his latest masterpiece sports a lofty running time, at nearly three hours covering a relatively small amount of time in one character’s life in the length of time that most epic sagas run out of steam. But if you give Kechiche your time, he hardly tries your patience, once again creating a beautiful, engrossing film that manages to capture human emotion like few others films ever have. Inordinately simple on paper, as, in essence this is a coming out drama, Kechiche understands how to pace, guiding us expertly as he...
- 10/25/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Cannes winner Blue Is the Warmest Color is not a film that necessarily appeals to everyone – explicit sex scenes and its three-hour runtime sort of automatically count out plenty of movie-goers – but Abdellatif Kechiche’s take on Julie Maroh’s graphic novel of the same name does have a certain amount of spectator draw that could cause some hilarious in-theater double takes when uninformed audiences turn out to see the film. “I heard people loved it at Cannes!” “There’s a lot of sex!” “It’s based on a graphic novel!” “Dudes, really, I heard there is a lot of sex.” The chance for shocked audience members to flee is markedly high on this one, though it remains to be seen if people will run because there’s too much sex or too much talking. It could really become its own sport, but we’re not here to take bets as to who will be most surprised...
- 10/25/2013
- by Kate Erbland
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
While the critical reaction to Palme d'Or winner "Blue Is the Warmest Color" has been resoundingly positive (the jury vote for the film's selection, led by Steven Spielberg, was unanimous), there have been a few fascinating holdouts against the film, both of whom cite director Abdellatif Kechiche's male-fantasy gaze during the graphic sex scenes as problematic. And these displeased critics are important: the New York Times' mighty Manohla Dargis (in her review here, she accuses the director of "patriarchal anxiety") and the 27-year-old author of the graphic novel on which the film is based, Julie Maroh. (We talk to the film's stars here.) Spielberg, in his remarks for the press conference of the Jury, was passionate about the selection of "Blue Is the Warmest Color" for the Palme. Of Kechiche' filmmaking decisions, he said: "He let the scenes play as long as they would in real life. And we...
- 10/25/2013
- by Anne Thompson and Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 30 Pairs of Passes to Erotic French Romance ‘Blue is the Warmest Color’
Chicago – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 30 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the erotic French romance and Palme d’Or winner “Blue is the Warmest Color” starring Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos! This film is rated “Nc-17” for explicit sexual content.
“Blue is the Warmest Color” – a love story about two women – also stars Salim Kechiouche, Aurélien Recoing, Catherine Salée, Benjamin Siksou, Mona Walravens and Alma Jodorowsky from writer and director Abdellatif Kechiche and writer Ghalia Lacroix based on the comic by Julie Maroh. Note: You must be 17+ to attend this “Nc-17”-rated screening.
To win your free “Blue is the Warmest Color” passes courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our unique Hookup technology below. That’s it! This screening is on Monday, Oct. 28, 2013 at 7 p.m. in Chicago. The more social actions you complete,...
“Blue is the Warmest Color” – a love story about two women – also stars Salim Kechiouche, Aurélien Recoing, Catherine Salée, Benjamin Siksou, Mona Walravens and Alma Jodorowsky from writer and director Abdellatif Kechiche and writer Ghalia Lacroix based on the comic by Julie Maroh. Note: You must be 17+ to attend this “Nc-17”-rated screening.
To win your free “Blue is the Warmest Color” passes courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our unique Hookup technology below. That’s it! This screening is on Monday, Oct. 28, 2013 at 7 p.m. in Chicago. The more social actions you complete,...
- 10/25/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
There’s nothing particularly surprising here. Not even the rather tediously obvious 15-minute all-nude lesbian fuckfest. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have not read the source material
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
It’s yer basic tragic French love story. Not tragic in that somebody develops a terrible rare cancer or is paralyzed in a skydiving accident or anything, just that there’s lots of angst and drama, because, you know, they’re French.
Oh, and they’re also lesbians. Not that that’s tragic, of course, and certainly not for the hetero male viewer who’d like to pretend he’s appreciating art when he is watching two pretty young thin white conventionally attractive “lesbians” get totally naked and have graphic (simulated) sex with lots of O-faces on camera. Tragic — for that viewer only, of course — would have been,...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have not read the source material
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
It’s yer basic tragic French love story. Not tragic in that somebody develops a terrible rare cancer or is paralyzed in a skydiving accident or anything, just that there’s lots of angst and drama, because, you know, they’re French.
Oh, and they’re also lesbians. Not that that’s tragic, of course, and certainly not for the hetero male viewer who’d like to pretend he’s appreciating art when he is watching two pretty young thin white conventionally attractive “lesbians” get totally naked and have graphic (simulated) sex with lots of O-faces on camera. Tragic — for that viewer only, of course — would have been,...
- 10/24/2013
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
By the time Blue Is the Warmest Color won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival last May, the three-hour French lesbian coming-of-age drama, with its deliriously explicit and extended sex scenes, was mired in controversy. But not because of the usual conservative fuddy-duddies (the ratings board, the Catholic Church). The movie was under siege from more progressive forces, including the author of the graphic novel on which it was based. I always expected the controversy to follow Blue Is the Warmest Color to America. Yet now that the film is finally set to open (this Friday), I...
- 10/23/2013
- by Owen Gleiberman
- EW - Inside Movies
By the time Blue Is the Warmest Color won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival last May, the three-hour French lesbian coming-of-age drama, with its deliriously explicit and extended sex scenes, was mired in controversy. But not because of the usual conservative fuddy-duddies (the ratings board, the Catholic Church). The movie was under siege from more progressive forces, including the author of the graphic novel on which it was based. I always expected the controversy to follow Blue Is the Warmest Color to America. Yet now that the film is finally set to open (this Friday), I...
- 10/23/2013
- by Owen Gleiberman
- EW - Inside Movies
You've probably heard of the French film "Blue Is the Warmest Color" if the Cannes Film Festival was on your radar or if you've heard buzz about the film's graphic 10 minute sex scene. But just in case you haven't, we're here to bring you up to speed on the critically acclaimed lesbian-centered drama that got itself an Nc-17 rating in the U.S.
What It's About: From Tunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche, "Blue Is the Warmest Color" is based on the 2010 French graphic novel of the same name by Julie Maroh. The film follows the love story that blossoms between two women, Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and Emma (Léa Seydoux, "Ghost Protocol").
Why It's So Controversial: "Blue" first hit the film world's radar when it won the Palme d'Or, the top prize at Cannes, earlier this year. However, the film provoked such fiery attention for its incredibly erotic and extended sex scenes.
What It's About: From Tunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche, "Blue Is the Warmest Color" is based on the 2010 French graphic novel of the same name by Julie Maroh. The film follows the love story that blossoms between two women, Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and Emma (Léa Seydoux, "Ghost Protocol").
Why It's So Controversial: "Blue" first hit the film world's radar when it won the Palme d'Or, the top prize at Cannes, earlier this year. However, the film provoked such fiery attention for its incredibly erotic and extended sex scenes.
- 10/23/2013
- by Erin Whitney
- Moviefone
Title: Blue is the Warmest Color (La vie d’Adèle, Chapitres 1 et 2) Sundance Selects Director: Abdellatif Kechiche Screenwriter: Abdellatif Kechiche, Ghalya Lacroix, loosely adapted from the graphic novel “Blue Angel,” or “Le bleu est une couleur chaude” by Julie Maroh Cast: Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Salim Kechiouche, Jérémie Laheurte, Catherine Salée, Aurélien Recoing, Mona Walravens, Fanny Maurin, Benjámin Siksou, Sandor Funtek Screened at: Review 1, NYC, 10/17/13 Opens: October 25, 2013 Let me take a stab at what you’re going to say as you leave this film. “In my next life, I want to be French.” As we can see by Abdellatif Kechiche’s latest film, the French enjoy the [ Read More ]
The post Blue is the Warmest Color Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Blue is the Warmest Color Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 10/18/2013
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
I am a man, and this is an article concerning female sexuality, at least in part. I feel that should be noted immediately, lest anyone take it as an unnoticed irony rather than a relevant starting point. While I don’t see my gender as fatally problematic either to the authorship of this article or this column in general, it is far from irrelevant. Nonetheless, it was with relief that I read Judith Dry’s article on the sex scenes in “Blue is the Warmest Color”. A revival of the gleeful fuss - more popularly described as ‘controversy’ - surrounding the film’s scenes of a sexual nature was inevitable, with the Palme d’or winner set for Us release next week. Given this, it was edifying that the first fresh take on the matter was an avowedly lesbian analysis. Dry’s article chronicles the varying responses of critics Manohla...
- 10/17/2013
- by Matthew Hammett Knott
- Indiewire
★★★★★ Last year, it was a tale of time-tested amour which ultimately went on to pick up the Palme d'Or. This year, Abdellatif Kechiche's Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013) - a tale of young love and the intensity/agony it entails - was the word-of-mouth hit that walked away with Cannes' top prize. Based on the graphic novel by Julie Maroh, the film stars Adèle Exarchopoulos as Adèle, a young girl growing up in Lille. The first shot we see of Adèle shows her rushing down the street to catch a bus to school. Here she has to deal with the usual stuff most teenagers must face on a daily basis; boys, biology and suffocating peer pressure.
Yet, Adèle's life appears remarkably angst-free; her friends are seen as supportive, she's engaged in her school work, likes her teachers and has a happy home life with her family. We see our protagonist's first sexual adventure,...
Yet, Adèle's life appears remarkably angst-free; her friends are seen as supportive, she's engaged in her school work, likes her teachers and has a happy home life with her family. We see our protagonist's first sexual adventure,...
- 10/13/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Acclaimed French filmmaker Abdellatif Kechiche’s latest, based on Julie Maroh’s graphic novel, was the sensation of this year’s Cannes Film Festival even before it was awarded the Palme d’Or. Adèle Exarchopoulos is a young woman whose longings and ecstasies and losses are charted across a span of several years. Léa Seydoux (Midnight in Paris) is the older woman who excites her desire and becomes the love of her life. Kechiche’s movie is, like the films of John Cassavetes, an epic of emotional transformation that pulses with gestures, embraces, furtive exchanges, and arias of joy and devastation. It is a profoundly moving hymn to both love and life. Director: Abdellatif Kechiche Cast: Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Salim Kechiouche, Jérémie Laheurte Writers: Abdellatif Kechiche, Ghalia Lacroix, Julie Maroh...
- 10/10/2013
- ComicBookMovie.com
Wild Bunch Distribution awaits first figures to see whether controversy has impacted film’s performance at the box office.
Filmmaker Abdellatif Kechiche may have declared he didn’t want Adèle: Chapter 1 & 2 to be released after a public bust-up with its co-stars over his directing techniques but it has been business as usual for the film’s French distributor Wild Bunch Distribution (Wbd).
The Palme d’Or-winning picture, also known as Blue is the Warmest Colour, opens on 300 screens across France tomorrow [Oct 9].
“We expect the film to seduce a wide audience in spite of its length (179 minutes) and it’s 12-certificate. Wherever it has played it has been hailed as a masterpiece. We’re aiming for at least 800,000 admissions,” Wbd chief Thierry Lacaze told ScreenDaily.
“The Palme d’Or put Adèle: Chapter 1 & 2 in a category apart in French cinema which also includes Under the Son of Satan, A Man and a Woman, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and most...
Filmmaker Abdellatif Kechiche may have declared he didn’t want Adèle: Chapter 1 & 2 to be released after a public bust-up with its co-stars over his directing techniques but it has been business as usual for the film’s French distributor Wild Bunch Distribution (Wbd).
The Palme d’Or-winning picture, also known as Blue is the Warmest Colour, opens on 300 screens across France tomorrow [Oct 9].
“We expect the film to seduce a wide audience in spite of its length (179 minutes) and it’s 12-certificate. Wherever it has played it has been hailed as a masterpiece. We’re aiming for at least 800,000 admissions,” Wbd chief Thierry Lacaze told ScreenDaily.
“The Palme d’Or put Adèle: Chapter 1 & 2 in a category apart in French cinema which also includes Under the Son of Satan, A Man and a Woman, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and most...
- 10/8/2013
- ScreenDaily
Acclaimed French filmmaker Abdellatif Kechiche’s latest, based on Julie Maroh’s graphic novel, was the sensation of this year’s Cannes Film Festival even before it was awarded the Palme d’Or. Adèle Exarchopoulos is a young woman whose longings and ecstasies and losses are charted across a span of several years. Léa Seydoux (Midnight in Paris) is the older woman who excites her desire and becomes the love of her life. Kechiche’s movie is, like the films of John Cassavetes, an epic of emotional transformation that pulses with gestures, embraces, furtive exchanges, and arias of joy and devastation. It is a profoundly moving hymn to both love and life. This is the first film adapted from either a graphic novel or a comic to win the Palme d'Or. Blue Is The Warmest Color stars Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux, and opens October 9th in France.
- 10/7/2013
- ComicBookMovie.com
This week's movie trailers gave us a taste of some of the things we can expect over the coming months from the world of film. From the first instalment in the inevitable Need For Speed franchise, to the confusingly surreal Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. We've also been offered a look at the Cannes Palme d'Or winner Blue Is the Warmest Colour.
Watch this week's best movie trailers below...
'Frozen' trailer: Disney debuts new promo for Kristen Bell movie
Disney's latest movie, Frozen, follows the story of Anna, a girl who sets off on a quest to find her sister Elsa who, as The Snow Queen, plunges the kingdom into a permanent winter. Kristen Bell heads up the cast, voicing Anna, with Glee's Idinia Menzel as Elsa. The Book of Mormon's Josh Gad also lends his voice to the movie. Frozen, which looks like a...
Watch this week's best movie trailers below...
'Frozen' trailer: Disney debuts new promo for Kristen Bell movie
Disney's latest movie, Frozen, follows the story of Anna, a girl who sets off on a quest to find her sister Elsa who, as The Snow Queen, plunges the kingdom into a permanent winter. Kristen Bell heads up the cast, voicing Anna, with Glee's Idinia Menzel as Elsa. The Book of Mormon's Josh Gad also lends his voice to the movie. Frozen, which looks like a...
- 9/27/2013
- Digital Spy
Abdellatif Kechiche, the director of the Cannes hit, has expressed unhappiness about the impact of negative publicity on his own reputation and his film's legacy
• Read Peter Bradshaw on the film
• Comment: why Blue is too moving to be porn
The director of the Palme d'Or-winning erotic epic Blue is the Warmest Colour, Abdellatif Kechiche, has questioned whether the film's release should be cancelled in the wake of a turbulent wave of controversies surrounding its making.
Kechiche told Telerama he had experienced but a "brief moment of happiness" when his movie, which is based on a graphic novel by Julie Maroh, triumphed in Cannes in May. Since then, the project has been mired in mixed publicity after stars Adèle Exarchopoulos, 19, and 28-year-old Léa Seydoux said they would never work with the Franco-Tunisian film-maker again after a "horrible" shoot during which he allegedly ranted and raved at them as he sought...
• Read Peter Bradshaw on the film
• Comment: why Blue is too moving to be porn
The director of the Palme d'Or-winning erotic epic Blue is the Warmest Colour, Abdellatif Kechiche, has questioned whether the film's release should be cancelled in the wake of a turbulent wave of controversies surrounding its making.
Kechiche told Telerama he had experienced but a "brief moment of happiness" when his movie, which is based on a graphic novel by Julie Maroh, triumphed in Cannes in May. Since then, the project has been mired in mixed publicity after stars Adèle Exarchopoulos, 19, and 28-year-old Léa Seydoux said they would never work with the Franco-Tunisian film-maker again after a "horrible" shoot during which he allegedly ranted and raved at them as he sought...
- 9/25/2013
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
"Blue Is The Warmest Color" goes the title of the film, but it seems it's also the bitterest. While the epic lesbian relationship drama has been earning rave reviews (here's ours) ever since it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, winning the Palme d'Or in the process, it has also earned its share of harsh words from nearly everyone involved. There have been allegations from the crew over reportedly tough working conditions, graphic novel author Julie Maroh has shared her concerns on the adaptation of her work, while the lead actresses Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos have publicly stated they'll never work with director Abdellatif Kechiche again. The director didn't waste time firing back, and he continues not to mince any words about everything that has happened since Cannes. French magazine Telerama has shared a small portion of a full interview with Kechiche they'll be running later this week, and needless to say,...
- 9/24/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
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