Irma Vep
Director René Vidal [Jean-Pierre Leaud] has been charged with the remake of Louis Feuillade's 1915 silent French movie Les Vampires. The star of Les Vampires, Irma Vep, was played by a French actress…
Irma Vep
Director René Vidal [Jean-Pierre Leaud] has been charged with the remake of Louis Feuillade's 1915 silent French movie Les Vampires. The star of Les Vampires, Irma Vep, was played by a French actress named Musidora. In a search for an actress to play Irma, René has become impressed with Chinese martial artist, Maggie Cheung [herself], because of her beauty, her grace, and her presence, he says. Maggie is hired and flies to Paris from Hong Kong. Unfortunately, she is three days late in arriving, which is causing havoc with the filming. It also doesn't help that Maggie does not speak French. First thing on the agenda is for Maggie to be fitted in her costume, a skin-tight latex catsuit, much like the one worn by Halle Berry in Catwoman. Next, Maggie grabs some lunch with costumer Zoé [Nathalie Richard] and learns that René Vidal's reputation as a director is going downhill. To Maggie, however, he seems to believe in the remaking of Les Vampires, so she isn't worried. Then comes the shoots. They shoot the scene where Irma is chloroformed and a double substituted in her place. At the viewing of the shoot, however, René is so P.O.ed that he stomps out of the theater. That night, following the viewing, everyone drives off and leaves Maggie behind until Zoé happens by and offers Maggie a ride on her motorbike. They go to a friend's house for dinner, where everyone is dissing René in French and Maggie has no idea what they are saying. Meanwhile, out in the kitchen, Zoé and a friend are discussing Zoé's attraction to Maggie, and the firend advises Zoé to go for it. When she gets Maggie alone, the friend tells her that Zoé wants to have sex with her. Maggie is very embarrassed. When Maggie gets back to the hotel, she finds a half dozen messages from René, who's been calling every few minutes, asking her to call back. He asks her to meet him at his house. By the time Maggie arrives, the police are buzzing in and out. René has had a huge fight with his wife, and the doctor on call has given him tranquilizers. As René is in the middle of explaining to Maggie her role in the movie, he passes out. Maggie goes back to her hotel room. Almost as though she is possessed by the spirit of Irma Vep, she puts on her catsuit and sneaks into the room of a hotel guest where she finds a pile of jewelry and takes it with her. Like Irma Vep, she flees to the rooftop where she drops the jewelry over the ledge. The next morning, Maggie is so tired that she sleeps through her wakeup until Zoé shows up with the hotel passkey to see if Maggie is okay. When Maggie gets to the studio, she rehearses the scene where Irma kills the Great Vampire. Meanwhile, René has come up missing, and the entire crew is in distress. It turns out that René has had a nervous breakdown and has been admitted to a rest home. René's director friend, José Mirano, is going to take his place. What Mirano cannot comprehend is why René chose a Chinese actress to play Irma Vep, the epitome of the Paris Underground. Mirano agrees to take over direction but only if he can replace Maggie. Maggie is given a ticket to New York where she is to meet with Ridley Scott and then fly on to Los Angeles. Mirano views the film as it's been edited by René. The film is a total mess (although some reviewers claim that it's a "love sonnet" from René to Maggie). [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl]
Irma Vep
Comedy,Drama
Film Details
Director René Vidal [Jean-Pierre Leaud] has been charged with the remake of Louis Feuillade's 1915 silent French movie Les Vampires. The star of Les Vampires, Irma Vep, was played by a French actress named Musidora. In a search for an actress to play Irma, René has become impressed with Chinese martial artist, Maggie Cheung [herself], because of her beauty, her grace, and her presence, he says.
Maggie is hired and flies to Paris from Hong Kong. Unfortunately, she is three days late in arriving, which is causing havoc with the filming. It also doesn't help that Maggie does not speak French.
First thing on the agenda is for Maggie to be fitted in her costume, a skin-tight latex catsuit, much like the one worn by Halle Berry in Catwoman. Next, Maggie grabs some lunch with costumer Zoé [Nathalie Richard] and learns that René Vidal's reputation as a director is going downhill. To Maggie, however, he seems to believe in the remaking of Les Vampires, so she isn't worried.
Then comes the shoots. They shoot the scene where Irma is chloroformed and a double substituted in her place. At the viewing of the shoot, however, René is so P.O.ed that he stomps out of the theater.
That night, following the viewing, everyone drives off and leaves Maggie behind until Zoé happens by and offers Maggie a ride on her motorbike. They go to a friend's house for dinner, where everyone is dissing René in French and Maggie has no idea what they are saying. Meanwhile, out in the kitchen, Zoé and a friend are discussing Zoé's attraction to Maggie, and the firend advises Zoé to go for it.
When she gets Maggie alone, the friend tells her that Zoé wants to have sex with her. Maggie is very embarrassed. When Maggie gets back to the hotel, she finds a half dozen messages from René, who's been calling every few minutes, asking her to call back.
He asks her to meet him at his house. By the time Maggie arrives, the police are buzzing in and out. René has had a huge fight with his wife, and the doctor on call has given him tranquilizers.
As René is in the middle of explaining to Maggie her role in the movie, he passes out. Maggie goes back to her hotel room. Almost as though she is possessed by the spirit of Irma Vep, she puts on her catsuit and sneaks into the room of a hotel guest where she finds a pile of jewelry and takes it with her.
Like Irma Vep, she flees to the rooftop where she drops the jewelry over the ledge. The next morning, Maggie is so tired that she sleeps through her wakeup until Zoé shows up with the hotel passkey to see if Maggie is okay. When Maggie gets to the studio, she rehearses the scene where Irma kills the Great Vampire.
Meanwhile, René has come up missing, and the entire crew is in distress. It turns out that René has had a nervous breakdown and has been admitted to a rest home. René's director friend, José Mirano, is going to take his place.
What Mirano cannot comprehend is why René chose a Chinese actress to play Irma Vep, the epitome of the Paris Underground. Mirano agrees to take over direction but only if he can replace Maggie. Maggie is given a ticket to New York where she is to meet with Ridley Scott and then fly on to Los Angeles.
Mirano views the film as it's been edited by René. The film is a total mess (although some reviewers claim that it's a "love sonnet" from René to Maggie). [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl].