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Why does José become so pensive to hear René edited at night?

posted 19 years ago by jsap
15 replies | jump to latest

Near the end of the movie, just before René's last edit is shown, there is a scene when José asks who edited it. When the lady tells him that René did it, and that he did it alone at night, José becomes very pensive. Does anyone know why?

Also, why is the Ridley Scott information such a startling fact to them? And why does José seem to listen to all of this intently? Does this information make him decide to fire Laure, or was that already decided? And why is Laure going to be fired?

[–] soupguild 19 years ago

she was taking the lead, remember? but once she does that, they need someone for her old role. i think that's what the reference means anyway.

as for why he becomes pensive, isn't that made evident once the screening begins?

[–] jsap 19 years ago

No, not really.

I guess you're implying that Jose knows what it means when Rene edits at night. But that can't be deduced, nor does it tell us what it means.

You might be right that Jose is talking about replacing Laure's old role, but then why does Jose wish to speak with Laure after the screening? It somehow feels as though he wants to speak with her to fire her....

[–] soupguild 19 years ago

it doesn't need to be deduced! it's right up there on the screen.

[–] jsap 19 years ago

Well, could you help out this mere mortal and tell me just exactly what is up on the screen? (And by that, I don't mean the obvious: the film materials--we can all se that.)

In other words, (1) what does Jose's reaction mean, (2) what does Rene's edit mean, (3) how are 1 and 2 related, and what is the implication of 3?

[–] fcbarca00 19 years ago

When trying to 'deconstruct' film, making assumptions is almost inevitable. I also assumed that Jose knew what it meant when Rene did his editing at night. Jose makes it clear that they are good friends, so maybe Jose has knowledge of a prior incident when Rene was cutting film at night, maybe this was something that Rene never did, so it was alarming to Jose. The real answer is "who knows?". What is important is the final edit! I'm still trying to figure out the connection myself. As to your question about how Jose's reaction is related to the final edit, i don't think there is much relation at all. I think the puropose of Jose's character is to illustrate how fim productions sometimes end up. One director is out, the other comes in, and in the process a new vision is established.

"my name is Edgar Po Wong, they call me snotty."

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[–] Tristan!-2 18 years ago

With regards to whether Laure is going to be fired, I was exactly of the same opinion as you.

But I have now just watched the five minutes again, and I think she is being fired. José whispers to the assistant director that "We need to find someone to replace Laure", and he looks very cagey about it. As though he doesn't want anyone to overhear.

Why would he say it so softly if it's not bad news he doesn't want spread around before he has a chance to break it himself?

[–] brewerj23 18 years ago

After more thought, I can see that either interpretation is possible. This ambiguity may have been deliberate.

Reasons to Believe Jose Wants Laure Replaced

Given that Jose just heard about Maggie and Ridley Scott, he may be reconsidering his approach to the film. He now fears the film industry will think he rudely dispatched an actress (Maggie) who now appears to be in high demand for serious films. So, he'd damn well better have a good replacement for her. Otherwise, he'll look like a fool. Laure was an "emergency" hire, and she clearly doesn't have the mystique needed for the role. So, Jose has good reason to replace her. The fact that he wants to speak with her after the film (and that Assays pointedly shown him asking her) implies that something important is afoot.
The main problem with this interpretation is the interaction between Jose and Maite. When he tells her they need to hire someone to replace Laure, Maite clearly thinks he means finding an actress to fill Laure's earlier role. Maite can't believe she forgot such a thing, she sort of slaps her forehead and swears out loud to herself. If Jose intended to replace his leading lady, he would have made sure she understood his meaning. Telling her something as surprising as this and then walking away would be strange, especially if he thought she didn't understand.

Reasons to Believe Jose Is Not Firing Laure

1. Maite's reaction (see above) seems to indicate that Jose is talking about a relatively minor oversight--finding a replacement for Laure's earlier role. It is understandable that in all the excitement of this doomed production that this has been forgotten. And it would be reasonable for the director to inform his assistant that they need to get on the ball.
2. Jose is a self-important guy. So, whispering this to Maite is normal behavior for him. He loves being dramatic in a saturnine way. This quirk also may explain why he asks Laure to speak with him after the screening. He enjoys the power of molding a pretty young actress with his (supposed) smouldering brilliance. And he wants her to think about the mysterious meeting during the screening. Assayas may show us this interaction to point out that yet another director-actress pairing has now begun around the role of Irma Vep, following Feuillade/Musidora, Rene/Maggie, (and Assayas/Cheung).
3. Finding a decent replacement for Laure at this point would set the production back days if not weeks, which probably wouldn't be worth it. The production manager is busy trying to collect insurance due to the departure of Maggie and Rene, so they may be writing this one off.

I just thought of the possibility that Maggie might have been the one to leave, rather than being fired. There are probably many reasons to doubt this, but it is an interesting possibility.

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[–] Unlearny 14 years ago

I think that the reason Jose seems so moved by Rene's nocturnal editing, is that it brings home the idea that Rene is an artist, dedicated to his craft, and Jose is going to replace him. From the moment he hears that Rene' always edits at night (at least that's what I thought it said) his approach to the room, and how he reacts is notably slowed... Painfully so.

In the bar scene, Jose is showing off, being flippant concerning Rene, especially his decision to cast an Asian in the role of Irma Vep. I think that hearing about how committed Rene was, literally gives him pause. Perhaps he is reconsidering Rene's motives before he watches the edits. Jose may understand from that, or at least suspect, that an unhealthy obsession with Maggie is motivating Rene.

Now I have my own question.

Maggie has disappeared. Is she with Zoe, or has she been murdered by an obsessed Rene, or arrested for stealing jewels from an american woman?

This film is obviously much more about the state of French Film in 1996, 30 years after the French New Wave and the great situationist films of the 60's, than it is a wacky behind the scenes peek at the film industry. So what does the ending say about the spirit of French Cinema in the 90's? Let's also consider that John Woo, Jackie Chan, and the Hong Kong movie scene is very much represented by Maggie, and by casting her and dressing her as Catwoman, Rene is actually making a film about the spirit of the French Avant Guard.

[–] Jes' Sayin' (5960) 2 years ago

I have a different interpretation from those offered so far.

When he was told that Rene had already edited the film, he was evidently surprised. Apparently if he had been the director, he would not have even started editing yet. (This would be far more typical for more films.) So... he immediately started suspect that someone else had edited it. When they tell him that Rene had edited it by working overtime at night, he was kind of upset because it ruined his theory. He was probably even more upset because it would thus be more difficult to use any of the footage in the Maggie-less film he wanted to make.