Azur and Asmar
"Azur & Asmar" is pure magic. Animator Michel Ocelot, whose "Kirikou and the Sorceress" was a huge boxoffice and critical success in France in 1998, has now created an Oriental tale equal to such stories as "Aladdin and His Magic Lamp". He then gives this rousing fantasy-adventure a contemporary point of view by emphasizing the need for brotherhood and understanding among races and religions on both side of the East/West divide. Ocelot claims he never makes children's film because, as he rightly points out, children aren't interested in films designed strictly for them. True to those principles, "Azur & Asmar" blends a highly sophisticated art design with a tale of childlike wonder and innocence that speaks to open-minded humans of any age.
The release of this film in French-speaking territories will be accompanied by an extensive multi-media merchandizing campaign, publication of books and the release of soundtrack CDs and educational interactive materials. Whether the film will penetrate Middle Eastern markets though, given current political conditions, or other non-French speaking markets is hard to say. Certainly Ocelot makes no concessions to the puritanical mind-set of the MPAA's ratings board by including the nipple of a woman nursing two children in the opening scene. One can only hope a distributor will find a way to bring such an emotionally rich and rewarding film to North American audiences.
In medieval Europe, an Arab nursemaid, Jenane (voiced by Hiam Abbass), raises two "sons" on a feudal estate. One is her own Asmar, a dark-haired and dark-eyed boy, and the other is Azur, the blond and blue-eyed son of the master. Eventually, Azur's severe father separates the two brothers before adolescence, contemptuously casting out Asmar and his mother to their fate.
As an adult, Azur (Cyril Mourali) remains haunted by Jenane's tales of her colorful land and of the beautiful, imprisoned Fairy of the Djinns who must be rescued by a prince. He sets sail for this land, gets swept overboard in a storm and washes up on a foul shore whose inhabitants forsake him because of his blue-eyes, the sign of a curse.
Posing as a blind man, Azur allows a thief and fellow immigrant, Crapoux (Patrick Timsit), to guide him to the city, where he recognizes Jenane's voice coming from behind a mansion wall. She is now a wealthy merchant, who welcomes her long-lost son with love. However, Asmar, now a dashing horseman, rejects his foster brother.
Ever rivals, the two brothers set out to free the Fairy of the Djinns. Jenane, who still refuses to play favorites, finances each one equally. Their journeys pit them against bandits and slave traders, each saving the other's life more than once before they penetrate together the Room of Lights, where the Fairy princess awaits her true love.
Based on no particular Arabian tale, Ocelot's story nonetheless merges classical images and stories from North Africa and Persia. Combining 2D and 3D animation, he evokes Oriental architecture -- with its mosaics, formal gardens and repetition of motifs and symmetry -- with brilliantly colored characters.
The chases and fights are exciting but often rendered in profile as in a Mogul drawing. Wondrous creatures put in key appearances such as a Scarlet Lion with blue claws and the Saimourh, a kind of flying peacock that whisks people across vast expanses.
Ocelot doesn't translate the Arabic in subtitles, leaving a western viewer with a sense of dislocation and loss. Underscoring these cultural and linguistic barriers between peoples with different beliefs puts matters into a very modern context. Yet the film delivers its messages about empathy and compassion with the lightest of touches. A musical score from Gabriel Yared adds to the multi-cultural richness by combining musical themes from both sides of the Mediterranean.
AZUR & ASMAR
Diaphana Distribution
Nord-Ouest Production
Credits:
Writer/director/graphic artist: Michel Ocelot
Producer: Christophe Rossignon
Executivbe producer: Eve Machuel
Backgrounds: Anne-Lise Lourdelet-Koehler
Music: Gabriel Yared.
Cast: Azur (adult): Cyril Mourali
Asmar (adult): Karim M'Ribah
Jenane: Hiam Abbass
Crapoux: Patrick Timsit
Princess Chamsous Sabah: Fatma Ben Khell
Azur (child): Rayan Mahjoub
Asmar (child): Abdelsselem Ben Amar
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 99 minutes...
The release of this film in French-speaking territories will be accompanied by an extensive multi-media merchandizing campaign, publication of books and the release of soundtrack CDs and educational interactive materials. Whether the film will penetrate Middle Eastern markets though, given current political conditions, or other non-French speaking markets is hard to say. Certainly Ocelot makes no concessions to the puritanical mind-set of the MPAA's ratings board by including the nipple of a woman nursing two children in the opening scene. One can only hope a distributor will find a way to bring such an emotionally rich and rewarding film to North American audiences.
In medieval Europe, an Arab nursemaid, Jenane (voiced by Hiam Abbass), raises two "sons" on a feudal estate. One is her own Asmar, a dark-haired and dark-eyed boy, and the other is Azur, the blond and blue-eyed son of the master. Eventually, Azur's severe father separates the two brothers before adolescence, contemptuously casting out Asmar and his mother to their fate.
As an adult, Azur (Cyril Mourali) remains haunted by Jenane's tales of her colorful land and of the beautiful, imprisoned Fairy of the Djinns who must be rescued by a prince. He sets sail for this land, gets swept overboard in a storm and washes up on a foul shore whose inhabitants forsake him because of his blue-eyes, the sign of a curse.
Posing as a blind man, Azur allows a thief and fellow immigrant, Crapoux (Patrick Timsit), to guide him to the city, where he recognizes Jenane's voice coming from behind a mansion wall. She is now a wealthy merchant, who welcomes her long-lost son with love. However, Asmar, now a dashing horseman, rejects his foster brother.
Ever rivals, the two brothers set out to free the Fairy of the Djinns. Jenane, who still refuses to play favorites, finances each one equally. Their journeys pit them against bandits and slave traders, each saving the other's life more than once before they penetrate together the Room of Lights, where the Fairy princess awaits her true love.
Based on no particular Arabian tale, Ocelot's story nonetheless merges classical images and stories from North Africa and Persia. Combining 2D and 3D animation, he evokes Oriental architecture -- with its mosaics, formal gardens and repetition of motifs and symmetry -- with brilliantly colored characters.
The chases and fights are exciting but often rendered in profile as in a Mogul drawing. Wondrous creatures put in key appearances such as a Scarlet Lion with blue claws and the Saimourh, a kind of flying peacock that whisks people across vast expanses.
Ocelot doesn't translate the Arabic in subtitles, leaving a western viewer with a sense of dislocation and loss. Underscoring these cultural and linguistic barriers between peoples with different beliefs puts matters into a very modern context. Yet the film delivers its messages about empathy and compassion with the lightest of touches. A musical score from Gabriel Yared adds to the multi-cultural richness by combining musical themes from both sides of the Mediterranean.
AZUR & ASMAR
Diaphana Distribution
Nord-Ouest Production
Credits:
Writer/director/graphic artist: Michel Ocelot
Producer: Christophe Rossignon
Executivbe producer: Eve Machuel
Backgrounds: Anne-Lise Lourdelet-Koehler
Music: Gabriel Yared.
Cast: Azur (adult): Cyril Mourali
Asmar (adult): Karim M'Ribah
Jenane: Hiam Abbass
Crapoux: Patrick Timsit
Princess Chamsous Sabah: Fatma Ben Khell
Azur (child): Rayan Mahjoub
Asmar (child): Abdelsselem Ben Amar
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 99 minutes...
- 5/9/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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