Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran (2003)

Note des utilisateurs:

7.5/10   

Réalisateur:

François Dupeyron

Writers:

François Dupeyron (writer)
Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt (novel)
(suite)

Release Date:

17 septembre 2003 (France)

Genre:

Drame

Plot:

In Paris, a Turkish shop owner befriends a Jewish boy in his mid-teens.

Plot Keywords:

Paris | Muslim | Nouvelle Vogue | Shoplifting | Paris France

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations

Avis des utilisateurs:

Charming and subtle; a fabric woven from childhood memories.

Ensemble

Omar Sharif	...	Monsieur Ibrahim
Pierre Boulanger	...	Momo
Gilbert Melki	...	Le père de Momo
Isabelle Renauld	...	La mère de Momo
Lola Naymark	...	Myriam
Anne Suarez	...	Sylvie
Mata Gabin	...	Fatou
Céline Samie	...	Eva
Isabelle Adjani	...	La star
Guillaume Gallienne	...	Le vendeur voiture
Guillaume Rannou	...	Le realisateur
Manuel Le Lièvre	...	Le moniteur auto-école (as Manuel Lelièvre)
Daniel Znyk	...	Le gendarme
Françoise Armelle	...	La maitresse d'école
Sylvie Herbert	...	L'eximinateur
Claude Merlin	...	Le notaire
Pascal Vincent	...	Le bouquiniste
Tessa Volkine	...	Myriam's Mother
Marie-Sophie Ahmadi	...	Nadia
Maryse Deol	...	L'employer administrative #1
Gérard Bôle du Chaumont	...	L'employer administrative #2
François Toumarkine	...	L'employer administrative #3
Sylvie Debrun	...	L'employer administrative #4
Önder K. Açikbas	...	Motocycliste
Jérémy Sitbon	...	Momo 8 ans
Eric Caravaca	...	Momo 30 ans

Réalisé par
François Dupeyron

Scénaristes (in alphabetical order)
François Dupeyron		writer
Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt		novel "Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran"
Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt		screenplay "Coran"

Produit par
Laurent Pétin	....	producer
Michèle Pétin	....	producer

Image
Rémy Chevrin

Montage
Dominique Faysse

Distribution des rôles
Brigitte Moidon

Création des décors
Katia Wyszkop

Décorateur de plateau
Sandrine Mauvezin

Création des costumes
Catherine Bouchard

Maquillage
Fabienne Bressan	....	key hair stylist
Cédric Chami	....	hair stylist: Ms. Adjani
Christophe Giraud	....	assistant makeup artist
Thierry Lécuyer	....	makeup artist
Muriel Martin	....	hair stylist

Directeur de production
Philippe Baisadouli	....	unit manager
Francis Barrois	....	production manager
Loïc Jouanjan	....	trainee unit manager
Pierre Jouille	....	assistant unit manager
Annie France Kaempf	....	post-production supervisor
Damien Lutringer	....	trainee unit manager
Pierre Vaysse	....	assistant unit manager

Assistant réalisateur
Inès de la Bévière	....	second assistant director
Patrick Delabrière	....	first assistant director
Marie-Pierre Vau	....	trainee assistant director

Art Department
Didier Beauland	....	carpenter
Tristan Bivaud	....	carpenter
Thierry Champenois	....	carpenter
Marc Fivel	....	carpenter
Tristan Girault	....	property master
Alexandra Lassen	....	assistant art director
Guillaume Legrand	....	painter
Michel Masson	....	painter
Sandrine Mauvezin	....	set dresser (as Alexandrine Mauvezin)
Frank Morel	....	painter
Christine Rey	....	plasterer
Patricia Robin	....	painter
Marie Rossignol	....	key painter
Marc Rovere	....	assistant set dresser
Jean-François Sega	....	key carpenter
Didier Touvais	....	carpenter
Rimsky Vidal	....	painter

Technicien du son
Katia Boutin	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer
Jean Dubreuil	....	sound editor
Judith Guittier	....	assistant foley artist
Gérard Lamps	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jean-Louis Lebras	....	boom operator (as Jean-Louis Le Bras)
Alain Lévy	....	post-synchronisation
Laurent Lévy	....	foley artist
Françoise Maulny	....	assistant post-synchronization
François Maurel	....	sound
Fred Messa	....	boom operator
François de Morant	....	sound
Francis Perrard	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Isabelle Tat	....	assistant post-synchronization

Visual Effects
Fabien Coupez	....	digital compositor

Camera and Electrical Department
Roger Arpajou	....	still photographer
Franck Barrault	....	gaffer
Pierre Chevrin	....	second assistant camera
Antonin Gendre	....	key grip
Frederic Halbutier	....	electrician (as Frédéric Halbutier)
Julien Humeau	....	additional grip
Elin Kirschfink	....	first assistant camera
Stéphane Martin	....	electrician
Renaud Monziers	....	grip trainee (as Renaud Monzies)
Laurent Pauty	....	second assistant camera
Christian Petrucelli	....	additional grip
Yvan Quehec	....	electrician
Carlos Ribeiro	....	additional grip
Mathieu Ungaro	....	grip
François-Xavier Walter	....	grip

Casting Department
Marie-Sylvie Caillierez	....	extras casting
Yvan-Scott Ducourau	....	casting assistant
Lofti Mokdad	....	extras casting
Yann Le Boucher	....	extras casting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Anne-Sophie Daniel	....	wardrobe assistant
Isabelle Ledit	....	wardrobe assistant
Virginie Le Metayer	....	costumer
Bernard Minne	....	wardrobe assistant
Laurence Royer	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Elise Fievet	....	assistant editor
Hervé Gouband	....	color timer
Fabienne Morel	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Valérie Lindon	....	music producer

Divers
Christèle Bonnard	....	production administrator
Nicole Cobac	....	production administrator
Geneviève Dufour	....	script supervisor
Nana Otte	....	production secretary
Robert Polonia	....	groupman
Joëlle Rignault	....	assistant production administrator
Christian Thurot	....	groupman

Production Companies

• ARP Sélection
• France 3 Cinéma

Distributors

• ARP Sélection
• Cinema Mondo (2005) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (2005) (Argentina) (all media)
• Falcom Media (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Filmhouse (2004) (Mexico) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• GAGA Communications (2004) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Gateno Films (2006) (Peru) (theatrical)
• Impuls Home Entertainment (2004) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Lucky Red
• Mongrel Media (Canada) (theatrical)
• Monopole-Pathé (2003-2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Prooptiki (2004) (Greece) (theatrical)
• SPI International (Czech Republic)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2003) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2004) (Germany) (video)
• Wanda Visión S.A. (Spain)
• With Cinema (Korea)

Other Companies

• Cinésyl  grip equipment
• Dovidis  sound editing
• Key Grip Systems  grip equipment
• Tapages  sound equipment
• Transpalux  electrical equipment

Autre(s) titre(s):

Momo (France) (working title)
Monsieur Ibrahim (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexual content.

Durée:

Canada:94 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | USA:95 min | Argentina:96 min

Pays:

France

Langue:

Français | Turc

Couleur:

Couleur

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Son:

DTS | Dolby Digital EX

Classification:

Taiwan:R-12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Hungary:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-11 | Germany:6 | USA:R | Singapore:M18

Company:

ARP Sélection

Guillemet:

Monsieur Ibrahim: They spin around their hearts because God is there.

Movie Connections:

References Le mépris (1963)

Soundtrack:

The More I See You

Charming and subtle; a fabric woven from childhood memories.

"Monsieur Ibrahim"

I'd read some user comments and external reviews; the view of some that it's anti-Semitic almost made me skip it. However, unless you'd see the sympathetic portrayal of a Muslim man (Ibrahim/Sharif) as being anti-Semitic, it's unlikely you'll be bothered.

I don't know what the thrust of the book is, but movies rarely literally translate books; the book may suggest but the film moves in its own direction -- even, at times, contrarily.

This film reminded me a great deal of "Le mari de la coiffeuse/The Hair Dresser's Husband") directed and co-written by Patrice Leconte. That film also has a coming of age boy; getting haircuts, he's enthralled at having his head pressed against the bosom of his female barber. When his father questions his son about what he wishes to do when he's grown up and is displeased with the answer, he sends him to bed without his supper. The rest of the film (without any clear transition) deals with the boy's fantasy about someday marrying a lady barber and what their life would be like. It's a realistic portrayal of an adolescent boy's fantasy.

On the surface this film recounts the development of a mutually satisfying father-son type relationship that develops between a Turkish shopkeeper and a coming of age boy (MoMO/Boulanger) who is Jewish, by the way.

I say "on the surface" because most films try to tell a story in a way that we experience, see and live the story from a fly on the wall perspective.

Ahh-h, but not THIS film.

While you COULD view it that way, it's really far better understood if viewed from a different perspective.

Let's say you wandered in to the shop on this Parisian street one afternoon and heard the owner called "the Arab." You wonder why and also how he got into this particular trade. You start asking and he starts telling you the story of his life.

And that's what this movie tells us -- HIS version of HIS story as experienced through HIS eyes and ears growing up. So it's a realistic portrayal of that collection of childhood memories, assumptions, distortions, and causes.

As a child, do we see things the way we'd see them as an adult? Never, and so it is with this version. Everything is somewhat overdrawn, not quite a caricature but somewhat that way. All the streetwalkers are attractive, 21-31 years old, well dressed, and kind. None middle-aged, trashy, disturbed, or predatory. As we recount the story of our lives, we frequently expand the highs and lows and are liberal in delegating blame to those who disappoint us as well as credit to those who serve as heroes. And that's what this movie does.

Seen from this frame of reference, not all events make logical sense. So we never know for sure what happened to his father, or mother, or brother. We have his sometimes conflicting memories and versions, his suppositions that substitute for reality and which leave us wondering, "Golly, I wonder what really happened?"

Some things, of course, we'll never know. But it was fun finding out what we did. We had an interesting afternoon with the guy and he had a remarkable story to tell.

One of the best pictures of all time? No. But a thoroughly entertaining one most especially for those of us interested in family dynamics.