Carlos (TV miniseries)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Carlos (TV miniseries)

Cannes Film Festival poster
Genre Biopic
Distributed by IFC Films (US)
Creator Daniel Leconte
Directed by Olivier Assayas
Starring Édgar Ramírez
Alexander Scheer
Nora von Waldstätten
Ahmad Kaabour
Christoph Bach
Susanne Wuest
Anna Thalbach
Julia Hummer
Budget $18,000,000
Country France, Germany
Original channel Canal Plus
Release date 19 May 2010 (Cannes Film Festival)
Running time Original version
330 minutes
Short Theatrical version
140 minutes
Long Theatrical version
330 minutes
No. of episodes 3
Official website

Carlos is a 3-part French television drama mini-series, first broadcast on Canal+ in 2010. Produced by Film En Stock's Daniel Leconte in coproduction with Jens Meuer in association with Canal +, Studio Canal, ARTE, the Sundance Channel, it was created by Daniel Leconte and written by Dan Franck and Olivier Assayas, also directed by Assayas. It stars Édgar Ramírez as Carlos the Jackal, the infamous terrorist and assassin. After several bungled bombings, he achieves notoriety for a 1975 raid on OPEC headquarters in Vienna, resulting in the deaths of three people. For many years he was among the most wanted international fugitives.

The 5½ hour version of Carlos was screened out of Competition at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2010. The series aired on Canal+ in prime-time in late May 2010. IFC Films acquired all US rights to both the mini-series and the theatrical version. The former premiered on the Sundance Channel on October 11, 2010 shown over three nights, while both versions received a theatrical release with only the shorter version available on video on demand. Carlos won the 2010 Golden Globe award for the 'Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television'.

Contents

[edit] Cast

Actor Character
Édgar Ramírez Ilich Ramírez Sánchez (Carlos the Jackal)
Alexander Scheer Johannes Weinrich
Nora von Waldstätten Magdalena Kopp
Christoph Bach Hans-Joachim Klein ("Angie")
Ahmad Kaabour Wadie Haddad
Susanne Wuest Edith Heller
Talal Jurdi Kamal al-Issawi ("Ali")
Anna Thalbach Inge Viett
Julia Hummer Gabriele Kröcher-Tiedemann ("Nada")
Razane Jammal Lana Jarrar
Rodney El Haddad Anis Naccache ("Khalid")
Martha Higareda Amparo

[edit] Overview

Initially, Carlos was to focus on the terrorist’s capture in Sudan in 1994 and run only 90 minutes. However, once director Olivier Assayas agreed to make the film and he conducted extensive research, he realized that there was much more to explore with the man and the times he lived in: "I felt it was the fate of one man and, in a certain way, the story of one generation, plus a meditation on time, history, fate and issues more universal than the specific history of Carlos".[1] Former foreign correspondent and Le Monde editor Stephen Smith compiled the film's research, some of which came from the files of intelligence agencies[1] that became available after the fall of the Berlin Wall when files from former Soviet Bloc countries surfaced. Some of the film's dialogue came from tape recordings made by the Stasi, the secret police of the former East Germany.[2] Made with a budget of $18 million, Carlos was Assayas' first foray into television.[3] Originally, he was not interested in the project because it seemed "too crazy and too complicated".[4] He was drawn to the project because it allowed him to make a film dealing with recent history and real people. He said, "not long ago, the idea of making a film about Carlos would have scared French producers, but nowadays I sense that we're being encouraged to make films that have a contemporary dimension".[3] Actor Edgar Ramirez said, "What we're trying to do is demystify him. This guy who supposedly had everything figured out was not as keen as he was said to be. The public and historical image was as history's big manipulator but in many moments of his life, he was being manipulated".[4]

Initially, Assayas was worried about finding the right actor to play Carlos because they need, "the shoulders and the charisma to carry this kind of movie on his back".[1] Fortunately, he cast Ramirez who, like the real Carlos, is a Venezuelan and his family came from the same small Western Andean state. The actor described Carlos as, "a bit of a monster, a bit of a dreamer, a bit of an idealist, a bit of an assassin, a mixture of everything, full of contradictions, and that's what made him interesting to me".[1] The production was shot in seven months across three continents in countries such as Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Lebanon, and Morocco.[5] The film was shot mostly in English with passages in French, Spanish, Hungarian, Italian, Arabic, German, Russian, Dutch and Japanese.[6] As filming continued, Ramirez put on 35 pounds in order to resemble Carlos's overweight physical condition at the time of his capture. The final two hours of the film were shot in sequence.[7]

The 5½ hour version of Carlos was screened out of competition at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2010.[8] The series aired on Canal Plus in prime-time in late May 2010.[3] In November 2009, IFC Films acquired all US rights to both the mini-series and the theatrical version. The former premiered on the Sundance Channel on October 11, 2010 and was shown over three nights, while both versions received a theatrical release with only the shorter version available on video on demand.[9]

[edit] Soundtrack

Initially, Assayas planned to use several songs by The Feelies on the soundtrack but shortly before post-production was completed he was informed that members of the band did not want their music associated with terrorism. The director remembers, "We ended up managing to keep one song for a scene that did not involve any kind of terroristic activity. But I had to completely reinvent the whole score".[10] He ended up using several songs by Wire. The soundtrack includes:

[edit] Reception

[edit] Carlos' reaction and lawsuit

Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, the real-life 'Carlos', has seen extracts of Assayas' film and his lawyer has threatened legal action to prevent its general release, arguing that it could prejudice future trial hearings for Carlos who faces trial for at least four more attacks in France.[11] He read the screenplay and criticized it for its "deliberate falsifications of history, and lies".[11] He was specifically unhappy with a sequence depicting a hostage-taking by his gang at the 1975 OPEC conference in Vienna and how his methods were depicted: "Showing hysterical men waving submachine guns and threatening people is completely ridiculous," he insisted. "Things didn't happen like that. These were professionals, commandos of a very high standard".[11] His lawyer tried to block the film's release, arguing that Carlos had a right to see it beforehand, but the judge dismissed the complaint on the grounds that it violated Assayas' freedom of expression. His lawyer plans to bring two more lawsuits, one that argues the film breaches pre-trial judicial secrecy laws and a second that demands Carlos be paid royalties for his life's role in providing material for the scriptwriters.[11]

[edit] Cannes reaction

Carlos has received widespread critical acclaim. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 93% based on reviews from 59 critics, with an average score of 8.1/10.[12] Metacritic gave the film a weighted score of 94/100, based on 30 critics, which it ranks as "universal acclaim".[13] indieWIRE's Todd McCarthy found the film to be "a dynamic, convincing and revelatory account of a notorious revolutionary terrorist’s career that rivets the attention during every one of its 321 minutes" and praised Assayas' "ever-propulsive style that creates an extraordinary you-are-there sense of verisimilitude, while Edgar Ramirez inhabits the title role with arrogant charisma of Brando in his prime. It's an astonishing film".[14] In his review for the Los Angeles Times, Steven Zeitchik wrote, "How good is Olivier Assayas' Carlos? Think of The Bourne Identity with more substance, or Munich with more of a pulse, and you begin to have a sense of what the French filmmaker accomplished with this globetrotting and epic look at one man's rise to the station of international guerrilla leader and terrorist celebrity".[8] In his review for USA Today, Anthony Breznican wrote, "The closest cousin to Carlos, cinematically speaking, might be There Will Be Blood - another epic view inside a mind of twisted humanity".[15] In his review for Time Out London, Geoff Andrew wrote, "Certainly, the film doesn't feel anything like television. It's shot in Scope, boasts the fleet way with narrative, camera movement and cutting that are characteristic of Assayas at his best and has a sense of scale, depth and seriousness of purpose that is esssentially cinematic", but felt that "the third and final part runs out of steam a little".[16] Sight and Sound magazine's Nick James called the film, "a breathtaking political epic", and felt that there were, "brilliant scenes aplenty".[17] In his review for the Village Voice, J. Hoberman wrote, "Carlos is gripping stuff, despite its incongruously fashionable rock soundtrack and a grossly over-played final section. The extended account of the OPEC caper includes the festival's best hour of filmmaking this side of Godard's Film Socialisme and would make a terrific movie in its own right".[18]

However, Entertainment Weekly magazine's Owen Gleiberman wrote, "But as electrifying as some of it is, I wish that Assayas had made Carlos at once shorter and richer. I wish it were more than an episodic series of galvanizingly staged plots and executions and mishaps".[19] In his review for the Boston Globe, Wesley Morris felt that the film was, "hardly dumb. But it peaks early and never returns to the sharper ideas and sharper filmmaking of the second of its three sections".[20] Time magazine's Richard Corliss wrote, "And Carlos, while matching the Coppola and Lean films in length and breadth, misses out on depth ... No masterpiece, Assayas' movie is a fast-paced, knowing trip through two decades of violence on two continents".[21] In her review for The New York Times, Manohla Dargis wrote, "Played by Mr. Ramirez with jolts of charisma and, smartly, little of the usual movie-star charm – if not much depth or nuance – Carlos is a difficult character on which to hang such an ambitious, inherently cumbersome tale".[22]

[edit] General reviews

In his review for New York Magazine, David Edelstein wrote, " In retrospect, it's a bit of a blur, and you might opt to see Assayas' condensed version (alternating in some theaters), which clocks in at a trim two and a half hours. I say go for the whole shebang. Shot by shot, scene by scene, it’s a fluid and enthralling piece of work. I wasn’t bored for a millisecond".[23] In her review for the Los Angeles Times, Betsy Sharkey wrote, "In the end the collaboration between Ramirez and Assayas creates a fiercely astute portrait of a terrorist that neither romanticizes nor demonizes him, but rather dismantles the myth to take some measure of the man underneath. It also brings a searing insight into the early days of the guerrilla-warfare-writ-large style of attack that would evolve into the sort of terrorism we fear most today".[24] However, in his review for the Washington Post, Hank Stuever wrote, "The result is a beautiful film that requires a hardy and determined viewer. I assume that anyone who will recognize and follow each and every event and the historical players portrayed in Carlos must have worked in foreign diplomacy back when the rest of us were busy watching the Fonz".[25]

[edit] Awards

Édgar Ramírez in Paris in 2011, receiving the César Award for Most Promising Actor for his performance as Carlos.

Carlos earned high placements in all of the major critics' polls in 2010. It was voted Best Film of the Year in Film Comment's annual critics' poll,[26] while both the film and Assayas placed second for best picture and best director in separate polls conducted by IndieWire and the Village Voice. Ramirez also won for best lead performance in the same IndieWire poll[27] while placing second in the Village Voice for best lead actor.[28]

Carlos was later nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, one for Best Miniseries or TV Movie and Ramirez for Best Actor in a Miniseries. It won the 2011 Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film. However, because it was released on French television before theatrical distribution, it was ineligible for the Academy Awards.[29]

At the French César Awards 2011, Édgar Ramírez was awarded, for the film version of the TV series, the César Award for Most Promising Actor.[30]

Edgar Ramirez was also nominated for the 63rd primetime Emmy Awards for Best Actor In A Miniserie Or Television film, for the interpret of Carlos.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Rohter, Larry (October 8, 2010). "A Sweeping Tale of a Terrorist and His Time". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/movies/10carlos.html?_r=1. Retrieved 2010-10-11. 
  2. ^ Johnson, Reed (October 22, 2010). "For Carlos the Jackal, the political was the personal - and both were complex". The Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2010/10/for-carlos-the-jackal-the-political-was-the-personal-and-both-were-complex.html#comments. Retrieved 2010-10-25. 
  3. ^ a b c Keslassy, Elsa (April 19, 2010). "Carlos seizes place at Cannes". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118017938.html?categoryid=13&cs=1. Retrieved 2010-05-10. 
  4. ^ a b Zeitchik, Steven (May 21, 2010). "Cannes 2010: Olivier Assayas: 'I did not want to make Carlos'". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2010/05/carlos-the-jackal-assayas-olivier-cannes.html. Retrieved 2010-05-24. 
  5. ^ "Sundance & IFC Films to present Olivier Assayas’ CARLOS". IFC Films. November 10, 2009. http://www.ifcfilms.com/inside-ifc-films/sundance-ifc-films-to-present-olivier-assayas-carlos. Retrieved 2010-05-10. 
  6. ^ Kay, Jeremy (November 9, 2009). "IFC acquires all US feature rights to Olivier Assayas' Carlos". ScreenDaily. http://www.screendaily.com/news/distribution/ifc-acquires-all-us-feature-rights-to-olivier-assayas-carlos/5007874.article. Retrieved 2010-05-10. 
  7. ^ Moore, Frazier (October 6, 2010). "Edgar Ramirez stars in Sundance miniseries Carlos, the epic tale of a global terrorist". Canadian Press. http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hMPmlFATxw5OmOBPIqgPpJA-o5WQ?docId=4753204. Retrieved 2010-10-12. 
  8. ^ a b Zeitchik, Steven (May 13, 2010). "Cannes 2010: The day of the Jackal. Literally.". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/carlos-the-jackal/. Retrieved 2010-05-14. 
  9. ^ Kilday, Gregg (May 14, 2010). "Sundance Channel, IFC releasing Carlos". The Hollywood Reporter. 
  10. ^ Anderson, Jason (October 21, 2010). "Carols for Carlos". Eye Weekly. http://www.eyeweekly.com/film/feature/article/104786. Retrieved 2010-10-22. 
  11. ^ a b c d Calotti, Gabriela; Annie Thomas (May 14, 2010). "Carlos the Jackal lashes out at film portrayal". Associated Foreign Press. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gg_3AE7-JzhSvilD4DNwFTfh5N0g. Retrieved 2010-05-14. 
  12. ^ "Carlos Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/carlos_2010/. Retrieved July 19, 2011. 
  13. ^ "Carlos Movie Reviews, Pictures". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. http://www.metacritic.com/movie/carlos. Retrieved July 19, 2011. 
  14. ^ McCarthy, Todd (May 19, 2010). "Cannes Film Festival Review: Carlos". indieWIRE. http://blogs.indiewire.com/toddmccarthy/archives/2010/05/19/carlos1. Retrieved 2010-05-19. 
  15. ^ Breznican, Anthony (May 19, 2010). "Carlos: Harrowing glimpse into the mercenary mind". USA Today. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/livefrom/post/2010/05/carlos-harrowing-glimpse-into-the-terrorist-mind/1. Retrieved 2010-05-20. 
  16. ^ Andrew, Geoff (May 19, 2010). "Carlos". Time Out London. http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/88757/carlos.html. Retrieved 2010-05-20. 
  17. ^ James, Nick (May 19, 2010). "Cannes: time for TV?". Sight and Sound. http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/exclusive/cannes-2010-carlos.php. Retrieved 2010-05-21. 
  18. ^ Hoberman, J (May 20, 2010). "Cannes Gets Political; Jafar Panahi Not Released". Village Voice. http://www.voicefilm.com/2010/05/cannes_gets_political_as_jafar_panahis_sentence_is.php. Retrieved 2010-05-21. 
  19. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (May 21, 2010). "Cannes: Carlos is a gripping portrait of the mind of a terrorist. But did it have to be five hours long?". Entertainment Weekly. http://movie-critics.ew.com/2010/05/21/did-carlos-have-to-be-five-hours/#more-8097. Retrieved 2010-05-25. 
  20. ^ Morris, Wesley (May 19, 2010). "Cannes '10 Day 8: Terrorized". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/blog/2010/05/cannes_10_day_8.html. Retrieved 2010-05-20. 
  21. ^ Corliss, Richard (May 19, 2010). "Carlos: The Terrorist as Rock Star". Time. http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1988868_1988866_1990542,00.html. Retrieved 2010-05-20. 
  22. ^ Dargis, Manohla (May 19, 2010). "Revolutionary Militant as Thug". The New York Times. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/revolutionary-militant-as-thug/. Retrieved 2010-05-20. 
  23. ^ Edelstein, David (October 8, 2010). "The Other Side of Clint". New York magazine. http://nymag.com/movies/reviews/68839/. Retrieved 2010-10-12. 
  24. ^ Sharkey, Betsy (October 11, 2010). "Carlos". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/11/entertainment/la-et-carlos-20101011. Retrieved 2010-10-12. 
  25. ^ Stuever, Hank (October 10, 2010). "Sundance Channel's 5 1/2-hour biopic Carlos". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/07/AR2010100707711.html. Retrieved 2010-10-12. 
  26. '^ Film Comments Annual Film Critics Poll for 2010
  27. ^ IndieWire Annual Film Critics Poll
  28. ^ Village Voice Annual Film Critics Poll
  29. ^ Rohter, Larry (January 4, 2011). "An Oscar Shut-Out for Carlos". The New York Times. http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/an-oscar-shut-out-for-carlos/. Retrieved 2011-01-05. 
  30. ^ César : Edgar Ramirez, espoir masculin, europe1.fr

[edit] External links

Films directed by Olivier Assayas
1990s
2000s
2010s
  • Carlos (2010)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carlos_(TV_miniseries)&oldid=480451995"
Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages