Arguably France’s top director, Patrice Leconte, arrived here on Monday evening to take part in Vision Beijing. The famed director said he would use his wn special skills to interpret Beijing from his own unique impression of the ancient city.
Leconte has been making feature films since 1975 and in the late 80s and 90s his work received international attention. His star rose considerably with the release of “Ridicule” (1996), the Oscar-nominated picture. His “The Hairdresser’s Husband” (1990) is a well-known film among Chinese audienHe was very excited on what lay ahead for him here. “When the Vision Beijing committee sent me the invitation to come here for filming, I hesitated for 15 seconds before deciding to accept. However, as soon as my feet touched down in Beijing, I regretted the decision. was wondering why it took me 15 seconds to decide ?I should have made up my mind as soon as I got it,” he said at the opening of his Beijing film. “I have been admiring Chinese history for a long time. I have dramed that I was standing on the Great Wall, but only after I got here did I realize that there were so many wonders here besides the Great Wall,” the director said. During the first few days of filming, he visited the Bijing Planning Exhibition Hall, Drum Tower, Shichahai, the Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace and Panjiayuan Market.
However, he didn’t say one word about what he was going to film. He would use his best skills impressionism and typical French romanticism ?to interpret the city. “If I were not a director, I would want to be a painter like Claude Monet. Life is in imagination. My film will be in the same style as Monet’s paintings –t caring too much for details, but the imagination towards life.”French composer Nicolas Rideau, the director’s close friend, came with him and will take care of all the music for his film. Leconte would finish the filing work before Saturday, and return to France for the editing work. His film is slated to be finished at the end of July.
