Rent Irma Vep (1996)

3.3 of 5 from 116 ratings
1h 35min
Rent Irma Vep (aka Vampire) Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
Maggie Cheung (playing herself) has been cast by a once revered but now out of touch director as the latex-clad cat-burglar in his ill-fated remake of the French classic 'Les Vampires'. From the moment she arrives in Paris chaos ensues until the director finally has a breakdown and is replaced by another who doesn't know why she was cast in the first place. Amidst all the confusion Cheung becomes drawn to her character and is soon pulling on latex and prowling her hotel corridors at night.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , Balthazar Clémenti, Lara Cowez, Dominique Cuny, , Sandra Faure, Catherine Ferny
Directors:
Producers:
Georges Benayoun
Writers:
Olivier Assayas
Aka:
Vampire
Studio:
Second Sight Films Ltd.
Genres:
Comedy
Collections:
A History of Films about Film: Part 2, A Brief History of the Tradition of Quality, Action & Adventure, A Brief History of Film..., Top Film and TV Detectives: Guide to Screen Sleuth
Countries:
France
BBFC:
Release Date:
30/03/2008
Run Time:
95 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 2.0, French Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles:
English
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • Man Yuk – Portrait of Maggie Cheung
  • Interview with Olivier Assayas / Charles Tesson
  • Interview with Maggie Cheung / Nathalie Richard
  • Maggie Cheung Rushes
  • Trailer
BBFC:
Release Date:
07/05/2018
Run Time:
99 minutes
Languages:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Subtitles:
English
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.66:1
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • Audio commentary by writer-director Olivier Assayas and critic Jean-Michel Frodon
  • On the Set of Irma Vep, a 30-minute behind-the-scenes featurette with optional commentary by Assayas and Frodon
  • Interview with Assayas and critic Charles Tesson
  • Interview with actors Maggie Cheung and Nathalie Richard
  • Man Yuk:A PortraitofMaggie Cheung, a 1997 shortfilm by Assayas- Black and white rushes
  • Theatrical Trailer

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Reviews (3) of Irma Vep

Unfocussed Look at French Film-Making - Irma Vep review by CP Customer

Spoiler Alert
20/10/2008

Irma Vep (an anagram of vampire) is a fairly enjoyable, if slightly plotless, film about the making of the titular movie. Playing like a home movie, it shows a slightly bewildered Maggie Cheung trying to cope with a director who's having a nervous breakdown as well as lesbian love interest.

The film seems to suggest French film-making has reached the end of its tether. The director has run out of ideas and seems to be re-making an old movie mainly for the pleasure of seeing Maggie in a tight-fitting latex outfit. Unfortunately, Irma Vep itself, seems a bit too pre-occupied with the latex-clad Maggie Cheung, although anyone who shares this fetish should be well-pleased.

2 out of 4 members found this review helpful.

A little too French - Irma Vep review by CP Customer

Spoiler Alert
21/11/2017

As reviewed by Twinkles McShifty, the films depicts very French takes on a classic. It's not a bad movie, that choses to depict very 'realistic' or 'truthful' moments of French lifestyle, 20 years ago. Ever lasting suppers, conversations, arguing the genius of the new or the old. It seems that Maggie Cheung intended to introduce Hong Kong people to a certain side of French life, while Olivier Assayas enjoyed the occasion to catwalk his latex-clad wife around Paris for the duration of his movie.

Not a bad movie, but not truly enjoyable either. I was hoping for more on the basis of other reviews (tomato meter et al.), hence a little disappointment. 2.5 stars would have suited me.

1 out of 3 members found this review helpful.

An acquired taste - Irma Vep review by NP

Spoiler Alert
25/02/2022

I found this to be a pleasingly indefinable film, but the thin story turned out to be insubstantial. It’s directed rather like a fly-on-the-wall documentary on actress Maggie Cheung (playing a fictional version of herself). Cheung is playing Irma Vep (an anagram of Vampire), and the story contents itself with allowing us to see her experiences behind-the-scenes in an ego-driven industry with a washed-up director (Jean-Pierre Léaud).

The acting is impeccable, and Cheung emerges as one of the few genuine and likeable characters. The story is entertaining once you get onto its wavelength, which I’m not sure I ever did entirely. An acquired taste for sure. My score is 5 out of 10.

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

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