Film Review
Jappeloup is a film that recounts the real-life experiences of the
show jumping champion Pierre Durand and his Olympic gold winning horse Jappeloup
de Luze, which had previously formed the basis of Karine Devilder's novel
Crin noir. It was scripted by Guillaume Canet, who also takes
the lead role, horse riding being a subject that is very close to his heart.
It's curious that Canet chose not to direct the film himself - having shown
himself to be a very capable director on such films as
Ne le dis à personne
(2006) and
Les Petits Mouchoirs
(2010). Instead that responsibility was passed on to the Canadian filmmaker
Christian Duguay, who has so far devoted the larger part of his career to
television.
Jappeloup has some striking visuals but as a piece of drama it is
something of a let down. Despite a very strong cast - Canet is ably
supported by Daniel Auteuil, Marina Hands and Tchéky Karyo - none
of the performances rings true, and the culprit has to be Canet's plodding
script which, whilst it is crafted with evident sincerity, lacks charm, depth
and impact. Duguay does what he can with the so-so script and draws
on his experience as a cinematographer to make the film more a visual poem
than a conventional drama. Running to more than two hours,
Jappeloup
is a slog to sit through, particularly when there is so little drama (other
than mere surface sentimentality) to engage our emotions, but some of the
photography has that sublime heart-aching quality that makes it worth the
effort, although only just.
© James Travers 2016
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Pierre Durand has high hopes of winning himself a gold medal at the 1984
Los Angeles Olympics, such is the confidence he has in his horse Jappeloup.
Show jumping is in Pierre's blood and has been since he first learned to
ride horses in childhood. At the start of the 1980s, he abandoned a
potentially lucrative career as a lawyer so that he could devote himself
to his favourite sport and become a professional show jumper. In this
Pierre was helped by his father, who gave him not only moral and financial
support, but also the confidence to succeed in his sport.
Jappeloup was thought to be too small, too temperamental a horse to be championship
material, but Pierre knew differently. After months of dedicated training,
the horse became a winner and Pierre's faith in him was soon rewarded.
But the 1984 Olympics proved to be a fiasco. After this setback, Pierre
would have been justified in parting company with Jappeloup and maybe even
giving up his sport altogether. But no, he isn't ready to quit yet.
With the Seoul Olympics four years away, Pierre knows he has enough time
to get himself and his horse into shape and win that elusive gold medal...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.