Page 369 - Livre Beau Rivage Palace

Fig. 8 Fig. 9

with the object of his fascination except through looks. Physical although its exact position is never explicitly stated, it is also easily brassy blondes on the arm of a powerful villain or the heavy who in a single shot actors positioned well away from each other, and
contact is even less feasible. recognisable in an aerial view which, because of the way the shot forgets to zip up his flies before leaving the men’s room. These to draw the attention of the audience to one character or another
The series of obstacles placed to interrupt the spectator’s view is framed, only shows the Palace building and not the adjacent trivial touches of sometimes questionable humour are there to at key moments in the narrative.
and impede any fluid perception of space also serves to prevent Beau-Rivage (fig. 9). A few minutes later another sequence provide contrast and highlight the splendour of the place, and to This plethora of effects in the mise en scène is obviously
the elderly admirer from getting any closer to the object of his filmed at the Lausanne-Palace shows the entrance on the Rue du reinforce the bad guys’ power. intended to add the air of mystery and confusion expected of a
desire. The hotel becomes a labyrinth in which everything – doors, Grand-Chêne, as well as the main foyer and the bar. Skilful film The director exhausts every technical trick in the book. We good spy story. However, as one trick follows another to the point of
furniture, distances and, above all, social convention – stands in the editing may well convince spectators – probably the majority – have already listed a number of architectural elements found in exaggeration, all we are left with is a kind of inventory that gives the
way of any real contact. This image of the labyrinth is reflected in unfamiliar with the geography of Lausanne that the two hotels are deluxe hotels which can easily be exploited. The overlapping of impression of a frantic, never-ending race towards the film’s climax.
the city of Venice, whose maze of streets and canals also obstruct one and the same. On the other hand, for those in the know, the pillars, both inside and outside the Lausanne-Palace, the profusion Conclusion: mise en scène can be too much of a good thing!
Aschenbach as, towards the end of the film, he takes a long walk amalgamation of two rival hotels adds a certain touch of irony to of objects and people appearing in the foreground – revolving Like classical theatre, where the length of the acts was
which becomes a sort of chase in which the two protagonists take the understandable requirements of the film-makers. door, furniture, pot plants, lamps, pianos, extras – and the originally based on the time it took for a candle to burn down, film
on the role of hunter and hunted. The Beau-Rivage Palace is presented to us in a long interplay of infinity mirrors, all combine to suggest the opulence scenarios depend on technical considerations which determine
This inaccessibility results in a constant feeling of frustration sequence filmed from a helicopter which flies above the waters stereotypically attributed to luxury hotels and to create the feeling from the outset the conditions required for making the film. In
which intensifies in the course of the narrative. The only place of the lake before approaching the shore on the edge of which of entanglement typical of tales of espionage. fact, the narrative construction of a movie largely depends on four
where there seems to be any possibility of assuaging desire is beside stands the 1908 building. The building stands out from its semi- To these decorative elements, Schoendoerffer adds a parameters: interior/day, interior/night, exterior/day and exterior/
the sea. Bold as the comparison may seem, this is something Death urban environment surrounded by trees, magnified by a nocturnal comprehensive range of camera techniques involving both visual night. These common stage directions are crucially important to
in Venice has in common with Some Like it Hot (apart from cross- lighting system. In terms of spy movies, it inevitably calls to mind effects and movement. There is not a single shot without some trick every scenario, and are particularly relevant to a discussion of how
dressing and sexual ambiguity). Both films present a fundamental the ‘traditional’ hideout of the villain in a Bond film or every of the lens or tracking shot. Long, cryptic conversations are filmed deluxe hotels are portrayed on screen. The relationship between
opposition between the confined, oppressive space of the hotel other production cast in the same mould. The rules of the genre with the aid of circular tracking shots centred on the characters so the enclosed space of the grand hotel and the outside world are
and the open space of the sea and the many possibilities it offers. demand that the baddy should have a secret command centre in as to lend more dramatic emphasis to their exchanges. This desire often a central issue either for the characters or the director.
However, the man driven mad by desire never goes near the water. a virtually inaccessible spot, surrounded by water, precipices or to overdramatise is also served by tracking-out shots where the Mostly, the protagonist’s relationship with the outside world
Perhaps that is his real mistake, and in the end he dies of frustration. molten lava. This spectacular location explains why it is always backward-looking camera in fast motion stays ahead of a procession is about personal safety. Does he see the interior, specifically that
The film’s closing image shows the young man silhouetted against necessary to resort to sophisticated modes of transport, such as of characters rapidly making their way along the hotel corridors. of the grand hotel, as a refuge or a prison? Must he escape from it
the light, half submerged in the waves, with the sun behind him. a helicopter, to reach the place. It also underlines the isolation Meanwhile, tracking-in is used to pick out a face in the crowd or prevent others from entering? In the examples we have studied,
Such is the overexposure that it almost burns the film. How can and defensive nature of the villain’s lair, as well as the technical and create a false sense of intimacy; once again the intention is to the hotel appears more often as a deceptive and dangerous place.
we fail to see in this visual effect the very cause of the protagonist’s wizardry of its occupant. And it so happens that, like the other add drama. One shot involves both sideways and circular tracking Only the infinite outside world – represented by a stretch of water,
death? He is consumed in the heat of the sun which he will never examples quoted, the hotel is also close to water. which matches the rotations of the revolving door and the clash a lake, sea or ocean – will allow him to resolve the problems
be able to approach. The next sequence shows complex negotiations between of movements in different directions, producing a kaleidoscopic surrounding him. For the director, while the exterior is ready-
international agents inside the Beau-Rivage Palace, recognisable in whirlpool which adds to the spatial confusion already created by made with little need to go into minute detail, the interior has to
THRILLER particular from its eighteenth-century-style paintings which add the various visual obstacles described earlier. be created – particularly if the action takes place in a hotel. Every
Agents Secrets, directed by Frédéric Schoendoerffer in 2004, is to the overall grandeur of the interiors. Although the characters are And no one can outdo Schoendoerffer when it comes piece of the action will be devoted to accomplishing a mission
of no great interest, apart from the fact that it was partly filmed seen in close-up, the decor surrounding them, combining heavy to using the zoom lens and changes of focus. Short-focus and which can end either in success and the creation of a coherent
at the Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne. Like the James Bond curtains, wood panelling and furniture draped with silk, is still wide-angle shots allow the camera to enlarge space and expand space, or in failure and the acknowledgement of the impossibility
series, it features a number of exotic locations and, in one short visible in the background, everything in a range of colours very architecture, while long focus and close-ups compress them, as of building a believable space.
interior sequence, the Beau-Rivage Palace is clearly identifiable much in accordance with the rules of ‘good taste’. Such luxury is can be seen in the sidelong shot of the facade of the Lausanne- In all the examples we have looked at, one dimension is still
from a surreptitious glimpse of the hotel logo on a door. And counterbalanced by the vulgarity of some of the characters – the Palace (fig. 10). The change of focus allows the camera to include missing, namely what goes on behind the scenes. All these films

Luchino Visconti, Death in Venice, Italy, 1971. Frédéric Schoendoerffer, Secret Agents, France, 2004.
In the foreground and seen from behind – in other words in the same position as Flying above the lake to arrive by air at the Beau-Rivage Palace. In the twilight
the spectator – Aschenbach just happens to be seated opposite the young man over Lausanne, only the brightly lit building can be identified.
who has completely captivated him. In contrast with the many objects that fill the
hotel lounge, the empty space between the two remains insuperable.
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