Just Friends (film, 1994)

Just Friends is a Belgian film carried out by Marc-Henri Wajnberg, left in 1994.

Synopsis

1959. Jack is a saxophonist who dreams to leave to New York. It does not like this life pas : to play in debilitating tearooms, to discharge from bananas on the docks of Antwerp and to support the decline of its amis : ambitiousness, drugs, suicides, dead. Decided, it will catch providential a mygale to leave to New York, giving up his Belgian friends.

Summary

Antwerp, 1959. Jack is saxophonist. That is not enough to live. It thus discharges from bananas on the docks. But it is decided, it will leave for America, the country of the Jazz. Which wants can, my old man , points out to him André, his best friend. For the time being, it is its Saxophone which left without him: Jack forgot it in the tram ! Direction the deposit, with the step of race. On the way, they meet Lucy. It disputes violently with Dirk, her buddy. Hesitating to go to help it, they steal the Vespa of Dirk and take along Lucy to the deposit. The saxophone awaits them.

In the workshop of Andre, it is effervescence. Sculptor, it finicks a hand, size of a man, made up of various metal objects. Thrown through the window, it surprises the caretaker, horrified, but made laugh Jack which lives opposite. It cannot avoid the fall of Rudy which follows the hand, by the window, of a suicidal gesture. It is good for the hospital.

Andre asks Jack to be pilot of his declaration of love. Avoided of an armor, it makes an entry crashing to pieces in the classroom of drawing where Lucy poses naked. It accepts the glove which the knight gives him. But the professor recognizes it: wedged in its armor, it is dispatched out of the class, descending the staircases with any haste.

It is the hour of the radiophonic contest. Doctor Goosens is invited to answer questions in the studios of INR. If it gains, it will leave with Jack to New York. But it loses. It is an hard blow for Jack, doubly déçu : he, knew the answer. In his apartment, André tells in Lucy that Antwerpen would come from hand werpen , which means the thrown hand . He comes from a well-known legend in the city according to which the nephew of Jules César, Brabo, would have cut the hand of a giant who terrorized the boatmen in their making pay a tax of passage. She learns how to make the cuisine : for eggs Night in Tunisia , of Dizzy Gillespie. They affirm that it is necessary to have suffered like the blacks for playing well.

The group of Jack, the Bop Friends , occurs in a tearoom where the rattlings of the dentures cover the felted voice of the singer. Jack prefers to discharge from bananas that to discharge from the shit : it accelerates the rate/rhythm. People flee. They lose their contract. New York, it will be more difficult, it is for that it is necessary to go there argues Jack. On his side, André explains to Lucy - they are together, but it not yet - which a sculpture if that does not move, it is not the sorrow. They make start the Vespa of Dirk which was used as a basis for a smoky sculpture.

Jeff is not there. Engaged in Big Band de Mickey Bunner, the husband of Anita, it is necessary for them to find a bass player to leave to Oostende. The repetition starts, but one realizes quickly that Bunner did not seek seriously: it is a symphony orchestra which the Casino of Oostende sought, not a group of Jazz. Anita tells him all the evil which she thinks of him.

Returned from Oostende, Jack comes to disturb both tourtereaux André and Lucy. Disturbance of the peace at night: the police officers take along André. Jack remains alone with Lucy. The Following day, André discovers them in the same bed. Its fear is masked by a terrible news: Bunner found Jeff in its villa, naked and slept in its shit. Coma, hospital. Andre rail: Lucy is with Jack and this time they sleep for good.

With the Docks, André agrees to catch dangerous a mygale. To await the firemen would slow down unloading. Not without fear, it makes a success of the exploit. In exchange, one promised a place in the ship to him, towards New York. Anita learns the news: it also share, but with Paris. A concert of good-bye is organized, Anita, returned of France, sings Just Friends. Jack stops: Jeff died. Burial. Returning at his place, Jack is made tabasser by Dirk which recognizes it. Lucy finds it at his place. Jack hesitates between Lucy and its saxophone: he embraces them both. The fine remainder open.

Comment

Scene of the tearoom

The scene of the tearoom holds its characteristic of its excès : the music influences the reaction of people directly. One finds there, as in the scene where André throws his giant hand by the window, a transition between two state emotional. It was funny… Until the suicide attempt of Dirk occurs. Here, the jazz shows two of its multiple personalities: while changing, it is all the scene which changes. On the basis of a serious and calm scene, with the traditional assembly, the realizer suddenly changes his manner of filming.

This scene is introduced in background music as of the preceding sequence. It starts with a close-up Anita, equipped with blue it decoration is with dominant yellows. She outside sings Besame Mucho de Consuelo Velasquez on a terrace. A light dolly recadré, towards the left and at the rate/rhythm - slow of the music, lets discover Jeff with low. The assembly alternates the plans of the group of Jack with plans of the tearoom. A first follows towards the line a pastry making, wholesale plan, to a table. The plan of Anita returns, then Jeff, masked by a white hairstyle in the foreground, always in a light movement of dolly. Lucy enters within the framework by the left in a close-up. It moves towards the line. Short plans of the beater, Anita, then of Jack. In bottom of the framework, hats or hairstyles, blurs, obstruct discreetly. People pass in front of the camera. Overall plan in low-angle shot of the tables. Lucy slips there nonchalamment. Reverse shot of the groupe : Lucy assied opposite the group, for us with the background. Jack then Anita, always hidden by heads in the foreground. Connection of glance between Anita and Lucy, in light low-angle shot. Anita. The pianist. Jeff, movement towards its hand.

Anita, this time in a fixed plan: it is off-gauge on the left. Nothing on the right, if it is not a bust of character to the background. Fast continuation of close-ups: two old women clinking glasses with a table; two others; a woman speaking in front of a cup of tea. They have only to make music. Anita. Lucy requires silence: without effect. The noise of the cups covers all gently the music. Anita: Jeff leaves the out-field and occupies the vacuum beside it. Solo. Lucy redemande silence: But, chuut! Anita and Jack, close-up always: they look in front of them. Jack stops playing, is turned over and made a gesture of stop. Hesitating, it is afflicted situation. Lucy smiles malicieusement.

People sitted foutent themselves of the music. A music of pit would have been enough for them. Jack cannot support any more that the Jazz is thus denied, that it serf only of basic music. Wholesale plan, it challenges us: Cherokee! Jeff, guarantor of a smile. It is at this time that the scene will take an unexpected turning. The assembly becomes much faster and the axes of camera lean. Anita and Jack: he prepares. We will not detail the whole of the plans of this scene: low, room which is emptied, piano, dog which barks, saxophone, etc the closes-up are numerous. Jack breaks out: it comes from there to be extracted from the context. Jazz rebelle : it makes leave people who denied it and brings closer Jack to his dream. That results visually in a change of background them trees make place with the sea then by an iconoclast plan: Jack playing on the prow of a ship. Towards New York, undoubtedly. Follow a plan of waves then, of return in the tearoom, a rapid front dolly towards Jack. The movements of camera still locates it on the boat.

Jack on the prow of a ship: plan astonishing, at first sight foolish. He answers however a logic of repetition. Jack is intended to leave for America. Which wants can had told him André. He added: You ace not of money for the plane, take the boat. You miss the boat, travel by a pedal boat! the plan of Jack on an aircraft preceded this dialog. Jack on the boat was the second plan which answered so that André said. A third plan, all logically Jack on a pedal boat, will come to be intercalated later, in one moment of depresses. The more important the problems of Jack are, the more the way to New York will be long: plane with the pedal boat.

The director of the tearoom engueule and the fact of giving up at once. Jack blows some notes: the framework, become again horizontal, announces the end of the play of the music. It is not already there any more. The first part of this scene was filmed very classically, on a horizontal axis in close-up. The second has a fast assembly, closes-up with profusion and an oblique axis. The musical rate/rhythm is faster, just like that of the images.

The jazzman expresses all his talent, even if it means to upset the taboos and not to like. Obviously, it is successful! The Jazz, for its part, acquires a main role there, hustling the scene and the framework. It is however only one music. But what a music!

Data sheet

  • Collaboration of creation (Actors): Jose De Pauw, AsGisel Knell, Sylvie Milhaud, Charles Directing Berling

  • of production: Jacqueline Louis
  • Director of the photography: Remon Fromont
  • Sound engineer: Jean-Bernard Thomasson
  • assembler Chief: Ludo Troch
  • decorator Chief: Emmanuelle Batz
  • Costumier Chief: Tamara Jongsma

  • Coproduction: Wajnbrosse Productions, Panic grass Productions, Praxino Pictures, RTBF (Belgian TV) and OUR (Netherlands)

  • Participation or support: the French Community of Belgium, Vlaamse Gemeenschap van België, National center of Cinematography (Paris), Stichting Productiefonds voor Nederlandse Films, Stichting Co-productiefonds, Binnenlandse Omroep (Netherlands), BRTN (Belgian TV), Canal+, Video Image, National Lottery and Eurimages.
  • International Distribution: Wajnbrosse Productions

  • Country of origin: Belgium

  • Format: Colors - its Dolby stereo - 35 mm (Fuji Film)
  • Languages: French, Dutch
  • Lasted: 96 minutes (1h36), 2.700 Mr.
  • Coming out date: February 2nd 1994 (France)

Other technical data:

  • Costumes: TV Costume BV (Netherlands), Angels (England), Material BRTN
  • camera: mechanical Monev
  • Material: Key Grip Systems
  • Material of lighting: Material Bulterijs
  • control: Kaplan
  • Laboratory and negative assembly: Cineco (Netherlands)
  • Film sound: BASF
  • Assembly: Signal Shape (Netherlands)
  • Road repair: Daisy Beautiful
  • Studio recording music: Studio Jet
  • Studio postsynchronization: Studio the Team (Belgium)
  • Postsynchronization: OJ Masset - Generic Guess Film
  • : Image Creation (Belgium)

  • Poster: Pascal Lebrun

  • Insurance: SGAC

Distribution

Technicians

Equip Antwerp

  • Jan Hintjens : Manager
  • Linda Wouters: Governed assistant
  • Mark Wouters: Governed assistant
  • Jan Van Santvliet: Governed assistant
  • Ludo Voders: Interior designer
  • Will Dellaert: Locations
  • AD Van Mierlo: Hairstyle
  • Dirk Desmet: Hairstyle

Additional personnel

  • Marie Spencer: 2nd camera
  • Yorgos Giannelis: 2nd camera
  • Ella Van Den Hove: Assistant camera
  • Paul Vercheval: Photo plate

Music studio

  • Michel Herr: Piano
  • Jan De Haas: Battery
  • Michel Massot: Tuba
  • Jan De Backer: Trombone
  • Claude Remacle: Trombone
  • Phil Abraham: Trombone
  • Marc Godfroid: Trombone, trumpet
  • Edmond Harnie: Trumpet
  • Nicolas Fissette: Trumpet
  • Eric Verhaeghe: Trumpet
  • Richard Rousselet: Trumpet
  • Jeanfrançois Prins: Guitarist
  • Peter Vandendriessche: Saxophone
  • Johan Vandendriessche: Saxophone
  • Franck Vaganee: Saxophone
  • Kurt Van Herck: Saxophone
  • Pierre Vaiana: Saxophone
  • archie Shepp: Saxophone
  • Philippe Aerts: Double bass
  • Jean-Louis Rassinfosse: Double bass
  • Ricardo LED FRA: Double bass, battery
  • Igor Semenoff: 1st violin
  • Francoise Vervoort: 2nd violin
  • Julia Eckhardt: Viola
  • Xue Wen Gao: Violoncello
  • Ann Engels: Violoncello
  • Silvia Droste: Song

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Around film

Turning

The project Just Friends date already of 1982, under the title of Antwerp-sax . It did not concretize fault of means. the Jack character is inspired by the life of Jack Salts , a from Antwerp saxophonist who worked on the docks and dreamed to leave to New York. In parallel, the authors met many musicians having known this time, but also sculptors, doctors and employees of the port. Gradually, they separated from the character: the life of Jack is aggregates of the life of all the people met.

the basic team is made up of friends, very close people. Rémont Fomont, the operator chief, lives the apartment above mine , indicates to the realizer during a maintenance for Libre Belgique . He adds: Nicole Mora, the make-up girl is my friend. (…) The friendship is necessary for me to live. If I do not feel well with people, I cannot function. Being its own producer, it can be allowed to constitute oneself its team.

It is the first time that he is really confronted with actors. the realizer thus took along the actors to the sea for a few days of repetition before turning. They lived there together in a large house where they improvised and made knowledge. There, they worked all the scenes. One even filmed them in video. I spoke about the role with each one. One sought things together. a confidence and a friendship were built before and during turning.

The account was to be dark beginning with the end, but, progressively of turning, the history was perverted at the point to finish on a positive note , indicates the realizer. Accustomed to carry out comic sketches, it could not be demolished some completely.

Doubling

It is the American jazzman archie Shepp which doubles with the saxophone Jose De Pauw.

Rewards

  • Film representing Belgium with the Oscars of best film of foreign language - the USA - 1994
  • Better First Film Festival of Montevideo - Uruguay - 1994
  • Grand Prix Festival of the Valley Of Aoste - Italy 1994
  • Femina Price of the Brussels Cinema - Belgium - 1994
  • Price Joseph Plate Better Belgian Film - Belgium - 1994
  • Price Joseph Plate Better Actor (Jose De Pauw) - Belgium - 1994
  • Price Joseph Plate Better Realizer - Belgium - 1994
  • Gran Premio Incontri International LED Cinema Di Sorrento - Italy - 1994
  • Price Ucc Price of Criticism for best Belgian film - 1993
  • Price Cavens Belgium - 1993
  • Price Of Youth Better Belgian Film - Belgium - 1993
  • Price Philip Morris Movie Club Better Scenario - Belgium - 1993
  • Price Of the Best Actor (Jose De Pauw) Festival of Baule - France - 1993
  • Price Of the Jury Festival of Baule - France - 1993
  • Cd elected Disc of the Month in the magazine Jazz In Time (12/93)

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