Les rivières pourpres (2000)

Country of Origin: France
Year of Production: 1999
Running Times: 106 mins
Length: 2957 metres
Format: 35mm/Panavision (anamorphic)/Digital (Texas Instruments DLP 1280 x 1024, 1.9 : 1 anamorphic)
Colour Format: Technicolor
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: DTS/Dolby Digital

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Canal+/Légende Entreprises/Société des Etablissements L. Gaumont/TF1 Films Productions
Copyright: Gaumont
Producer: Alain Goldman
Associate Producer: Catherine Morisse
Line Producer: Jérôme Chalou
Production Manager: Jérôme Chalou
Unit Managers: Sylvain Bouladoux, Antoine Vierny
Unit Manager Trainee: Guinal Riou

SCRIPT
Script: Jean-Christophe Grangé and Mathieu Kassovitz
Novel: Red Blood Rivers by Jean-Christophe Grangé

DIRECTION
Directed by: Mathieu Kassovitz
First Assistant Director: Valérie Othnin-Girard
Second Assistant Director: Pascal Guérin

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Thierry Arbogast
Camera Operator: Georges Diane
Steadicam Operators: Patrick de Ranter, Jean-Baptiste Thibaud, Yves Michaud
Assistant Camera: Emmanuel de Fleury, Nicolas Massart
Aerial Assistant Camera: Jean-Marie Delorme
Technocrane Operator: David Campbell
Focus Puller: Vincent Muller
Electric Intern: Sophie Mollard
Key Grips: Bruno Dubet, Dominique Legueux, Gil Fontbonne
Grips: Xavier Embry, Bruno Roza
Stills: Guy Ferrandis, Mimka Jeziorowska
Cameras and Lenses: Panavision
Film Stock: Kodak
Colour Timer: Yvan Lucas
Lab: Laboratoires Éclair, Paris, France

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Maryline Monthieux
Assistant Editors: Soazic Veillon, Virginie Bruant
Apprentice Editor: Sandro Lavezzi

MUSIC
Music by: Bruno Coulais
Orchestrator: Bruno Coulais

SONGS AND ADDITIONAL MUSIC
"Virtual Skinfighters"
Composed and performed by David Salsedo, Stephane Daurs (Silmarils)
© 2000 Editions Musicales Editions La Marguerite - Legende Enterprises
(p) 2000 Production Legende Enterprises - Gaumont

"F.U.A."
Composed and performed by Solo and Uncle O
© 2000 Delabel Editions - Corida Editions
(p) 2000 X-Large

SOUND
Sound: Vincent Tulli
Sound Re-Recording Mixers: Cyril Holtz, Philippe Amouroux
Sound Editor: Vincent Tulli
Assistant Sound Editor: Vincent Montrobert
Dialogue Editor: Anne Delacour
ADR Supervisor: Michel Filippi
Sound Effects: Nicolas Becker

SPECIAL MAKE UP EFFECTS
Special Makeup Effects: Denis Gastouet, Jean-Christophe Spadaccini

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Pascal Buron
Fake Pit Bull: Plastic Studios

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects Supervisor: Krao
Visual Effects Producer: Agnès Sébenne
3D Supervisors: Jean Baptiste Lère, Nicolas Rey
Animators: Fabrice Delapierre, Benoit Holl, Malek Touzani
Digital Artist: Yann Doray
Rotoscoper: Julien Rousseau
Digital Compositor: David François
Visual Effects Technical Directors: Laurent Borenstein, Philippe Leprince
Digital Grader: Nabila Daniault

L'E.S.T.
Visual Effects Director: Christian Guillon

Mikrosimage
Digital Grader: Gilles Gaillard
Lighting Technical Director: Gaël Seydoux

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Thierry Flamand
Assistant Art Director: Stanislas Reydellet
Construction Manager: Luc Compère
Storyboard Artist: Farid Kermici

OTHER CREW
Continuity: Michèle Andreucci, Nathalie Vierny
Production Secretary: Audrey Mery
Helicopter Services: Pascal Brun

LOCATIONS
Locations: Albertville, Savoie, France; Argentiere, Mont-Blanc, Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France; Gavet, Bourg d'Oisans, Isère, France; Grenoble, Isère, France; Modane-Avrieux, Savoie, France; Mont-Blanc, Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France; Paris, France

STUNTS
Stunt Coordinator: Patrick Cauderlier
Assistant Stunt Coordinator: Rémi Canaple
Stunts: Virginie Arnaud, Alain Barbier, Rémi Canaple, Catherine Robert, Dany Roca, Patrick Steltzer
Stunt Driver: Jean-Claude Lagniez
Fight Arranger: Nicky Naude

CASTING
Casting by: Pierre-Jacques Bénichou

CAST
Jean Reno (Pierre Niemans)
Vincent Cassel (Max Kerkerian)
Nadia Fares (Fanny Ferreira)
Dominique Sanda (Sister Andrée)
Karim Belkhadra (Captain Dahmane)
Jean-Pierre Cassel (Dr Bernard Chernezé)
Didier Flamand (Dean)
François Levantal (pathologist)
Francine Bergé (headmistress)
Philippe Nahon (man at petrol station)
Laurent Lafitte (Hubert, dean's son)
Robert Gendreu (cemetery warden)
Christophe Bernard (skinhead 1)
Nicky Naude (skinhead 2)
Tonio Descanvelle (Sarzac policeman 1)
Olivier Rousset (Sarzac policeman 2)
Françoise Loreau (nun in convent)
Vincent Tulli (computer technician)
Nicolas Koretzky (computer cop)
Sami Zitouni (youth on Sarzac estate 1)
Slim Zitouni (youth on Sarzac estate 2)
Christophe Rossignon (policeman in station wagon on bridge)
Dominique Bettenfeld (policeman with theory)
Alexis Robin (blind child)
Alain Guerillot (skinhead cafe owner)
Laurent Avare (Rémy Caillois)
Olivier Morel (Philippe Sertys)
Vincent Schimenti (policeman)

PLOT SUMMARY

Two French policemen working on separate cases (a murder at a remote mountain college and the desecration of a young girl's grave by skinheads) join forces as their two cases seem to be united by a series of brutal killings.

AVAILABILITY

Argentina
Theatrical Distributors: Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina
Video Distributors: LK-TEL

Finland
Theatrical Distributors: Columbia TriStar Egmont Film Distributors/ Universal Pictures Finland Oy
Video Distributors: Egmont Entertainment
Television Distributors: Nelonen

French
Theatrical Distributors: Gaumont Buena Vista International

Germany
Theatrical Distributors: Tobis StudioCanal

Spain
Theatrical Distributors: Columbia TriStar Films de España S.A.

USA
Theatrical Distributors: TriStar Pictures
DVD Distributors: Columbia TriStar Home Video

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Argentina
Rating: 13

Australia
Rating: MA

Chile
Rating: 18

Finland
Rating: K-15

France
Rating: -12

Germany
Rating: 16 (bw)

Hong Kong
Rating: IIB

Hungary
Rating: 16

Iceland
Rating: 16

Malaysia
Rating: 18PL

Netherlands
Rating: 16

New Zealand
Rating: R16

Norway
Rating: 18

Portugal
Rating: M/16

Singapore
Rating: NC-16; PG (censored version)

Spain
Rating: 13

Sweden
Rating: 15

Switzerland
Rating: 16

UK
Rating: 15

USA
Rating: R (for violence/grisly images and language)

AWARDS

2000
San Sebastián International Film Festival, Spain
Golden Seashell (Mathieu Kassovitz) - nominated

2001
César Awards, France
Meilleure photographie (Thierry Arbogast) - nominated
Meilleur réalisateur (Mathieu Kassovitz) - nominated
Meilleur montage (Maryline Monthieux) - nominated
Meilleure musique (Bruno Coulais) - nominated
Meilleur son (Vincent Tulli, Cyril Holtz) - nominated

European Film Awards, Europe
Best Actor (Vincent Cassel) - nominated
Best Actor (Jean Reno) - nominated
Best Director (Mathieu Kassovitz) - nominated

TIMELINE

1999
October
25: France - filming begins

2000
September
27: France - theatrical release
28: Spain - shown at the San Sebastián Film Festival

October
4: Belgium - theatrical release

December
23: Taiwan - theatrical release

2001
January
21: Canada - theatrical release
27: Japan - theatrical release

February
10: South Korea - theatrical release

March
25: Australia - shown at the French Film Festival
30: Greece - theatrical release

April
5: Argentina - theatrical release
19: Germany, Singapore - theatrical release
20: Norway - theatrical release
27: Spain, Sweden - theatrical release

May
3: Czech Republic, Hungary - theatrical release
4: Mexico - theatrical release
10: Hong Kong - theatrical release
11: Finland, Iceland - theatrical release
18: Estonia - theatrical release
24: Slovenia - theatrical release

June
7: Chile - theatrical release
8: UK - theatrical release
14: Peru - theatrical release
22: USA - theatrical release
28: Australia - theatrical release

July
1: Denmark - theatrical release
5: Israel - theatrical release
6: Egypt - theatrical release
13: Poland - theatrical release

August
31: Colombia - theatrical release

September
27: Malaysia - theatrical release

October
5: Poland - shown at the Warsaw Film Festival
16: USA - DVD release (Columbia TriStar Home Video)
24: Kuwait - theatrical release

November
9: South Africa - theatrical release

POSTER TAGS

Evil rises to new heights.

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Bíbor folyók - Hungarian title
De blodröda floderna - Swedish Finnish/Swedish title
De blodrøde floder - Danish title
Os Crimes dos Rios de Púrpura - Portuguese title
The Crimson Rivers - UK/US title
I fiumi di porpora - Italian title
Purppuravirrat - Finnish title
Die Purpurnen Flüsse - Austrian/German title
Los ríos color púrpura - Chilean title
Ríos de color púrpura - Mexican title
Los ríos de color púrpura - Argentinean /Spanish title
Rios Vermelhos - Brazilian title
De røde elvene - Norwegian title

LINKS

SEQUEL
Les rivières pourpres II - Les anges de l'apocalypse (2004)

KEYWORDS

autopsies, avalanches, book into film, cemeteries, conspiracies, convents, crucifixions, desecrations, dogs, eugenics, glaciers, helicopters, ice, inbreeding, kickboxing, libraries, martial arts, mountains, mutilation, nuns, police, schools, serial killers, skinheads, snow, spiral staircases, torture, universities, video games

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009