'The Vigil': To Believe or Not to Believe?
If you mix religious rituals with dark mythology, the result will be effective, and the story powerful in 90% of the cases. That is exactly what happens at the beginning of The Vigil.
Le radeau de la Méduse (1998)
Iranian Iradj Azimi directed this French historical drama re-creating events depicted in the famous 1819 painting The Raft of the Medusa by Jean Louis Andre Theodore Gericault (1791-1824). The ill-fated voyage of the frigate Medusa begins when it departs Rochefort for Senegal in 1816. After striking a sandbar off the African coast, 150 civilians row safely to shore, but Captain Chaumareys (Jean Yanne) orders 140 soldiers and sailors onto a raft (minus supplies) and has it cut loose. Only 14 survive from the 140, creating a scandal back in France. Gericault (Laurent Terzieff) later talks to three of the survivors while researching his painting. Work on this film began in 1987, but sets destroyed by Hurricane Hugo caused delays, so the film was not completed until 1990. However, it then remained undistributed until an incident in which writer-director Azimi slashed his wrists in front of French Ministry of Culture officials.
- / 5
PopScore
Representation
Pictures and Videos
Movie Information
Iranian Iradj Azimi directed this French historical drama re-creating events depicted in the famous 1819 painting The Raft of the Medusa by Jean Louis Andre Theodore Gericault (1791-1824). The ill-fated voyage of the frigate Medusa begins when it departs Rochefort for Senegal in 1816. After striking a sandbar off the African coast, 150 civilians row safely to shore, but Captain Chaumareys (Jean Yanne) orders 140 soldiers and sailors onto a raft (minus supplies) and has it cut loose. Only 14 survive from the 140, creating a scandal back in France. Gericault (Laurent Terzieff) later talks to three of the survivors while researching his painting. Work on this film began in 1987, but sets destroyed by Hurricane Hugo caused delays, so the film was not completed until 1990. However, it then remained undistributed until an incident in which writer-director Azimi slashed his wrists in front of French Ministry of Culture officials.
Rating:
Genre:Drama, History
Written By:Iradj Azimi
In Theaters:7/15/1998
Box Office:
Runtime:130 minutes
Studio:Gémaci, Utopia Productions
Cast
Articles You May Like
'Don't Breathe 2,' the Horror Sequel That Offers a Rapist an Undeserving Redemption Arc
'Don't Breathe 2' is a sequel that forgoes almost everything that made its predecessor good, and asks audiences to root for a rapist on top of that.
When a Hearing Disability Becomes a Criminal Talent in “Tuner”
Although Tuner is technically a heist movie, music and sound are woven into almost every aspect of Niki’s story. That’s what made Tuner such a pleasant surprise. I expected a film about music and discovered a heist movie, only to find that music was still at the heart of it.
Michelle Payne Learns How to 'Ride Like a Girl'
Horse racing is a very difficult sport and challenge, especially for a young woman like Michelle Payne.
TIFF ‘22 Coverage: ‘The Greatest Beer Run Ever’
The Vietnamese perspective is not only completely ignored in 'The Greatest Beer Run Ever', but it is blatantly whitewashed and disrespected.
'Pain Hustlers' (2023): An Opioid Crisis
What starts off as a success story for a single mother living below the poverty line, slowly begins to weave itself into a tangled web of greed, guilt, and destruction.