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LONDON
MON AMOUR - the film
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Antoine and Mathias, (or rather, Marc Levy and Philippe Guez), have spent many a vacation together as single fathers with Louis and Emily, their respective children. Every summer their twosome draws a few curious looks, and even a bit of mocking from the fairer sex.
One day, while making their rounds at the supermarket, the laughter they left in their wake inspired them to write a story of two best friends, both single fathers, who live together with their children ; a full house of four, a “home” par excellence...
It remains to be seen which one, Philippe or Marc, is the « neat freak ». A clue is in this photo, taken while filming JUST LIKE HEAVEN…
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As for Philippe, he has always refused to comment on the topic.
A few close friends of the « couple » have nevertheless confided (under the strict condition of anonymity) that the « neat freak » is, without a doubt, Marc.
With the idea of London Mon Amour in mind, Marc and Philippe began writing a screenplay. But they found the constraints of screenwriting too restrictive: there was so much to say! So Marc embarked on transforming the story into a novel. The idea of bringing the script to the big screen, however, had not left him.
Initially, Marc planned to direct it himself. But being a realist, he knows well that being a film director is a career, not a hobby. And for the time being, he is not ready to abandon his writing (and his readers!) to devote himself to film.
Marc’s sister, Lorraine Levy, is an accomplished screenwriter and a film director. Lorraine went on to adapt the novel and co-write the screenplay with Philippe Guez and Marc, who are both still very involved in the project. It is Lorraine who directed London Mon Amour.
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At the beginning of September 2007, Vincent Lindon (Mathias), Pascal Elbé (Antoine), Virginie Ledoyen (Audrey), Florence Foresti (Sophie), and Bernadette Laffont (Yvonne) found themselves in London for four weeks of filming, all under the careful eye of Marc, who was delighted to take his morning coffee in Yvonne’s bistro, which features in the film.
Dominique Farrugia, the producer, (F.E.W.) made several round-trips to London for the filming, where he found great entente cordiale between the French and the English. He can now attest that it does not always rain in London… Let’s see if he returns!
In October 2007, the shoot moved to the outskirts of Paris, to finish filming . The film was released in France, on July 2nd 2008.
PS : Thousands of readers have written to Marc concerning the identity of Popinot. But as John Glover has never confided this secret to him, Marc could reveal nothing. Nevertheless, according to reliable sources, it is apparently true that the real Popinot made an appearance in the film.
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When Miguel Courtois (director/producer) confided in Marc his desire to bring Will You Be there? to the big screen, Marc did not hesitate for a second. The two have been friends for a long time, and their ability to work well together allowed the project to move forward very swiftly.
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After some reflection, they decided that the best format to relate the story of Philippe and Suzanne would be a television series.
Franck Philippon was commissioned to write the screenplay, and Miguel Courtois directed four episodes of 52 minutes each, with Elsa Lunghini, Cristiana Reali and Philippe Bas in the lead roles.
Marc, who had his acting debut in the film « Feroce », was convinced by Miguel to take a cameo role, a role that he could step into quite naturally …
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He joined the crew in the Dominican Republic for three weeks of unforgettable filming…
Marc then flew back home to London and left the cast and crew to finish shooting in Paris.
Will you be there? was broadcast by M6 in June 2008.
To access the site dedicated to the series : http://www.m6.fr/html/series/ouestu/index.shtml
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| JUST
LIKE HEAVEN the Film |
Mark Ruffalo and Marc Levy |
The manuscript for If Only It were True had just been signed by Editions Robert Laffont when it was presented in manuscript form by Susanna Lea at the Frankfurt book fair in 1999, where it created a commotion. Several film studio representatives, in search of a new success, were immediately seduced by this « modern day fairy tale ».
Ultimately, it was Dreamworks who beat out the competition. Marc learned the news when an agent called him from Los Angeles at 3:00 am to announce a phone call from Steven Spielberg. Marc didn’t believe it, everything had happened so quickly ; he put down the receiver, turned his phone around, and told himself that if it was in the same position when he woke in the morning, then he hadn’t been dreaming.
A few phone conversations soon followed, then a meeting in the fall of 1999 in New York with the father of E.T., who was taking an active role in the development of the film.
If Only it Were True became a cinematic reality in 2004. The film – entitled Just Like Heaven -- was produced by Steven Spielberg, directed by Mark Walters, and starred Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo.
Marc visited the set in Los Angeles to meet Lauren and Arthur.
Just Like Heaven opened at number one at the box office in the United States upon its release, and was released in France at the end of November, 2005.
http://www.justlikeheaven-themovie.com/
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In 2003, Marc was approached by the French branch of Amnesty International to participate in a collection of works organized around the theme of Freedom.
He immediately accepted and co-wrote with Sophie Fontanel (journalist and writer) The Letter from Nabila, which appeared in a collection of short stories.
This collection was published by Le Cherche Midi and all authors’ rights were transferred to Amnesty International.
Marc was contacted again by Amnesty International to make a short film based on The Letter from Nabila. For his first production, he called on his friend, the producer Philippe Guez.
Starring Rachida Brakni and Christophe Laubion and filmed in three languages (French, English and Spanish), this short film debuted in 2004 as part of a campaign by Amnesty International to fight violence against women.
Soon thereafter, it was selected at the short film festival at Valencia (Festival des Courts Métrages de Valenciennes).
http://www.amnesty.fr/ http://www.amnesty.org
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How
involved were you in the making of the film Just Like Heaven?
I
wasn't involved in the adaptation of the film, the writing of the
screenplay or the choice of actors. DreamWorks were kind enough to
let me to read the screenplay at every stage of its development -
which I did. I didn't feel that as a first time novelist, I was really
in a position to give any lessons to such an accomplished US studio!
Why
were you not more involved in the making of the film Just Like
Heaven?
Because it is up to
the director, in this case Mark Waters, to adapt the story as he sees
fit. He tells the same story as the novel, but in a different way and
subject to different constraints. A film has to tell a story in 1h30mins
whereas a book can tell a story over several hours. To draw a parallel - if
you moved into a house, you wouldn't necessarily want the architect
who had built it to dictate how it should be decorated .
What
do you think of the film Just Like Heaven?
The book is too long
to be adapted in its entirety. A choice had to be made between the "comedic" and "dramatic" elements
of the book. The producers chose to go with the comedy - and
that was their choice to make. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I think the actors did a great job of recreating the complicity between
Arthur and Lauren, and whilst you don't follow the 'chapters' in
the same way as in the book, the idea and overall spirit are still
there. I have seen the film a number of times now and each time I discover
more links between the two: the way in which a passage from the book
has inspired a particular part of the film. In the end, you leave the
cinema feeling upbeat! And that's what a good romantic comedy
should do .
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