Anna (Pierre Koralnik, 1967)
Trés bon! Finally available outside of Japan is this gem from1967. A celebration of all things 60's, all things French, and the glorious Anna Karina in her prime.
In the French 2009 special edition DVD re-release, director Koralnik descrides Anna as a mixture of musical, nouvelle vague & pop art. That sums it up quite nicely. The pedigree on show is incredible. Karina, the darling of the nouvelle vague ('New Wave'), acts & sings her way through the movie with aplomb, the music is by none other that the legendary Serge Gainsbourg, and the arrangements are by Michel Colombier. Cor!
Anna was made for TV, and was apparently first shown in France on friday, January 13th in 1967 at 21h40. If this is true, then viewers would have seen it in Black & White, as French colour broadcasting (SECAM) only began in October of that year. Ironically, Anna is one of the brashest, most colourful films I've seen, so seeing Anna in colour must've been like watching it for the first time!
There's very little dialogue in Anna, as it relies on an array of smashing musical numbers to tell Anna's story. The plot concerns a young photographer (Jean-Claude Brialy) who works for an advertising company. He falls in love with a stranger who accidentally appeared on a photograph he took. It is Anna Karina. In order to find the beautiful young woman, he launches a poster campaign with her picture. Little does he realise she actually works for the same company as him! D'ohhh... do you see? With her hair up and wearing glasses, Anna is completely unrecognisable. Oh dear.
Gainsbourg himself has a role as Briarly's colleague, and Eddy Mitchell & a baby-faced Marianne Faithfull have cameos, but this is Anna's show, and what a joy she is to behold. Actually, the Gainsbourg-produced song 'Sous le soleil exactement' was a big hit for Anna, who had a history of singing before she became a famous actress. Another star of the show is the fashion. Wow. A French creativity overload! Anna is a wonderfully groovy 60's French experience, and a fascinating timepiece of a culturally creative peak.
About the super deluxe French DVD:
Wow. I can't believe it took 32 years for this to appear on DVD in France. Kudos to Universal, though, they have done an amazing job. The re-mastered DVD version looks as good as it ever will, but I have to say the two 5.1 mixes included are not very impressive. Making a 5.1 mix from an original Mono/Stereo source is never wise, and the Stereo mix provided on the DVD is much better than the 5.1 mixes. This edition also includes an extended version of the soundtrack CD, with TWELVE extra tracks that weren't on the original release. Delightful! There's also a booklet included in this fabulous release. In fact, the only thing missing is some of Anna'a lingerie she wore on set. So, Anna, if you're reading, be a darling and pop some in the post will you? They don't even have to be washed. Thanks ever so much. x
