The middle of the 90s of the last century was full of militants, who in many ways replaced the audience with other genres. The science fiction genre has not yet been fully explored, nor has it been adequately presented to the audience. And yet, some films showed a new discovery: someone said that science fiction has a positive effect on consciousness, giving birth to something hitherto unknown in it, while others considered such paintings to be a waste of time and money. About the action movie "The Fifth Element" can not speak negatively. Perhaps he succumbed to criticism from all sides, but he certainly became successful in every sense.
Opening
Fiction has long been a favorite genre of Luc Besson. That's where the French director could go wild! But while he walked along the usual paths: he created quite reasonable pictures in his own country. Prior to “The Fifth Element,” he could boast of the thrillers “Nikita” and “Underground”, as well as the famous “Leon”, in which he was not the first to film his favorite Jean Reno. However, as soon as the crime drama with the young Natalie Portman gained worldwide success, Besson made a promise that for the time being he would tie up with the familiar genre and discover for himself where his free imagination could go for a walk. The script of the “Fifth Element” was written while still at school, and now the time has come for its on-screen implementation. A huge work ahead was to assemble a technical group, present convincing evidence to the studio ... Fortunately, Besson managed to prove himself on the good side, because the French media concern Gaumont handed him full power. First of all, Luke needed those who correctly conveyed his idea on the screen - the actors. The “Fifth Element” already in the course of its preparation promised to become a grandiose project. In this professional Besson did not fail.
Start
Luke Besson sat in the director's chair. Few people know that he began production of the painting in 1994, not yet securing official permission from the studio. But, like his Hollywood colleague James Cameron, he knew that only painstaking work would bring great results. Having finalized the script, having decided on the locations of the shootings (they selected the corners of Great Britain and Iceland), he began to select those whom he had the highest hopes for. Actors, “The Fifth Element” for whom could become a great springboard to the future, gladly went to the casting.
She and others
Wild interest aroused, first of all, the main female role. The image of the mysterious girl Lila wanted to get many actresses. She was the key character, which turned out to be very effective: in the picture Lilu is represented half-naked, with a bright red hair color, generated from the DNA of an incomprehensible creature. In addition, Lilu spoke a special language and had tremendous power. Besson opted for Mila Jovovich. Together they came up with the language of the heroine, during the work the actress improvised a lot, and after that they often chatted among themselves, causing excitement among the entire crew.
Other actors of the movie “The Fifth Element” were not so colorful against her background. Bruce Willis played the taxi driver Korben Dallas, accidentally turned up next. Now he cannot leave the helpless Lila alone, often flirts with her, but is refused. Gary Oldman played the main antagonist of Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Sorg. An earthly arms manufacturer, a puppet in the hands of dark forces, he uses his influence and power to fulfill his cherished desire: to find four element-stones after the ship’s crash. But for him it is not so simple. The actor himself agreed to the role because of personal respect for Besson after “Leon”. Ian Holm and Chris Tucker also played in the film . They appeared in the images of father Vito and Ruby Rod, respectively.
Key elements of success
The premiere took place in the fall of 1997. By the middle of the 98th, the film had already rolled around the world. The total fees for a budget of 90 million amounted to over 260 million dollars. These numbers have broken all records in the history of French cinema.
Actors could tell about success. The Fifth Element has become a truly worthy film for them. Mila Jovovich, for example, fell in love with the science fiction genre, having starred after in the famous Resident Evil series. And Luke Besson offered her a hand and a heart.
So, however, it was with Anne Pariyo, which he shot in Nikita. In numerous interviews, the actors recalled working with the director, remaining with him in friendly relations. With Jovovich, they will still work on the next film - the historical drama “Joan of Arc”. Actors, for whom the “Fifth Element” turned into a landmark in their careers, noted the main thing: Besson showed the unconditionality and the possibility of love in any place and time, and on the scale of a universal phenomenon.
“The Fifth Element” can hardly be called an ideal, a film for an example, but it really was something new that a simple viewer had not seen before. “The Fifth Element”, the actors and roles of which remained memorable, if not engendered, then at least continued the genre of fiction, closely intertwined with the components of the action movie and hidden philosophy.