If you’ve been anywhere near a French cinema in the last few months, you’ll undoubtedly have heard of the incredible, record-breaking smash-hit film, The Dark Knight Rises. With an incredible cast headed up by some huge names, including Morgan Freeman, Christian Bale, and Aaron Eckhart, it’s fair to say that this year’s most popular movie isn’t going to be forgotten about anytime soon. With one of the most memorable climaxes in cinema history, it’s no surprise that people are eager to find out more about the film’s elusive star, Robert Pattinson. While most famous for his acting, Rob has also had a hand in writing a number of best-selling books, playing guitar for a band, and choreographing some of Hollywood’s biggest dance numbers.
Here to give you the rundown on how well-known faces in the film industry speak French is French film and TV star, Eva Adi. In a recent interview with Vogue, Eva shared her thoughts on working with Rob and spoke about the massive impact his movies are making around the world.
Morgan Freeman Can Speak French
Morgan Freeman is one of the most well-known and respected actors of our time, having taken on both dramatic and comedic roles with equal confidence. While he is probably better known to American audiences for his acting, his speaking skills have made him a popular choice for French speaking roles, especially in television. In 2012, Morgan was even named among the nation’s foremost celebrity Frenchmen. If you’ve seen The Dark Knight Rises, you’ll know that he not only stars in but also has a considerable amount of dialogue in the film, all in French.
The actor has previously stated that he learned the language as part of his training process, and even went on to say that he enjoys using French features in his dialogue and tries to put them into every role that he takes on.
When it comes to finding the right French speaking tutor, consider looking for someone who has extensive experience in film and can teach you new words and phrases as you go. With any luck, you might even find yourself able to converse with one of France’s most famous citizens without even trying!
Christian Bale Can Speak French
Another huge name in this year’s blockbuster film is Christian Bale. The actor has been appearing in movies for over 20 years and is perhaps best known for his role as Dick Cheney in the Oscar-winning comedy, Dick Cheney: One Minute President (see what I did there?). While he may not be as widely known in France as some of the other big names on this list, the actor grew up in France and can fluently speak the language. If you’re at all familiar with the works of French director, François Truffaut, you’ll know that Bale has a deep appreciation for the language and its literature. This has translated to a prolific career in French-speaking parts, most notably in a film like Leaving Las Vegas, where he plays a Las Vegas magician who teams up with an acrobat to escape an angry wife (played by Marisa Tomei) and her security guards. Unfortunately, he has to leave behind his girlfriend and the audience can’t help but cheer when he finally makes it out alive!
Aaron Eckhart Can Speak French
Although he may not be as well-known as some of the other names on this list, American actor, Aaron Eckhart, has been appearing in French films for over a decade. Since his role in Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano’s 2004 film, Laurence Anyways, he’s starred in multiple television shows and has been popular on the French speaking side of the Atlantic, particularly in Quebec. If you were one of the many fans of the series, Mr. Selfridge, then you’ll know exactly why he’s been so popular with French audiences. The role of Harry Selfridge, the department store magnate, was originally played by English actor, Jeremy Piven, but Eckhart took the part and has gone on to star in several more episodes of the popular series. In addition to acting, Eckhart has also authored several books on painting and design, and the influence of the Renaissance is certainly evident in his work.
The List of Famous Frenchmen & Women
While some of the actors on this list are well-known in their native countries, others have become famous in other parts of the world. For example, Canadian director, Denis Villeneuve, has become well-known in both Canada and France for his tense and gritty dramas, which often feature famous French literary figures and philosophers in pivotal roles.
Another prominent figure is French actress, Emmanuelle Riva. Although she has appeared in movies since the 1950s, it wasn’t until the 2000s that she started really making a name for herself on the world stage. Since then, she has gone on to star in several high-profile films, including Luc Besson’s controversial film, The Lady Assassin, which looks at the life of legendary female assassin, Lucie Blackman. It was an incredible performance that led to Emmanuelle being named Best Actress at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and 2017’s Cannes Grand Prix. In addition to acting, Riva has also had a hand in designing some clothing lines and has worked with French designer, Christian Dior.
The Dark Knight Rises
While most people who have seen The Dark Knight Rises have left the theater talking about the epic showdown between Batman and Bane, who is the masked villain behind the chaos? The big question is, who is Bane?
The actor who plays Bane, Tom Hardy, has had a pretty incredible career so far. Best known for his role in the British comedy series, The Boondocks, Hardy also starred in several major Hollywood productions, including X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Bridesmaids. While he has mostly played comic book villains in previous films, Bane is a brand new character for Hardy. This is something of a return to form for the former English literature student, who, in addition to writing, also starred in two Shakespearean plays at university.
The Dark Knight Rises director, Jonathan Holmes, has revealed in a recent interview that the story behind the villainous Bane was initially conceived as part of a larger plan to make four Batman movies. The plan was to have one character, who would slowly reveal themselves to be the villains over the course of the four films. The goal was to have each film be a puzzle piece that would eventually form the big picture of who these villains are and what they stand for.
The theory behind this idea was that, although the viewer knows that Bane is bad news, they aren’t quite sure about the other characters. Therefore, the idea was to reveal them one by one and show how each one was linked to Bane. However, after filming a couple of scenes for the first movie, The Dark Knight, they realized that this was not going to work. The scenes just did not feel right and they had to find a way to incorporate the other three characters into the story.
As a result, they decided to write a scene that would feature all four characters, and leave open the possibility of more than one villain in the next outing. The problem was that they only had room for one extra and decided that, for the time being, Bane was going to be their only featured villain. While they knew that the other three characters would make an appearance at some point, it never really felt right to them and it was only in the last scene that we really see all four of them together. The inclusion of this one scene was, in the end, the best decision that they could have made, as it gave the movie a much more personal touch and made the whole story feel more immersive.
What’s interesting is that, while they were shooting the scene with the four characters, they kept thinking about other characters that they could have included. At one point, they even considered bringing in John Wilkes Booth, the guy who shot Lincoln, as a surprise cameo. Booth was, at the time, the only other character that they knew would make a great addition to the scene. They quickly realized, however, that they would have to find a way to make it work within the context of the story, and, as it turned out, the best solution was to have the cameo be from the future.