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{{short description|2004 film}}
{{more citations needed|date=June 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Blueberry
| image = Blueberryposter.jpg
| caption =
| alt =
| director = ]
| producer =
| writer = ]<br />Matt Alexander<br />]
| starring = ]<br />]<br />]<br />]<br />]<!--per poster-->
| cinematography = ]
| music = Jean-Jacques Hertz<br />François Roy
| editing = Jennifer Augé<br />Bénédicte Brunet<br />Joël Jacovella
| distributor = ]<br />] (2004) (US) (as ''Renegade'')
| released = {{Film date|2004|02|11|df=y}}
| runtime = 124 minutes
| country = France<br />Mexico<br />United Kingdom<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/737003|title=Blueberry|access-date=11 November 2012|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120802232509/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/737003|archive-date=2 August 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| language = English<br />German<br />French<br />Spanish
| budget = €34.5 million<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 March 2006 |title=Les coûts de production des films en 2005 |url=https://www.cnc.fr/documents/36995/155397/Les+co%C3%BBts+de+production+des+films+en+2005.pdf/da32f9e9-fc5b-3fab-698b-89e0f54bd50c?t=1532440979641 |website=] |page=40 |language=fr}}</ref>
| gross = $5.7 million<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=1107 | title=Blueberry, l'expérience interdite (2004) |website=JPBox-Office |language=fr}}</ref>
}}
'''''Blueberry''''' ({{langx|fr|'''Blueberry : L'expérience secrète'''}}) is a 2004 French ] directed by ]. It is an adaptation of the ] series '']'', illustrated by ] (better known as Moebius) and scripted by ], but the film has little in common with the source material. The film starred ] as the title character along with ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. Although the film is a French production, the film is in English to match the story's setting in America's ] in the 1870s. Since the character of Blueberry remains obscure in the States, the film was released on DVD in America in November 2004 under the title ''Renegade'' and marketed very much as a conventional ].

==Plot==
{{more plot|date=December 2019}}
U.S. Marshal Mike Donovan (]) (referred to as Broken Nose by the aboriginal tribe; unlike the comic his nickname is not Blueberry) has dark memories of the death of his first love. He keeps peace between the white settlers and the Native Americans who had temporarily adopted and taken care of him. The evil actions of Blount, a "white sorcerer" lead him to confront the villain in the Sacred Mountains, and, through shamanic rites involving an ]ic brew, conquer his fears and uncover a ] he would much rather deny.

==Cast==
* ] as Mike Blueberry
**] as Young Mike Blueberry
* ] as Maria Sullivan
* ] as Wallace Sebastian Blount
* ] as Runi
* ] as Rolling Star
* ] as Woodhead
* ] as Greg Sullivan
* ] as Lola
* Kateri Walker as Kateri
* ] as Madeleine
* ] as Kheetseen
* ] as Uncle
* ] as Prosit
* ] as Jimmy McClure
* ] as Pete

==Production==
], the famous ] creator and the illustrator of the original ''Blueberry'' comics, appears in a ] in the film, while ], who had appeared in several ]s, and his daughter ] play a father and daughter in the movie.

The movie features several elaborate ] ] sequences as a means of portraying Blueberry's shamanic experiences from his point of view. ], the director of the film, drew upon his extensive firsthand knowledge of ] rituals in order to design the visuals for these sequences, Kounen having undergone the ceremony at least a hundred times <ref>{{cite AV media | last1=Jounen | first1=Jan | title=D'autres Mondes | year=2004}}</ref> with ] language speakers in ]. An authentic Shipibo ''ayahuasca'' guide appears in the film and performs a sacred chant. In the film, the exact nature of the ]ic sacramental liquid which Blueberry (and his enemy, Blount) drink remains undisclosed. During the final visionary scene, however, there is a bowl of leaves shown accompanied by a twisting vine which is probably the ayahuasca vine, '']''. Historically, ]s living in the ], would have had no geographic access to ayahuasca.

] is shown growing in the sacred areas throughout the film, and the buttons are prominently displayed at the end, although the viewer cannot be sure what Runi offers to the Marshal either time.

==Reception==
''Blueberry'' was not a critical success in the Anglophone world and received mostly negative reviews. On ] it has a 22% rating based on reviews from 9 critics.<ref>{{cite web |title=Blueberry (2004) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/renegade_2004 |website=] |access-date=1 April 2022 }}</ref>

Jamie Russell, of the BBC, felt the film was 'two parts bonkers to one part boring', and compared it to '']'' by describing it as 'totally lost'.<ref name="Russell, Jamie">{{cite web|last1=Russell|first1=Jamie|title=Blueberry|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2004/06/10/blueberry_2004_review.shtml%7Cpublisher=BBC.co.uk%7Caccess-date=27|website=BBC.co.uk|publisher=BBC|access-date=27 April 2016}}</ref> In his review for ''Cinopsis'', Eric Van Cutsem found that the film greatly disappointed the expectations of the large audiences of the original comic, being largely unrelated in both story and character.<ref name="Van Cutsem, Eric">{{cite web|last1=Van Cutsem|first1=Eric|title=Blueberry|url=http://www.cinopsis.be/film/blueberry/|website=Cinopsis.be|date=10 February 2004 |publisher=Cinopsis|access-date=27 April 2016}}</ref> Raphaël Jullien, of ''Abus de Cine'', felt the film's greatest weakness was that it was partly ] experimentalism and partly genre western.<ref name="Raphaël, Jullien">{{cite web|last1=Raphaël|first1=Jullien|title=Blueberry|url=http://www.abusdecine.com/critique/blueberry|website=abusdecine.com|publisher=Abus de Cine|access-date=27 April 2016}}</ref>

Some reviewers found praise for ''Blueberry''. Lisa Nesselson, writing for '']'' was generally positive, noting the film demonstrated "one of the most mystical approaches to the Western this side of '']'' and felt that the hallucinogenic climax of the film 'may be the closest this generation will get to having its own variation on the ''Stargate'' sequence in Kubrick's '']''". Nesselson also noted that the film 'functions better as a purely visual journey than as the revelatory spiritual crucible it aspires to be'.<ref name="Nesselson, Lisa">{{cite web|last1=Nesselson|first1=Lisa|title=Blueberry|url=https://variety.com/2004/film/markets-festivals/blueberry-1200536521/|website=Variety.com |date=11 February 2004|publisher=Variety|access-date=27 April 2016}}</ref>

''Blueberry'' has managed to build a reputation as a cult success and as a trip film. ] cult cinema website Film de Culte awarded the film 5-out-of-6, noting the unusual goal of the ], 'the treasure sought by Wally Blount is not gold hidden in Indian mountains, but the spirit that emerges' through the quest of the ] as 'a man in search of his identity, his roots, openness to the world and, why not, to love'. The cinematography by ] was also referred to as 'sublime'.<ref name="Film de Cult">{{cite web|title=Blueberry|url=http://archive.filmdeculte.com/film/film.php?id=771|website=FilmdeCult.com|publisher=Film de Cult|access-date=27 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702024737/http://archive.filmdeculte.com/film/film.php?id=771|archive-date=2 July 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> Tripzine noted the film has 'the best, most accurate, most lovingly crafted shamanic rituals and psychedelic visuals ever created for home viewing', and praised ''Blueberry'''s uniqueness among westerns for having a climax that revolved around shamanic rite rather than a gun battle.<ref name="Kent, James">{{cite web|last1=Kent|first1=James|title=Renegade, the best psychedelic western, ever|url=http://www.tripzine.com/listing.php?id=renegade|website=tripzine.com|publisher=TripZine|access-date=27 April 2016}}</ref>

==See also==
* ]
* ]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|id=0276830}}
* {{in lang|fr}}

{{Jan Kounen}}
{{Jean Giraud}}

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Latest revision as of 21:32, 13 November 2024

2004 film
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Blueberry" film – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (June 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Blueberry
Directed byJan Kounen
Written byGerard Brach
Matt Alexander
Jan Kounen
StarringVincent Cassel
Juliette Lewis
Michael Madsen
Djimon Hounsou
Eddie Izzard
CinematographyTetsuo Nagata
Edited byJennifer Augé
Bénédicte Brunet
Joël Jacovella
Music byJean-Jacques Hertz
François Roy
Distributed byUGC Fox Distribution
Columbia TriStar (2004) (US) (as Renegade)
Release date
  • 11 February 2004 (2004-02-11)
Running time124 minutes
CountriesFrance
Mexico
United Kingdom
LanguagesEnglish
German
French
Spanish
Budget€34.5 million
Box office$5.7 million

Blueberry (French: Blueberry : L'expérience secrète) is a 2004 French acid Western directed by Jan Kounen. It is an adaptation of the Franco-Belgian comic book series Blueberry, illustrated by Jean Giraud (better known as Moebius) and scripted by Jean-Michel Charlier, but the film has little in common with the source material. The film starred Vincent Cassel as the title character along with Michael Madsen, Juliette Lewis, Djimon Hounsou, Eddie Izzard, Temuera Morrison, Tchéky Karyo, Kestenbetsa, and Ernest Borgnine. Although the film is a French production, the film is in English to match the story's setting in America's Wild West in the 1870s. Since the character of Blueberry remains obscure in the States, the film was released on DVD in America in November 2004 under the title Renegade and marketed very much as a conventional Western.

Plot

This article needs an improved plot summary. Please help improve the plot summary. (December 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

U.S. Marshal Mike Donovan (Vincent Cassel) (referred to as Broken Nose by the aboriginal tribe; unlike the comic his nickname is not Blueberry) has dark memories of the death of his first love. He keeps peace between the white settlers and the Native Americans who had temporarily adopted and taken care of him. The evil actions of Blount, a "white sorcerer" lead him to confront the villain in the Sacred Mountains, and, through shamanic rites involving an entheogenic brew, conquer his fears and uncover a suppressed memory he would much rather deny.

Cast

Production

Jean Giraud, the famous Franco-Belgian comics creator and the illustrator of the original Blueberry comics, appears in a cameo role in the film, while Geoffrey Lewis, who had appeared in several spaghetti Westerns, and his daughter Juliette Lewis play a father and daughter in the movie.

The movie features several elaborate psychedelic 3D computer graphics sequences as a means of portraying Blueberry's shamanic experiences from his point of view. Jan Kounen, the director of the film, drew upon his extensive firsthand knowledge of ayahuasca rituals in order to design the visuals for these sequences, Kounen having undergone the ceremony at least a hundred times with Shipibo language speakers in Peru. An authentic Shipibo ayahuasca guide appears in the film and performs a sacred chant. In the film, the exact nature of the entheogenic sacramental liquid which Blueberry (and his enemy, Blount) drink remains undisclosed. During the final visionary scene, however, there is a bowl of leaves shown accompanied by a twisting vine which is probably the ayahuasca vine, Banisteriopsis caapi. Historically, Native Americans living in the Southwest United States, would have had no geographic access to ayahuasca.

Peyote is shown growing in the sacred areas throughout the film, and the buttons are prominently displayed at the end, although the viewer cannot be sure what Runi offers to the Marshal either time.

Reception

Blueberry was not a critical success in the Anglophone world and received mostly negative reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it has a 22% rating based on reviews from 9 critics.

Jamie Russell, of the BBC, felt the film was 'two parts bonkers to one part boring', and compared it to The Missing by describing it as 'totally lost'. In his review for Cinopsis, Eric Van Cutsem found that the film greatly disappointed the expectations of the large audiences of the original comic, being largely unrelated in both story and character. Raphaël Jullien, of Abus de Cine, felt the film's greatest weakness was that it was partly auteur experimentalism and partly genre western.

Some reviewers found praise for Blueberry. Lisa Nesselson, writing for Variety was generally positive, noting the film demonstrated "one of the most mystical approaches to the Western this side of El Topo and felt that the hallucinogenic climax of the film 'may be the closest this generation will get to having its own variation on the Stargate sequence in Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey". Nesselson also noted that the film 'functions better as a purely visual journey than as the revelatory spiritual crucible it aspires to be'.

Blueberry has managed to build a reputation as a cult success and as a trip film. French language cult cinema website Film de Culte awarded the film 5-out-of-6, noting the unusual goal of the antagonist, 'the treasure sought by Wally Blount is not gold hidden in Indian mountains, but the spirit that emerges' through the quest of the protagonist as 'a man in search of his identity, his roots, openness to the world and, why not, to love'. The cinematography by Tetsuo Nagata was also referred to as 'sublime'. Tripzine noted the film has 'the best, most accurate, most lovingly crafted shamanic rituals and psychedelic visuals ever created for home viewing', and praised Blueberry's uniqueness among westerns for having a climax that revolved around shamanic rite rather than a gun battle.

See also

References

  1. "Blueberry". London. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  2. "Les coûts de production des films en 2005". CNC (in French). 1 March 2006. p. 40.
  3. "Blueberry, l'expérience interdite (2004)". JPBox-Office (in French).
  4. Jounen, Jan (2004). D'autres Mondes.
  5. "Blueberry (2004)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  6. Russell, Jamie. "Blueberry". BBC.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  7. Van Cutsem, Eric (10 February 2004). "Blueberry". Cinopsis.be. Cinopsis. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  8. Raphaël, Jullien. "Blueberry". abusdecine.com. Abus de Cine. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  9. Nesselson, Lisa (11 February 2004). "Blueberry". Variety.com. Variety. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  10. "Blueberry". FilmdeCult.com. Film de Cult. Archived from the original on 2 July 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  11. Kent, James. "Renegade, the best psychedelic western, ever". tripzine.com. TripZine. Retrieved 27 April 2016.

External links

Films directed by Jan Kounen
Jean Giraud
Comics
Adaptations
Categories: