LA VILLE EST TRANQUILLE

France, 2000, 154 minutes, Colour.
Ariane Ascaride, Gerard Meylan.
Directed by Robert Guediguian.

The City is Quiet is an ironic title for this two-and-a-half-hour look at the city of Marseilles and a cross-section of its characters. The film opens with a very long panoramic view of the range of styles and vistas in the city. In the background is a piano selection from classics of Satie, Bach, Beethoven and others.

The film then focuses on a range of characters whose lives intersect in the city. Many commentators make the comparison with the films of Robert Altman, with the understanding of the city and its life through a wide range of characters.

Guediguian's wife, Ariane Ascaride, who has appeared in many of his films, especially In The Place of the Heart and Marius and Jeanette, is the central character, Michelle. By focusing on her and her work in the fish markets of Marseilles, one is led into her family life, her drug addict daughter, the kindly taxi man, Paul, who helps her, Gerard from whom she gets drugs to support her daughter's habit, her husband. And their lives intersect with those of the other members of the cast. The film is a very interesting look at a city. Performances are excellent and the film has a credibility that these are real people in real situations - the film has a very naturalistic style.

1. A portrait of a city and of the struggles of contemporary people.

2. The title and its irony? When is a city ever tranquil?

3. The opening vistas of Marseilles? The audience being immersed in the atmosphere of the city itself, its buildings, streets, houses, markets etc.? Understanding the people as immersed within this context? The background musical score, the use of classical pieces, of modern music? The tradition of Marseilles, contemporary Marseilles, changes? The range of people and the race of races represented in southern France?

4. The interlocking of the stories? The stories in themselves, the coincidences and chance encounters? Each story commenting on the other? Portraits of human nature, good and evil, struggles, family love, ambitions, exploitation, truth and lies? A human portrait?

5. The focus on Michelle: her work in the fish market, her appearance, style, clothes? The night shift? Going home, her husband out of work, watching television, slovenly and violent, his antagonism towards his daughter, not helping her at all? Going off with his friends? Fiona and her drug addiction, her desperation, her reaction towards her mother, taking everything from her? The baby and the unknown father? Michelle and her gentle care for the baby, cuddling it, feeding it? Singing the song, Ameline? Her exasperation with Fiona, yet her love for her, desperation in not knowing what to do? Discovering Fiona and her prostitution to raise money? Her decision to go to Gerard and get the drugs, her working hard to get the money, her deciding then to prostitute herself? With the taxi drivers? The chance encounter with Paul when she ran out of petrol, giving her petrol? Meeting him again, his becoming a client? Yet his love for her? The growing desperation in her own life? Fiona getting worse, craving the drugs, crying? Her mother learning to administer the drugs, her final decision to give her the overdose? Calling Gerard, the police and the cover-up? Her grief at killing her daughter?

6. The story of Paul: the dockers on the wharf, the strikes, severance pay? His decision to go against the dockers and to take the redundancy package? His relationship with his mother and father, the Sunday visits? His father changing his attitude towards strikes and redundancies? The unions? His enjoying his meals with his parents, their care for him? His buying the taxi, Renee as a friend and getting the taxi licence? His pride in the car? His home? The chance encounter with Michelle and helping her with the petrol? His passengers? Enjoying his life? The chance encounter with Michelle again, becoming her client, falling in love, telling his parents the story about his girlfriend? His using his night licence and his losing it? Renee and his reaction - especially with all the money that he owed? Yet not doing anything because of his wartime experiences with Paul's father? Paul and his cover-up with his parents about Michelle, about the car? His encounters with Gerard, the beer at the shop, following Michelle, following Gerard, seeing him do the assassination, escaping? His finding Gerard at Michelle's house, Gerard leaving him to be with Michelle in her grief?

7. Gerard and his bar, past friendships with Michelle, the story of their love, the abortion? His supplying the drugs for Michelle? The encounter with Paul? His criminal connections, the set-up of the assassination and his shooting? Paul seeing him? Going to help Michelle with Fiona's death? His leaving Paul to Michelle? In the car, the angry man that he crashed into? His getting out of the car, pulling the gun, remembering his relationship with Michelle, shooting himself?

8. Vivienne and her husband, the social party, her husband flirting? Their going home in Paul's taxi? Her announcing the separation? Her work with the handicapped young people, singing and dancing? Her joy in helping them? Abderamane and his coming to the performance? Talking with her, the memories of jail? His wanting to help with the rap-dancing and helping the youngsters to dance? Her joy? The attraction, the affair? Her life on her own and her self-assertion? Abderamane and the black African in Marseilles, the family, the racism, the migrants and the assembly, the racists and their putting up the posters (including Michelle's husband) and the shooting and Abderamane's death? The family grief, Vivienne going, his funeral?

9. The little boy playing in the park, from Georgia, his proud father? Wanting to raise money for the piano? The irony of the piano coming at the end and Michelle's husband being one of the carriers, the boy playing the piano in the streets?

10. The extreme Right, the meetings, the speaker? Gerard and his relationship with the young girl, her socialite behaviour, with her friends and the talk about abortion and non-abortion? Her posing for Gerard? The affair? The irony of her being at the party when he did the assassination?

11. Paul's parents, the different generation, disillusionment of the father, wanting to do everything at home, the mother doing crossword puzzles yet loving the father? Their future?

12. Ameline - and the future of youngsters and people in Marseilles?

13. The opening of the film with the boy playing the piano - and the finale, with some hope, of everybody in the street listening to the piano-playing?