CHARMING, BUT NOT QUITE CELESTIAL.Byline: Stephen Holden The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times In ``Celestial Clockwork,'' a charming trifle of a Cinderella story with a multicultural heart, the fairy-tale magic that propels an aspiring Venezuelan opera singer, Ana (Ariadna Gil), from housecleaner to movie star is everywhere she turns. At one critical juncture, a poster of her idol, Maria Callas, comes alive for a second, just long enough to tweak the slender plot along for another five minutes. The movie's comic characters include a jolly Puerto Rican witch doctor with a suitcase full of charms, a gay astrologer given to flashes of second sight and a scheming blond performance artist who fixes her competitors with an evil eye streaked with green lightning. Before the story spirals to a goofy happy ending, these characters have cooked up and quaffed enough bubbly potions to rival ``A Midsummer Night's Dream A Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare written sometime in the 1590s. It portrays the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors, their interactions with the Duke and Duchess of Athens, Theseus and Hippolyta, and .'' Whenever the film hits a glitch, Fina Torres, the Venezuela-born, French-schooled filmmaker who wrote and directed it, tosses in a new dash of magic to keep things off balance. In the opening scene, Ana flees her own wedding ceremony in Caracas and, still in her wedding dress, jumps on a plane to Paris. With nowhere to go, she rings the doorbell of a friend of a friend and immediately finds herself sharing cramped quarters with four other women, including Celeste Celeste is a woman's first name. Celeste may also refer to: in Music
v. slith·ered, slith·er·ing, slith·ers v.intr. 1. To glide or slide like a reptile. See Synonyms at slide. 2. To walk with a sliding or shuffling gait. 3. , Medusa-like Madonna manquee, who takes an instant dislike to her. Before you can say ``shazam,'' Ana has found herself a Russian emigre singing teacher (Michel Debrane) who rhapsodizes over her readings of Schubert songs. Her fairy godmother appears in the form of Alcanie (Evelyne Didi DIDI Digital Image Design Incorporated (New York) ), a fellow singing student and psychotherapist psy·cho·ther·a·pist n. An individual, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, psychiatric nurse, or psychiatric social worker, who practices psychotherapy. who hangs out in the local saloon weeping copiously and who invites her to be her roommate. The film's most eccentric character, Alcanie explains that during these tearful moments she is merely ``exercising the emotional spectrum.'' In her bizarre therapy sessions, she converses with clients via video, observing them with three cameras, one focused on the head, another on a hand, the third on the feet. Alcanie develops a crush on Ana, and under the influence of a greenish fizzy fizz intr.v. fizzed, fizz·ing, fizz·es To make a hissing or bubbling sound; effervesce. n. 1. A hissing or bubbling sound. 2. Effervescence. 3. An effervescent beverage. love potion, they eventually sleep together. For this variation of Cinderella, Prince Charming is Italo Medici Medici, Italian family Medici (mĕ`dĭchē, Ital. mā`dēchē), Italian family that directed the destinies of Florence from the 15th cent. until 1737. (Lluis Homar), a film director whom Ana enchants from afar at a salsa party. Italo is preparing to film Rossini's opera ``La Cenerentola'' (``Cinderella'') and is looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. the perfect leading lady. The movie's glass slipper is an audiocassette Ana sends him, even after being lied to by the evil Celeste, who has told her he wants someone blond and blue-eyed for the role. Things are further complicated by the expiration of Ana's visa. When she fails to show up at a hearing, the police search for her with a zeal normally reserved for serial killers. To remain in France, Ana agrees to marry Armand (Frederic Longbois), a gay clairvoyant waiter from her friendly neighborhood bar. Even as fantasy, ``Celestial Clockwork'' doesn't try very hard to make sense. A giddy hodgepodge of Pollyanna-ish notions, the movie relies for much of its charm on Gil, who makes a serene, radiant Cinderella without a trace of narcissism narcissism (närsĭs`ĭzəm), Freudian term, drawn from the Greek myth of Narcissus, indicating an exclusive self-absorption. In psychoanalysis, narcissism is considered a normal stage in the development of children. . Deepening the rose-colored atmosphere is the movie's sweetly silly vision of Paris as a multicultural, multisexual carnival city with a Latin American flavor. Like Percy Adlon's ``Bagdad Cafe,'' it is a sentimental refuge for everyone who believes that the answer to the world's problems is a good party. THE FACTS The film: ``Celestial Clockwork'' (not rated). The stars: Ariadna Gil, Arielle Dombasle, Evelyne Didi, Frederic Longbois and Lluis Homar. Behind the scenes: Directed by Fina Torres; written (in French, with English subtitles) by Torres, in collaboration with Daniel Odier, Blanca Strepponi, Telsche Boorman, Yves Delaubre and Chantal Pelletier; director of photography, Ricardo Aronovich; edited by Christiane Lack and Catherine Trouillet; produced by Torres; released by October Films. Running time: One hour, 25 minutes. Playing: Laemmle Royal, West Los Angeles
Our rating: Three Stars. |
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