After having bitingly revealed the little secrets of film star agents, the creators of “Dix pour cent” raise the curtain on another artistic universe: that of the cabaret, with their new series “Ca, c’est Paris”.
The series is due to be broadcast at the end of the year on France 2. It tells the daily story of a Parisian magazine which is struggling, behind the magic of frills and glitter.
“There is the same principle behind the scenes, (…) being interested in people in the shadows,” explains the director, Marc Fitoussi, to AFP, in Los Angeles to present the series at the festival American French Film (TAFFF).
The filmmaker participated in seasons 3 and 4 of “Dix pour cent”, an international success produced and imagined by ex-agents Dominique Besnehard and Michel Feller. Two men who we find at work on “Ca, c’est Paris”.
“We wanted to tell the story behind the scenes of a cabaret, to go against the clichés about the nightlife, drugs, girls who prostitute themselves,” recalls Michel Feller. “We're not into that at all, it's more about modern athletes and women who take responsibility for themselves.”
From its opening, the series plays with clichés.
We meet Gaspard (Alex Lutz), director of a cabaret lacking in attendance after the pandemic, in talks with an investor who wants to buy his business to turn it into a supermarket.
Surprised by an employee, the showman is unable to admit his sales plan. “It’s the mafia,” he whispers, to have peace.
– Escape from outdatedness –
Fascinated by the myth of Parisian nights instilled in him by his father, Gaspard ends up changing his mind, to the great relief of his troupe. But to the despair of his wife and his teenage daughter, who do not understand this desire to “exhibit naked women on stage in the 21st century”.
To escape outdatedness, cabaret must reinvent itself. Lacking money, he finds himself forced to hire Adrien, a new, very avant-garde artistic director.
This hypersensitive depressive played by Nicolas Maury, who already played in “Ten percent”, will spark.
“We immediately thought of him when writing this character, who is quite unmanageable and who dares to go very far,” says Michel Feller.
This “drama” was filmed at the “Paradis Latin”, the dean of Parisian cabarets, built by Gustave Eiffel. A very immersive dream setting, just like the choreographies designed by Kamel Ouali, the former dance teacher at the Star Academy.
Throughout the adventures, we discover the characters of the troupe and their troubles in the capital: a Polish immigrant, who makes her parents believe that she dances at the Opera, a waiter, an ex-delinquent in search of a new departure, or a single mother from the suburbs, torn between the stage and her son.
– “Radiography of Paris” –
Through the cabaret, the series captures “an x-ray of Paris, and even of today's France”, believes Marc Fitoussi. Because “this troop actually resembles a family: there are very, very different people”.
Borrowing from self-deprecation, this dive behind the scenes of the music hall offers a modern rereading, far from the bohemian life glorified in the canons of the genre – “Cabaret”, “Moulin Rouge”, or “Chicago”.
It remains to be seen whether the public will be as hooked as with “Ten Percent”: the adventures of impresarios responsible for treating the ailments and egos of stars like Isabelle Adjani, Jean Dujardin and Sigourney Weaver, first seduced on France 2 , before being renamed “Call My Agent” by Netflix and winning an International Emmy Award in 2021.
The series had also been adapted in several countries, including the United Kingdom.
“I asked myself the same question with + Ten percent +”, notes Michel Feller. “But how will this profession be able to speak elsewhere than at home?”
The producer, however, is counting on the imagination of the cabaret, popular with tourists, to export his creation – “advanced discussions” are underway with a streaming platform. Especially since the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games paid tribute to the nocturnal heritage of Paris and the French cancan.
“When we see Lady Gaga imitating Zizi Jeanmaire, it clearly shows that this imagery still appeals today and can seduce the public,” concludes Marc Fitoussi.
