A beautiful story for young and old, where two foster brothers cross the Mediterranean for colorful adventures across cultures.
Michel Ocelot is definitely a cartoon director from both shores. While it organizes at the end of the year, at the auditorium of La Seine musicale, in the Paris region, film concerts of its feature film “Azur et Asmar” (which are already sold out), the French Institute of Casablanca is offering a screening on October 20, at 11 a.m.
Michel Ocelot “never makes films for children”
This fantastic story, now classic, is aimed at the whole family, from six years old. It begins in the north of the Mediterranean, in the Middle Ages, and tells the story of Azur, blond with blue eyes, son of the squire, and Asmar, brown with black eyes, son of the nurse. Raised as two brothers, the children are brutally separated. But when he grows up, Azur, marked by the legend of the Fairy of the Djins that his nurse told him, will never stop finding her, beyond the seas. The two foster brothers each set off in search of the Fairy. Competing in daring, they will go to discover magical lands, concealing as many dangers as wonders…
Asked about his choice of themes, Michel Ocelot specified: “I had been aware for a long time of the interest of the brilliant Islamic civilization of the Middle Ages, over an immense territory. As a Frenchman, I considered that I had to deal with the Maghreb first.
It is indeed the bulk of the sets and costumes, but I played with all kinds of elements that I liked, from Andalusia to Turkey, without forgetting a detour to Persia. The director of “Kirikou and the Witch”, which won 30 international awards, also confided his trademark: “My secret is that I never make films for children, because children have no business being films that are designed just for them! Children need to learn about the world, to discover new things. They don’t need to stay in familiar territory, nor do they need to have immediate understanding. My films are made for the whole family and I’m excited to bring everyone together. There are some things I don’t say bluntly, because there are children in the audience, but I say everything.”
A high-level soundtrack
The original music “d’Azur et Asmar” was entrusted to Gabriel Yared, French composer and arranger of Lebanese origin. He has been writing film scores since the early 1980s. In 1997, he notably won an Oscar for his work on “The English Patient”. He also wrote ballet music for Carolyn Carlson and Roland Petit, and worked on the film “Adieu Bonaparte” by Youssef Chahine.
“I heard oriental orchestras throughout my childhood, with the sound of ouds, kanouns, Arab violins and naïs, these reed flutes that are played sideways. All these instruments still live in my memory,” confided the musician.
And to continue: “All classical music composers have gone in this direction, whether it is Debussy, who wrote “Children’s Corner” for his daughter, or Robert Schumann, who wrote “Children’s Scenes”. They were all interested in children, who have this tremendous ability to understand music, all music, before having been “formatted”. I too am very happy to address children with this music.”
In addition to the joy of crossing and delving into cultures, Gabriel Yared adds: “This film is so extraordinary, in terms of images, drawing and especially in terms of subjects, that it did not take a single wrinkled. I find that it is a film that is not only beneficial, but necessary, for young people and all generations.” The feature film was also its director’s first foray into digital images, which gives it a very particular aspect, not far from video games. An aesthetic made to seduce, again, young and old.
Murtada Calamy / ECO Inspirations
