Le Prince des Cieux
Press-book
12 Décembre, 2016
01. Movies Galore of Milwauke - David Strege - U.S.A.
Movies Galore takes a look at French Director David Thouroude’s Silent musical tragedy “Le Prince des Cieux” from 2014!
I’m not sure why I picked up this film in English meaning “The Prince of Heaven” from Director David Thouroude of SantaRita Films but I felt compelled to check this film out as I know I’m totally into silent films and from what I understand some films are made in fact to be more of a visual art form like that of Kenneth Anger and his “Lucifer Rising” and or E. Elias Mirages “Begotten” so I figured I’d check out this montage and give it a chance to see if I could describe it the best I can…
We are not sure of the young man’s name is in the film but we see (Abdou M. Bodji) eventually sit down in front of a camera as we see various images that seem to flit through his mind of death, loss, dugs, the things drugs can cause… a cornucopia mind trip a morbid thought process as we see moseleums and candles… fires and images of a lost soul and the beast in which all these hells can create….
I’m not saying it’s a great film but it’s certainly an interesting set of images collages together…
Starring Abdou M. Bodji with music by Billy Dranty.
21 Décembre, 2016
02. Extreme Horror Cinema - David Chopping - Australie
Le Prince Des Cieux escaped the mind of David Thouroude and distilled itself on footage in 2014 in France. DVD case art flashed across the screen and I was pulled inside to discover imagery I needed to know more about! Man with the corpse paint staring at me urging to find a way into his psychosis.
Soon a post pack from France arrived. Not blood soaked but a hint, maybe of the grave, or a musty place hidden within a secret place, a special space.
Le Prince Des Cieux is a voyage within an unstable mind. An abstract concept that will speak with different tongues to each of it’s viewers. But also with each experience as well. That is the power of the art abstract, it will take different people to differing places with each person’s differing perspectives.
For myself I felt this encroachment. Of industrial into the rural with it’s spreading like a cancer. Also later with the Catholic imagery. That life is flimsy and cheap. People die, people get raped while others offer up the scares of their abuse. Others stand out in a crowd invisible. Be it they aren’t part of the herd so unobserved or people just fear the oddity and create a mental blinder.
I loved the imagery. Of the corpse painted anti-hero, of the sculpture used throughout with certain scenes. Statue of Marry as Nun with what I perceived as a gunshot in her forehead. Then there was the scenes of creativity, of his art with photography and the abuse he puts it through to create the final perfect image. Bull mask. Especially walking through the cemetery plus this scene where he is about to finally succumb to the death of being. Then he throws it over a cliff into the ocean…the final act to signify death is nigh?
Le Prince Des Cieux is arthouse delving into the mind of lunacy. As mentioned people will take this at differing levels. Hell, my next visit will probably take me to places I haven’t been yet, aggregate notions in my head I didn’t know were there or whatever. Wonderfully shot with interesting imagery, certain aspects took my mind to the early work of Andrey Iskanov, but only certain elements of different segments. Abdou M’Bodji was perfectly cast as our man in his dying days of art and madness with destruction circulating in his heart. Film and art intermingle to take me into a movie that is hand made. Not for the gore freak but more for someone who wants to partake in disease and madness.
Thanks to filmmaker David Thouroude for sharing me a little slice of French Underground cinema. It shows the scene is like a cancer spread across the globe and that so many experiences can be found away from the mainstream and pop culture.
http://xviews.extremehorrorcinema.com/le-prince-des-cieux/
3 Janvier, 2017
03. (re)Search my Trash - Michael Haberfelner - Autriche
To give a precise synopsis of The Prince of Heavens is next to impossible as it's a very abstract film with little narrative structure and yet strong associative roots, open to all sorts of interpretations.
Basically, it's about a man (Abdou M'Bodji) who goes through a series of torments, but it's not clear how much is happening for real, how much is derived from his memory, how much are drug-induced dreams, how much premonitions of his future - and in some cases it seems to be all of the above.
But be the actual story of the movie what it may, it definitely takes backseat to the experience this movie is, a fascinating and powerful blend of mostly nightmarish images accompanied by otherworldly soundscapes that just keep the viewer on the edge of one's seat due to their suggestive power and that will no doubt have the viewer piece together one's own story in the process.
True, this abstract approach might not be everybody's thing, but those who like their movies decidedly weird will no doubt enjoy - in a macabre way.
http://www.searchmytrash.com/movies/princeofheavens(2014).shtml
18 Janvier, 2017
04. Horror Society - Blacktooth - U.S.A.
Le Prince Des Cieux (Review)
The film does not have a linear story but it is a collection of scenes and imagery featuring a young man portrayed by Abdou M. Bodji as he experiments with drugs, death, and the question of mortality.
I didn’t know what to expect when I was first told about the film. Was it going to be a gore filled film with no story and little entertainment value or was it going to be a beautifully shot film that offers up story? The answer is simple, neither. The film does have some beautiful shots with morbid subject matter but it does lack a story that someone can grab onto.
The acting in this one is non-existent. We follow Abdou as he does random things like jumping fences and putting needles into a mannequin. No real acting or staying in character which is a bit of a disappointment.
The story for this one, like the acting, is not there. The film does dance with the idea of drug use, death, and mortality but does not follow a conventional story that most movie lovers enjoy.
Finally, if you are looking for gore then you will be very upset. The film does lack carnage but has some well shot scenes that show some disturbing imagery. Overall, Le Prince Des Cieux is not my kind of film. Is it bad? No, but not entertaining in a way that I find entertaining. I like imaginative stories and unusual characters with a story you can follow. If you like experimental horror and arthouse films then check it out. If not, skip it.
http://www.horrorsociety.com/2017/01/18/le-prince-des-cieux-review/
15 Janvier, 2017
05. White Raven films - Michael Walcott - Royaume-Uni
Le Prince Des Cieux by David Thouroude (translated: The Prince of Heaven). At 48-minutes duration, this relatively short film, is presented in a 16:9 aspect ratio with LPCM 2.0 audio.
Containing virtually no dialog, Le Prince Des Cieux, delves into the increasingly unhinged world of a visual artist, captivatingly portrayed by Abdou M'Bodji. In an early scene, the artist is seen looking at some photographic slides, taken from a wooden box, which had been previously buried. We see a slide of him as an infant, juxtaposed next to an aroused phallus. There are undertones to suggest that he may have been abused or possibly wrestled with issues of sexual identity. The latter theme can be further explored in another slide, which has a similar subtext. He is now pictured as an adult, adopting a foetal position, juxtaposed next to a flaccid phallus. We are also treated to images of abuse, murder and incarceration, which are all acompanied by a concophony of sobbing voices.
Music and sound design is very integral to this film. It has a hypnotic soundtrack created by Billy Dranty, which is an aural feast of organic sounds, ethereal voices and electronica; that adds to the tension of M’Bodji’s performance. Although at times I felt that the editing seemed languid and repetitive, it did complement to the spiralling madness of this antihero. Thouroude paints a rich cinematic canvas in which rurality and human degradation, is seemlessly blended with a volcanic industral landscape.
Le Prince Des Cieux is a film that can be interpreted on many levels. If you are a person that likes to be spoon-fed a narrative, this might not be for you. However, having watched it several times, I think that it is a film that demands to be seen. In sum, an abstract, hallucinatory journey into the psychosis of an artist; that reveals more about itself with every viewing.
http://www.whiteravenfilms.info/single-post/2017/01/14/Le-Prince-Des-Cieux
6 Mars, 2017
06. The Movie Sleuth - Christopher George - U.S.A.
New to DVD : Le Prince des Cieux
It is always an interesting experience to go into a film completely blind, and just let it wash over you when you have no idea what to expect. But seldom have I ever experienced that so thoroughly as with the French indie short feature Le Prince des Cieux (which translates to Prince of Heaven). When I discovered the newly-released DVD of the 48-minute film I was immediately drawn in by the moody and mysterious cover art... yet since all the text on the box is in French, I was kept totally in the dark about what to expect. As it turns out, though, that may have been the perfect way to take in Le Prince des Cieux: a film that is as spellbinding as it is mysterious and challenging to decipher. The film is an entirely dialogue-free, music-driven piece which conjures up a strong sense of mood and atmosphere, but presents a puzzle of symbolic imagery rather than any sort of concrete narrative. In its emphasis on music and strong, hypnotic visuals, it is a bit reminiscent of abstract long-form music films like Koyaanisqatsi or Baraka (albeit on a much smaller-budgeted indie scale), but with one key difference. Rather than looking outwardly at the world like those films do, it looks inward, to the soul of its troubled central character, and sees the world through his eyes.
Le Prince des Cieux follows a young man living in a run-down part of a city that is filled with entropy, pollution, and decay. He is an artist, who specializes in pieces based around disturbing found photographs showing death and violence; a reflection of his own existential darkness and self-destructive behavior. As we follow him for the better part of an hour as he interacts with both the world and his own psyche, we get a portrait of the angst, disillusionment, and hopelessness of the modern human condition, and particularly that of the modern city-dweller. Writer/director David Thouroude creates this through a series of haunting, emotionally-evocative images, many of which conjure up religious, occult, and political iconography in a decidedly sinister way, hinting at the forces principally at work in our character's tortured psyche. Despite the lack of dialogue, Thouroude uses this imagery to create a pretty clear sense of the nature of his protagonist's disillusionment, and does quite an effective job of getting us inside his state of being. Of course it is all very abstract, and operates mostly on an emotional level, requiring the viewer to analyze what they have just seen and come to their own conclusions about the meaning, but that is exactly what makes it such an interesting puzzle of a film.
Despite having clearly been filmed on a low budget, it is very well-shot, and filled with compelling and sometimes pretty unnerving images. The music is also quite good, and pairs with the images excellently. The soundtrack by Billy Dranty is - like the film itself - fairly abstract, with a lot of minimalist, droning sounds, and electronic and industrial beats. As with the films like Koyaanisqatsi that appear to have inspired it, Le Prince des Cieux depends largely on the power of the soundtrack and images complimenting and amplifying each other for maximum emotional effectiveness. It is a difficult type of film to do well, but Thouroude pulls it off. There are some sections that don't work as well as others – visual motifs or repetitions that go on too long, or parts where the low budget hinders the level of visuals that Thouroude is trying to achieve – but for the most part the film succeeds quite well.
Le Prince des Cieux isn't the sort of film that will be for everyone: both its dialogue-free nature and its challenging level of abstractness may be offputting to some. But if music-driven, open-to-interpretation mood-pieces are your cup of tea, you'll really enjoy this short feature. It casts a hypnotic spell with its mix of haunting images and moody music, and its themes and visual motifs are strong enough to give the viewer a lot to think about, even if the film leaves the actual meaning of it all decidedly open-ended. Check it out if you get the chance.
http://www.spoilerfreemoviesleuth.com/2017/03/LePrinceDesCieux.html
16 Mars, 2017
07. Cine Tóxico - Ricardo García - Espagne
Le Prince des Cieux | Príncipe del Cielo
Hoy vuelvo con una review o repaso a un largometraje “Le Prince des Cieux”, que la verdad, hace ya tiempo quería comentar. Pero por falta de tiempo, no he podido escribir nada desde hace algunos meses.
Le prince des Cieux no cuenta con una historia típica en su desarrollo, no nos encontraremos con un una serie de sucesos lineales, así que nos topamos con una película con aire espontáneo y enrarecido. Nos pondremos en la piel de su protagonista, un joven interpretado por Abdou M’Bodji, el cuál refleja la soledad y la obesesión, con actos de lo más aleatorios y que aparentemente no tienen relación alguna, más bien parecen pesadillas y ofuscaciones del protagonista, que se siente angustiado y carente de alma, nos dejará con la sensación de que anda en una busqueda personal y etérea.
La película carece de guión en cuanto a diálogos, de forma directa es una invasión de imágenes psicodélicas, bañadas con cierto aire tenebroso. Escenas que bombardean con una fotografía inquientante, al mismo tiempo la música que acompaña este collage visual, hace que el ambiente se torne en ciertos momentos perturbador. Le Prince des Cieux no te deja indiferente, dada las situaciones que plantea su protagonista y la instigación de las imágenes raudas y escabrosas.
http://www.cinetoxico.com/le-prince-des-cieux-principe-del-cielo/
11 Avril, 2017
08. Severed Cinema - Jamie Dunn - Royaume-Uni
Le Prince Des Cieux, (The Prince of Heavens)
Translated as The Prince of Heavens, Le Prince Des Cieux is a very intense experience if you go in without prior warning. It is described as a journey into an unhinged mind, an unstable mind, etcetera. What is obvious is we are observing a very lonely broken mind and the whole film feels like a moving piece of art.
Opening with a chair shrouded by possible holy objects, whilst other things such as an animal skull lays nearby. What you have to understand is the film is relatively speechless, instead it relies on the viewer building a story around the central figure whom we meet readying himself facing a camera. Cut to a very lengthy segment of panning fields and rivers filmed from possibly a train. His face floats around, is he thinking of this?
Like the cover to Machine Head's second album, hands dig around in dirt and random hallucinatory images invade your eyes. With chants and a military sounding drum machine beat, most people would probably switch off by now, or worst case scenario for them, flick scene selections deeper within and have their heads totally fucked up!! You've got reversed voices crying out, our hero loads a projector and shows slides which are a montage of violence and still death photographs. There's a fire in the distance across the river and he watches wearing a bull's head. Did he cause the fire?
“Why is the music so bloody irritating?” my Horror Soulmate enquired like I would know the answer. It sounds sometimes like Tricky slapping foreheads with Goldie. Our man blows up and frames four graphic images of the dead. Relatives? A thoughtful statement on black men? Let me say, there is an epilepsy alert in this review so be ready as flashing shapes crash around a scene of him walking in slow motion down a street. There, Jay Creepy is thoughtful of others, see.
Are we witnessing the inner mind of a man who has become an outcast from so-called reality? Is he an experimental artist who is lost in his own world? “What the fuck is that?” gasped my Horror Soulmate as some kind of cat face thing flashed on the screen. “What's with the shapes again? It's pissing me off!” she began to lose her cool. Meanwhile, our friend takes his top off by a dark river and masturbates.
Onwards we go and he studies diseased or dead tissue, whilst humming throbbing music rumbled our TV set. Industrial kind of noise takes over as he visits a church, then he cooks up some naughty drugs -- but wait, he's building a sculpture filled with a hundred hypodermic needles. Ah, but later on he shoots up anyway.
To me, the most powerful scene is a simple one, as he stands motionless in the rain, eyes shut, as busy crowds pass him by. He listens. Great stuff. Yes, you do find messages and a story. I wondered if he was alive at all as I watched the conclusion. I could be way off the mark, or correct. Maybe there is no wrong or right story.
Le Prince Des Cieux is a pop video flashy edited affair, similar to Shaye St. John's Triggers videos (see my review here) but unfortunately, to me, the music kills a lot of the atmosphere. It's bordering on the ridiculous when at one point, a deep belch has been looped. There's so many awesome ideas and images (the cliff top bullhead scene should be an album cover!) and there's a graveyard scene which reminded us of a Jean Rollin film.
Arty? Experimental? Pure bollocks? Well, what I can say is this: if you can survive the whole 48-minutes like I did (my Horror Soulmate made her exit after 30 minutes or so) it is rewarding. Death, drugs, paranoia, loneliness, depression, it's all covered. As are painted faces, bleeding things, industry shots, which make you see a spreading like disease over Mother Nature, it fits, a corridor maybe representing his memories, and our hero wrestling with his coat over his head! I seemed to think of Jorg Buttgereit's Der Todesking more than once, along with some late night arthouse films which used to show in the UK on Channel 4 back in the 1990s.
Abdou M'Bodji works very hard in this film. He carries you along with his character and does not play comical or morbidly downbeat at any time, just an average outcast who happens to have a lot on his mind. Top marks to David Thouroude for this madness and thanks to Asso SantaRita,
As for the DVD, it's a bare bones release. Menu, Photos, that sort of thing.
http://severed-cinema.com/p-reviews/le-prince-des-cieux-the-prince-of-heavens-santarita-dvd
14 Avril, 2017
09. Horror Zone - Valentin Mordovchenkov - Ukraine
Le Prince Des Cieux (2014): a Lonely journey, the Lord of the skies into the heart of madness
French experimental film Le Prince Des Cieux (in the letters. the translation “Lord of heaven”, “Prince of heaven”) Director David Thouroude – this bright original work about life and death, loneliness, drugs, madness. There is no obvious morals, morals – only a small fragment of the life of the hero, played by Abdou M Bodji. A musical tragedy about the struggle with death…or life.
A twisted journey into the human soul, whose brain and body is destroyed under the influence of drugs – that’s what awaits the viewer in this work of Director David Thouroude. The film’s protagonist is struggling with death, but with each new dose it is getting her closer and closer. In the end, he finds his death.
The duration of the movie only 48 minutes – a lot or a little to the Le Prince Des Cieux? It’s probably optimal duration for this film. The alternation of short and long shocking monotonous slow-motion scenes, vivid emotions of the character and the complete absence of any signs of consciousness, reality and fiction – all successfully fit in the allotted 48 minutes.
There are some scenes in the film that demonstrate the inner state of a hero, his picture of the world. French industrial landscapes give way to the scene of a fire, as well as changing the hero throughout the film – here it is in a clean suit and tie walking the streets of the city, but he has already reincarnated, paints his face and wears a mask of the animal for the ritual. This change is illusory or real? We can’t know because the Director decided to show us the world through the eyes of the hero, through the perception of the character. Maybe all this is just his hallucinations inspired by drugs. But here, the viewer can’t say for sure – a drug addict is a hero or not.
In the film, the hero looks at a photo with scenes of violence and cruelty – if he revels in them, admires or they cause a character Abdou M bodji anger, hatred? Due to the lack of emotion on the face of the hero we can’t exactly answer this question.
A red thread through the entire film is one in the mask of the bull (cow?). Rather, it is the character, watching myself and the world as if from outside. Or this incarnation of the character in a parallel reality.
Film Le Prince Des Cieux can be considered as an experimental movie. Bold experimental film about a particular individual. The viewer almost physically feel the loneliness of the character, despite the fact that the frame often fall for other people. Here “Prince” one against the world. And he fights with the world as primitive man was trying to conquer lightning, or rain. Strange magic rituals that the character is practicing in the film, could mean anything – neither the Director nor the character of an unambiguous interpretation that does not give. We can assume that this is an attempt of the hero to overcome death itself, to escape from her, but with the same success it could encourage the death of these rituals is to anticipate its arrival.
Roughly speaking, experimental films so good that they each spectator sees his own and interpretirovat seen individually, as scenes, cuts, frames of experimental film cannot be compared with other films. Do not give experimental films and a clear assessment. It’s an experience. Experience, which can be positive or negative, interesting or boring. If we try to compare the film of the French Director, something in this spirit you will find in the video Abdoh Reza (Reza Abdoh).
What you will be viewing the Le Prince Des Cieux ? Watch the movie and be able to fit you a dish or not. If you consider yourself to fans of modern experimental cinema, if you are interested nemestrina French films, to see the work of David Thouroude definitely worth it.
3 Mai, 2017
10. Horror screams Video vault - Peter Hopkins - Royaume-Uni
Le Prince Des Cieux, (The Prince of Heavens)
This film doesn't have any real storyline other then the fact we follow actor Abdou M. Bodji as he goes through various stages of experimenting with drugs and death. Abidou doesn't have alot to do acting wise in this film but what he does is captured well by director David Thouroude. Think of this as more of a arthouse horror montage then your straight forward horror film.
There is some images that will disturb people but those who want a horror film with blood, guts and more will want to pass on this one. David Thouroude definitely has a vision that is not following the off beaten track. If you want to see something that is different then check this out.
http://www.horrorscreamsvideovault.co.uk/2017/05/film-review-le-prince-des-cieux-aka.html
17 Mai, 2017
11. Beneath the Underground - Steven Paul - U.S.A.
Le Prince Des Cieux will either appeal to you or it won’t. The film runs 48 minutes. There is no dialogue, one character, at times super hyper bizarre sounds and flashing lights, disturbing imagery- some symbolic some not. It’s a story of personal disparity and madness. A movie about drug use and suffocating dystopia.
We follow actor Abdou M. Bodji through his day to day life. Bodji’s looks and presence carries the movie perfect. He’s a captivating character. A lonely character trapped in his insanity, portrayed in a surreal fashion. The cinematography and music score were excellent, reminiscent of Gaspar Noé or Darren Aronofsky’s Pi (yep, that type of movie). A few of the scenes carried on a bit long and at times I felt the music became repetitive but these are only minor complaints. There were scenes of great loneliness and scenes of highly disturbing drug trances. It’s not a movie really to be explained. I’ll advise you to go in not knowing and take Le Prince however you perceive it to be. This is a film of feeling and sadness for this lost soul is what I was left with
http://beneaththeunderground.com/le-prince-de-cieux-patrick-fleer/
9 Septembre, 2019
12. Bacon kractor's reviews - Darren Reynolds - Canada
I first heard about this movie when a friend of mine posted a review for it on Extreme Horror Cinema. To be perfectly honest, the art-house style of film making has always been fairly binary for me, the piece either works and there is enjoyment, or it doesn’t and it’s a very difficult experience. Based on what was said in that first review however, I was quite intrigued and if memory serves commented as such on a Facebook post concerning the review. Shortly after that I was contacted by the director (David Thouroude) who asked me if I would be interested in a free copy of the film provided I made a post and let them know what I thought of it.
Fast forward a few years and I am currently coming out of a fairly prolonged period of depression and inactivity, and long story short I decided that in order for me to give myself something to do I’d start a blog of sorts where I “reviewed” various movies and bits of music out of my collection. When it came time to pick with which title I wanted to get the ball rolling , “Le Prince des Cieux” popped into my mind (for a number of reasons).
Similar to a great number of art-house films, the viewer is not going to be presented with any sort of obvious linear story-line. From a review standpoint this presents a bit of a challenge, because how does one accurately describe a series of scenes and images that evoke such heavy emotion without resorting to a bland and stale point form list of what the viewer is going to see ?
Doing that would in no way approach doing this film justice. Some of the things you will see in this film will stick with you because they are confusing, or shocking, or offensive … and often times all three in combination. At several points I actually paused the film and rewound almost frame by frame because I wasn’t sure I had actually seen what I thought I had … turns out I had, and that particular image I still think about years after seeing the film for the first time.
While the film is from France and the packaging is all in French, don’t let that deter you if you aren’t a French speaker because as far as I could tell there wasn’t a single spoken word in the entire movie. Not one, and there’s only one actor (Abdou M’Bodji). He relies entirely on his body movements, facial expressions, and playing off the scenery around him to put across his performance. Without words, or backstory, the viewer is left with a sense of unease when the film wraps up with nothing resembling a neat conclusion. One minute the movie is playing, and then it is done.
There are parts of this film in black and white, and parts where color is very effectively used. Some shots are frenetic and alive, while others are slow and lingering almost to the point of being stationary. At no point are you allowed to get comfortable or complacent, you either strap in and come along for the ride or I suspect you’ll be turning the film off before it’s done.
A huge part of the sense of unease and foreboding produced in the film is the soundtrack (done by Billy Dranty), which unfortunately you cannot get on it’s own or I would pick it up in a heartbeat. At times loose and ambient and at others harsh and pressuring, the palette of sounds used to score this film is paired perfectly with the visuals. More than simply mirroring what’s going on, the music and sound design for the film function as two parts of the same puzzle rather than a list of songs burped up by bands who have albums coming out.
In conclusion, this film is definitely not for everyone. Those easily shocked or offended, stay clear. If you find yourself reaching for the remote when a movie doesn’t lay things out for you with neat explanations and tie it up with a pretty bow for you, you won’t enjoy this. However, if you like to see and hear things that are interesting and cause you to think, this might be your cup of tea. I find myself coming back to this film periodically and even now will notice something I hadn’t before. Check out the trailer (and no worries about it being spoiler filled, it’s enough to give you an accurate picture without giving away too much), and if it looks like something you’d enjoy hit them up at the provided contact information and I’m sure they’d be happy to help you out.
https://baconkractor.wordpress.com/2019/09/04/le-prince-des-cieux-2014/
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