It’s sprawling and self-indulgent and completely bizarre the more distance I get from it, the more certain I am of its masterpiece status.ĭespite the lack of memorable tunes, however, the intricate details and sheer scale of the production invites repeat viewings (meta opening number ‘So May We Start’ is sure to be a crowd favourite), and it’s intriguing to think how much Sparks and Carax care about their place in the great artistic tradition.ĭriver’s performance is one of full-bodied enthusiasm and physicality, channelling the spirit of Denis Lavant in Carax’s 1991 film The Lovers on the Bridge. In true Sparks style, it’s an ambitious, audacious rock opera, complete with much-feted musical cunnilingus and repeat cameo appearances from Sparks themselves. Their whirlwind romance results in a marriage and a daughter, but Henry’s jealousy and inability to let love overrule his deep-seated self-loathing spells impending doom.Īnnette has been described somewhat inaccurately as a musical don’t go in expecting catchy songs and carefully choreographed dance routines. To reveal too much of Annette’s plot would be to spoil the surprise for viewers, but the story goes as so: Henry McHenry (Driver), motorcycle-riding bad boy stand-up comedian, is madly in love with Ann Defrasnoux (Marion Cotillard), a revered opera singer.

They are, ahem, something of an acquired taste, which makes them a perfect fit for Carax’s surrealist sensibilities, not to mention the envelope-pushing interests of Hollywood’s great hope, Adam Driver. Their five decades in the business have produced a couple of hits, a radio musical about Ingmar Bergman, a supergroup with Franz Ferdinand and The Number One Song in Heaven to name just a few highlights. The same goes for Leos Carax’s Annette.Īnyone familiar with the music of Ron and Russell Mael (better known as the genre-defying musical duo Sparks) knows they have little interest in what the Public At Large wants, or indeed likes. I was frequently baffled, often enraptured.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the experience, and this began a pattern over the years whereby my grandma would take me to see all her favourite shows: Madame Butterfly, La bohème, La traviata. We went to see Carmen I fell asleep fairly early on and only woke up when the flamenco dancing started. When I was about 13, my grandmother took me to the opera for the first time. Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard star in Leos Carax’s audacious rock opera about a baby with a very special gift.

Rock opera movies