The last time actress Bérénice Bejo and cinematographer
Guillaume Schiffman collaborated, the result, "The Artist," produced 10 Academy
Award nominations and five wins. Weinstein Co. is hoping the pair will reap
success again with their new film, "Populaire."
After a six-minute promotional cut of "Populaire" was
shown at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival, Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of Weinstein Co., asked to
see more of the film. Director Régis Roisnard cut a 40-minute version in under a
month and screened it for Mr. Weinstein. Weinstein Co. acquired the U.S. rights
to the film for an undisclosed sum shortly thereafter, prior to the film's
completion and weeks after "The Artist" won its Oscars.
Weinstein Company
Déborah François plays a country girl who aspires to be a
secretary.
But Weinstein Co. has no plans to use the name
recognition of "The Artist" to market "Populaire."
"Yes, there is some of the same talent, but we want to
let audiences draw their own conclusions," said Erik Lomis, president of
theatrical distribution and home entertainment.
"Populaire" takes place in the late 1950s and tells the
story of Rose (played by Déborah François), a clumsy country girl who moves to a
small city in the hope of becoming a secretary. She is hired by Louis (Romain
Duris), an insurance agent, for her typing skills. As their relationship
develops, Louis enters Rose into a regional speed-typing competition, becoming
her coach and trainer with dreams of winning the world title.
Ms. Bejo stars as Louis's childhood friend and former
lover who champions Rose's romantic interest in her boss.
The film, mostly in French with English subtitles, was
Mr. Roisnard's brainchild. He co-wrote it after seeing a documentary on the
speed-typing competitions of the 1950s and '60s.
For his feature-film debut, Mr. Roisnard wanted to
direct a sports film. "But all sports had already been done in film," said Mr.
Roisnard, through a translator. Instead he combined his need for speed with an
object that had long fascinated him: the typewriter.
Although "Populaire" is fictional, Mr. Roisnard spent
three years researching to give the film authenticity, tracking down and
interviewing former competitors. Along with Ms. François, he also attended a
present-day computer speed-typing competition.
As part of the roughly $18 million production budget,
Mr. Roisnard hired a team of typewriter collectors who spent four months
scouring the globe for 150 typewriters from the 1940s and 50s. They were also
tasked with restoring them to working order for the film and were on hand to
troubleshoot if the machines broke down.
Speed-typing coaches for Ms. Roisnard and the 72 other
competitors credited in the film were also on the payroll. It was "essential"
for the women to be typing in real time, Mr. Roisnard said.
"There is no way you can cheat with a typewriter," said
Ms. François, who had a typing coach come to her home in Belgium three times a
week, two hours a day. In total she trained for four months and struggled
through production with "what we called typists elbow, like tennis elbow," she
added.
Mr. Lomis has planned a limited release for "Populaire,"
opening in New York and Los Angeles on Sept. 6 and adding 10 markets the
following week. He intends to expand to the top 50 markets in the following
months. "We have to let the film breathe," Mr. Lomis said, adding, "sometimes it
takes a while."
To promote the film, Mr. Lomis mailed out 12,000 copies
of the "Populaire" trailer around the country five months before the film's
premiere date. Typically for wide releases, he sends around 30,000 copies and
for limited-release films, 5,000"Because it is in French and subtitles, that
doesn't lend itself to a massive TV campaign," said Mr. Lomis. "But we don't see
a lot of typewriters these days, so that's something."
He also reached out to at least 150 different groups and
institutions, including book clubs and art-house theaters. Although his target
demographic is the "over 35 crowd," Mr. Lomis has sponsored 40 word-of-mouth
screenings and ran a collegiate campaign in May.
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