Le cinquième élément

The Fifth Element | Das fünfte Element
In the year 2263, an extraterrestrial drops in to the flying New York taxi of former special forces officer Korben Dallas. Beautiful Leeloo is on Earth to save the planet from destruction by absolute evil. To do that, she needs four stones symbolising the four elements, which are in the possession of an alien opera star performing on the planet Fhloston Paradise. To capture the stones, Dallas and Leeloo must overcome the attempts at world domination by weapons dealer Zorg, attacks by his mercenary army of hideous Mangalores and the cheerfulness of entertainer Ruby Rhod ... “The future is fun”. Inspired by the work of cartoonists Moebius and Jean-Claude Mézières, Luc Besson created a colourful counterpoint to the dystopian “neo noir” look. Borrowing from the urban prophecies in Metropolis and Blade Runner, and with the aid of novel make-up design and a combination of chromakey and digital effects, the film is a post-modern mix of styles and epochs. But it was above all the designs of fashion icon Jean-Paul Gaultier, who created 300 costumes that were as extravagant as they were erotic, that turned the screen into an intergalactic catwalk showing off a society of the spectacle.
by Luc Besson
with Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, Milla Jovovich, Chris Tucker, Luke Perry, Brion James, Lee Evans, Mathieu Kassovitz, Maïwenn
France 1997 English 126’ Colour Rating R12

With

  • Bruce Willis
  • Gary Oldman
  • Ian Holm
  • Milla Jovovich
  • Chris Tucker
  • Luke Perry
  • Brion James
  • Lee Evans
  • Mathieu Kassovitz
  • Maïwenn

Crew

Director Luc Besson
Screenplay Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen based on an idea by Luc Besson
Cinematography Thierry Arbogast
Editing Sylvie Landra
Music Éric Serra
Sound Daniel Brisseau
Production Design Dan Weil
Costumes Jean Paul Gaultier
Make-Up Lois Burwell
Producer Patrice Ledoux

Produced by

Gaumont

Additional information

DCP: Gaumont, Neuilly sur Seine