14/10/2005

In front of the Gare du Nord in Bruxelles, beneath towers of glass, French actor Vincent Elbaz repeats his tap dance scene several times. After weeks of filming in Belgium then Luxembourg, Alain Berliner’s film crew returned to complete filming for Broadway dans la tête 11 weeks work in total.

Face drawn, Vincent Elbaz is exhausted with performing and the physical challenge of his role. Since last spring, he has worked several hours per day with Danish dance choreographer Mette Berggreen (who worked notably with Lars Von Trier on Dancer in The Dark). In this exterior scene, his character, homeless, tap dances in front of passers-by to make a few pennies. Two Panavision cameras follow him, one on a tripod, the other mobile, directed by DoP Tony Pierce Roberts, faithful companion of James Ivory. Shot in scope, Broadway dans la tête is a "psychological musical made in flash-back" which tells of a passion passed on through the generations (tap-dancing) and an inability (bringing up kids). Alain Berliner radicalises an approach that has been omnipresent in his filmography : the mix of genres, fairy-like spectacles and actual cruelty, this time musical and realistic. Interpreted too by Cécile de France, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and Jeanne Balibar, this new project by the Belgian director moves through time, through four generations. Each time, the music adapts to the time and place of the characters. The director worked with Frenchman Marc Collin of the "New Wave" group on the acoustic arrangement of some popular songs and other standards to make a little stranger and timeless.

With a budget of 5 536 500 euros, Broadway is European co-production led by Belgium (Artémis Productions, Média Service, WBF) with Luxembourg (Samsa Film), France (Liaison cinématographique, Nord-Ouest Production, Pan-Européenne) and UK Ipso Facto. The film received support from Promimages, Eurimages and the Media Programme. TF1 International is handling international rights.

(Translated from French)