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* {{Corpsing}}: Maggie's co-star ruins over a dozen takes by breaking down into giggles every time another actor tries to put a mask on her, causing a frustrated Rene to call off shooting for the day.


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* MaliciousSlander: A rumor spreads on set that Zoe got Maggie drunk and had sex with her even though she just took Maggie back to her apartment to hang out with the rest of the crew because nobody remembered to call her a cab back to the hotel. Zoe is absolutely furious when she finds out, knowing that it could have serious consequences for her future in the industry.
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* NoAntagonist: The closest thing it has is Rene, who causes problems for everyone else with his perfectionism and lack of a clear vision for the film, but he gets hospitalized and disappears halfway through the runtime.


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* TroubledProduction: InUniverse, Rene Vidal's attempt at remaking ''Les Vampires'' is an unalloyed disaster from the jump. Constantly running under budget and behind schedule, his mercurial decision making process and lack of a clear vision for the finished product leaves his cast and crew frustrated and in a constant state of scrambling to meet his increasingly arcane demands. Ultimately, Rene drives himself to a nervous breakdown and is replaced by another director, who essentially has to restart from scratch since he recast the lead role and Rene left nothing usable to work with.
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* IncompatibleOrientation: Ambiguously. Zoe is bisexual and very attracted to Maggie, but Maggie gently turns her down when Zoe tries to take her to an implied gay club on her last night in Paris. However, during an earlier conversation in the film when Mireille asks Maggie if she likes girls, Maggie simply giggles awkwardly but doesn't answer one way or the other.



* FishOutOfWater: Maggie speaks no French at all and is bewildered by the loose, improvisational way Rene goes about shooting the film, coming from the much more organized and disciplined world of Hong Kong action cinema.



* TheNapoleon: Rene's shorter than most of the people on his set and is a temperamental PrimaDonnaDirector who causes an enormous amount of stress for his entire crew.



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* QuestionableCasting: Vidal's replacement as director, Mirano, cannot fathom why Vidal cast an actress from Hong Kong to play an icon of the French underground and promptly recasts Cheung when he is handed the reins.[[invoked]]



* WTHCastingAgency: Vidal's replacement as director, Mirano, cannot fathom why Vidal cast an actress from Hong Kong to play an icon of the French underground and promptly recasts Cheung when he is handed the reins.[[invoked]]
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True Art Is Incomprehensible is now an in-universe trope as per TRS.


The story is about a contemporary attempt by René Vidal, a [[TrueArtIsAngsty washed-out French director]] (played by former Nouvelle Vague actor Creator/JeanPierreLeaud) to shoot a remake of ''Film/LesVampires'', a 1915 silent film serial by Louis Feuillade, depicting the adventures of a gang of thieves led by a FemmeFatale who went by the name of Irma Vep (anagram of Vampire). The movie is being made on a shoestring, the crew are a squabbling bunch and nothing goes right. In the middle of it all arrives the Asian star chosen for the lead role, Creator/MaggieCheung -- played by Maggie Cheung.

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The story is about a contemporary attempt by René Vidal, a [[TrueArtIsAngsty washed-out French director]] director (played by former Nouvelle Vague actor Creator/JeanPierreLeaud) to shoot a remake of ''Film/LesVampires'', a 1915 silent film serial by Louis Feuillade, depicting the adventures of a gang of thieves led by a FemmeFatale who went by the name of Irma Vep (anagram of Vampire). The movie is being made on a shoestring, the crew are a squabbling bunch and nothing goes right. In the middle of it all arrives the Asian star chosen for the lead role, Creator/MaggieCheung -- played by Maggie Cheung.



However, just as it seemed that the movie could be finished in spite of everything, the director has a nervous breakdown and is replaced by another one, whose first decision is to remove Maggie Cheung from the cast. All that's left of the first director's work is [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible a surrealistic montage of scratched rushes]].

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However, just as it seemed that the movie could be finished in spite of everything, the director has a nervous breakdown and is replaced by another one, whose first decision is to remove Maggie Cheung from the cast. All that's left of the first director's work is [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible a surrealistic montage of scratched rushes]].
rushes.
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The story is about a contemporary attempt by René Vidal, a [[TrueArtIsAngsty washed-out French director]] (played by former Nouvelle Vague actor Creator/JeanPierreLeaud) to shoot a remake of ''Film/LesVampires'', a 1915 silent film serial by Louis Feuillade, depicting the adventures of a gang of thieves led by a FemmeFatale who went by the name of Irma Vep (anagram of Vampire). The movie is being made on a shoestring, the crew are a squabbling bunch and nothing goes right. In the middle of it all arrives the Asian star chosen for the lead role, Creator/MaggieCheung--played by Maggie Cheung.

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The story is about a contemporary attempt by René Vidal, a [[TrueArtIsAngsty washed-out French director]] (played by former Nouvelle Vague actor Creator/JeanPierreLeaud) to shoot a remake of ''Film/LesVampires'', a 1915 silent film serial by Louis Feuillade, depicting the adventures of a gang of thieves led by a FemmeFatale who went by the name of Irma Vep (anagram of Vampire). The movie is being made on a shoestring, the crew are a squabbling bunch and nothing goes right. In the middle of it all arrives the Asian star chosen for the lead role, Creator/MaggieCheung--played Creator/MaggieCheung -- played by Maggie Cheung.



Fittingly for a film about shooting a remake, an American MiniSeries [[Series/IrmaVep remake]] of the film, also by Assayas, was announced for a June 2022 release on Creator/HBOMax. Creator/AliciaVikander stars as Mira, the American actress tasked with playing Irma.

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Fittingly for a film about shooting a remake, an American MiniSeries [[Series/IrmaVep remake]] of the film, [[SelfRemake also by Assayas, Assayas]], was announced for a June 2022 release on Creator/HBOMax. Creator/AliciaVikander stars as Mira, the American actress tasked with playing Irma.



* SpyCatsuit: The tight latex catsuit worn by burglar Irma Vep. InUniverse, it is specifically inspired not only by the original outfit worn by Irma Vep, but also by Creator/MichellePfeiffer's Catwoman costume from ''Film/BatmanReturns''.

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* SpyCatsuit: The tight latex catsuit worn by burglar Irma Vep. InUniverse, it is specifically inspired not only by the original outfit worn by Irma Vep, Vep but also by Creator/MichellePfeiffer's Catwoman costume from ''Film/BatmanReturns''.



* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: In-universe. Nobody but the director, Rene Vidal, understands the point of the movie being made, and in the end the only thing left of his involvement is a bunch of hastily-edited and scratched rushes.
* WTHCastingAgency: Vidal's replacement as director, Mirano, cannot fathom why Vidal cast an actress from Hong Kong to play an icon of the French underground, and promptly recasts Cheung when he is handed the reins.[[invoked]]

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* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: In-universe. Nobody but the director, director Rene Vidal, Vidal understands the point of the movie being made, and in the end end, the only thing left of his involvement is a bunch of hastily-edited hastily edited and scratched rushes.
* WTHCastingAgency: Vidal's replacement as director, Mirano, cannot fathom why Vidal cast an actress from Hong Kong to play an icon of the French underground, underground and promptly recasts Cheung when he is handed the reins.[[invoked]]
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Fittingly for a film about shooting a remake, an American MiniSeries remake of the film, also by Assayas, was announced for a June 2022 release on Creator/HBOMax. Creator/AliciaVikander stars as Mira, the American actress tasked with playing Irma.

to:

Fittingly for a film about shooting a remake, an American MiniSeries remake [[Series/IrmaVep remake]] of the film, also by Assayas, was announced for a June 2022 release on Creator/HBOMax. Creator/AliciaVikander stars as Mira, the American actress tasked with playing Irma.
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* ContemplateOurNavels: Invoked. The journalist interviewing Maggie derides this era of French cinema as being all about navel-gazing, making it alienating to the general public.

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* ContemplateOurNavels: Invoked. The journalist interviewing Maggie derides this era of French cinema as being all about pretentious navel-gazing, making it alienating to the general public.
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* ContemplateOurNavels: Invoked. The journalist interviewing Maggie derides this era of French cinema as being all about navel-gazing, making it alienating to the general public.
-->'''Journalist:''' It's typical of French cinema, you know? "Nombrilistic," you know. ''Nombril.'' Cinema about your ''nombril.'' Only to please yourself, not for the public. It's only for the intellectuals, you know. For the elite.
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Moving from Trivia

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* ActorAllusion: Mireille expresses an interest in purchasing Maggie's latex costume; she is played by Bulle Ogier, star of the notorious 1970s SM movie ''Maitresse'', in which she herself spent a fair amount of onscreen time in rubber.
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Moving Assayas and Cheung's romance to Romance On The Set in Trivia


''Irma Vep'' is a low-budget independent French movie with an Asian star about... shooting a low-budget independent French movie with an Asian star.

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''Irma Vep'' is a 1996 film by Creator/OlivierAssayas. It is a low-budget independent French movie with an Asian star about... shooting a low-budget independent French movie with an Asian star.
star.



A real-life development that took place during the shooting of ''Irma Vep'' is that its director Olivier Assayas and Maggie Cheung started dating and got married soon afterwards. They later got divorced but have on another occasion worked together again on ''Film/{{Clean}}''.

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A real-life development that took place during the Fittingly for a film about shooting a remake, an American MiniSeries remake of ''Irma Vep'' is that its director Olivier Assayas and Maggie Cheung started dating and got married soon afterwards. They later got divorced but have the film, also by Assayas, was announced for a June 2022 release on another occasion worked together again on ''Film/{{Clean}}''.
Creator/HBOMax. Creator/AliciaVikander stars as Mira, the American actress tasked with playing Irma.

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->'''René''': You are mysterious like Irma Vep. You are beautiful like Irma Vep. And also, you are magic like her. And also, you are very strong. And it's very important you are modern. I want a modern Irma Vep. You understand what I say?\\
'''Maggie''': I think so.



The story is about a contemporary attempt by a [[TrueArtIsAngsty washed-out French director]] (played by former Nouvelle Vague actor Creator/JeanPierreLeaud) to shoot a remake of ''Film/LesVampires'', a 1915 silent film serial by Louis Feuillade, depicting the adventures of a gang of thieves led by a FemmeFatale who went by the name of Irma Vep (anagram of Vampire). The movie is being made on a shoestring, the crew are a squabbling bunch and nothing goes right. In the middle of it all arrives the Asian star chosen for the lead role, Creator/MaggieCheung--played by Maggie Cheung.

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The story is about a contemporary attempt by René Vidal, a [[TrueArtIsAngsty washed-out French director]] (played by former Nouvelle Vague actor Creator/JeanPierreLeaud) to shoot a remake of ''Film/LesVampires'', a 1915 silent film serial by Louis Feuillade, depicting the adventures of a gang of thieves led by a FemmeFatale who went by the name of Irma Vep (anagram of Vampire). The movie is being made on a shoestring, the crew are a squabbling bunch and nothing goes right. In the middle of it all arrives the Asian star chosen for the lead role, Creator/MaggieCheung--played by Maggie Cheung.



* AsHerself: Maggie Cheung.
* ClassyCatBurglar: Irma Vep herself, but also Maggie Cheung when she gets in character and turns into one for a night.
* CreatorBreakdown: [[invoked]] The in-story director has one, in true independent filmmaker fashion.
* {{Fanservice}}: A curvaceous nude woman on the telephone with her boyfriend. Maggie creeps through her room.

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* AsHerself: Maggie Cheung.
Cheung, a professional Hong Kong actress in real life, plays professional Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung within the film.
* ClassyCatBurglar: Irma Vep herself, but also herself is a beautiful and expressive woman in tight clothing who breaks into houses and steals stuff. Invoked by Maggie Cheung Cheung, the woman playing her, when she gets in very into character and turns into one for a night.
night and stealthily manages to steal some jewels from a fellow hotel guest.
* CreatorBreakdown: [[invoked]] The Rene Vidal, the in-story director is frustrated with his washed-up career and how nobody else understands the movie he's trying to make. He has one, a nervous break in true independent filmmaker fashion.
fashion and leaves the production.
* {{Fanservice}}: A curvaceous nude woman on the telephone with her boyfriend. Maggie Maggie, also wearing a tight SpyCatsuit, creeps through her room.



* OfCorsetsSexy: The aforementioned bodysuit features a built-in corset.



* ShowWithinAShow: The movie within the movie.
* SignificantAnagram: Irma Vep = Vampire.
* SpyCatsuit: The latex catsuit worn by Irma Vep. Zoe says "I say, it's like hooker, but if he wants hooker, that's OK."
* TakeThat: The movie takes a side shot at film critics who disparage art-house French cinema.

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* ShowWithinAShow: The movie within is about filming a remake of the movie.
silent film ''Film/LesVampires''.
* SignificantAnagram: The movie replays the scene from ''Film/LesVampires'' where a character figures out that Irma Vep = Vampire.
is an anagram for Vampire, the underground gang she is a member of.
* SpyCatsuit: The tight latex catsuit worn by burglar Irma Vep. Zoe says "I InUniverse, it is specifically inspired not only by the original outfit worn by Irma Vep, but also by Creator/MichellePfeiffer's Catwoman costume from ''Film/BatmanReturns''.
-->'''Zoe:''' I
say, it's like hooker, but if he wants hooker, that's OK."
OK.
* TakeThat: TakeThat:
**
The movie takes a side shot at film critics who disparage art-house French cinema.



** "I don't like American films. Everything is too much decoration, too much money."
* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: In-universe. Nobody but the in-story director understands the point of the movie being made.

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** To the American film industry: "I don't like American films. Everything is too much decoration, too much money."
* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: In-universe. Nobody but the in-story director director, Rene Vidal, understands the point of the movie being made.made, and in the end the only thing left of his involvement is a bunch of hastily-edited and scratched rushes.
* WTHCastingAgency: Vidal's replacement as director, Mirano, cannot fathom why Vidal cast an actress from Hong Kong to play an icon of the French underground, and promptly recasts Cheung when he is handed the reins.[[invoked]]
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Dewicking per TRS decision.


* BiTheWay: Zoe the costume girl develops a crush on Maggie Cheung. According to Mireille, she likes girls and boys.

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The story is about a contemporary attempt by a [[TrueArtIsAngsty washed-out French director]] (played by former Nouvelle Vague actor Creator/JeanPierreLeaud) to shoot a remake of ''Les Vampires'', a 1915 silent film serial by Louis Feuillade, depicting the adventures of a gang of thieves led by a FemmeFatale who went by the name of Irma Vep (anagram of Vampire). The movie is being made on a shoestring, the crew are a squabbling bunch and nothing goes right. In the middle of it all arrives the Asian star chosen for the lead role, Creator/MaggieCheung--played by Maggie Cheung.

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The story is about a contemporary attempt by a [[TrueArtIsAngsty washed-out French director]] (played by former Nouvelle Vague actor Creator/JeanPierreLeaud) to shoot a remake of ''Les Vampires'', ''Film/LesVampires'', a 1915 silent film serial by Louis Feuillade, depicting the adventures of a gang of thieves led by a FemmeFatale who went by the name of Irma Vep (anagram of Vampire). The movie is being made on a shoestring, the crew are a squabbling bunch and nothing goes right. In the middle of it all arrives the Asian star chosen for the lead role, Creator/MaggieCheung--played by Maggie Cheung.


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* {{Fanservice}}: A curvaceous nude woman on the telephone with her boyfriend. Maggie creeps through her room.
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* {{Retraux}}: InUniverse, the remake of ''Les Vampires'' is a black-and-white silent film that looks just like the original.

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Compare ''Film/DayForNight'', another film about a movie and its TroubledProduction that also starred Jean-Pierre Leaud.



* OfCorsetHurts: Maggie's catsuit and its built-in corset. Her stunt double, also wearing the corset, gasps with pain and asks Maggie if she can breathe.



* TheRemake: InUniverse, Rene is directing a remake of ''Les Vampires''. Apparently it's close to a ShotForShotRemake, at least in some scenes.



* SpyCatsuit: The latex catsuit worn by Irma Vep. Cheung's assistant says "I say, it's like hooker, but if he wants hooker, that's OK."

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* SpyCatsuit: The latex catsuit worn by Irma Vep. Cheung's assistant Zoe says "I say, it's like hooker, but if he wants hooker, that's OK."


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** "I don't like American films. Everything is too much decoration, too much money."

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%%* EverybodySmokes



* SpyCatsuit: The latex catsuit worn by Irma Vep.

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* SpyCatsuit: The latex catsuit worn by Irma Vep. Cheung's assistant says "I say, it's like hooker, but if he wants hooker, that's OK."


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** Maggie also dislikes ''Film/BatmanReturns'', the movie that gave us Catwoman's SpyCatsuit. ("[[Film/Batman1989 The first one]] was bad enough.")
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The story is about a contemporary attempt by a [[TrueArtIsAngsty washed-out French director]] (played by former Nouvelle Vague actor Jean-Pierre Leaud) to shoot a remake of ''Les Vampires'', a 1915 silent film serial by Louis Feuillade, depicting the adventures of a gang of thieves led by a FemmeFatale who went by the name of Irma Vep (anagram of Vampire). The movie is being made on a shoestring, the crew are a squabbling bunch and nothing goes right. In the middle of it all arrives the Asian star chosen for the lead role, Creator/MaggieCheung--played by Maggie Cheung.

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The story is about a contemporary attempt by a [[TrueArtIsAngsty washed-out French director]] (played by former Nouvelle Vague actor Jean-Pierre Leaud) Creator/JeanPierreLeaud) to shoot a remake of ''Les Vampires'', a 1915 silent film serial by Louis Feuillade, depicting the adventures of a gang of thieves led by a FemmeFatale who went by the name of Irma Vep (anagram of Vampire). The movie is being made on a shoestring, the crew are a squabbling bunch and nothing goes right. In the middle of it all arrives the Asian star chosen for the lead role, Creator/MaggieCheung--played by Maggie Cheung.

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%%* SpyCatsuit

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%%* SpyCatsuit* SpyCatsuit: The latex catsuit worn by Irma Vep.
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moved from YMMV, as it appears to be an in-universe example

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* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: In-universe. Nobody but the in-story director understands the point of the movie being made.

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* [[AsHimself As Herself]]: Maggie Cheung.

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* [[AsHimself As Herself]]: AsHerself: Maggie Cheung.



* LeFilmArtistique: Squared, since ''Irma Vep'' is a self-aware Film Artistique ''about'' the making of a Film Artistique.
** On the other hand, the original serial ''Les Vampires'' ''wasn't'' a Film Artistique, but a pulp fiction-esque piece of popular entertainment.

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* LeFilmArtistique: Squared, since ''Irma Vep'' is a self-aware Film Artistique ''about'' the making of a Film Artistique.
**
Artistique. On the other hand, the original serial ''Les Vampires'' ''wasn't'' a Film Artistique, but a pulp fiction-esque piece of popular entertainment.
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moved from YMMV and reworked slightly; was listed under Les Yay

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* BiTheWay: Zoe the costume girl develops a crush on Maggie Cheung. According to Mireille, she likes girls and boys.
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A real-life development that took place during the shooting of ''Irma Vep'' is that its director Olivier Assayas and Maggie Cheung started dating, and got married soon afterwards. They later got divorced but have on another occasion worked together again, on ''Film/{{Clean}}''.

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A real-life development that took place during the shooting of ''Irma Vep'' is that its director Olivier Assayas and Maggie Cheung started dating, dating and got married soon afterwards. They later got divorced but have on another occasion worked together again, again on ''Film/{{Clean}}''.



!!Contains examples of:

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!!Contains !!''Irma Vep'' contains examples of:



* EverybodySmokes

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* %%* EverybodySmokes



* SpyCatsuit

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* %%* SpyCatsuit
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* ShoutOut: The director in the movie says he was inspired to cast Maggie Cheung after seeing her in ''{{Heroic Trio}}''.

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* ShoutOut: The director in the movie says he was inspired to cast Maggie Cheung after seeing her in ''{{Heroic ''Film/{{Heroic Trio}}''.
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* CreatorBreakdown: The in-story director has one, in true independent filmmaker fashion.

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* CreatorBreakdown: [[invoked]] The in-story director has one, in true independent filmmaker fashion.
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A real-life development that took place during the shooting of ''Irma Vep'' is that its director Olivier Assayas and Maggie Cheung started dating, and got married soon afterwards. They later got divorced but have on another occasion worked together again, on ''{{Clean}}''.

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A real-life development that took place during the shooting of ''Irma Vep'' is that its director Olivier Assayas and Maggie Cheung started dating, and got married soon afterwards. They later got divorced but have on another occasion worked together again, on ''{{Clean}}''.
''Film/{{Clean}}''.
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The story is about a contemporary attempt by a [[TrueArtIsAngsty washed-out French director]] (played by former Nouvelle Vague actor Jean-Pierre Leaud) to shoot a remake of ''Les Vampires'', a 1915 silent film serial by Louis Feuillade, depicting the adventures of a gang of thieves led by a FemmeFatale who went by the name of Irma Vep (anagram of Vampire). The movie is being made on a shoestring, the crew are a squabbling bunch and nothing goes right. In the middle of it all arrives the Asian star chosen for the lead role, MaggieCheung--played by Maggie Cheung.

to:

The story is about a contemporary attempt by a [[TrueArtIsAngsty washed-out French director]] (played by former Nouvelle Vague actor Jean-Pierre Leaud) to shoot a remake of ''Les Vampires'', a 1915 silent film serial by Louis Feuillade, depicting the adventures of a gang of thieves led by a FemmeFatale who went by the name of Irma Vep (anagram of Vampire). The movie is being made on a shoestring, the crew are a squabbling bunch and nothing goes right. In the middle of it all arrives the Asian star chosen for the lead role, MaggieCheung--played Creator/MaggieCheung--played by Maggie Cheung.



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None

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[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/irma_vep.jpg]]

''Irma Vep'' is a low-budget independent French movie with an Asian star about... shooting a low-budget independent French movie with an Asian star.

The story is about a contemporary attempt by a [[TrueArtIsAngsty washed-out French director]] (played by former Nouvelle Vague actor Jean-Pierre Leaud) to shoot a remake of ''Les Vampires'', a 1915 silent film serial by Louis Feuillade, depicting the adventures of a gang of thieves led by a FemmeFatale who went by the name of Irma Vep (anagram of Vampire). The movie is being made on a shoestring, the crew are a squabbling bunch and nothing goes right. In the middle of it all arrives the Asian star chosen for the lead role, MaggieCheung--played by Maggie Cheung.

Maggie doesn't speak French and is quite surprised by the lack of organization, in stark contrast with the no-nonsense professionalism she's accustomed to from the Hong Kong movie scene. She nonetheless tries her best to follow the director's obscure instructions, and things begin to fall into place. Her part requires her to dress up in a [[SpyCatsuit fetish rubber bodysuit]] with built-in corset, which she develops a certain fascination for, and at one point puts it on to become a real-life cat burglar for a night.

However, just as it seemed that the movie could be finished in spite of everything, the director has a nervous breakdown and is replaced by another one, whose first decision is to remove Maggie Cheung from the cast. All that's left of the first director's work is [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible a surrealistic montage of scratched rushes]].

A real-life development that took place during the shooting of ''Irma Vep'' is that its director Olivier Assayas and Maggie Cheung started dating, and got married soon afterwards. They later got divorced but have on another occasion worked together again, on ''{{Clean}}''.

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!!Contains examples of:

* [[AsHimself As Herself]]: Maggie Cheung.
* ClassyCatBurglar: Irma Vep herself, but also Maggie Cheung when she gets in character and turns into one for a night.
* CreatorBreakdown: The in-story director has one, in true independent filmmaker fashion.
* EverybodySmokes
* LeFilmArtistique: Squared, since ''Irma Vep'' is a self-aware Film Artistique ''about'' the making of a Film Artistique.
** On the other hand, the original serial ''Les Vampires'' ''wasn't'' a Film Artistique, but a pulp fiction-esque piece of popular entertainment.
* TheMuse: Maggie Cheung to the in-story director, as well as the real-life director.
* OfCorsetsSexy: The aforementioned bodysuit features a built-in corset.
* ShoutOut: The director in the movie says he was inspired to cast Maggie Cheung after seeing her in ''{{Heroic Trio}}''.
* ShowWithinAShow: The movie within the movie.
* SignificantAnagram: Irma Vep = Vampire.
* SpyCatsuit
* TakeThat: The movie takes a side shot at film critics who disparage art-house French cinema.

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