Angel Begins

The opening sequence to Francois Ozon's Angel is online now and, for my money, is the most enjoyable piece of his work I've seen to date while still being very much in keeping with the formal qualities and generic preferences of his entire back catalogue. The film is clearly rather lavishly mounted, and the cast list is very enticing: Janine Duvitski and Una Stubbs, in the same film? Blimey! Will Ozon finally make a star of Romola Garai? He's certainly making the most of her looks.

Angel opens today in France. It's adapted from the novel by Elizabeth Taylor - no, not that Elizabeth Taylor, the Elizabeth Taylor who also wrote Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont.