The Velvet Queen (French: La Panthère des neiges, lit. 'The Snow Panther') is a 2021 French-language documentary film. It follows Sylvain Tesson and Vincent Munier as they attempt to find a snow leopard in Tibet. The film was directed by Marie Amiguet and Munier in their feature-length debut, and premiered in the Cinema for the Climate section at the 74th Cannes Film Festival on 13 July 2021, with a wider theatrical release in France on 15 December and a limited release in the United States on 22 December. It won Best Documentary Film at the 47th César Awards, and Best Documentary at the 27th Lumières Awards.
| The Velvet Queen | |
|---|---|
 Poster for The Velvet Queen | |
| French | La Panthère des neiges |
| Directed by | |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Pierre-Emmanuel Fleurantin |
| Music by | |
| Distributed by | Oscilloscope Laboratories |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 92 minutes[1] |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Box office | $5.6 million[2] |
Synopsis
edit"In the heart of the Tibetan highlands, multi-award-winning nature photographer Vincent Munier guides writer Sylvain Tesson on his quest to document the infamously elusive snow leopard. Munier introduces Tesson to the subtle art of waiting from a blind spot, tracking animals, and finding the patience to catch sight of the beasts. Through their journey in the Tibetan peaks, inhabited by invisible presences, the two men ponder humankind's place amongst the magnificent creatures and glorious landscapes they encounter along the way".[3][4]
Release
editThe film had its world premiere in the Cinema for the Climate section at the 74th Cannes Film Festival on 13 July 2021.[5] It had a wider theatrical release in France on 15 December[1] and a limited release in USA by Oscilloscope Pictures on 22 December.[4][2][3] It was released on VOD by Oscilloscope Video on 24 January 2023.[4]
Reception
editBox office
editThe Velvet Queen grossed $151,006 in North America, and $5.6 million in other territories.[2]
Critical response
editOn Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 46 reviews and an average rating of 8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Its narration might not be distracting for some, but The Velvet Queen more than makes up for it with some truly striking cinematography."[3] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 78 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".[6]
Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com described the film as "a calming, meditative experience."[7] Paul Byrnes of The Sydney Morning Herald rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "transcendently beautiful."[8] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian also rated the film 4 out of 5, stating that "the film has a real writer whose style rises above the cliche into which nature documentary almost always descends."[9]
Accolades
edit| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumières Award | 17 January 2022 | Best Documentary | The Velvet Queen | Won | [10][11] |
| César Awards | 25 February 2022 | Best Documentary Film | The Velvet Queen | Won | |
| Best Original Music | Nick Cave and Warren Ellis | Nominated | |||
| Best First Feature Film | The Velvet Queen | Nominated |
Soundtrack
edit| La Panthère Des Neiges (Original Soundtrack) | |
|---|---|
| Film score by | |
| Released | 17 December 2021 |
| Genre | Film score |
| Label | Lakeshore Records |
The soundtrack for the film was created by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, and released on 17 December 2021 by Lakeshore Records.[12] Siobhán Kane of The Irish Times rated the soundtrack 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "naturally wonderful".[13] Lucy Harbron of Clash rated it 7/10, commenting that the soundtrack "feels like an essential part of the Nick Cave and Warren Ellis discography."[14]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "L'attaque des Loups" | 3:23 |
| 2. | "Les Cerfs" | 5:02 |
| 3. | "Antilope" | 2:33 |
| 4. | "La Bête" | 1:21 |
| 5. | "Les Yaks" | 2:26 |
| 6. | "Des Affûts Elliptiques" | 3:07 |
| 7. | "Les Nomades" | 1:21 |
| 8. | "La Grotte" | 3:19 |
| 9. | "Les Princes" | 3:02 |
| 10. | "La Neige Tombe" | 1:53 |
| 11. | "Les Ours" | 4:37 |
| 12. | "Un Être Vous Obsède" | 2:54 |
| 13. | "L'apparition (English: We Are Not Alone)" | 9:40 |
| Total length: | 44:38 | |
References
edit- ^ a b "La Panthère des neiges - Festival de Cannes". festival-cannes.com. 2021. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ a b c "The Velvet Queen (2021)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ a b c "The Velvet Queen". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ a b c "La panthère des neiges (2021)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ "La Panthère des Neiges (The Velvet Queen), an Ode to the Beauty of the World". festival-cannes.com. 13 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ "The Velvet Queen". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ Tallerico, Brian (22 December 2021). "The Velvet Queen movie review (2021) | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ Byrnes, Paul (9 November 2022). "See this snow leopard movie for the images of transcendent beauty". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (25 April 2022). "The Velvet Queen review – powerful hymn to the land of the snow leopard". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ "César 2022. « La Panthère des neiges » du Vosgien Vincent Munier et de Marie Amiguet remporte le César du meilleur film documentaire". www.vosgesmatin.fr (in French). 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (26 January 2022). "César Awards Nominations: 'Lost Illusions', 'Annette', 'Aline' Dominate; 'Titane' Shut Out Of Best Film Race – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
- ^ "La Panthere des Neiges Soundtrack (2021)". www.soundtrack.net. Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
- ^ "Nick Cave and Warren Ellis: La Panthère Des Neiges – Naturally wonderful". The Irish Times. 17 December 2021. Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
- ^ Harbron, Lucy (17 December 2021). "Nick Cave and Warren Ellis - La Panthere Des Neiges". Clash. Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
External links
edit- The Velvet Queen at IMDb
- The Velvet Queen at AllMovie
- La Panthère Des Neiges at Discogs (list of releases)
