The Fifth Element

Did You Know?

• A novel adaptation of the screenplay was written by Terry Bisson and published by HarperPrism in 1997.
• A video-game adaptation developed by Kalisto Entertainment for PlayStation and PC was released in 1998; the PlayStation version was described by GameSpot as 'quite possibly the worst game I've ever played'.
• A racing game based on the film, New York Race, was released in 2001.

Plot

In 1914, aliens called Mondoshawans meet a priest of a secret order at an ancient Egyptian temple and take the only weapon that can defeat a great evil that appears every 5,000 years. The weapon consists of four engraved stones representing the classical elements, plus a sarcophagus containing a fifth element. In the 23rd century, the great evil appears as a giant living fireball and destroys an Earth spaceship. Priest Vito Cornelius informs the president of the Federated Territories about the weapon. A Mondoshawan spacecraft carrying the weapon is ambushed and destroyed by Mangalores, alien mercenaries hired by industrialist Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg, who works for the great evil. A severed hand from the wreckage is brought to New York City, where the government uses biotechnology to recreate the sarcophagus's occupant, a humanoid woman named Leeloo. She escapes and jumps into the flying taxicab of Korben Dallas, a former special forces major. Dallas delivers Leeloo to Cornelius, who recognizes her as the fifth element. Leeloo reveals the stones were not on the Mondoshawan ship; they were entrusted to an opera singer, the diva Plavalaguna. Earth's military sends Dallas to meet Plavalaguna, using a rigged radio contest as cover. Leeloo accompanies him, and Cornelius stows away on the luxury spaceship, while the Mangalores also board it.

Themes

Besson stated that The Fifth Element was not a big theme movie, though its theme was important; he wanted viewers to reach Leeloo's question about the use of saving life given what humans do with it and agree with her. Jay P. Telotte credited the film with exploring political corruption. Brian Ott and Eric Aoki considered gender a central theme, criticizing the film for erasing women from introductory scenes and presenting females as passive objects or stripped of femininity. Stefan Brandt said the film echoes stereotypical beliefs about gender, with Leeloo leaving her passive role only during a fight, and all males shown as unmanly to make Korben's masculinity appear god-like. Susan Hayward viewed the film as a classic story of a man proving his manhood, overthrowing malevolent forces, and reaping rewards of security and marriage, with Korben's journey threatened by Leeloo until she accepts his declaration of love. The love story is one of the main narratives and faces the same deadline as the main storyline.

Production

Besson began writing the script when he was 16, originally envisioning it as a novel set in the year 2300 about a nobody named Zaltman Bleros, later renamed Korben Dallas, who wins a trip to a resort on planet Fhloston Paradise and meets Leeloo, a sand-girl over 2,000 years old. The name Diva Plavalaguna likely came from the Plava Laguna resort in Croatia where Besson vacationed. By 1991, he had a 400-page script. Nicolas Seydoux and Patrice Ledoux from Gaumont first took on the project. In November 1991, Besson recruited comic creators Jean Giraud and Jean-Claude Mézières for production design; their comics inspired the futuristic New York City. Mézières showed images of a flying taxicab from his work, inspiring Besson to change Korben's background from a rocket-ship factory worker to a taxi driver. Five other artists were hired, and fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier created the costumes. The team spent a year creating over 8,000 drawings.

Release and reception

The Fifth Element opened the 1997 Cannes Film Festival on May 7, with Gaumont constructing a screening area exceeding 100,000 square feet. Attendees received a branded Swatch watch as their ticket, and the event featured a futuristic ballet, a Jean Paul Gaultier fashion show, and fireworks. Gaumont spent between $1 million and $3 million on the premiere, a record at the time. Sony Pictures Releasing handled the North American release through Columbia Pictures. In France, the film debuted at number one, earning 55 million francs (about $10 million) from 527 screens and 1.81 million admissions, setting a French film opening record and ranking second overall behind Independence Day. It held the top spot for seven weeks. In the U.S., it also opened at number one with $17 million and remained there the following weekend. Worldwide, it grossed over $263 million against a $90 million budget, with 75% of revenue from outside the U.S., making it the ninth-highest-grossing film of 1997. It was France’s highest-grossing film with 7.7 million admissions, a record lasting 16 years until The Intouchables. In Germany, it earned the Goldene Leinwand for selling over three million tickets. Critics were split: Kevin Thomas called it an elaborate, campy sci-fi extravaganza, while Roger Ebert gave it three stars, dubbing it one of the great goofy movies.