Parking (1985 film)
The Orpheus myth repeats itself in the 20th century.
Jacques Demy wrote and directed *Parking*, a 1985 French musical fantasy film starring Francis Huster, Laurent Malet, and Jean Marais. The story transplants the Orpheus myth into the 20th century, with a nod to Jean Cocteau’s 1950 film *Orphée*: the actor who played Orpheus in that classic appears here as Hades.
Orpheus, a famous pop singer, writes love songs for his wife Eurydice, a sculptor who also designs his album covers. They share a castle with Aristée, his manager, and Calaïs, his sound engineer and lover. During a concert, an electrical fault briefly kills Orpheus and sends him to the Underworld—depicted as a metro station and parking garage. There, Charon, Hades, and Persephone let him return to Earth on the condition that he keeps what he saw secret. Back home, Persephone is sent to spy on him, stirring jealousy: Calaïs resents Eurydice, while Eurydice feels threatened by Persephone’s attention. Meanwhile, Eurydice trades concert tickets for drugs from Dominique Daniel, leader of the Bacchantes. A violent argument over her drug use follows, and she refuses to attend Orpheus’s upcoming show.
Struggling with his lost muse and his love for Calaïs, Orpheus learns that Eurydice has died of an overdose during his concert. Unable to reach the Underworld alone, he is guided by Persephone to a cemetery, where he descends to plead for Eurydice’s return. Hades agrees, but forbids him from looking at her until they both exit. Orpheus ties a tourniquet over his eyes to comply. During the journey, Eurydice stops for a break, and they have sex at one of Hades’ motels. Later, Orpheus removes the blindfold to avoid falling, but a speeding car makes him turn around, losing Eurydice and sending him back to Earth. At his final performance—dedicated to her—he is murdered by Dominique Daniel, who was denied concert tickets. Orpheus reunites with his wife in death.
The film was originally titled *Monsieur Orphée*. Demy cast Japanese actress Keiko Itô as Eurydice, conceiving the couple as a tribute to John Lennon and Yoko Ono; Eurydice, like Ono, is a sculptor. Demy wanted a “rare” actress “from elsewhere” to highlight the singularity of the romance. Budget problems arose after the film failed to secure an advance on receipts, but Demy’s fame in Japan and the Japanese lead allowed pre-sales there. *Parking* was an old project Demy had planned with David Bowie; when Bowie was unavailable, he vainly approached Johnny Hallyday. After nearly abandoning the project, a producer encouraged him to continue, suggesting Francis Huster for the lead. Huster insisted on singing his own songs, and the producer added that clause to his contract without consulting Demy. Michel Legrand, who had first recorded with Daniel Lévi, noted that Demy accepted the clause to keep the film alive.
Shot on short notice to be ready for the 1985 Cannes Film Festival, *Parking* was not finished in time. It was a commercial failure; audiences struggled to accept Huster as a pop singer filling venues. Demy disowned the film as “a catastrophe” and considered quitting the industry. Huster later admitted in 2010 that singing was not his profession, calling his performance “a blast” but acknowledging it was a job for a real singer.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Jacques Demy
- Producer
- Dominique Vignet
- Writer
- Jacques Demy / Laurent Dussaux
- Starring
- Francis Huster / Laurent Malet / Jean Marais
- Music
- Michel Legrand
- Cinematography
- Jean-François Robin
- Editing
- Marie-Josée Audiard
- Distributor
- France 3 Cinéma, Garance
- Released
- 29 May 1985 · France
- Runtime
- 95 minutes
- Country
- France
- Language
- French
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Orpheus myth repeats itself in the 20th century, paying tribute to Jean Cocteau's film classic Orphée (1950) by having the actor who played Orpheus appear as Hades. Orpheus is a famous pop singer who composes love songs for Eurydice, his wife and sculptor who also designs his album covers; together they live alongside Aristée, his manager, and Calaïs, his sound engineer and lover, in a castle. During one of his concerts, an electrical malfunction briefly kills him and sends him to the Underworld, represented by a metro station and parking garage. Orpheus meets Charon, Hades, and Persephone, who agree to send him back to Earth as long as he doesn't reveal what he sees. Back on Earth, Persephone being sent to spy on Orpheus causes rifts between him and his lovers, as Calaïs admits to being jealous of Eurydice while Eurydice feels threatened by Persephone's attention. Meanwhile, Eurydice trades Orpheus concert tickets in exchange for drugs supplied by Dominique Daniel, leader of the Bacchantes; Eurydice and Orpheus have a violent argument over her drug usage and she refuses to attend his upcoming concert as a result. As Orpheus wrestles with his lost muse and additional love for Calaïs, he finds that Eurydice has died of a drug overdose during his show. After failed attempts to get to the Underworld on his own, Persephone takes Orpheus to a cemetery to descend to the Underworld and ask for Eurydice back. Hades agrees, but imposes the condition that he not look at Eurydice until they've both reached the exit; to circumvent this, Orpheus ties her tourniquet around his eyes. Eurydice stops for a break and they have sex at one of Hades' motels. As the walk continues, Orpheus removes the tourniquet to avoid falling, but a speeding car makes him turn around and lose Eurydice, sending him back to Earth. At his final showstopping performance, dedicated to Eurydice, he is murdered by Dominique Daniel, who was denied his concert tickets. Orpheus reunites with his wife in death.
Reader's Guide
Cast: Francis Huster as Orpheus, Laurent Malet as Calaïs, Keiko Itô as Eurydice, Gérard Klein as Aristée, Marie-France Pisier as Claude Perséphone, Jean Marais as Hades, Hugues Quester as Caron, Éva Darlan as Dominique Daniel, Annick Alane as Luciennne, Marion Game as the costumer, Jean Amos as Clément. Production: The original title of the film was Monsieur Orphée. Eurydice is played by a Japanese actress; Jacques Demy conceived of her relationship with Orpheus as a tribute to John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Eurydice is also a sculptor like Yoko Ono. Demy also wanted to highlight the singularity of the romance between Orpheus and Eurydice by choosing someone 'rare' and 'from elsewhere.' The film experienced some budget problems, not having obtained the advance on receipts. The fame of Jacques Demy in Japan, and the fact that the main actress is Japanese, however, made it possible to pre-sell the film there. Parking was an old project of Jacques Demy, who planned to film it with David Bowie. The latter not being available, Demy had vainly requested Johnny Hallyday to play the main role. After considering abandoning the project, Demy finally took it back, encouraged by a producer, who suggested hiring Francis Huster to play the role of Orpheus. Huster nevertheless insisted on performing the songs himself, and the producer included this clause in the actor's contract without conferring with Demy, who according to Michel Legrand accepted the clause under penalty of the film not being made. Legrand had first made recordings with Daniel Lévifor songs. Reception: The film, shot on short notice to be, according to the producer's wishes, ready for the 1985 Cannes Film Festival, was ultimately not finished on time. Parking was a commercial failure, with the public particularly having difficulty accepting Francis Huster in the role of a pop singer filling enthusiastic venues. Jacques Demy disowned the film as 'a catastrophe'; depressed by this experience, the director thought at the time of quitting the film industry. Francis Huster said in 2010 about his interpretation of the songs: 'That's a blast. […] It’s a job to be a singer and it’s not mine.'
Did You Know?
- Eurydice is played by Japanese actress Keiko Itô.
- Jacques Demy planned to film Parking with David Bowie, but Bowie was not available.
- The film was a commercial failure and Demy disowned it as 'a catastrophe.'
More in French fantasy films 25-40
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