A few hours ago, the press embargo on ‘Inception‘ was lifted and the reviews have been pouring in! And they’re absolutely raving! To get an overview – without getting spoilers – please visit Nolan Fans’ Review Post. Here some Marion quotes I found:

Marion Cotillard, who keeps surprising us with her versatility. She explodes off the screen here – like a vivid flame, flickering in and out.
- Awards Daily

And although she has less screen time than the rest of the cast, Cotillard shines as the film’s cloest thing to a femme fatale. She’s certainly better served here than she was in Public Enemies.
- IGN

The actors certainly give it their all: Cotillard is a presence both sultry and menacing.
- Variety

A terrific Marion Cotillard
- Box Office Magazine

In Inception that loss of control – the scariest thing Nolan can imagine, it seems – is represented in the haunting beauty of Marion Cotillard.
- CHUD

There’s another very good comment about Marion from HitFix.com – but it’s a bit spoiler-ish so I’m putting it below the cut.

Read the rest of this page »

Earlier tonight on Friday, Marion Cotillard along with 7 other actors from the movie together with director Chris Nolan and score composer Hans Zimmer attended a press conference and photo call for ‘Inception‘ at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.

015 025 ‘Inception’ Press Conference, June 25, 2010

More ‘Inception‘ promotion material is appearing online. In the new ‘Meet the Characters’ featurette Marion Cotillard as Mal is featured with a line for the first time. I’ve added high quality screencaps of that moment. And those new stills just look gorgeous!

Gallery:
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008 Inception – 2010 > Screencaptures > Featurettes

Video:
001 Trailers > Inception

This is just a small update to let you know that Marion Cotillard (and Leonardo DiCaprio) are on the cover of the July issue of Studio Ciné Live. I will add scans as soon as I have the magazine. Also added another ‘Inception‘ still to the gallery.

001 Inception – 2010 > Stills
001 Studio Ciné Live (France) – July

Ahead of the ‘Inception‘ Premiere in Los Angeles on July 13, the movie will have its world premiere in London on July 8. If you’re in the UK you can win tickets on Facebook. According to Associated Press the press junket will be held this week. Thanks Nadine for all the heads up.

Already now the first production still with Marion Cotillard has popped up online and the official Inception Website has been updated with Wallpapers and Production Notes with interesting details about the international filming and technical aspects of creating a movie about dreams.

“His mind is so rich,” Marion Cotillard says, “and that’s one reason Chris is such an extraordinary director and writer. On a movie as imaginative as this, you need a director you can trust—someone to take your hand and share his vision—and I trusted him 100 percent. He really inspired me and gave me the keys I needed.”

MAL – THE SHADE
Mal, played by Marion Cotillard, is the love of Cobb’s life. “Mal is a tricky one to describe because she is a mix of so many things,” the actress says cryptically. “But maybe it’s the kind of thing you don’t describe because different people can have different interpretations.”

“Mal is the essence of the femme fatale,” states Nolan. “Marion brought an exceptionally haunting quality to her performance. What she was able to do with just her eyes and her emotional openness is quite beautiful. And she and Leo together portray an incredibly moving couple. Underneath all of the action, I think ‘Inception’ is very much founded on a love story, and these two actors found the truth of that in a most remarkable way.”

“Leo is such a gifted actor. I have always been a great fan of his work, so it was amazing to work with him,” Cotillard says. “His commitment is total and his intensity is unlimited. You can see it in his eyes. When you share a scene with him, you can trust everything he does because he’s so authentic.”

DiCaprio has equal praise for his co-star. “It was wonderful to act alongside Marion. She can be strong and vulnerable and hopeful and heartbreaking all in the same moment, which was perfect for all the contradictions of her character.”

Emma Thomas: “I especially loved what Jeffrey did with Mal’s costumes, like the gorgeous, flowing gown we first see her in. She is the femme fatale and her wardrobe reflects that.”

• Source: Production Notes found on Official Site

001 Inception – 2010 > Stills
001 Inception – 2010 > Official Wallpaper

A new Behind the Scenes featurette for ‘Inception‘ which has been playing in selected theatres has finally been released online. Be sure to watch it on Yahoo! Movies as there’s a new scene with Marion Cotillard and Leonardo DiCaprio!

There are also 4 new banners (without Marion) on IGN and an article about the movie’s viral marketing strategy over at Screencave.

014 Inception – 2010 > Screencaptures > Featurettes

On the new character posters for ‘Inception‘ each character received a title. Marion Cotillard is ‘The Shade’. Look at the other posters on Empire Online.

There’s apparently also a different version of Marion’s ‘The Shade’ poster around – according to this picture on Twitter (thanks Nadine for the heads up!).

The Japanese ‘Inception‘ trailer – as aired while Ken Watanabe gave an interview on Japanese TV – features an additional glimpse of Marion.

002 Inception – 2010 > Artwork (replaced #4 with HQ version)
004 Inception – 2010 > Trailer

The premiere for ‘Inception‘ will be held Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood (source: Seeing Stars via Nadine).

FYI, extensive Cannes gallery & video updates coming tomorrow evening as real life and especially work keeps me very busy!

Earlier today, Marion Cotillard was interviewed on Le Grand Journal. Exactly one year after her interview on the show during last year’s Cannes Festival and also exactly 3 months after her last appearance on the talk show. She looked absolutely adorable in her red dress. And I love her hair.

I don’t have time for a proper translation but here’s a – hopefully accurate – summary. She talked a bit about her character Marie in ‘Les Petits Mouchoirs‘ who’s generally full of rage apparently. She enjoyed filming a contemporary movie wearing jeans and swearing. Guillaume Canet is a great director and she enjoyed working together and had many beautiful moments with the whole cast who mostly are old friends of theirs. She evaded the question if Guillaume was being difficult at home during filming – à la Guido Contini in Nine – but said that the two things can be balanced.

She was equally evasive about her character in ‘Inception‘ but said that it is not “Cat Woman” – the character is very complex and enigmatic. She has many different sides to her. She shares with Christopher Nolan the love of seeing a movie without knowing anything about it in advance.

Coming to Cannes doesn’t feel like an obligation. There are things she’s obliged to do – like talk about ‘Les Petits Mouchoirs‘ – but they’re agreeable to do. And she didn’t sing Karaoke last night at the concert – contrary to what the people on the show thought. But apparently, Guillaume sang – during a time when Marion wasn’t there.

She confirms ‘Midnight in Paris‘ – she doesn’t share a scene with Carla Bruni – and ‘Contagion‘. She also grabs the opportunity to gush about Kate Winslet. However, she was very reluctant about ‘Cosmopolis‘ since she’s still in talks. (This makes sense as Variety reported she was “attached” to the movie – this means she hasn’t signed anything and having her name attached to the project will hopefully help get the project made.) Moreover, she hasn’t heard anything about ‘The Rivals‘ in a long time – its development has definitely been put on ice. Sadly, they didn’t ask her about ‘Second Coming‘.

Gallery: 276 Talk Shows > Le Grand Journal à Cannes – 2010
Video: 001 Talk Shows > Le Grand Journal

Added captures of the new ‘Inception‘ trailer featuring Marion Cotillard – which you can watch in our Media Vault or in HD on Yahoo! Movies.

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