From December 2020 to June 2021, the rugby club opened its doors for a documentary. The historic double Top 14-European Cup convinced Pathé to take the plunge. “The stadiumwill be released this Wednesday at the cinema. Good or bad idea ?
For a few weeks, the Toulousans have been chambered. The story “insideof their formidable European championship-cup double for the 2020-2021 season on the big screen? But who do they think they are? And this title, Le Stade… Their “boulardwould there then be no limits? The cowries of the opposing supporters evacuated, is this film on the glorious epic of Stade Toulousain worth seeing? Our answer is yes. At the movie theater ? Why not. The plans are licked, the black-and-white gives a majesty to the suffering, to the shocks, to the expressions of the faces. The immersion is deep and the actors show themselves with sincerity. “We were in our midst, we didn’t play a role“, confirms Romain Ntamack.
We can regret that the most dramatic moments (Ntamack’s jaw fracture, Yoann Huget’s dramatic injury, synonymous with the end of his career, the few scenes of joy in the locker room, etc.) did not last longer. In favor of more repetitive scenes (increased concentration during bus journeys, training sessions filmed as close as possible). But, despite these few lengths and these small frustrations, the interest is there.
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The dull noise of the shocks, filmed in full tight, thus raised some cries of terror in the hall of the Grand Rex. And the motivational (or angry) monologues of manager Ugo Mola, the central character of this 1h47 film, hit the mark. Arousing a few laughs and lots of chills. We notice in passing his abusive use of the word whore (“ a punctuation in the Southwest », Assumes the former international back). Mola pronounces it 48 times according to Antoine Dupont, who, with his teammates, had fun counting them (we didn’t have that courage…).
“At the Stade Toulousain, we lack humility from time to time, we go beyond the limits, we come to new territories to evangelize. »
Didier Lacroix, president of Stade Toulousain
Players appreciate the rendering. “The film moved us a lot because it transcribes our season well. These are amazing memories “, confides Antoine Dupont to Figaro. And on the plane of the 7e art ? « I’m really surprised by the aesthetics of the film. It really is cinema. It goes beyond rugby», Considers the best player in the world. Which underlines the interest of broadcasting it in the cinema. “ He opens a door to enter this milieu. It’s easier to access for a layman who doesn’t know the rules of watching this movie than a game. For what message? “I hope that the spectators will see that, without sacrifice and without work, we cannot achieve our objectives. “Summarizes Romain Ntamack.
Do they regret showing up without a filter? “ Honestly no, replica Antoine Dupont. It respects our privacy while showing our daily lives. Afterwards, some passages will not come out and that’s fine as well…» Aren’t Ugo Mola’s warlike and offensive speeches likely to nourish the determination of future adversaries? Probably, but it’s assumed. “We would surely have reacted this way by seeing these speeches in other clubs, recognizes the scrum half of the XV of France. Afterwards, everyone knows that these locker room discussions are made to motivate, not to go out on a cinema screen. But there’s nothing bad about it either. It’s the same in all clubs. It’s an integral part of the sport…»
The president of the club, at the origin of this project, would almost claim it. “At the Stade Toulousain, we lack humility from time to time, we go beyond the limits, we come to new territories to evangelizelisted Didier Lacroix during the preview at the Grand Rex, between half-confession and irony towards the detractors. Only pretentious things that we are very proud of…»
“Any fiction script will ever be stronger than a sports script. In immersion, you never know what will happen five minutes later. »
Eric Hannezo, co-director of the film.
Co-director of this film with Eric Hannezo, Mathieu Vollaire has fun. “When they contacted us, they wanted to be the first in rugby to open their dressing rooms for a documentary. At the start, it wasn’t necessarily planned for the cinema, but we gave ourselves the possibility by doing the best possible technically and artistically. In black and white, which goes perfectly with rugby, an austere and raw combat sport. It would not be suitable for football, for example. But rugby needed to create a strong and identifiable visual identity. This first had to be remarkable “, justifies the cameraman with the Figaro.
The rushes pleased the decision-makers at Pathé, who said banco, decided to try “the big betof a release in dark rooms. “I’m scared to deathadmits Eric Hannezo, who is also one of the producers. It’s an incredible adventure to find yourself in the cinema, we measure it well. We hope to reach a wider audience than that of rugby.And to argue. “We are convinced that sport must meet cinema more frequently. It contains all the ingredients, everything that makes the salt of great human adventures: obstacles, asperities… Any fictional scenario will never be stronger than a sports scenario. In immersion, you never know what will happen five minutes later. We can’t predict anything. And then there, it wins on arrival. It feels good at this time.“With, in the event of public success, a potential sequel. The cameras have indeed continued to roll this season. In case…