The Fifth Element (1997)
youtube.comThe Fifth Element is a French sci-fi action film directed by Luc Besson, starring Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm, and Chris Tucker. Set in the 23rd century, the story follows the idea that every 5,000 years a "Great Evil" appears to destroy life. The only defense is a weapon made up of four elemental stones - earth, water, fire, and air - along with the Fifth Element, a supreme being. When the alien Mondoshawans are ambushed while returning the stones and the Fifth Element to Earth, scientists reconstruct the supreme being from recovered DNA, producing a young woman named Leeloo.
Ruthless industrialist Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman) has hired mercenaries to seize the stones. Leeloo escapes the scientists and stumbles into the taxi of Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis), a former elite commando now living a monotonous life. Together with space priest Father Vito Cornelius, they race to recover the four stones and assemble the weapon before the Great Evil destroys Earth. In the climax, Leeloo - initially disheartened by humanity's violent history - is moved by Korben's declaration of love, activating her power and saving the world.
5 Interesting Facts
1. Besson began writing the story as a teenager. Luc Besson wrote the early screenplay during his high school year of 1975, having conceived the story and its entire universe since childhood as an escape from a lonely upbringing. He was just 16 when he started writing - but 38 when the film finally opened in theaters.
2. It was the most expensive European film ever made at the time. Costing approximately $90 million, The Fifth Element was the most expensive European film ever made at the time of its release.
3. The iconic Diva Dance aria contains physically impossible notes. When composer Eric Serra showed soprano Inva Mula the sheet music for the Diva Dance, she told him that some of the notes were humanly impossible to sing because the human voice cannot change notes that fast. She performed the notes one by one in isolation, and they were digitized to fit the music.
4. Besson deliberately kept the film bright and colorful. Luc Besson demanded that most of the action shots take place in broad daylight, as he was tired of the dark spaceship corridors and dimly lit planets common in science fiction, and wanted a brighter, "cheerfully crazy" look.
5. Bruce Willis took a pay cut - and it paid off. Willis wasn't the first choice for the role of Korben Dallas, but he told Besson that if he liked the script, they'd figure the money out. Two hours later, Willis signed on, taking a reduced salary upfront and a percentage of profits. Since the film earned over $263 million at the global box office, his gamble paid off handsomely.
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