So, Luc Besson is, absolutely, a creep, no question about that, but I’ve never actually seen any believable evidence of this claim about making the film “explicitly pedo.”
Yes, I’m aware of the snippet of an “early script draft” going around with a sex scene between Leon and Mathilda. But I’ve only ever seen that one snippet. I’ve never been able to find a copy of the full draft it purports to be from and I’ve never been able to find any evidence that said draft actually exists. None of the actors have ever talked about it, which is weird given that you’d think at least Natalie Portman would right? She’s reached peak “Not having to give a fuck.” I do know that what Portman has said about her time on the movie has been entirely positive. She never seemed to feel that there was any danger to her from the material, even looking back as an adult.
I’m absolutely willing to be wrong here. If there’s evidence that I’ve missed, I’m willing to see it (almost said ‘happy to see it’ but obviously ‘happy’ wouldn’t be the right word here), but as far as I can tell it’s just a sensational rumour someone invented for clicks because it sounded believable enough after all the other stuff came out about Besson.
As regards what is there in the movie, well, yeah, it’s supposed to be really uncomfortable. It’s a story about two people who are, each in their own way, deeply vulnerable to exploitation. Exploitation is a common theme in Besson’s work, which is horribly ironic really (like Gaiman it sort of feels like he was telling on himself). I’m not sure if I agree with the idea of feeling “ashamed” of liking a movie that explores serious themes in a serious way. The world is full of terrible things and we need art that explores that effectively. For all the creator’s flaws, Leon The Professional is a very effective and well crafted story.
So, Luc Besson is, absolutely, a creep, no question about that, but I’ve never actually seen any believable evidence of this claim about making the film “explicitly pedo.”
Yes, I’m aware of the snippet of an “early script draft” going around with a sex scene between Leon and Mathilda. But I’ve only ever seen that one snippet. I’ve never been able to find a copy of the full draft it purports to be from and I’ve never been able to find any evidence that said draft actually exists. None of the actors have ever talked about it, which is weird given that you’d think at least Natalie Portman would right? She’s reached peak “Not having to give a fuck.” I do know that what Portman has said about her time on the movie has been entirely positive. She never seemed to feel that there was any danger to her from the material, even looking back as an adult.
I’m absolutely willing to be wrong here. If there’s evidence that I’ve missed, I’m willing to see it (almost said ‘happy to see it’ but obviously ‘happy’ wouldn’t be the right word here), but as far as I can tell it’s just a sensational rumour someone invented for clicks because it sounded believable enough after all the other stuff came out about Besson.
As regards what is there in the movie, well, yeah, it’s supposed to be really uncomfortable. It’s a story about two people who are, each in their own way, deeply vulnerable to exploitation. Exploitation is a common theme in Besson’s work, which is horribly ironic really (like Gaiman it sort of feels like he was telling on himself). I’m not sure if I agree with the idea of feeling “ashamed” of liking a movie that explores serious themes in a serious way. The world is full of terrible things and we need art that explores that effectively. For all the creator’s flaws, Leon The Professional is a very effective and well crafted story.