Wednesday, July 19, 2006

"Tanguy" a rip-off? Yes and no

The French movie world is still debating the strange verdict given in the case of the film "Tanguy" on July 5. Three scriptwriters claim that the film is based on their script "Cherche parents désepèrement", as the premise and a number of key details are identical. The French court decided that "Tanguy" was not a copy of their script despite the similarities, but that the producer Téléma broke confidentiality by getting the director Etienne Chatiliez to read and (apparently) use elements of it.

This verdict bothers me. Either "Tanguy" is based on an original idea by the three writers, or it isn't. The judgment should stop there. It would seem impractical for a production company NOT to let a director read the script. How else could they determine if someone wants to shoot the thing?

There will most likely be an appeal.

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