Dilili in Paris, an animation film by Michel Ocelot, tells a thrilling story about the attempts at tracking down the Master Men, a gang of girls’ kidnappers in Paris, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
From the very start, the audience’s curiosity is aroused about Dilili, a little girl of French and Kanak descent, becoming more and more emotionally engaged as she gets entangled in almost every incident the story twines around.
Dilili looks small and dark especially when seen with the strikingly fair-skinned French. If her physical appearance is nothing particularly noteworthy, she draws attention in more captivating ways. Probably due to her refined upbringing despite her humble background, she is very careful about her good manners. She thus easily gains the trust and friendship of the people she meets, among whom quite a few are of high social status.
Together with Orel, the delivery boy, Dilili goes on a sequence of visits to his friends, bringing the audience on a breathtaking and compelling trip of investigation. With an eagle eye, Dilili is smart enough to identify a suspect, even one that seems absolutely harmless. She can fare very well in the various social circles she is introduced to, enabling herself to seek information important for the investigation. Through eavesdropping, for example, she succeeds in hunting for useful clues. And, amusingly, her casual rope skipping also plays a part in the arrest of two jewel robbers. Above all, she displays great courage when she herself gets trapped in the horrendous situation of the kidnapped victims. This way, the film keeps the audience in suspense at one moment and then leaves them breathing a sigh of relief at another.
Moreover, the animation also casts light on a period when several historical firsts for women in France were made. It depicts some of the renowned historical figures who were often present in the city at the time, including Emma Calves, the most famous French female opera singer, and Marie Curie, the first woman of the Nobel Prize. In fact, female supremacy in society during that period had been the cause of jealousy leading to the kidnap case with the related evil acts of male suppression and abuse of women and girls.
In addition, with its beautiful animation, Dilili in Paris presents Paris as a centre of cultural history during the La Belle Epoque era, when the arts flourished and gained recognition. The 2-D characters are placed alongside beautiful photo-realistic Parisian backdrops, giving the audience the chance to feast their eyes on the authentic masterpieces of theater, music and visual art while enjoying an engaging and fascinating story.
However, despite the sumptuous visuals, Dilili in Paris is more than a mere eye candy. It is a mystery movie that would attract both adults and kids. It is also recommendable to teachers and students interested in a meaningful lesson on French cultural history.
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