The conflagration – The fire of revolt ignites this evening on TMC

There are sequels which extend a saga, and others which transform it. Released in 2013, Hunger Games: Catching Fire (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) belongs to this second category. This evening, TMC plunges spectators back into the totalitarian world of MrOr Katniss Everdeenperformed by Jennifer Lawrencebecomes much more than a survivor: a political spark.

When victory becomes a threat

After triumphing in the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss et Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) taste poisoned glory. Their victory, supposed to symbolize the order of the Capitol, instead becomes the ferment of a revolt.
The president Snow (Donald Sutherland) understands that the young woman has become a symbol — a hope for the oppressed. To extinguish it, he decides on a cynical maneuver: the next Games, those ofExpiationwill pit the former winners against each other. In other words, Katniss must return to the arena.

The trap is perfect: transforming her into a martyr without wanting to. But in Panem, even the arenas end up burning.

The breath of politics and the staging of control

Under the direction of Francis Lawrencewho succeeds Gary Ross, the franchise takes on a new dimension. Catching Fire leaves the simple terrain of survival to become a parable about propaganda, surveillance and image manipulation.
Each speech, each dress, each gesture is staged – like so many weapons in a media war where resistance is at the heart of the spectacle.

The film opens with the victory tour, a charade orchestrated by the Capitol, and closes with an act of pure disobedience: an arrow shot against the system. Between the two, tension rises, fueled by a denser, colder staging, where the bluish light contrasts with the heat of the districts.

Jennifer Lawrence, figure of revolt

Carried by a Jennifer Lawrence At the top of her game, Katniss is no longer just an action heroine: she becomes a tragic icontorn between her public role and her intimate truth.
Around her, the distribution strengthens: Philip Seymour Hoffman joins the saga in an ambiguous role, that of High Judge Heavensbee, while Jena Malone, Sam Claflin or even Jeffrey Wright enrich the gallery of characters.

A global success and a cultural turning point

With $865 million at the global box office, Catching Fire imposes itself as the highest-grossing film of 2013 in the United States.
But beyond the figures, it marks a turning point: the transition from an adolescent saga to a global political work.
Beneath its blockbuster trappings, the film questions the making of heroes, the power of images and the fine line between entertainment and propaganda.

Technical sheet

• Titre original : The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

• Realization : Francis Lawrence

• Scenario : Michael Arndt, Simon Beaufoy

• Based on the work of: Suzanne Collins

• Musique : James Newton Howard

• Duration : 2h26

• Distribution : Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Sam Claflin

• Pays : UNITED STATES

• Sortie : 2013