Questions
Who directed The Fifth Element and when did it come out?
Luc Besson directed it, co-writing with Robert Mark Kamen, and it premiered on May 7, 1997 as the opening film of the Cannes Film Festival.
Is it true Luc Besson wrote it as a teenager?
Yes. Besson reportedly began writing the story at age 16, and he was 38 by the time the film premiered.
Who stars in the movie?
Bruce Willis plays taxi driver Korben Dallas, Milla Jovovich plays Leeloo, Gary Oldman plays the villain Zorg, Chris Tucker plays Ruby Rhod, and Ian Holm plays Vito Cornelius.
When is the film set?
It takes place in the 23rd century, specifically the year 2263, as Earth faces a malevolent cosmic entity that emerges every 5,000 years.
Did they make up a real language for Leeloo?
Besson invented a roughly 400-word fictional "divine language" for the character, and he and Milla Jovovich reportedly practiced it by holding conversations and exchanging letters in it.
Was Prince really supposed to play Ruby Rhod?
Prince was originally cast as Ruby Rhod but reportedly could not fit the film around his tour dates, and the role went to Chris Tucker.
Who else was considered for the leads?
Besson reportedly considered Mel Gibson for Korben Dallas, and Julia Roberts, Elizabeth Berkley, and Diane Kruger were among those looked at for Leeloo before Jovovich was chosen from hundreds of applicants.
Who designed those wild costumes?
Jean Paul Gaultier designed around 900 individual costumes, reportedly checking each one every morning, with a single jacket said to cost about $5,000.
Who actually sang the famous blue Diva opera scene?
The Diva Plavalaguna was played on screen by Maïwenn Le Besco, while Albanian soprano Inva Mula provided the singing voice, using Donizetti’s "Il dolce suono" from Lucia di Lammermoor.
Who created the film’s futuristic look?
Comic artists Jean "Moebius" Giraud and Jean-Claude Mezieres handled production design, and the flying taxi was inspired by Mezieres’s comic The Circles of Power.
How much did it cost and how did it do?
Made on a roughly $90 million budget that made it the most expensive European film at the time, it grossed about $263.9 million worldwide and was the 9th highest-grossing film of 1997.
Did it hold any box office records?
Yes. It was the highest-grossing French film internationally for 16 years, until The Intouchables surpassed it in 2011.
Did the movie win any awards?
It won the BAFTA for Best Special Visual Effects and three Cesar Awards including Best Director, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing.
Was there a lawsuit over the film?
Alejandro Jodorowsky and Jean Giraud sued claiming it plagiarized their comic The Incal, but the case was dismissed in 2004 on the grounds that only tiny fragments were used.
Is it considered a classic today?
Yes, it is widely regarded as a science-fiction cult classic, and the Visual Effects Society ranked it #50 on its list of most influential VFX films in 2007.
