Man, I don't know what it is about my library, here, but nothing is ever in stock...and I just found out today I'm 4th -FOURTH - in line for the book I asked to be held. Oh well...I'll get around to Discreet Charm sooner or later.

I did, however, manage to get Black Orpheus...and though the language/setting is pretty clearly not French, I'll take your word on it...Camus sounds French enough, anyway. Just started, but wanted to comment that thus far it is stunningly gorgeous a film. Always a big plus in my book.

@ dolce-
Question... In a comment above you say Amelie was shallow, painful.. In a second thread you say you need romanticism... Wasn't Amelie total romantacism??? or partiallly so??
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cheers.... a romantic.....

@Kypade - Its Portuguese that I had been aware (language) and takes place in Rio (Brazil) during Carnival. It is stunning, and perhaps yoshueknows better Camus' work. Could be the way I consider Blow-Up Italian because of Antonioni even though it was shot in London with British Actors. Depends on production, cinemtography, director, etc. Dunno. Either way, its breathtaking and a great film.

@Gardenia - Remember you had suggest Orfeo as a horror movie, and I had actually referred to Black Orpheus (for obvious reasons). So you might find it interesting to peak at once as well.

As for Amelie, no I didn't find it romanticized. I often confuse the word, and others only get what I mean after wards. I mean a romantic vision, not a romance. Amelie, in theory, had some romantic moments, but just felt empty to me. While Juenet's earlier works didn't feel like they had either romanticism or romance, they didn't resonate with me for those reasons. The problem with Amelie, to me, was that it could of worked if Juenet hadn't been so caught up in forcing his style on an incompatible story rather than picking a storyline that compliments his style. Amelie was incredible saccahrine, the entire running Renoir theme was irritating, and Tatou just outright creeped me out in that film. Am I making any sense?

Ya can do a lot worse than The Girl on the Bridge...

Oh... and another one it reminds me of: Betty Blue...

Both with that most pleasant brand of Gallic depressingness...

Oh, cool, I didn't know you'd seen it, too.

Anyway...I almost feel bad that I've been so blown away (generally) by all these random foreign films lately.

I LOVED it. Honestly, from the opening scenes to the last frame (which, btw, is possibly the greatest ending I've ever seen), the film was outstanding. I started to type up some in depth thoughts, but got sidetracked, so I'll post them tomorrow.

Brotherhood of the Wolf - An interesting fantasy/action flick with good visuals and a distinct "European" feel to it. The reveal of the main villain was well-done. I was disappointed about Marc Dacascos' demise as his character was pretty much the best in the entire movie. A good story, but the movie is way too overlong. Should have been shortened by about 20 minutes. Monica Belucci is good, but her character is kind of wasted. Overall a good B.

@ Dolce... We have an older man with a telescope keeping an eye on a younger woman and vice-versa with Amelie's binocs... This is the near perfect idea of romantic vision, isn't it?? After all he is Mr. Glass and can't be touched... Isn't that the def of vision??... Yes it is sugar in a sour world, part of it's appeal... I hoped.... Even says so in the titles of ads.. DAZZLING>>> my dear, DAZZLING.. Annouces herself... Pure romance and romanticism, both... In my humble way...
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cheers...
call me brother.................... Emily is my sister......

Wow! I actually liked The 400 Blows!

I'm still trying to formulate what I thought of the film, because its not as easy to understand as I first felt. Aside from its technical achievement (the rotary scene was especially good) and the fact that the camera's eye really meanders along the streets as though it itself was a middle school boy playing hookie from class, Truffaut really had something to say about "Children Left Behind." He was incredibly sympathetic to a boy that, when push comes to shove, stole expensive equipment, skipped school regularly, was failing all his homework, and kept running away. If I had a kid like that, I'm not sure what I'd do either.

I'd want to get them help, but certainly wouldn't respond as the Doinels did. But they're busy, working class, never around, tired, and didn't want him. Where 400 Blows differs from, say Contempt, is that rather than focus on the bitterness of the couple, Truffaut still kept a warm, sympathetic eye on Antoine. Oddly, Antoine is not a great kid, but I'm assuming 400 Blows stands for all the small obstacles that are stacked against his success. Everything from his teachers, to his living condition, to his parents, to the clinic.

I'll say more later when I've thought about it, but that quick end with him was just painful. I thought at first, "Oh he's never seen the sea, he gets to see it." But then I just said, great, what's he going to do now? His life is ruined. Either that, or was his reachig the sea (for the first time) a sort of suicide metaphor?

Dunno. But when he was running, for so long, and the landscape going by, refusing to do a film cut, or soundtrack, and just the drawn out single shot, was incredibly inspired.



edit***Kypade, so you already saw Black Orpheus? What did you think? Fantastic and quite haunting no?

Indeed. At once the most beautiful and heartbreaking love story I've ever seen, I think. The epitome of the term "emotional rollercoaster." It starts off so amazingly high and fun and beautiful, and introduces these amazing, real characters and this phenomenal love(r) story. I was just so involved and in love with how beautiful everything was. And then the masked man shows up and it's ripped down to the darkest, depressive depths. (that wasn't on purpose, I swear). It changes to completely sad and hard to watch. And I was still incredibly involved, though now out of sadness. Orfeo's trip back up the hill with Eurydices towards the end made me happy again; the fall, depressed again. The shot of the two all tangled up in eachother at the bottom was, again, happy, and with the ending (as I mentioned one of my favorite ever), it goes out on almost as high a note as it starts.

I also really loved the fact that, while yes, it is a retelling of a myth, (one which I knew almost nothing of going in), it isn't straight up Orfeo is Orpheus and Eurydices is...Eurydices. It was aware of the paralells, and made it clear it was aware. Of course, without this clarification it would still tell the same myth...but it just felt more real and interesting this way.

So yes, I loved it. Truly an amazing, memorable experience. In fact, after another viewing or so, I could definitely see it sitting in my top ten list of all time, though admittedly no such list exists.

The guitar at sun-rise. That movie had a great soundtrack too. One of the few times I've noticed it was a positive contribution to a film (though I often notice when its negative). The entire film really excited the senses, and was sympathetic to their errors while being nerve-wreacking the entire time. And the imagery and colors. It was a simple time-less tale that put a face on every character involved, made it alot more approachable...without losing that universal aspect. On my top 100 too.

Wow, all this Black Orpheus praise!

The one time I've been exposed to it was during an especially tired and cranky day...I remember that particular day quite well. And while I did like it, I was not in love, and I knew even then that I didn't appreciate it as much as I should have.
But the last 30 minutes or so, even on that awful day, really struck me, especially that ending that everyone is so right so single out as marvelous. I'll have to go buy the DVD next time I am out.

Dolce, I am so unspeakably glad that you liked 400 Blows, easily in my top 10. And you're right on with what I also think is the key to the movie's success: Truffaut's sympathy toward Antoine. He never passes judgement, and he understands (of course he does...elements of the film are somewhat autobiographical) why Antoine does what he does. 400 Blows is not as dry or cold as your typical New Wave film (*cough* Godard *cough*). It's also gloriously unflinching. Truffaut doesn't shy away from Antoine's troubles, both those he brought about himself and those imposed on him by others. The movie should be so downbeat as to be unwatchable, but it's not. There's that unspoken warmth between Truffaut and the character of Antoine, even if the characters don't show him any, that carries us through the film.

You mentioned the unbroken 'running away' shot at the end of the film. That was the moment when I realized I didn't merely like the 400 Blows, but that I was destined to have a passionate, long-lasting love affair with it.

There was that list made by some group last year of the films every child should see. 400 Blows was on it, and I thought that was a marvelous, interesting choice. It's not typically classified as a "kids" movie, but I think children could learn alot, and really identify with Antoine. Well, smart children, anyway.

Do so! And I swear its not just my fascination with macabre saying this!



Well, that's the thing about Godard. I only saw Contempt, and a bit of And God Created Women, and I admit I was struck by the "reality" and bluntness of less than sweet emotions, but in the end I felt like that was it. It was completely dry to me, whereas here, while the couple does fight and bicker, its tied to something bigger than the director being astute at the different ways people tear eachother apart.

He was incredibly sympathetic to Antione, and almost all the school children scenes are quite humorous. When all the boys slwoly sneak out of fitness class, the way the camera wonders around the city with him as he skips school and goes to the movies and circus. The way he plays backgammon with his friend while having wine and smoking cigars like a "big boy." I even had sympathy for the parents *until the end.* When his mother tries to support and bribe him to write a good paper. And when the house almost burns she shrugs it off and gets everyone to go to the movies because she doesn't want to punish him for creating a votive to Balzac. I'd definately not know what to do at that point either.

I don't agree with what they did, and clearly neither does Truffault, and I think it comes through in how how harshly he addresses the police and clinic treating the boys. I'm still not sure if the seashore at the end had a larger symbolic meaning, but either way, it pretty tasted of his doomed future.

Sad, but not hitting one over the head with it during the viewing experience. Moreso in the aftermath....

The weirdest French movie I ever saw was Irma Vep. It was a comedy that was a statement about how esoteric and weird French movies were, but was itself very esoteric and strange. Had a few slow moments, but was just odd enough to be interesting for me.

I just saw one of the weirdest movies of the last few years...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375233/ It's going to be released in US on October 21st (just checked IMDB's release dates for the film)

not for everyone's tastes, but worth a look imo, even if I thought the ending to be frustrating given the premise - it starts with a group of girls opening a coffin and a little girl coming out of the coffin (alive, heh).. they're in a private school in the woods studying ballet and natural sciences and they can't cross the borders of the "community" (just like in The Village, which I loved), just to give some clue of the weirdness of this one.. I'd give it a C+, which is a very decent grade in my scale

@android - Looked it up. Never even heard of it. I'm guessing you're right, because you live in Portugal its not in release here yet. It has a very new, 2004 date attached to it, and seems very small budget. When it comes here, it probably will test itself on two theatres and go from there, but I don't seen it getting much coverage.

Girls in boarding school. Hmmmm, where have I heard that before? Android, would you consider this a horror? mysticism? Like Suspiria or Picinic at Hanging Rock? etc.....


@Tony - Loved Irma Vep. Its pretty much about an actress who is so alientated in a space, that she gets really into the character she's portraying. To the point where she becomes that character one night. Thinking about it, if you're going to break down the psychological barrier between an actress and her content, the Queen of the Vampires is a hot pick! Like how Chueng doesn't understand a thing anyone says through the whole movie, and just smiles and nods alot. And I have to say, actually, the footage at the end when the director has scratched everything (the reel within the reel part) was really quite striking and memorable.

If that's weird and esoteric for you..stay away from andy French movie with mimes!

We're having a French Festival in here.. they're showing almost 30 new releases.. including movies like Caché, the sequel to L'Auberge Espagnole, etc. ...


As for "Innocence"..it's one of these movies that it's hard to put it in a category... it's just... intriguing... sometimes quite creepy, because you don't know what's exactly happening in there (but it's definitely not a horror film).. like when the oldest girls in each house (the ones with the purple ribbon - they all use ribbons of different colors) leave their houses at nine o' clock everyday...

there's definitely some mysticism in there too.. they have to follow specific rules, and there are a few moments worthy of a movie directed by David Lynch,... (oh, and the opening uses the same device as Irreversible, showing the end credits first - the director is known for working with Gaspar Noé in two of his movies)

it was "fun" to guess... even if the solution was too simple for the premise and left way too many questions unanswered..

I know I'm late, but I love seeing the praise for La Cage...

Truly one of my favorite movies! And, so long as the festival isn't ending soon, I plan on renting 400 Blows.

Well, it was supposed to end today, but I'm squeezing in a movie tomorrow after my midterm (with a beer...to relax, heh) and BJ just got a ton of movies (he pm'd me) and I know Michael is watching LDV soon, so I think if you guys like I'll leave this open a little longer. With the admin change-over, etc, I don't want to be bugging someone right now to reshuffle the threads into the general forum. So lets try another week. Does that sound good for everyone?

Fab.

Thanks.

These are two of my all time favorite movies. They are all the things yoshue says about them plus simply gorgeous to behold, and, to add to the list of adjectives, perhaps most important, a story of exquisite tragedy.

It's interesting that these two are grouped as they are...as one story, even though Manon of the Spring takes place years later than Jean De Florette. Personally, I thought Manon was far inferior in sotry, charctetization, and all the people involved truly deserved what was coming to them. *spoilers* I really thought the attraction, and the man's downfall were slight. I remember cringing when he sowed her ribbon onto his chest in the shower, and just thinking the director didn't do a good job displaying his obsession as being partly due to his own guilt in her father's death in the past. It descended into a bit of a love denied theme with the older brother being a barrier. It would have worked better if his obsession had been more ambiguous in nature. *end spoilers*

I did like Jean de Florette though, and feel like it was a complete story in of itself.

Jean de Florette definitely can stand alone just fine, while Manon of the Spring would not have nearly the same impact without seeing Jean de Florette.

Dolce,

Due to Netflix issues (payment problem, it's settled now), I won't be expecting DVDs for another week. Sorry for having you keep this open...



Hopefully I can still find these threads and post in a week or two?

Night and Fog (dir: Alain Resnais, writ: Jean Cayrol)

I'm not going to talk about it much. Its the hardest documentary I've ever sat through in my life. 30 minutes and twice I thought about turning it off. I wish I had, the last 6 or so minutes spared no detail of atrocity. Hair piled high, beheaded bodies for soap, the crematoriums, everything that the documentor walked through only ten years after it's use. Looking for fingernail scratchings in the gas chambers.

I was vaguely aware that this would be the reflections of a survivor ten years after the writer's experiences in Auschwitz and Majdanek. But I was not prepared for the parallel architectural study and archical footage of such torture and death.

One is about ethnic cleansing, and Resnais pleads to us at the close to keep our eyes open for, genodie did not end in that time and place. But the other is about what made the Holocaust not just a genocide. Sad to admit it, but the technical planning, the business, the technology, the cold calculation. The two together has always been a discussion, but looking at it, like this, is an onslaught to the senses. I don't think anyone who sees this will sleep for weaks, and I admit I almost became ill when he lingered on the shaved female hair.