I'll be making additions/subtractions to the thread shortly.

For now, here's a list of films:

20s
Le Passion de Jeanne d'Arc

30s
À nous la liberté
Le Million
Grand Illusion
Rules of The Game

40s
Beauty and the Beast (La belle et la bête)

50s
The 400 Blows
Les Diaboliques
Black Orpheus
Wages of Fear

60s
Stolen Kisses
Jules et Jim
Shoot The Piano Player
Breathless

70s
Bed and Board
Love on the Run
Two English Girls
Day For Night
Small Change
The Story of Adele H
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
The Phantom of Liberty

80s
The Last Metro
Confidentially Yours!
Jean de Florette
Manon of the Spring

90s-2000s
Amelie
A Very Long Engagement
Brotherhood of the Wolf
City of Lost Children
Triplettes of Belleville

That list may or may not be complete. I'll check for certain within the next two days. I, unfortunately, don't think I'm as well versed/have seen as much as some of the hosts here in the festival, but I'll try to do the best I can. I'll hopefully be catching a few more before this actually begins.

Some people may seem intimidated by the idea of French movies. "Nouvelle Vague" and the like. Well let me begin by ensuring everyone that, at least at this point in my life, I know very little about the French New Wave and such and such. I just know good movies. And France has a lot to choose from. So join me, here in the thread.

I'll add more info/etc. soon.

More info on some of these pictures:

The Passion of Joan of Arc- Carl Theodore Dreyer's landmark silent film was, for many years, thought lost, until it turned up in an insane asylum in Oslo. Marie Falconetti's performance has been hailed as one of the best in cinema; no argument here. The entire movie (which appears, with a few exceptions, to be shot completely in close-up- no establishing shots here) is told through her face. Her acting is not the type typically associated with silent film; it's a remarkably expressive performance, but not in the way one would think: it's all in her eyes. The most expressive eyes I have ever seen.

The movie is captivating and breathtaking, and you've never seen anything like it. Available on Criterion DVD.

Le Million- Rene Clair's 1931 charmer, it's the tale of a indebted man who leaves his winning lottery ticket in a jacket which was given away by his girlfriend to a criminal who sold it to.....you get the picture. The movie, chronicling his efforts to retrieve the jacket, is a hybrid of two filmmaking types you might not expect would go together: The Musical and a Silent picture.

Yes, the movie is a musical, with characters breaking into song to carry along the story. But some of this (specifically the slapstick scenes) seem to come from straight out of a Chaplin or Keaton film, with little or no sound acompanying them. It's a wonderful mix. The movie is sprightly, funny, with moments of innovation that take your breath away. A real hidden gem.Available on Criterion DVD.

Beauty and the Beast- Jean Cocteau's classic features remarkable set design and special effects, probably 25 years ahead of their time. Seriously; Hollywood hadn't yet done anything that approached these. I also highly recommend this to any fans of the Disney musical; If you were wondering its main influence, look no further than. The movie has no pretensions; it's a fairy tale, told magically and with great sophistication. While I think it is a slightly flawed movie, especially in regards to the ending, it should not be missed by anyone.

Also, if you have a heart, you're likely to fall in love with Josette Day as Belle. Available on Criterion DVD.

As is this

Oh my goodness. Black Orpheus! I think that movie is quite incredibly actually, and a very creative re-envisioning of the myth. I won't talk about it too much now, but I encourage anyone who might partake in this to check it out.

I know next to nothing of Discreet Charm, but have always wanted to see it. Is it worth it for me to try and get a hold of next week?

Also, a return rec, if possible, there's a film called The Trial of Joan of Arc by the same guy (I think) who did The Devil, Probably. The second reference was atrocious, but the first one was brilliant. I'll dig up the information and send it to you if you would like to take a rec from a member?

Just wondering, what appeals to you, generally, about French Film and what type. I love Kieslowski, and have found movies I'm reall yinto here or there, but in general, and especially the New Wave and Farce, have not resonated with me in the least. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts about it.

Above Trial of Joan of Arc, I'd have to say the number one movie you should see if you're interested in contemporary French (90's and later) is the Kieslowski Color Trilogy, and as much (if not more so) The Double Life of Veronique.

The 400 Blows
Amelie
A Very Long Engagement
Triplettes of Belleville
Blue
White
Red
Rififi

I can't imagine only having seen 8 French films ever...but that's all that comes to mind...

I know you saw Cleo from 5 to 7 as well. ;-)

Hmmmmm, I feel like I need to give the original Bird Cage a try, but can't get myself to do it. I'm going to wait to hear from Yoshue and then decide. I'll do my best to watch one from each festival thread.

Ah yes. And I'm sure there's more than that even...but none I can think of.

however, the library at my school has a pretty fantastic selection of VHS...I could probably see many of these through there.

but i dont have a VHS player maybe I'll pick one up for like 20 bucks or somethin. I know they had quite a few of Bunuel's stuff...including Discrete Charm, Phantom Liberty, and El (which I've heard is not readily available.) So yeah...hopefully this thing'll push me towards some more...been meaning to see many of these anyway.

Speaking of which, gotta make my way over to some of these other threads...

In regards to the original Birdcage (La Cage Aux Folles), I haven't seen it.

If you want my recommendation, and you only intend to watch one, I'm (obviously) going to suggest you watch 400 Blows. Besides being one of my favorite movies from anywhere, it's an integral part of French cinematic history, kicking off the French New Wave as it did. Truffaut was right in the middle of France's cinematic revolution, whether it be as a director, or as Journalist for Cahiers du Cinema. This is his first, and undisputedly most important, work. Some might tell you to watch Jules et Jim; not me.

But watch what you want, dolce. There's oh-so-much to choose from, including countless ones I'm yet to see.

I'm beginning to add to one of the posts above a more detailed description of those movies I recommend most highly.

Oh, I don't mind recs. I watch things for historic significance, etc, too. So I was going to wait to hear a bit about what you think of New Wave before giving the much touted 400 Blows (It's Kypade's favorite too) my selection. I might watch more, but I'm going to at least watch one. Full time work, full time school, still need to drink on occasion...you know how these things are.

So, I was wondering if you had any insight into New Wave cinema? This is one of the most troublesome periods for me. For the life of me I can't get into it. I recommended Cleo to Kypade because I thought it was decent, but I haven't fallen head over heels with any of the other's I've seen, including Rififi, etc. But when I think about it Trial of Joan of Arc http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059616/ by Robert Bresson was spectacular, and judging from the syle and date...I'd guess its considered New Wave. I really put these chronologically, because I have no other ideas about it outside of date (50's and 60's) and perhaps a bit about content (introduction of edgyness and disengaged people). I think, like the Italian films, I need a bit of the Romantics. Not romance, but romanticism. Probably why the farce and new wave ellude my complete embrace. Do you have a genre you prefer?

Please never watch Umbrellas of Cherbourg. I know its Denuevre's break through, but it really hurts.

Regrettably, especially as I am hosting this festival, I don't really have much insight in regards to the New Wave. As you can tell by looking at my list of viewed films, the New Wave is sorely, offensively underrespresented (400 Blows, Breathless (my only Godard, an exceedingly important figure in French cinema), Jules et Jim, Shoot The Piano Player). But I do understand where you're coming from in your rejection of them. A lot of these (best example: Shoot The Piano Player) are cold, distant. More interested in playing around with the conventions of cinema and homage than anything else. Especially these days, I would say its an aquired taste. As much as I'd like to tell you to go 400 Blows, maybe you would want to head to a different section of French film. Maybe some Bunuel surrealism or some Renoir social commentary or a thriller like Wages of Fear or Les Diaboliques. That said, in regards to the French New Wave, 400 Blows is as good as intro as you can get. And I don't think it falls into the cold and distant category.

Another recommendation I'll throw at you is (but it's TWO movies) is Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring. I don't know if you at all familiar with them, but they are essentially a two part story about ownership of a farm between two families. It's a lot more than that, I promise, and that sentence doesn't do them justice; it's powerful and funny. I'm just not sure how best to summarize it. Its a story about loyalty, friendship, revenge, among other things. These seem largely forgotten, but deserve to be seen.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON JEAN DE FLORETTE/MANON OF THE SPRING: I recommend a trip to the imdb page for Jean de Florette for anyone interested in the movie, but, whatever you do, do not visit the page for Manon of the Spring! It will give away Jean de Florette's ending, which is, of course, the starting point for Manon.

I highly recommend La Cage Aux Folles (sp?). It's one of the only French films I've seen, and it cracks me up big time. It's funny. Try it out!

I probably will try Maximus. I do have even less patience for the French Farce than the French New Wave however, so it's on my "if I have time" list. I'm pretty sure I'm going to check out 400 Blows.

Yoshue, I've already seen Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring, but thanks for the rec. Have you seen Children of Paradise? That's another one I would recommend to you.

I can get pretty much every one of these on VHS, so I may look at a few (if i figure out how to get the player working).

I have a question though...have you seen The Exterminating Angel? How does that compare to The Discreet Charm? They sound awefully similar - one a social satire/surrealist look at a dinner party in which the guests are interupted from eating, the other a social satire/surrealist look at a dinner party in which the guests are trapped by a mysterious force. Any idea if they're really so similar? And which is better?

La cage Aux Folles - if people get turned off by the over-the-top wackiness of The Birdcage, then this well-made farce is for them.

I was happy to learn that this movie was nominated for several Oscars.

Im watching A Very Long Engagement for this thread.


Amelie stands as my favourite film of all time; narrowly beating out another film with French themes - Chocolat.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101318/ is supposedly a great movie.

Both stores I went to didn't have 400 Blows. I'll keep looking...

Got my hands on La Cage aux Folles today. Will watch it this week. After the two films I just saw, I need a comedy. Honestly, I thought the American version, The Birdcage was pretty decent, but reviews have said this one is more subtle, and even better. So I thought I'd check it out. I'll be watching 400 Blows too, but need to wait until my credit card arrives in the mail so I can open an account at a place that has it but requires a card to start renting. So that will probably come up next weekend.

Amores Perros got you down?

I prefer the American version of The Birdcage (my favorite movie of all time), but La Cage aux Folles is probably the better film. You should get a laugh or two out of it

Unfortunately, I can't really vouch for the quality or content of the Exterminating Angel. I can tell you that Discreet Charm is a funny (and occasionally infuriating) piece of work. It's not one of my favorites, but its a true original, and worth watching. I've only seen it once though, and I intend to watch it again in the next few days. It's a pretty good introduction to Bunuel, at any rate.

Dolce, good luck finding 400 Blows. I'm not sure where you're looking, but the original Criterion DVD is out of print, and is now only available through the "Adventures Of Antione Doinel" box set. Which makes it next to impossible to find as a rental or in a store, unless you're dealing with a really good library or have Netflix.

I'd just recently seen City Of Lost Children for the first time. Anyone else seen it? It's got Jeunet's stamp all over it, and while I didn't understand the story for long stretches of time, the visuals were so mind-boggling that it never mattered. They're really something. I just wish the filmmakers had gone all the way and made it a silent film. The visuals are the real story here, and the dialogue only served to confuse things further. If it had been silent (with a score, obviously) it would easily have found its way into my top 20. Anyone else agree? As a silent film, it would have been just incredible.

My friend described it as 12 Monkeys meets the Goonies, a pretty apt description. Dolcevita would especially appreciate Ron Perlman's character, a circus strongman, who seems to be a direct homage to Anthony Quinn in La Strada.

Yoshue, I've appreciated only one juenet film, and that was A Very Long Engagement. City of LOst Children is off the wall, and I couldn't get through it because of the bugs. I have a massive phobia when it comes to any and all bugs, and can barely even look at them on a television screen.

Aside from that, I find his tendency towards tangents...alot of tangents...to be the equivalency of short attention span theate. The power he does have in single shots is completely dwarfed by his frenetic imagery. He's not even a sympolist, I always got the feeling he coached things in the frame the way he did juust because it was "cool."

City of Lost Children tried to be sort of Dali-esque surrealism, and it did work. There were moments that if you put the screen on pause were really striking, but it didn't work as a feature length experience for me. That and I find his content mind blowingly shallow. Especially Amelie, which couldn't even embrace the "edgyness" and claustrophobia of City. Amerlie was painful, and I was happy when Juenet finally reeled in his tendencies and found a story that actually matched his style instead of forcing his style onto a story. If you haven't seen Engagement, you may find it interesting because of the way the fatal night is continuously revisited (from different 3rd person narration, timeline, and with new information being introduced to the events). What that allowed Juenet to do was insert his 5 minute-segments, pretty much in a row, and still create a cohesive whole.

City of Lost Children never felt like a whole to me. Granted, I wimpered and never finsihed, but I did make it through about the first 45 min - hour. I also wouldn't doubt Juenet's homage to Felini, though its interesting he chose Quinn from La Strada instead of Mastroianni from 8 1/2 since the sort of choppy dream spaces seem more akin to the later work.

I should probably try to rewatch it, since it was one I saw about 5 years ago, and my perspective on Juenet has changes alot since I've seen two more of his movies.

BTW everyone, just finsihed La Caug aux Folles. I'll go over what I thought tomorrow, but suffice it to say, it was actually a pretty entertaining and heartfelt movie. What seperated from other movies of the type I've seen (like Tatie Danielle) is that its never too abbrassive, over the top, or rough around the edges. Its a pretty soft movie, and definately has its moments as well.


edit*** Take that back. I've actually already seen Delicatessen as well. Somehow forgot it was him. All I have to say is, I'm glad he's calmed down. He just seemed like he used to be a really snarky and bitter guy, and somewhere along the line decided to adopt a less sythetic and more approachable style, more humanist content instead of just what I felt was nothing pretending to be more than it was. Though admittedly, Delicatessen was kinda funny. Gross, but funny. :-)

La Cage aux Folles

What can I say about it that probably isn't well known from its American remake? Enough, but bear with me, because i don't remember The Birdcage all that well. I do however realize one of the most important aspects of La Cage is its date. 1978 is pretty early into gay subject matter for mainstream cinema. Yeah...even for the French. The fact that its genuinely light-hearted and has already established the gender and sexual orientation of its protagonists from the get-go is another plus.

This is not a comedy were anyone has an identity crisis. In fact, this one scene where Albin (Michel Serrault) tries to affect the habits of a straight man, he admits he looks and feels rediculous in his fake-skin. So, why this movie won me over?

The actual meeting of the two families is reserved for perhaps only the last 20 minutes of the movie. Director Molinaro takes a good long while building up both couples, jumping back and forth between Renato/Albin and the Charriers. In both cases, he's never over the top, but I'd venture to say if he were, it would actually be on the side of the Charriers who's patriarch is fleeing the abuse of the media after the president of his political party for moral values is found dead in the arms of an underage, black prostitute. He's opposed to his daughter getting married, and of course she's lied about the parentage of her groom-to-be, but he still thinks she's too young. In a moment of manipulative creativity, Mrs. Charrier convinces her husband the only way to rise above the tabloids of the dead presiednt is to have a good 'ol fashioned white wedding with another respectable family helping out.

Now Renato and Albin are interesting because neither one of them really looks as though I expected. Especially Albin, who really has a sort of generic middle aged man look fully equipped with balding, etc. But the two of them win you over because they're going on their 20th Anniversary and they just know eachother so well. There are three scenes I loved. The first is when son Laurent first comes home and announces his marriage plans. Renato, and later Albin, always slide sly little comments about the woman (they haven't met her) as a sort of joke about how she's stealing their boy from them. And Albin decides they'll remake his room with a double bed for when the couple visits, but basically, you kinda feel for these parents that crack self-depracatory jokes about losing their only son to his new family. But they're good natured about it.

The second scene is when Renato tries to convince Albin that he needs a vacation (to get him out of the house for the dinner visit). It takes ALbin maybe two seconds to realize its a ploy, and Albin points out that he knows all of Renato's habits, and knows when he's being lied to. On their 20th anniversary no less.

Then of course there's the training scene. its just in a bar, and is about buttering toast and walking like John Wayne, but it goes poorly. Its well paced and not drawn out to the point I got bored, and ALbin kind of laughs the whole time because he's nervous and has a sense he won't be able to get it right.

I do like when the families finally meet, and Jacob, their shoe-less assistant is hysterical when he has to dawn footwear for the first time. The chaos of the dinner meeting is not overdone and just about the perfect amount of time.

Also, except for the Greek naked dinner plates, most of the encounter avoids being 'flaming." The humour instead just comes from this small disconnect that the director had spent the whole previous hour+ building between this desperate family that's trying to redeem it political aspirations, and this desperate couple that knows they're about to give up their son and just want to make him happy and help him acheive his dreams as best they can.

Glad to see you liked La cage, Dolce.

Nominated for 3 oscars in the 1980 ceremony - Best Director (!!!), Adapted Screenplay and Costume Design.

I'll try to catch La Cage Aux Folles and chime in...I like The Birdcage quite a bit- it's a tad sitcommish, but its light, funny, and has a great cast having a great time.

I just watched Clouzot's WAGES OF FEAR again. What a masterpiece of suspense; I had underrated it quite a bit. From the Treasure of Sierra Madre-esque opening 45 minutes, to the start of the suspenseful portion, this is intense, thrilling stuff. It's the story of four men who undertake the task of transporting two truckloads of Nitro through Central America. I don't want to spoil anything here, in case nobody else has seen it, so I'll leave it at that for now. HAS anyone seen it?

HIGHLY recommended. It feels very Western in its construction (not unlike Kurosawa's often did), moreso than a lot of French output.

By construction, you mean pacing? Choice of storyline? The French have a pretty diverse industry. Hence the comedies, action movies, the fact that they actually have cast Monica Bellucci. In comment to Juenet (from before) even when he goes high gloss and finish, its still not the same feel. On the other hand, it seems their suspense movies especially, are like you just described. Have you seen The Crimson Rivers? They have a star system with people like Binoche and Reno that have pretty much starred in huge blockbusters, comcoms, action movies, dramas, and are well known internationally.

I've never heard of Wages of Fear though.

I have seen several movies from that list, but most recently I caught the original of Taxi on TV once again. A decent movie which is obviously "French" in the way it approaches things (like gratuitous nudity and such, hehe). It is a funny movie, but disappoints in the action department. Haven't seen the remake, but this one was enjoyable. Samy Naceri was pretty good in this one. I remember the sequel being even more fun. I'd give this one a B.