In 1955, Éric Rohmer published a series of articles entitled Le Celluloïd et le Marbre in the Cahiers du cinéma. He made a controversial and disenchanted survey of the 20th century, to better enhance by contrast the true modernity of cinema. Ten years later, Rohmer uses this principle in a film where he asks a number of contemporary artists to situate their art in relation to cinema.Read More »
Voice Over :
Féodor Atkine
Slide show on Raphael’s drawings, produced for the Grand Palais.
A film that begins with: “The Madonnas of the Comberian period still have a very Peruginesque layout” can only belong on this blog, and so much the worse if it is an improbable film without credits and practically without trace. An order that didn’t come through? Notes for a future film? A personal exercise? We don’t really know. In any case, here is our Rohmer in ecstasy in front of Raphael’s sketches, filming them head-on in an attempt to bring out their construction, evolution and beauty. A Jesus on his stomach, then standing up, and our guy is as excited as a flea, which translates into a sepulchral tone of voice (ah this Limousin accent!) and an array of learned words and old-fashioned expressions.Read More »
Quote:
Magali, 45, is a wine producer in the south of France. She’s a widow, and her best friend, Isabelle, decides to find her a new husband. She puts an ad in the local newspaper and finds a nice man, Gérald. At Isabelle’s daughter’s wedding, Magali eventually meets Gérald. But there’s another man around, Etienne…Read More »
Quote:
Sabine vows to give up married lovers, and is determined to find a good husband. Her best friend Clarisse introduces her to her cousin Edmond, a busy lawyer from Paris. Sabine pursues Edmond, with the encouragement of Clarisse, but Edmond does not seem very interested.Read More »
Quote:
Louise lives with Rémi in Marne-la-Vallée. He is an architect, she is an interior decorator. Their lives would be perfect if Rémi were less of a homebody, and if Louise were not such a night owl. Conscious of preserving her independence, Louise rents a pied-à-terre in Paris. Octave, her friend and confidant, is always ready to accompany her during her night prowls. One evening, beneath a full moon, and Octave’s jealous, loving gaze, she succumbs to the charms of a sensual dancer. As day breaks she realises, however, that she would much rather be with Rémi.Read More »
A 2008 French language short film directed by Annie Balkarash. The film screened at Bilbao International Festival of Documentary and Short Films in 2022.Read More »
Quote:
In Paris outskirts Blanche, a young clerk, befriends Lea, a girl livelier than she is. Lea is going steady with Fabien who is a friend to Alexandre who is going steady with Adrienne but is however loved by Blanche. Somehow a way has to be found to get out of this emotional chaos!Read More »
Synopsis:
The mayor (Pascal Greggory) of this unpolished provincial town has plans for a beautiful field on the edge of town, and he’s quite sure they will be put through the central government in time to help him with his political career. He intends to replace the field with a sports and “cultural” center, along with a large parking lot. The only overt opposition to this plan at the outset comes from an environmentally sensitive grammar school teacher (Fabrice Luchini), and he’s hardly a threat, because he doesn’t imagine he can successfully oppose the builders’ designs. Meanwhile, the mayor has fallen in love with one of the local representatives of the intelligentsia, a woman novelist (Arielle Dombasle). Trouble begins to percolate into the mayor’s life and thwart his plans when his daughter and the daughter of the schoolteacher become friends.
~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie GuideRead More »
Synopsis:
Thirty-four year old engineer Jean-Louis has just started a new job in Clermont. He leads a relatively solitary life not knowing anyone in town besides his work colleagues, he who has made a conscious decision that they should not become his de facto friends just because they work together. His choice not to socialize in town is due also in part to his situation and needing to make the long daily commute to/from Ceyrat where he currently lives. He has had his fair share of women over the course of his adult life, he now choosing to adhere more closely to his Catholic beliefs in approaching romantic and sexual relationships with women solely in the goal of love and marriage. Although not knowing her or having talked to her, he believes the pretty blonde he sees at church at Sunday morning services is the woman destined to be his wife.Read More »