France

  • Gaston Modot – Conte cruel (1930)

    1921-1930DramaFranceGaston ModotSilent
    Conte cruel (1930)
    Conte cruel (1930)

    The escape of a man during the Spanish Inquisition.
    The only film directed by actor Gaston Modot,
    the merciless tale of Villiers de l’Isle-Adam “Conte cruel”Read More »

  • Jean Renoir – Le crime de Monsieur Lange (1936)

    Jean Renoir1931-1940ComedyDramaFrance
    Le crime de Monsieur Lange (1936)
    Le crime de Monsieur Lange (1936)

    Richard T. Jameson wrote:
    Little known stateside but long esteemed in Europe, The Crime of Monsieur Lange is simply one of the very greatest films directed by Jean Renoir (it was made a few years before Grand Illusion and Rules of the Game). René Lefèvre (Le Million) takes the title role of a nebbish who clerks for a penny-press publisher by day, and by night writes feverish potboilers about a Western hero named “Arizona Jim”. Lange’s encyclopedically venal boss (Jules Berry) discovers his secret and immediately starts exploiting it, as he exploits everybody and everything within range. Life sublimely imitates pulp fiction and vice versa in the brilliant screenplay by Jacques Prévert (who would later write Children of Paradise). The movie blends sociopolitical protest, tender satire, and astonishing poetry without breaking a sweat, and its climax – an amazing synthesis of theme, dramatic, emotion, and inspired camerawork – is one of the transcendent moments in screen history.Read More »

  • Jean Stelli – Dernier amour AKA Last Love (1949)

    1941-1950DramaFranceJean Stelli
    Dernier amour (1949)
    Dernier amour (1949)

    Synopsis:
    One day Hélène, happily married to Alain, sees her husband reading a telegram signed by a mysterious “Minou”. Soon Alain goes on a business trip to London and brings back his young and pretty relative named Michèle. Tormented by jealousy but still uncertain about the nature of Michèle and Alain’s relationships, Hélène tries to insinuate herself into the girl’s life, – with unforeseen consequences.

    Jeanne Moreau’s film debut.Read More »

  • Francis Girod – La banquière AKA The Woman Banker (1980)

    Drama1971-1980FranceFrancis GirodQueer Cinema(s)
    La banquière (1980)
    La banquière (1980)

    Towards the end of the 1920s, Emma Eckhert has become one of the most talked about women in France. Not only is she stunningly beautiful and a staunch supporter of moral campaigns, she is also a hugely successful banker. Having made a fortune speculating on the stock exchange, she intends to share her wealth with her investors, offering them a far higher rate of interest than her competitors. Needless to say, the traditional bankers regard her as a dangerous threat and conspire to bring about her downfall…Read More »

  • Jean-Claude Brisseau – Les savates du bon Dieu AKA Workers for the Good Lord (2000)

    Jean-Claude Brisseau1991-2000DramaFranceRomance
    Les savates du bon Dieu (2000)
    Les savates du bon Dieu (2000)

    Fred is a generous guy .He gives all his savings to the needy:but saints are a nuisance to live with at home ,and in the world we live in,it takes a lot of faith and a total commitment to succeed;no compromise is possible:his wife can’t go on living like that and his boss fires him.He could take to the road ,but he does not have faith.So he turns into a modern Robin Hood ,stealing from the rich and giving to the poor ; with his new girlfriend, they become idealized Bonnie and Clyde. Maguette,the mysterious black man they meet along the way, brings his strange wisdom;he tries to deal with the golden rules of society ,just to prove how absurd they may be: a royal heir in his native Africa,he can turn into a lawyer or into a chief inspector of schools.Read More »

  • Philippe Lioret – 16 ans AKA Sixteen (2022)

    France2021-2030DramaPhilippe Lioret
    16 ans (2022)
    16 ans (2022)

    Follows Nora and Leo who attend the same high school and despite different social and religious backgrounds and everyday lives, they fall in love at first sight.Read More »

  • Raymond Bernard – Faubourg Montmartre (1931)

    Raymond Bernard1931-1940DramaFrance
    Faubourg Montmartre (1931)
    Faubourg Montmartre (1931)

    Quote:
    “Faubourg Montmartre” is an old-fashioned melodrama,handicapped by a desultory screenplay which blends prostitution on the boulevards,a murder -which will not be explained-,and even hullabaloo in Corse.

    This is the story of two sisters, one of them is a semi-whore with her pimp (played by Charles Vanel),the other one (Gaby Morlay) tries to walk the line,in spite of her sisters’ attempts to debauch her.Enter a not-so-handsome young man (A forgotten actor called Pierre Bertin whose performance is absolutely awful)the younger sister falls in love with.Read More »

  • Patric Chiha – La bête dans la jungle AKA The Beast in the Jungle (2023)

    Patric Chiha2021-2030DramaFrance
    La bête dans la jungle (2023)
    La bête dans la jungle (2023)

    For 25 years, in an enormous nightclub, a man and a woman watch and wait for an unknown event. From 1979 to 2004, we follow the evolution of disco to techno music, the story of a love, the story of an obsession.Read More »

  • Luc Besson – Dogman (2023)

    Luc Besson2021-2030CrimeFranceThriller
    Dogman (2023)
    Dogman (2023)

    As a child, Douglas was abused by a violent father who then threw him to the dogs. Instead of attacking him, the dogs protected him. Traumatised and leading a life on the margins of society with his dogs, Douglas descends into a murderous madness.

    Douglas is arrested in New Jersey while driving a truck full of dogs.

    Evelyn, a psychiatrist, is sent to the police station to interrogate him. Through flashbacks he tells the story of his life. First, as a child victim of his father’s violence to the point of having lost the use of his legs; his brief time in a juvenile institution where he falls in love with his theatre teacher, Salma, who introduces Shakespeare to him (he later states that he knows all the playwright’s plays by heart); then as the master of numerous dogs helping him steal jewellery and precious objects as well as protect people in need. Douglas also reveals he has performed weekly as drag queen in a cabaret act.Read More »

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