French

Here are the two documentaries about Jerry Lewis from the collection Cinéastes de notre temps. The first part (1968) is directed by André Labarthe, and the second part (1971) by Robert Benayoun.Read More »

Quote:
Claire Denis’ first-rate video documentary (1990) about filmmaker Jacques Rivette, produced for French television, has many things to recommend it. The main interviewer is the great critic Serge Daney, who, two years before his death, converses with Rivette while relaxing in a cafe and strolling around Paris (Denis interjects a few questions toward the end); since both men were former editors of Cahiers du Cinema, not to mention groundbreaking and highly articulate critics, they have a lot to discuss apart from Rivette’s filmmaking. Clips from many of Rivette’s major films are included, as are interviews with some of Rivette’s actors, such as Bulle Ogier and Jean-Francois Stevenin. Best of all, the film beautifully captures Rivette the man, as both solitary cinephile and exploratory filmmaker. — Jonathan RosenbaumRead More »

A chronicle of the last days of a factory that is about to shut down. Among the workers forced to idle away until the end of the week, Jacques, a young technician is busy dismantling a machine while, without noticing it, turning on some of the men around him!
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Quote:
In the year following the Paris riots of 1968, a young poet (Louis Garrel) dodging military service falls for a beautiful sculptor (Clothilde Hesme).Read More »

Alain and Marie moved to a quiet suburb house of their dreams. But the real estate agent warned them: what is in the basement may well change their lives forever.

A mysterious tunnel in the cellar of their new home will turn their lives upside down. When Alain’s boss and his girlfriend come over for dinner, the temptation to share the incredible story about the tunnel is strong.Read More »

Justine, who goes by Junior, is a 13-year-old tomboy with pimples and a unique sense of humor. After unexpectedly contracting a stomach virus, her body becomes home to a bizarre metamorphosis.Read More »

Plot: Philippe, a student, is sent to jail for manhandling his father’s business partner, who blackmailed the poor man and caused his death. He shares his cell with two mates: easily offended Théo Giulani and jovial Bob Daniels, with whom he soon establishes a bond of friendship. Still obsessed by the idea of avenging his father, Philippe enters into a pact with the two men: they will break into the partner’s office, force open his safe and seize the document exposing the criminal. As a reward, Théo and Bob will get away with the money and the diamonds there. But the police is in the know…Read More »

A sophisticated and self-assured woman from Paris joins a middle-class rural estate as a maid and causes quite a stir among the variously uptight, perverse and violent inhabitants.Read More »

Synopsis:
1950’s, France, by the serene banks of the Marne River. François, a daydreaming child of boundless imagination, has his life changed when his father decides to start building a boat in the garden. Thus begins the family’s grand odyssey, a collective venture to construct a boat that would carry them away – somewhere between reality and reverie.Read More »