French

  • Jean-François Stévenin – Le passe-montagne (1978)

    1971-1980ArthouseFranceJean-François Stévenin

    When the car of Georges, a Parisian architect, breaks down on the motorway, he is helped by Serge, a mechanic and garage owner, who lives in a remote Jura hamlet. The two men, although they do not seem to have anything in common, develop an unexpected friendship…Read More »

  • Philippe Ramos – Jeanne captive (2011)

    2011-2020DramaFrancePhilippe Ramos

    Synopsis
    In the automn of 1430, Jeanne d’Arc, prisoner of a powerful lord of the north of France, is sold to the English. Between the walls that imprison her and the stake at which she will perish, men attempt to approach this young woman who embodies the infinite.

    À l’automne 1430, Jeanne d’Arc, prisonnière d’un puissant seigneur du nord de la France, est vendue aux Anglais. Entre les murs qui l’enferment, le temps d’un convoi longeant la mer ou près du bûcher qui la verra périr, des hommes tentent d’approcher cette jeune femme porteuse d’infini.Read More »

  • Manthia Diawara & Ngugi Wa Thiong’o – Sembène: The Making of African Cinema (1994)

    1991-2000African CinemaDocumentaryManthia DiawaraNgugi Wa Thiong'oSenegal

    Quote:
    This rich documentary follows the legendary Senagalese filmmaker Sembene Ousmane from the Pan African Film Festival in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso back to the streets of Dakar and his Galle Ceddo home at Yoff, overlooking the sea. Revisiting several locations of his films, Sembene Ousmane reminisces about his career and discusses his craft.Read More »

  • Jacques Deval – Club de femmes (1936)

    1931-1940DramaFranceJacques DevalQueer Cinema(s)

    From AMG (by Hal Erickson):
    The Club de Femmes (Girl’s Club) of the title refers to a Parisian boarding house, populated in its entirety by beautiful, unwed damsels. The rules of the club are quite strict, with chaperones making certain that the ladies keep a safe and respectable distance between themselves and their gentleman callers. But the mischievous Claire (Danielle Darrieux) is determined to enjoy a rendezvous with her sweetheart Robert (Raymond Gall), and to that end she talks him into disguising himself as a woman. Things look bleak for Claire when she becomes pregnant, but things turn out OK when she gives birth to a girl, thereby upholding the club’s “No Males Allowed” edict. Featured in the cast is a young newcomer named Else Argell, who by an incredible coincidence was the wife of director Jacques Deval.Read More »

  • Louise Traon – Les Gants blancs AKA The White Gloves (2014)

    2011-2020ArthouseDocumentaryFranceLouise Traon

    Louise Traon never films Manoel De Oliveira directly. Instead, she chooses to avoid him, skirt round him, skim past him and keep her distance, yet all the while drawing close to the art of cinema itself, homing in on its very essence. Her film tells the story of a girl who grew up with the images of an old gentleman, and who now wants to show her own images. This touching self-portrait gives insight into a man who appears to have lived many lives, showing his work through a remarkable link with time.Read More »

  • Jean-Claude Rousseau – Jeune femme à sa fenêtre lisant une lettre (1983)

    1981-1990DocumentaryFranceJean-Claude Rousseau

    Jeune femme à sa fenêtre lisant une lettre
    1983, 45 min, super-8

    “Through the window, we cannot distinguish the scene: a street, a canal, a view of Delft, perhaps a port. We are on the inside, with the light pouring in. The maps on the wall are bigger than the paintings, yet we do not know where we are. The woman stands at the window reading a letter. She loses track of location as she reads. She could be anywhere, at any random point on the map. Outside. Through the window, we cannot distinguish the scene: a street, a canal, a view of Delft, perhaps a port. We are on the inside…”(Jean-Claude Rousseau)Read More »

  • Emmanuelle Bercot – La Puce (1998)

    1991-2000DramaEmmanuelle BercotFranceShort Film

    Marion, 14, spends her holidays in Normandy. She meets with a man. In Paris, she sees him again and make love with him, for the very first time.Read More »

  • Jacques Tourneur – Toto (1933)

    1931-1940ComedyFranceJacques Tourneur

    Quote:
    Escaping from a policeman who has caught h.im with a stolen dog, Toto (Albert Préjean), a petty crook, hides in the apartment of a typist, Ginette (Renée Saint-Cyr). The two quickly fall in love, and after a brief incarceration, Toto returns to her and schemes to have her win a beauty contest. Bruno, a “financier” who met Toto in prison, briefly comes between the couple, but they are reunited at the end.Read More »

  • Serge de Poligny – La Fiancée des ténèbres AKA Fiancée of Darkness (1945)

    Drama1941-1950FantasyFranceSerge de Poligny

    Synopsis
    The composer Roland Samblaca returns to his home town Carcassonne in the South of France with his family. Whilst visiting an ancient castle, he meets and is enchanted by a young woman, Sylvie, who lives in the castle with her adoptive guardian, Monsieur Toulzac. A retired schoolmaster, Toulzac now occupies his time with his research into the ancient cult of a Christian sect of the Middle Ages who glorified death over life. Syvlie believes that she is cursed, having seen her first two lovers die in tragic circumstances. When Toulzac discovers a secret cathedral beneath the castle, Syvlie is compelled to go there. Roland follows, oblivious to the danger that awaits…Read More »

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