Synopsis: One evening, two old French farmers, Le Glaude (Louis de Funès) and Cicisse (Jean Carmet), start a farting contest which seems to provoke a lighting storm. What actually happens is that they send a signal to aliens and one (Jacques Villeret) arrives to change their lives.Read More »
Quote: Paul and Marguerite are a five years old couple. Their love is strong, deep, tragic… visceral. Paul wants to control things. Marguerite is more free…Read More »
An ultra-rare two-part documentary made for French TV about Georges Perec, directed by his former partner Catherine Binet (who is mostly known for her only feature film, The Games of Countess Dolingen of Gratz). It features a mixture of archival footage, scenes from Perec’s films and to-camera readings of excerpts from his work by various actors and friends of the author (Michael Lonsdale, Marina Vlady, Alain Cuny, Sami Frey, Edith Scob, Harry Mathews and others). Some consider this to be the best documentary about the author that has been made so far.Read More »
Synopsis: In the aftermath of the First World War, Séraphin Monge returns to his home village in the south of France and sets about finding himself a job. Working as a road-mender, he gets to meet another man, Brigue, who is able to shed some light on his mysterious past. Séraphin is surprised to learn that, almost a quarter of a century ago, his entire family was slaughtered in the course of one stormy night. He was the only survivor, then just a baby of four months. The murders were blamed on a party of migrant workers from Eastern Europe – they were soon arrested and executed, although not everyone was convinced of their guilt at the time.Read More »
Synopsis: Inspector René Boirond has been policing a crime-ridden neighbourhood of Paris for over twenty years. In that time, he has learned that the best way to do his job is to turn a blind eye to most of the petty criminality that surrounds him and adopt a live and let live approach to dealing with crooks, pimps and other lowlife. Of course, the backhanders he receives by way of recompense is always a welcome supplement to his meagre salary. René’s mutually advantageous system is suddenly placed in jeopardy when François Lesbuche, a young and enthusiastic cop straight out of police school, is assigned to work with him.Read More »
Synopsis: A young boy’s life in turn-of-the-century France. Marcel, witnesses the success of his teacher father, as well as the success of his arrogant Uncle Jules. Marcel and family spend their summer vacation in a cottage in Provence, and Marcel befriends a local boy who teaches him the secrets of the hills in Provence.Read More »
Synopsis: Every holiday Marcel and his family go to their cottage in the Provence (France). He likes the hills in this region. Before they arrive at the cottage they have to walk about 5 miles. With the co-operation of an ex-pupil of Marcel’s father, who’s a teacher, they only have to walk 1 mile, since they can take a shortcut along a canal, through the backyards of some eccentric people. During one of these holidays he meets Isabelle, a pretty but conceited girl…Read More »
Quote: Claire (Marlene Jobert), a bilingual UNESCO interpreter meets Simon (Jean-Michele Folon), an oceanographer at an international conference she is assigned to work (UNESCO’s international headquarters are in Paris). The two are drawn to each other, and romance blossoms. Just as they begin to establish a stable relationship, she discovers that she has breast cancer, and after a few trips to the doctor, she finds out that she needs a mastectomy. Unable to face her new boyfriend with the truth, she breaks off their relationship. As one might expect, no oceanographer worth his salt is going to leave his true love for just any shallow reason.Read More »