Category Archives: movies

wait for second half when it really gets crazy (film: Les tribulations d’un Chinois en Chine – Philippe de Broca, 1965)

‘Les tribulations d’un chinois en Chine‘ (the English title is ‘Up to His Ears’) was made by director Philippe de Broca in 1965, a year after his international blockbuster success with ‘L’homme de Rio’. It is obvious that the film … Continue reading

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the magic of music (film: Boléro – Anne Fontaine, 2024)

‘Boléro‘, Anne Fontaine‘s 2024 film, is a biographical film about a great composer and his most popular creation. It is, of course, about Maurice Ravel and his ‘Boléro’, one of the great hits of classical music, a work about which … Continue reading

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two brothers go to Hollywood (film: Good Morning Babilonia – Paolo & Vittorio Taviani)

The Taviani brothers are no more. First, Vittorio died in 2018, and last year Paolo also left us. They leave behind about 20 feature films and a few more short films and collaborations on collective creations. They also wrote most … Continue reading

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epoch drama, vampires and blues music (film: Sinners – Ryan Coogler, 2025)

‘Sinners‘, the film written and directed by Ryan Coogler will be interpreted in different ways by different categories of viewers. It is a horror film with and about vampires. It is a period film set in the American South in … Continue reading

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a Swedish gem (film: Flickorna / The Girls – Mai Zetterlink, 1968)

‘Flickorna‘ (the English title is ‘The Girls‘), made in 1968, was probably the most ambitious film in the directorial career of Mai Zetterling, a personality of Swedish cinema that I discovered while watching this film. Mai launched herself as an … Continue reading

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the burden of fame (film: Vie privée – Louis Malle, 1962)

‘Vie privée‘ (the title under which it was released in English is ‘A Very Private Affair‘), Louis Malle ‘s 1962 film, starts from some excellent premises. It is probably the film that is closest to the Nouvelle Vague in his … Continue reading

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Barbarella – A Space Fantasy (film: Barbarella – Roger Vadim, 1968)

Roger Vadim made ‘Barbarella‘ in 1968 with an estimated budget of around 9 million dollars. Stanley Kubrick made ‘2001, A Space Odyssey’ in the same year with an estimated budget of 12 million dollars. Both are science fiction films. That’s … Continue reading

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the vampire as a teenager (film: Let the Right One In – Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

‘Let the Right One In‘, the 2008 film by the Swedish director Tomas Alfredson (original title is ‘Låt den rätte komma in‘) confirms that good films can be made in any genre. I am not at all a fan of … Continue reading

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courage and art (film: The Seed of the Sacred Fig / Dane-ye anjir-e ma’abed – Mohammad Rasoulof, 2024)

There are films whose production history dominates what we see during the screening. And I’m not referring to the ‘making of …’ clips or documentaries about special effects. A film like ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig‘ (original title is … Continue reading

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tales from the jungle of the auctions (film: Le tableau volé – Pascal Bonitzer, 2024)

Art-related movies fascinate me. Biographies of artists, the fate of famous paintings, spectacular heists of art objects or dramas from the world of artists or collectors have generated successful and good quality films. ‘Le tabeau volé‘ (English distribution title is … Continue reading

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