Tag Archives: French cinema

the writer and her ghost (film: D’après une histoire vraie – Roman Polanski, 2017)

I will try the impossible, namely to write about the penultimate film of Roman Polanski, ignoring his controversial personality and biography. In writing the screenplay for ‘Based on a True Story‘ (original title in French is ‘D’apres une histoire vraie‘), … Continue reading

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layers of darkness (film: Fleuve noir – Erick Zonca, 2018)

The two lead characters of the film ‘Fleuve noir‘ are confronted with personal dramas and dark psychological problems, each in his own way. Police investigator Visconti carries with him the drama of complicated relationships with his son a teenager who’s … Continue reading

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for Belmondo and Morricone (film: Le professionel – Jean-Paul Belmondo, 1981)

Ennio Morricone left this world recently and these days the movie channels broadcast – probably not by coincidence – many films in which the music is composed by him. It is a good opportunity to appreciate the quality of his … Continue reading

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Breton Revenge Thriller (film: Que la bete meure / This Man Must Die – Claude Chabrol, 1969)

With ‘Que la bete meure‘ (The English title is ‘This Man Must Die‘ and is inspired by a novel by Cecil Day-Lewis, yes, the father of … ) Claude Chabrol ends the decade of his consecration as one of the … Continue reading

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conversations with the world of the dead (film: Personal Shopper – Olivier Assayas, 2016)

‘Personal Shopper‘ (Best Director award at Cannes in 2016 tied with Cristian Mungiu‘s ‘Graduation‘) is the second collaboration between the French director Olivier Assayas and American actress Kristen Stewart after the excellent ‘Clouds of Sils Maria‘ released in 2014. I … Continue reading

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sitcom with Amelie / Emilie (film: De vrais mensonges – Audrey Tautou, 2010)

What could the director of a romantic comedy in 2010 wish more than to have in the cast Nathalie Baye and Audrey Tautou in the roles of a mother and a daughter entangled in a love intrigue that has as … Continue reading

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much more than a crime drama (Film: Garde a vue – Lino Ventura, Romy Schneider, 1981)

‘Garde a vue‘, made in 1981, brings together on screen two of the super-stars of French cinema from the ’60s and’ 70s, each of them in one of their last films, although neither their age nor their artistic form indicates … Continue reading

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a night affair in the Paris of the 50s (film: Le desordre et la nuit – Jean Gabin, 1958)

It is rare for a translated title of a film to be more inspired than the original title. I think this is the case with ‘Le desordre et la nuit‘ directed in 1958 by Gilles Grangier, one of the most … Continue reading

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code of honor (film: Classe Tous Risques – Claude Sautet, 1960)

A discovery. Made in 1960, at the peak of the French New Wave, ‘Classe Tous Risques‘ is a classic gangsters movie, directed by Claude Sautet, the screen adaptation of a novel by José Giovanni. Like many other filmmakers who began … Continue reading

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Hitchcock in a French village (Film: Le boucher – Claude Chabrol, 1970)

If Alfred Hitchcock had made a mystery thriller film set in a French village, I think it would have been ‘Le Boucher‘. Hitchcock, as we all know, did not make such a film, but maybe he got to see Claude … Continue reading

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