Tag Archives: French cinema

film noir pre-Nouvelle Vague (Film: Bob le Flambeur – Jean-Pierre Melville, 1956)

Posted on March 9, 2020 by admin

Crime dramas and gangster stories became one of the most successful genres of American cinema during World War II and in the years that followed. In France, American movies had been banned during the German occupation, which only accentuated the … Continue reading →

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bad people in love (Film: La Balance – Bob Swaim, 1982)

Posted on March 3, 2020 by admin

‘La Balance‘, released on screen in 1982, directed by Bob Swaim, an American with a long love affair with the French cinema, is a very modern movie. What is the secret? The story takes place on the streets of Paris, … Continue reading →

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generation wars (Film: Choice of Arms/ Le choix des armes – Alain Corneau, 1981)

Posted on February 29, 2020 by admin

‘Choice of Arms‘ (the French title is ‘Le choix des armes‘) made in 1981 is a very typical film for the genre of film noir in the French cinema of the 70s and 80s. The master of the genre was … Continue reading →

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sunset of the kingdom (Film: Les adieux à la reine / Farewell, My Queen – Benoît Jacquot, 2012)

Posted on February 26, 2020 by admin

‘Farewell, My Queen‘ (the original title in French is ‘Les adieux à la reine‘) made in 2012 by Benoît Jacquot is the story of the end of a world seen from a personal perspective. It is also a beautiful and … Continue reading →

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film noir under the African sun (film: Coup de torchon – Bertrand Tavernier, 1981)

Posted on February 1, 2020 by admin

Before the Coen brothers and Quentin Tarantino, on the other side of the Atlantic, there was Bertrand Tavernier. ‘Coup de torchon‘ (English title ‘Clean Slate‘) was made in 1981, the year Tarantino had just finished high school and three years … Continue reading →

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debauchery and revolt (film: Que la fête commence… – Bertrand Tavernier, 1975)

Posted on January 29, 2020 by admin

If you think 2020 is a decadent historical period with dubious morality and opportunist, cynical leaders primarly concerned with satisfying their personal pleasures, then you should try to compare with the year 1719 as presented in the film ‘Que la … Continue reading →

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the mayor and the philosopher (Film: Alice et le maire – Fabrice Luchini, 2019)

Posted on January 5, 2020 by admin

Politicians and the bureaucracy around them (political parties, parliaments, governments, mayors) do not enjoy a good rating nowadays. However, films about politicians and those around them seem to be more successful than the politicians themselves. A good example in this … Continue reading →

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the ye-ye years (film: Cherchez l’idole – Michel Boisrond, 1964)

Posted on December 26, 2019 by admin

I chose ‘Cherchez l’idole‘ as my Christmas day movie. No, this is not a contest for discovering new talents but a French musical film made 55 years ago that transported me in time to the period when I was subscribed … Continue reading →

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another view of the Dreyfus case (film: J’Accuse – Roman Polanski, 2019)

Posted on December 14, 2019 by admin

More than 120 years after the events, the Dreyfus case seems to never die. The story of the Jewish officer wrongfully convicted of espionage on the basis of false accusations is reminded every time the honesty, integrity or patriotism of … Continue reading →

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a man and a woman, fifty years later (Film: Les plus belles années d’une vie – Claude Lelouch, 2019)

Posted on December 7, 2019 by admin

I confess that I have never been a big fan of Claude Lelouch. ‘A Man and a Woman‘ (‘Un homme et une femme‘) did not make a strong impression on me more than half a century ago when I first … Continue reading →

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