Tag Archives: French cinema

aging beautifully (Film: Le samourai – Alain Delon, 1967)

What a delight! I remember having seen Le Samouraï as a teenager 50 years ago, during the short few years of ideological and artistic de-icing of the Romanian communist regime between 1964 and 1968, when some of the world cinema crossed … Continue reading

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le Paris noir (film: Tchao Pantin – Claude Berri, Coluche, 1983)

Thanks to ARTE TV I could see now Claude Berri‘s ‘film noir’ Tchao Pantin (or So Long, Stooge in its English version) starring Coluche in the lead role. The film was made in 1983, at a time when I was … Continue reading

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tragedy of a woman artist (film: Camille Claudel – Isabelle Adjani, Gerard Depardieu, 1988),

The year is 2017, Camille Claudel is back in town and she seems to go through a revival and reevaluation of her work and short artistic career. A museum dedicated to her life and art opened in March in the … Continue reading

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underrated, almost a masterpiece (film: Clouds of Sils Maria – Juliette Binoche, 2014)

There are so many reasons to like this film. First, the cast includes two of the lead actresses of two different generations – the priceless and prize covered Juliette Binoche and one of the top performers of the younger generation … Continue reading

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dark and intriguing (Film: Elle – Paul Verhoeven, 2016)

Paul Verhoeven is close to 80 years old. I was unaware about this biographical detail until reading his bio on IMDB. I thought about him as being much younger, and the reasons are to be found in his films. Verhoeven … Continue reading

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La Belle et Malade Epoque (Film: Ma Loute – Bruno Dumont, 2016)

The centennial anniversary of the breaking of WWI was an opportunity for several books to be written and films to be made (most of them documentaries) not only about the war itself, but also about the years that preceded it. … Continue reading

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how do you say Tarantino in French? (Film: Mauvais sang – Leos Carax, 1986)

I am fascinated by Leos Carax. In more than 30 years he made just a handful of long films, but what films these are. Each of them reminds me when I get to see them why I love and I … Continue reading

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the subject deserved a better movie (Film: Les femmes de l’ombre – Sophie Marceau, 2008)

Winning WWII was to a large extent the merit of women – many kept the economy and the households working, many other served in different tasks in the armed forces, and yes – a few fought in secret missions. Cinema … Continue reading

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French thriller a l’americaine (Film: Ne le dis à personne – François Cluzet, 2006)

The music in the opening scene of this French movie should give a strong hint to the viewer about what to expect. It’s a soul song which combines oddly with the first shots of an apparently idyllic gathering in the … Continue reading

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Film: Casse-tete chinois (Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou – 2013)

Writing the review of a movie two weeks later is an exercise that I should try more often. ‘Casee-tete Chinois’ is one of the two movies I have seen before I went to a vacation where other priorities pushed aside … Continue reading

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