French films are shit. Porquoi?

just watched army of shadows. loved some of the aesthetics but didn't really care for the film.

I love Jean Pierre Melville, especially Le Samurai and Le Circle Rouge, but I saw Army of Shadows at the cinema last year and I came out making a bad face. I'm struggling to remember just what I disliked so much about it, but I think it felt like the events and scenes were morally strained, forced rather than natural, rather than the beautiful existential clarity of, say, Le Samurai. Although it is also pleasingly opaque, he concluded lamely.

First time on this thread, so I just want to rep old French films like La Regle du Jeu (vicious and merciless) and pour scorn upon horrid bourgeios crap like I've Loved You So Long (more middle-class crisis pap).

Godard is pretty much a total pig re women.

trudat.

i don't stan for godard any more -- i pretty much hate him with the zealotry of an ex-stan -- but i think his films and the ideas therein (visual and otherwise) are 'productive' in a way i don't get with the other cahiers guys.

in normative terms his films -- as 'statements about human relationships' or 'stories' or what have you -- are worse than theirs.

haha yeah having seen at least 2-5 by all the 'frontline' Cahier ppl I tend to agree w/ENRQ's general assessment: Rivette/Godard have more depth in a cinematic sense than Truffaut/Chabrol, although I like Rohmer. The role of women in the films by all these people is 'interesting' once you see stuff form Akermann and Helke Sander. In the 70s there is a def shift.

I would've been happy with a whole season solely devoted to the Left Bank but I do like that this turns out to be a survey of people that were around and seem to have a tenuous connection, which might give a more sober snapshot. So yeah that's why I wanted some pointers in that direction. Will make sure to catch 'Chronique' now, thx.

"Hiroshima mon amour: hated this one"

Love this, been struggling with a couple of novels by Duras. I wish they'd screened India Song

Varda's Lions Love was probably my fave sleeper screening of last year. Filmmaker goes to make a movie in Hollywood, ends up being shooting first reality TV highlights show as she lounges around with her groupies, watching assassinations on the telly. Looking fwd to more by her. xxp

Hiroshima is Resnais right, i am too bored to look it up. Only Resnais i liked so far is Mon Oncle D'Amerique.

rohmer is the only one i stan for here. his films are wonderful.

Yeah its Resnais. I could easily get all best film ever about My American Uncle!

Marker/Resnais/Rouch/Varda all get major love from me.

Well, at least Marker and Varda. I probably haven't officially seen enough of the other two yet, but think at least two each from both of them are masterpieces (Chronicle of a Summer/Moi un noir, Marienbad/Muriel).

yeah morbius those guys, breillat, jaoui, you know, people who come out with new movies

or in Breillat's case, moronic "transgressive" shit.

fuck new

How much of the new wave have your friends seen TH? If its just Truffaut/Godard getting wheeled out over and over again I can understand (it must be strange to see how 'canonical' bits of your culture get seen by other countries, and the UK has always been v down on its ability to make films). But there is a variety of films to this season and its a pretty unique opportunity to see stuff that is going to be 'new' for many.

Muriel on Bank holiday Monday, and more Resnais in June as the NFT are screening La Guerre est finie bless 'em

so has anyone watched any of these new french horror cinema films? at all? i'm somewhat curious but.. have a rough time watching horror movies these days.. but if they're v good, i will

that's funny, a friend was just raving about french horror last night... he said martyrs is excellent

from what I've seen (frontieres, inside) le french horror is tres brutal and they are not for the squeamish

Inside got my motor runnin'

what's with you and your motor today

Got my oil changed

No talk of Francis Veber's greatness? Really?

Muriel was fantastic! Its actually one of the few ones where a DVD of it would actually be useful as there are little bits that assume a significance later. So much cutting, certain sections you have to just grit your teeth through it.

This and Le Point Courte (Varda's first film) can be a lot of work but there is plenty of hilarious lines - lots of fun!

Also I'm looking to see if there are any collections by Jean Cayrol available in English and I am not having much luck on first glance :-(

from what I've seen (frontieres, inside) le french horror is tres brutal and they are not for the squeamish

see, that's the problem. i watched 'in my skin' a while back at a festival.. well, i tried to watch it. i had to leave halfway through. i'm wayyy more squeamish than i was in my early 20s.

balancing missing out on some v interesting cinema vs. seeing things i can't un-see. it's easier watching it on the small screen at least. rich fourfour thought 'martyrs' was brilliant so i was curious.

catching as much of the MoMA retro of Julien Duvivier as I can:

http://www.movingimagesource.us/articles/time-regained-20090504

French cinema went through its postmodernist phase before it went through its modernist phase.

Throroughly enjoyed the new OSS 117, but not sure how well it translates for a foreign audience

Marker's La Joli Mai was fantastic, and way better than 'Sans Soleil' -- although I should revisit that now.

What really comes across a lot of the French cinema of that time is the humour (the shot of the two blokes talking about freedom/the working week/dreams cut by shots of cats) and the engagement with what seems like everything. Its nasty politics one second, the twist in a club the next, etc.

And the cats should be mentioned again -- Marker loved them, so did Rivette! A crappy theory should be made about this...

Saw Rouch's Chronique d'un ete and Pyramide Humaine earlier in the week. Also v good. Not as much flair as Marker but I'll take it.

Assayas's Summer Hours is a good one, but I still prefer his Limoges china epic.

Ha, I saw that one in France so I only understood about half of it. What about the new Agnes V?

Predictably charming.

Just have to say that I just saw the 400 Blows for the first time and it was fucking great. Really gets into that headspace of being 13-14 and mildly mischievous leading to being labeled a bad kid. The Criterion Collection DVD (available from Netflix) has the short Antoine and Collette from the compilation film Love at 20, which stars the same character at 17. Also has clips from French TV w/ interviews with Truffaut and Leaud, who was really an incredibly believable and sympathetic actor even when he was 13.

This is prob old news to people reading this thread, but it makes me want to see all the films he starred in as Antoine.

I just watched Stolen Kisses last night! Its the continuation of the Antoine story, and it is so good. You should totally see it. I loved it, and Leaud is is charming as hell. Its a bit goofier than 400 Blows though.

Are there more Antoine films? I guess I'll go find out.

I am seeing the new Agnes V tonight, and she will be there!

there are more, brontosaur, but they go downhill after SK.

Costa Garvas dbl bill at the Lumiere tomorrow, btw

aargh, Costa-Gavras

finally saw the Class the other night. It was very good. I also recently caught up with Kings and Queen and A Christmas Tale. I <3 Mathieu Amalric. Got Summer Hours to watch later.

Costas's Z was fantastic! What an ending...lots of speed, humour, some great music - I should chase up the novel the film was based on.

When you go to the Lumiere do they play actual films or some kind of high quality DVDs or what? I watched some week-long Fantomas thing and it was bitty and gritty and obviously digital. I wasn't annoyed. I accepted it. I just wondered whether they had a normal projector.

I assume they do have a normal projector as they screen worn out prints of old films, most of which haven't even been issued on DVD. Z was like that (and dubbed, first time I saw anything at the Lumiere w/out subtitles).

fantomas would probably be a dvd projection. it's possible there's a modern-type print of it but i can't imagine from when.

amazed 'z' hasn't been on dvd!

Z is coming out on Criterion next month.

on dv-Z

I think 35 Rhums (35 Shots of Rum) is as good as anything Claire Denis has made, at least since Nenette et Boni.

French Cinema Week here in Oporto, please tell me if any of these movies are good:

"Mia Et Le Migou", Jacques Rémy Girerd
"Pour Un Instant La Liberté", Arash T. Riahi
"Les Enfants De Timpelbach", Nicolas Bary
"Passe-Passe", Tonie Marshall
"Erreur De La Banque En Votre Faveur", Gérard Bitton & Michel Munz
"J'ai Toujours Revê D'Être Un Gangster", Samuel Benchetrit
"Le Plaisir De Chanter", Ilan Duran Cohen (great name btw)
"Le Premier Jour Du Reste De Ta Vie", Rémi Benzançon
"L'Anée Suivante", Isabelle Czajka
"Le Bal Des Atrices", Maiwenn
"Coco Chanel Et Igor Stravinsky", Jan Kounen
"L'Armée Du Crime", Robert Guédiguian
"Éden À L'Ouest", Costa-Garvas (!)
"Ne Te Retourne Pas", Marina De Van

"Mia Et Le Migou", Jacques Rémy Girerd - don't know this film even though I know the name.
"Pour Un Instant La Liberté", Arash T. Riahi don't know
"Les Enfants De Timpelbach", Nicolas Bary - more of a kids movie, not good from all I've heard. Kind of a flop in France.
"Passe-Passe", Tonie Marshall - don't know
"Erreur De La Banque En Votre Faveur", Gérard Bitton & Michel Munz - from what I've heard, a not very good comedy.
"J'ai Toujours Revê D'Être Un Gangster", Samuel Benchetrit - never seen it, heard a few good things about it.
"Le Plaisir De Chanter", Ilan Duran Cohen (great name btw) - don't know
"Le Premier Jour Du Reste De Ta Vie", Rémi Benzançon - this was a huge success in France, most of the people I know who've seen it really liked and those that didn't usually despised it. From what I've heard it sounds a bit like indie movies of the Little Miss Sunshine/Juno/ Gardern State variety, but don't take my word for it.
"L'Anée Suivante", Isabelle Czajka - don't know
"Le Bal Des Atrices", Maiwenn - this one had a really nice poster up in the Paris métro, but apart from that don't know much about it
"Coco Chanel Et Igor Stravinsky", Jan Kounen - the better of the two movies about Coco Chanel, but apparently that's faint praise
"L'Armée Du Crime", Robert Guédiguian - don't know much about it
"Éden À L'Ouest", Costa-Garvas (!) - same
"Ne Te Retourne Pas", Marina De Van - haven't seen it either, but this one got quite a lot of press. It was booed in Cannes and I don't think the general consensus about it has improved much.

Basically, I haven't seen too many of these so take my words with caution as they are mostly friends' opinions repeated.

I'd see Garvas/Gavras, just cuz I really trust him now.

Anyone seen the Varda doc? Her hair looks amazing, btw

Yes, Varda is a charmer.

Loved loved Beaches of Agnes! Where else will we able to see contributions from Harrison Ford and Chris Marker in the same film?

Star Wars VII: The Empire without a Cat