M3GAN (Universal Pictures), Taken 3 (20th Century Studios), Paddington 2 (Warner Bros.), Cloverfield (Paramount Pictures)Graphic: The A.V. Club (AP)
Historically and annually speaking, January is a bad month for Hollywood movies. It’s a “dump month,” that time of year when the major studios offload the projects in which they have no faith.
Historically and annually speaking, January is a bad month for Hollywood movies. It’s a “dump month,” that time of year when the major studios offload the projects in which they have no faith.
- 1/19/2024
- by A.V. Club Staff
- avclub.com
There are echoes of the Jean Renoir classic Boudu Saved From Drowning in Eric Pennycoff’s filmic fable about a sanctimonious priest who welcomes a homeless man into his house only to lose control of the situation. It lacks the master’s style but its narrative crudity, whilst it may seem more extreme, is very much the modern equivalent. Though clearly made on a shoestring, it’s an entertaining effort and a natural fit for a Frightfest crowd.
It opens with a sermon in which Father David (prolific genre actor Graham Skipper) tells his parishioners, in the run-up to Christmas, that they should always be ready to help strangers because one never knows, they could be Jesus in disguise. The absence of true altruism in this argument echoes throughout the film, with David’s superficially kindly gestures providing scant cover for a selfish and even totalitarian agenda. There’s a hint that this may stem.
It opens with a sermon in which Father David (prolific genre actor Graham Skipper) tells his parishioners, in the run-up to Christmas, that they should always be ready to help strangers because one never knows, they could be Jesus in disguise. The absence of true altruism in this argument echoes throughout the film, with David’s superficially kindly gestures providing scant cover for a selfish and even totalitarian agenda. There’s a hint that this may stem.
- 8/28/2022
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Thirty-five years ago, before L.A.’s homelessness epidemic exploded into a humanitarian crisis, the vast divide separating the city’s haves from its have-nots was skewered in a very progressive studio comedy.
In 1984, just a few days after taking over as CEO of the then-floundering Disney, former Paramount chief Michael Eisner got a call from ICM’s Sam Cohn on behalf of his client, director Paul Mazursky (Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice). Mazursky had adapted the 1932 Jean Renoir satire Boudu Saved From Drowning — about a bourgeois Parisian who rescues a tramp who tries to ...
In 1984, just a few days after taking over as CEO of the then-floundering Disney, former Paramount chief Michael Eisner got a call from ICM’s Sam Cohn on behalf of his client, director Paul Mazursky (Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice). Mazursky had adapted the 1932 Jean Renoir satire Boudu Saved From Drowning — about a bourgeois Parisian who rescues a tramp who tries to ...
- 3/13/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Thirty-five years ago, before L.A.’s homelessness epidemic exploded into a humanitarian crisis, the vast divide separating the city’s haves from its have-nots was skewered in a very progressive studio comedy.
In 1984, just a few days after taking over as CEO of the then-floundering Disney, former Paramount chief Michael Eisner got a call from ICM’s Sam Cohn on behalf of his client, director Paul Mazursky (Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice). Mazursky had adapted the 1932 Jean Renoir satire Boudu Saved From Drowning — about a bourgeois Parisian who rescues a tramp who tries to ...
In 1984, just a few days after taking over as CEO of the then-floundering Disney, former Paramount chief Michael Eisner got a call from ICM’s Sam Cohn on behalf of his client, director Paul Mazursky (Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice). Mazursky had adapted the 1932 Jean Renoir satire Boudu Saved From Drowning — about a bourgeois Parisian who rescues a tramp who tries to ...
- 3/13/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Happy 71st birthday to Richard Dreyfuss on October 29, 2018! The Oscar-winning actor has been an integral part of so many American films that are now considered classics, such as “Jaws,” “American Graffiti” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and a key collaborator on a number of films directed by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
Dreyfuss has proven himself adept in his wide range of characters — from a music teacher to a blood-thirsty gangster, and from an aspiring actor to an obnoxious oceanographer. The result has been a Best Actor Academy Award with an additional nomination, plus a Golden Globe victory with three additional Globe nominations.
So let’s celebrate Richard’s big day by looking back and ranking his 12 greatest films from worst to best in the photo gallery above.
SEESteven Spielberg movies: Every film ranked from worst to best
12. Always (1989)
For a third time, Dreyfuss teams up with his...
Dreyfuss has proven himself adept in his wide range of characters — from a music teacher to a blood-thirsty gangster, and from an aspiring actor to an obnoxious oceanographer. The result has been a Best Actor Academy Award with an additional nomination, plus a Golden Globe victory with three additional Globe nominations.
So let’s celebrate Richard’s big day by looking back and ranking his 12 greatest films from worst to best in the photo gallery above.
SEESteven Spielberg movies: Every film ranked from worst to best
12. Always (1989)
For a third time, Dreyfuss teams up with his...
- 10/29/2018
- by Tom O'Brien and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
The Tenth Annual Robert Classic French Film Festival — co-presented by Cinema St. Louis and the Webster University Film Series continues this weekend. — The Classic French Film Festival celebrates St. Louis’ Gallic heritage and France’s cinematic legacy. The featured films span the decades from the 1920s through the mid-1990s, offering a revealing overview of French cinema. This year’s fest kicked off last weekend with a screening of Bertrand Tavernier’s acclaimed documentary My Journey Through French Cinema.
There are two more events for the Tenth Annual Robert Classic French Film Festival happening this weekend:
Saturday, March 9th at 7:30pm – Casque D’Or. Ticket information can be found Here
Jacques Becker lovingly evokes the belle epoque Parisian demimonde in this classic tale of doomed romance — the French equivalent of the legend of Frankie and Johnny. When gangster’s moll Marie (Simone Signoret) falls for reformed criminal Manda (Serge Reggiani...
There are two more events for the Tenth Annual Robert Classic French Film Festival happening this weekend:
Saturday, March 9th at 7:30pm – Casque D’Or. Ticket information can be found Here
Jacques Becker lovingly evokes the belle epoque Parisian demimonde in this classic tale of doomed romance — the French equivalent of the legend of Frankie and Johnny. When gangster’s moll Marie (Simone Signoret) falls for reformed criminal Manda (Serge Reggiani...
- 3/6/2018
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The 10th Annual Robert Classic French Film Festival — co-presented by Cinema St. Louis and the Webster University Film Series — celebrates St. Louis’ Gallic heritage and France’s cinematic legacy. The featured films span the decades from the 1920s through the 1990s, offering a revealing overview of French cinema.
This year’s fest kicks off with a screening of Bertrand Tavernier’s acclaimed documentary “My Journey Through French Cinema,” the director’s personal reflections on key films and filmmakers. Several of the works he highlights — such as Jacques Becker’s “Casque d’or” and Jean-Pierre Melville’s “Le Samouraï” — are screened at this year’s fest.
The fest annually includes significant restorations, and this year features New Wave master Jacques Rivette’s visually sumptuous “La belle noiseuse.” The fest also provides one of the few opportunities available in St. Louis to see films projected the old-school, time-honored way, with Jean Renoir...
This year’s fest kicks off with a screening of Bertrand Tavernier’s acclaimed documentary “My Journey Through French Cinema,” the director’s personal reflections on key films and filmmakers. Several of the works he highlights — such as Jacques Becker’s “Casque d’or” and Jean-Pierre Melville’s “Le Samouraï” — are screened at this year’s fest.
The fest annually includes significant restorations, and this year features New Wave master Jacques Rivette’s visually sumptuous “La belle noiseuse.” The fest also provides one of the few opportunities available in St. Louis to see films projected the old-school, time-honored way, with Jean Renoir...
- 1/18/2018
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
With his nimble means of production resulting in some of the most formally profound, emotionally introspective films of this century thus far, South Korea’s ever-prolific Hong Sang-soo has carved out an impressive following here in the United States. Despite much of his earlier work not being distributed here, in recent years that has changed with Right Now, Wrong Then getting a release and now his deeply personal drama On the Beach at Night Alone will arrive this week, courtesy of Cinema Guild, who will also distribute his two other 2017 films — Claire’s Camera and The Day After — next year.
To celebrate the release, we’ve dug up his poll from the most recent BFI/Sight & Sound poll on the best films of all-time. Hong’s 10 picks range from classics such as L’Atalante, The Green Ray, A Man Escaped, and Ordet to lesser-known works from Jean Renoir and Luis Buñuel.
To celebrate the release, we’ve dug up his poll from the most recent BFI/Sight & Sound poll on the best films of all-time. Hong’s 10 picks range from classics such as L’Atalante, The Green Ray, A Man Escaped, and Ordet to lesser-known works from Jean Renoir and Luis Buñuel.
- 11/13/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
La Poison
Blu-ray
Criterion
1951 / 1:33 / Street Date August 22, 2017
Starring: Michel Simon, Germaine Reuver
Cinematography: Jean Bachelet
Film Editor: Raymond Lamy
Written by Sacha Guitry
Produced by Jean Le Duc, Alain Poiré
Music: Louiguy
Directed by Sacha Guitry
One of the most insightful commentaries on Sacha Guitry’s La Poison can be found right there on the cover of Criterion’s beautiful new blu ray release, a typically “warts and all” portrait by Drew Freidman of the film’s stars, Michel Simon and Germaine Reuver. The film’s diabolic mix of humor and horror is illuminated by Freidman’s precise rendering of Simon’s sagging jowls, Reuver’s venomous stare and the dingy trappings of the cramped little kitchen that threatens to suffocate these damned souls before they can get around to killing each other.
Filmed in just eleven days in 1951 by the speedy Guitry, La Poison tells the story of...
Blu-ray
Criterion
1951 / 1:33 / Street Date August 22, 2017
Starring: Michel Simon, Germaine Reuver
Cinematography: Jean Bachelet
Film Editor: Raymond Lamy
Written by Sacha Guitry
Produced by Jean Le Duc, Alain Poiré
Music: Louiguy
Directed by Sacha Guitry
One of the most insightful commentaries on Sacha Guitry’s La Poison can be found right there on the cover of Criterion’s beautiful new blu ray release, a typically “warts and all” portrait by Drew Freidman of the film’s stars, Michel Simon and Germaine Reuver. The film’s diabolic mix of humor and horror is illuminated by Freidman’s precise rendering of Simon’s sagging jowls, Reuver’s venomous stare and the dingy trappings of the cramped little kitchen that threatens to suffocate these damned souls before they can get around to killing each other.
Filmed in just eleven days in 1951 by the speedy Guitry, La Poison tells the story of...
- 9/4/2017
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Close-Up is a feature that spotlights films now playing on Mubi. Jean Renoir's The Testament of Dr. Cordelier (1959) is playing August 3 - September 2, 2017 in the United States as part of the series Jean Renoir.Jean Renoir frequently focused on complicated characters who toe the line between right and wrong. They are often trapped by social mores, for better or for worse. In works like The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936) or The River (1951), characters are unfairly confined, while in films like La chienne (1931) or La bête humaine (1938), a breaking from custom is fatally dangerous. Even in more light-hearted fare, such as French Cancan (1954), a bold flaunting of convention is cause for conflict and scandal. It seems only logical, then, that Renoir in his interest in the imposed customs of community and the social construction of morals would be drawn to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...
- 8/10/2017
- MUBI
The 23rd entry in an on-going series of audiovisual essays by Cristina Álvarez López and Adrian Martin. Mubi is showing Jean Renoir's The Testament of Dr. Cordelier (1959) is August 3 - September 2, 2017 in the United States as part of the series Jean Renoir.Jean Renoir’s The Experiment of Dr. Cordelier (a.k.a. The Doctor’s Horrible Experiment, 1959), shot using the multi-camera set-up of a television production, is a free variation on Robert Louis Stevenson’s immortal tale, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886). However, Renoir’s take on this material owes less to the horror genre than to a kind of speculative, philosophical fiction. Unlike in most screen versions of the Jekyll/Hyde duality, Renoir goes easy on the conventional distinction between the good and evil sides of a single personality. Yes, the figure of Opale, into whom Cordelier transforms himself, is destructive, bestial, cruel, and sadistic.
- 8/4/2017
- MUBI
Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)
This week’s question: In dubious honor of “Sleepless,” a new Jamie Foxx vehicle that’s been adapted from Frederic Jardin’s “Sleepless Night,” what is the best American remake of a foreign-language film?
Joshua Rothkopf (@joshrothkopf), Time Out New York
Long before I knew and appreciated Jean Renoir, I was in love with “Down and Out in Beverly Hills,” a 1986 comedy based on “Boudu Saved from Drowning” that peppered the flow with some truly eye-opening ideas for Hollywood: class warfare, unequal police treatment, a neurotic dog with its own therapist. The movie holds up beautifully — it’s one of Nick Nolte’s quietest performances, and one...
This week’s question: In dubious honor of “Sleepless,” a new Jamie Foxx vehicle that’s been adapted from Frederic Jardin’s “Sleepless Night,” what is the best American remake of a foreign-language film?
Joshua Rothkopf (@joshrothkopf), Time Out New York
Long before I knew and appreciated Jean Renoir, I was in love with “Down and Out in Beverly Hills,” a 1986 comedy based on “Boudu Saved from Drowning” that peppered the flow with some truly eye-opening ideas for Hollywood: class warfare, unequal police treatment, a neurotic dog with its own therapist. The movie holds up beautifully — it’s one of Nick Nolte’s quietest performances, and one...
- 1/17/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Mark and Aaron continue the French 1930s series by exploring the early career of Jean Renoir, easily the most recognizable director from the period. We begin with the beginning, by looking at his origins and childhood. We look at his early silent films, his first sound adaptations, and a couple of films from the middle of the decade where he began to settle into his poetic realist style.
7:00 – Why Renoir?
9:30 – Origins of Renoir
20:00 – Silent Renoir (Catherine, Whirlpool of Fate, Nana, Charleston Parade, The Little Match Girl)
51:30 – Early Sound (On purge bébé, La Chienne, Boudu Saved From Drowning)
1:21:30 – Poetic Realism in Mid-Thirties (Toni, A Day in the Country)
French 1930s Episode 1 Jean Renoir Taschen book Republic of Images Renoir Paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago DVD Beaver – Jean Renoir Collector’s Edition Aaron West – A Day in the Country David Blakeslee – A Day in the Country...
7:00 – Why Renoir?
9:30 – Origins of Renoir
20:00 – Silent Renoir (Catherine, Whirlpool of Fate, Nana, Charleston Parade, The Little Match Girl)
51:30 – Early Sound (On purge bébé, La Chienne, Boudu Saved From Drowning)
1:21:30 – Poetic Realism in Mid-Thirties (Toni, A Day in the Country)
French 1930s Episode 1 Jean Renoir Taschen book Republic of Images Renoir Paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago DVD Beaver – Jean Renoir Collector’s Edition Aaron West – A Day in the Country David Blakeslee – A Day in the Country...
- 12/23/2016
- by Aaron West
- CriterionCast
Popular discussions of Jean Renoir tend to highlight his most renowned titles from particular periods of his career, though his greatest contributions and considerable reputation rest mainly on a handful of iconic titles from the 1930s, such as his early masterpiece Boudu Saved From Drowning (1932, remade several times in French and English, including by Paul Mazursky with Slums of Beverly Hills), and Grand Illusion (1937, notably the very first entry in Criterion’s esteemed collection).
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- 6/21/2016
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
It's the time-honored tale of the cuckolded lover, his heartless woman and 'the other guy,' told in terms that Émile Zola would endorse. Jean Renoir's first full-length talkie is a little masterpiece of social observation and indifference to sentimental niceties. Michel Simon is terrific as the clerk who has a tough time with illicit love. La chienne Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 818 1931 / B&W / 1:19 flat full frame / 96 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date June 14, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Michel Simon, Janie Marèse, Georges Flamant, Magdeleine Bérubet, Roger Gaillard. Cinematography Theodore Sparkuhl Film Editor Marguerite Renoir Written by Jean Renoir, André Mouézy-Éon from the book by Georges de la Fouchardière Produced by Pierre Braunberger, Roger Richebé Directed by Jean Renoir
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
We American film students learned about Jean Renoir's La chienne only in the context of its remake. It's an earlier version of the book by Georges de la Fouchardière, that was also adapted for Fritz Lang's 1945 noir Scarlet Street. Renoir's film has never been readily available here in the States, an oversight now corrected with Criterion's new Blu-ray. The good news is that the French restoration of this tale of vice and virtue is beyond good -- the movie looks absolutely new. The even better news is that the movie is a revelation, the equal of Renoir's Boudu Saved from Drowning. This is the kind of movie that might suffer in a bad presentation -- the ability to soak up its atmosphere and detail makes all the difference. Yes, the title does translate as The Bitch, a straight-up vulgarism. The story parallels most of the same events of the Lang version. A puppet theater prologue tells us that story has no moral, no lesson to be learned. Company cashier clerk Maurice Legrand (Michel Simon) is a meek, henpecked husband and a Sunday painter. Maurice's wife Adèle (Magdaleine Bérubet) harangues him about her beloved first husband, to whom he'll never measure up; work colleagues make fun of the meek Maurice behind his back. Late at night Maurice meets Lucienne Pelletier (Janie Marèse), who he does not realize is the sometime-prostitute of Dédé (Georges Flamant), a vain, brutish punk who takes the money she squeezes from the men she meets and beds. He beats her for good measure, but she seems to enjoy it. Maurice has soon installed Lucienne in a love nest. He tells Adèle that he's thrown his paintings away, but instead puts them on the walls of Lucienne's apartment. She and Dédé have the mistaken impression that Maurice is rich, but he keeps her by stealing money from his wife, and eventually, the office safe. Then something unusual happens. Dédé tries to sell Maurice's paintings as the work of Lucienne, and has success. She is soon signing his paintings as a supposedly well-known American artist named Clara Wood. Critic Langelard (Alexandre Rignault of Eyes without a Face) promotes 'Clara's' art because she offers him sexual favors. Dédé makes much better money pimping Lucienne in the art world, than he did on the street. Far too naturalistic, 'earthy' and sordid for anything Hollywood might have produced in 1931, Renoir's La chienne turns a 'way of all flesh' tale into a sharp criticism of society. The milquetoast Maurice Legrand is too naïve to realize that he's being had by Lucienne, a femme fatale well versed in hooking wealthy, vulnerable clients. Lucienne herself is a romantic fool, hopelessly in love, or lust, with a man who treats her like dirt. The more abuse Dédé dishes out, she just comes back for more. When Maurice declares his desire to take Lucienne away, she laughs in his face without a shred of sympathy or basic respect. Stories like this do not have happy endings, and La chienne's main task is to imply that the art world is as big a racket as prostitution. 'Clara Wood's' paintings become big sellers because Dédé pimps Lucienne to a critic willing to praise them for sex. The art dealer and the critic collude to tout 'Clara's' paintings to new clients, one of whom we see getting quality time with the artist as well. As director Renoir was of course the son of the famous painter Auguste Renoir, it's easy to see a personal connection in the critical view of Art as a business. Renoir used live location audio, adding greatly to the film's realism. As there was not as yet any audio mixing for French films, the tracks are beautifully miked to pick up ambient sounds. We even hear the clacking of Lucienne's shoes on the cobblestoned streets. Theodor Sparkuhl's night exteriors are every bit as sophisticated as later low-key, deep focus work in '30s poetic realism and '40s film noir. The rain we see in some scenes may be real as well. The film isn't about crime and retribution, but the grand ironies of 'the oldest story,' a foolish love that leads to murder. The tale turns comic when Maurice has to deal with a man from Adèle's past, who turns up unexpectedly and then figures in the even more ironic ending. The three main characters are just terrific. Michel Simon is a very different character than his bohemian Boudu from the following year. The actor is also far thinner than we're used to seeing him, in films made just a few years later. Janie Marèse is as dangerous a female as ever hooked a man. Lucienne's unreasoning, limitless love for Dédé makes her pure poison for a defenseless fellow like Maurice. Georges Flamant also demonstrates great skill as a thorough, unrepentant louse. Comparing La chienne with Lang's Scarlet Street sets the difference between the humanist and determinist filmmakers in strong relief. Both Renoir and Lang see the events as an unstoppable consequence of human nature, but Renoir's view is much warmer. Maurice lives in a full spectrum of human interaction, even if most people take him for a fool. But he's essentially a warm and accepting person, and his one moment of violent rage is fully understandable. When all is said and done, with his life ruined, Maurice can still laugh at the absurdity of it all. Life goes on, somehow. Lang's version is a chilly noir thesis that makes its innocent hero (Edward G. Robinson) a more innocent victim, not only of Joan Bennett's cheap tart, but of his employers and society itself. His rich boss doesn't even have to hide the fancy woman he keeps on the side, whereas Robinson's wife keeps him around mainly to wash dishes. As one expects from Lang, the plot twists are sharper, wickedly ironic and cruelly merciless. Lang doesn't believe in 'live and let live'.' Haunted by what he's done, his poor hero goes insane. Life does not go on. Renoir's film has a music theme under the titles but I believe the rest of its music is organic, always with a source in the scenes. The beautifully filmed murder takes place with a ballad singer entertaining in the street. Unable to protest when his wife compares him unfavorably to her first husband, the long-lost soldier, Maurice instead sings a mocking children's song about a soldier who went to war and didn't come back. [When we screened La chienne, my wife jumped up immediately at the sound of the song. It has a nearly identical Spanish counterpart, "Mambrú Se Fue A La Guerra." Mambrú went to war, and if he comes back it'll only be at Easter and Christmas. Most likely, it'll be never. To my mind it's a great children's song because it reflects the reality of war glory. There's the Sunday Savant culture lesson for you.] The Criterion Collection's Blu-ray of La chienne is simply terrific -- it looks much better than many expensively restored American movies from this year. The producer must have kept the picture and audio masters in perfect conditions. The rich images display a modulated granularity that heavy digital processing would surely have removed. Being from 1931 the sound does carry a light surface noise. The extras explain that a few lines recorded on location are weak, but I didn't notice as I of course was reading the English subtitles. It's a welcome disc indeed. Christopher Faulkner hosts the 25-minute overview featurette. He covers the love triangle that developed among the actors during filming, and the sad fate of the film's star Janie Marèse. Faulkner places the film in Jean Renoir's career, explaining that in the 1920s the director was often adjudged a dilettante. He had to prove himself before the producers would let him do a sound feature. Here in its entirety is Renoir's short (50 minute) film On purge bébé from the same year, a talkie Renoir was obliged to film to prove he could handle sound. The title translates as Baby's Laxative -- it's a comedy from a play by George Feydeau, about a manufacturer of chamber pots whose son is constipated! Michel Simon is a visitor to the house, where Baby's parents carry on a marriage squabble suitable for a music hall farce. Playing a small supporting part is a young Fernandel. On purge bébé must have been kept in the same magic film can as the main feature, for it is fully restored and just as perfect. Jean Renoir offers one of those introductions filmed for French TV in the early '60. Much rarer is a 90-minute 1967 TV show hosted by Jacques Rivette, in which both Jean Renoir and Michel Simon reminisce about their careers and La chienne. The precise, informative insert essay is by Ginette Vincendeau; and the attractive cover art is by 'Blutch.' Criterion's disc producer is Elizabeth Pauker. On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, La chienne Blu-ray rates: Movie: Excellent Video: Excellent very surprisingly so Sound: Excellent Supplements: Introduction to the film from 1961 by director Jean Renoir, New interview with Renoir scholar Christopher Faulkner, New restoration of On purge bébé (1931), Jean Renoir le patron: 'Michel Simon' a 95-minute 1967 French television program featuring a conversation between Renoir and Simon, directed by Jacques Rivette, Essay by film scholar Ginette Vincendeau. Deaf and Hearing-impaired Friendly? Yes; Subtitles: English Packaging: Keep case Reviewed: June 12, 2016 (5139chie)
Visit DVD Savant's Main Column Page Glenn Erickson answers most reader mail: dvdsavant@mindspring.com
Text © Copyright 2016 Glenn Erickson...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
We American film students learned about Jean Renoir's La chienne only in the context of its remake. It's an earlier version of the book by Georges de la Fouchardière, that was also adapted for Fritz Lang's 1945 noir Scarlet Street. Renoir's film has never been readily available here in the States, an oversight now corrected with Criterion's new Blu-ray. The good news is that the French restoration of this tale of vice and virtue is beyond good -- the movie looks absolutely new. The even better news is that the movie is a revelation, the equal of Renoir's Boudu Saved from Drowning. This is the kind of movie that might suffer in a bad presentation -- the ability to soak up its atmosphere and detail makes all the difference. Yes, the title does translate as The Bitch, a straight-up vulgarism. The story parallels most of the same events of the Lang version. A puppet theater prologue tells us that story has no moral, no lesson to be learned. Company cashier clerk Maurice Legrand (Michel Simon) is a meek, henpecked husband and a Sunday painter. Maurice's wife Adèle (Magdaleine Bérubet) harangues him about her beloved first husband, to whom he'll never measure up; work colleagues make fun of the meek Maurice behind his back. Late at night Maurice meets Lucienne Pelletier (Janie Marèse), who he does not realize is the sometime-prostitute of Dédé (Georges Flamant), a vain, brutish punk who takes the money she squeezes from the men she meets and beds. He beats her for good measure, but she seems to enjoy it. Maurice has soon installed Lucienne in a love nest. He tells Adèle that he's thrown his paintings away, but instead puts them on the walls of Lucienne's apartment. She and Dédé have the mistaken impression that Maurice is rich, but he keeps her by stealing money from his wife, and eventually, the office safe. Then something unusual happens. Dédé tries to sell Maurice's paintings as the work of Lucienne, and has success. She is soon signing his paintings as a supposedly well-known American artist named Clara Wood. Critic Langelard (Alexandre Rignault of Eyes without a Face) promotes 'Clara's' art because she offers him sexual favors. Dédé makes much better money pimping Lucienne in the art world, than he did on the street. Far too naturalistic, 'earthy' and sordid for anything Hollywood might have produced in 1931, Renoir's La chienne turns a 'way of all flesh' tale into a sharp criticism of society. The milquetoast Maurice Legrand is too naïve to realize that he's being had by Lucienne, a femme fatale well versed in hooking wealthy, vulnerable clients. Lucienne herself is a romantic fool, hopelessly in love, or lust, with a man who treats her like dirt. The more abuse Dédé dishes out, she just comes back for more. When Maurice declares his desire to take Lucienne away, she laughs in his face without a shred of sympathy or basic respect. Stories like this do not have happy endings, and La chienne's main task is to imply that the art world is as big a racket as prostitution. 'Clara Wood's' paintings become big sellers because Dédé pimps Lucienne to a critic willing to praise them for sex. The art dealer and the critic collude to tout 'Clara's' paintings to new clients, one of whom we see getting quality time with the artist as well. As director Renoir was of course the son of the famous painter Auguste Renoir, it's easy to see a personal connection in the critical view of Art as a business. Renoir used live location audio, adding greatly to the film's realism. As there was not as yet any audio mixing for French films, the tracks are beautifully miked to pick up ambient sounds. We even hear the clacking of Lucienne's shoes on the cobblestoned streets. Theodor Sparkuhl's night exteriors are every bit as sophisticated as later low-key, deep focus work in '30s poetic realism and '40s film noir. The rain we see in some scenes may be real as well. The film isn't about crime and retribution, but the grand ironies of 'the oldest story,' a foolish love that leads to murder. The tale turns comic when Maurice has to deal with a man from Adèle's past, who turns up unexpectedly and then figures in the even more ironic ending. The three main characters are just terrific. Michel Simon is a very different character than his bohemian Boudu from the following year. The actor is also far thinner than we're used to seeing him, in films made just a few years later. Janie Marèse is as dangerous a female as ever hooked a man. Lucienne's unreasoning, limitless love for Dédé makes her pure poison for a defenseless fellow like Maurice. Georges Flamant also demonstrates great skill as a thorough, unrepentant louse. Comparing La chienne with Lang's Scarlet Street sets the difference between the humanist and determinist filmmakers in strong relief. Both Renoir and Lang see the events as an unstoppable consequence of human nature, but Renoir's view is much warmer. Maurice lives in a full spectrum of human interaction, even if most people take him for a fool. But he's essentially a warm and accepting person, and his one moment of violent rage is fully understandable. When all is said and done, with his life ruined, Maurice can still laugh at the absurdity of it all. Life goes on, somehow. Lang's version is a chilly noir thesis that makes its innocent hero (Edward G. Robinson) a more innocent victim, not only of Joan Bennett's cheap tart, but of his employers and society itself. His rich boss doesn't even have to hide the fancy woman he keeps on the side, whereas Robinson's wife keeps him around mainly to wash dishes. As one expects from Lang, the plot twists are sharper, wickedly ironic and cruelly merciless. Lang doesn't believe in 'live and let live'.' Haunted by what he's done, his poor hero goes insane. Life does not go on. Renoir's film has a music theme under the titles but I believe the rest of its music is organic, always with a source in the scenes. The beautifully filmed murder takes place with a ballad singer entertaining in the street. Unable to protest when his wife compares him unfavorably to her first husband, the long-lost soldier, Maurice instead sings a mocking children's song about a soldier who went to war and didn't come back. [When we screened La chienne, my wife jumped up immediately at the sound of the song. It has a nearly identical Spanish counterpart, "Mambrú Se Fue A La Guerra." Mambrú went to war, and if he comes back it'll only be at Easter and Christmas. Most likely, it'll be never. To my mind it's a great children's song because it reflects the reality of war glory. There's the Sunday Savant culture lesson for you.] The Criterion Collection's Blu-ray of La chienne is simply terrific -- it looks much better than many expensively restored American movies from this year. The producer must have kept the picture and audio masters in perfect conditions. The rich images display a modulated granularity that heavy digital processing would surely have removed. Being from 1931 the sound does carry a light surface noise. The extras explain that a few lines recorded on location are weak, but I didn't notice as I of course was reading the English subtitles. It's a welcome disc indeed. Christopher Faulkner hosts the 25-minute overview featurette. He covers the love triangle that developed among the actors during filming, and the sad fate of the film's star Janie Marèse. Faulkner places the film in Jean Renoir's career, explaining that in the 1920s the director was often adjudged a dilettante. He had to prove himself before the producers would let him do a sound feature. Here in its entirety is Renoir's short (50 minute) film On purge bébé from the same year, a talkie Renoir was obliged to film to prove he could handle sound. The title translates as Baby's Laxative -- it's a comedy from a play by George Feydeau, about a manufacturer of chamber pots whose son is constipated! Michel Simon is a visitor to the house, where Baby's parents carry on a marriage squabble suitable for a music hall farce. Playing a small supporting part is a young Fernandel. On purge bébé must have been kept in the same magic film can as the main feature, for it is fully restored and just as perfect. Jean Renoir offers one of those introductions filmed for French TV in the early '60. Much rarer is a 90-minute 1967 TV show hosted by Jacques Rivette, in which both Jean Renoir and Michel Simon reminisce about their careers and La chienne. The precise, informative insert essay is by Ginette Vincendeau; and the attractive cover art is by 'Blutch.' Criterion's disc producer is Elizabeth Pauker. On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, La chienne Blu-ray rates: Movie: Excellent Video: Excellent very surprisingly so Sound: Excellent Supplements: Introduction to the film from 1961 by director Jean Renoir, New interview with Renoir scholar Christopher Faulkner, New restoration of On purge bébé (1931), Jean Renoir le patron: 'Michel Simon' a 95-minute 1967 French television program featuring a conversation between Renoir and Simon, directed by Jacques Rivette, Essay by film scholar Ginette Vincendeau. Deaf and Hearing-impaired Friendly? Yes; Subtitles: English Packaging: Keep case Reviewed: June 12, 2016 (5139chie)
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Text © Copyright 2016 Glenn Erickson...
- 6/14/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“The Streetwalker And The Sucker”
By Raymond Benson
Fans of Fritz Lang’s film noir of 1945, Scarlet Street, may do well to take a look at this little French gem from 1931. Lang’s film was a Hollywood remake of La Chienne, which was based on a novel by Georges de La Fouchardière (it was also adapted into a stage play by André Mouëzy-Éon). More significantly, La Chienne was the second—and first feature length—sound film by the great Jean Renoir.
Renoir had done well in the silent era, but the invention of talkies presented the filmmaker with a larger palette of tools with which to craft some of his greatest works. Beginning with La Chienne, Renoir became France’s premiere director, a position he held for a decade.
La Chienne translates as “The Bitch,” and viewers may question which woman in the picture the title is referring to—the lead, Lulu, a beautiful blonde “street woman” (a con artist and often a prostitute), who serves as the femme fatale of the story (and wonderfully played by Janie Marèze)... or the wife of our protagonist, such a shrew of a woman that there’s no wonder why we sympathize with the poor schmuck, Maurice (portrayed by the brilliant Michel Simon), a banker and part-time painter who does everything he can to get away from his marriage and set up Lulu as his mistress. Of course, Lulu is really being played by her lover and pimp, the nasty Andre (played by real-life Parisian gangster Georges Flamant, who was also an amateur actor). Maurice is merely the mark, the sucker who is seduced by lust and led to his ruin.
Unlike Scarlet Street, La Chienne is more melodrama than film noir. Renoir handles the material well without making it overwrought, and he succeeds in developing fine character studies of the three leads. Those familiar with the director’s later masterpieces such as Grand Illusion (1937) and The Rules of the Game (1939) will find this early work fascinating. Renoir’s signature mise-en-scène is easily identifiable, even in its baby steps. Also impressive are the street scenes shot on location—this was the real Paris of 1931, displayed in glorious black and white.
Michel Simon, like Renoir, was one of France’s biggest film artists. Originally Swiss, Simon made French silent films and later had a long run as an actor in talkies. He has a distinctive Bassett Hound face, perfect for betraying first the joy and then the pain Lulu puts him through. According to Renoir scholar Christopher Faulkner, who talks about the movie in one of the disk’s supplements, apparently Simon fell in love with the actress playing Lulu off-screen. But, like in the film, Janie Marèze was seeing Flamant, and this relationship was encouraged by Renoir. Not long after production was completed, Marèze was killed in an automobile accident with Flamant at the wheel. At the funeral, Simon allegedly threatened Renoir with a gun, but he must have calmed down, for Simon starred in a subsequent Renoir feature, the excellent Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932; incidentally, this was remade in Hollywood in 1986 as Down and Out in Beverly Hills).
The Criterion Collection’s release features a new, restored 4K digital transfer that looks so pristine and sharp you might think the film was made last week. There’s an uncompressed monaural soundtrack and a new English subtitles translation. Supplements include an introduction to the film by Renoir himself, shot in 1961; the aforementioned interview with Faulkner on the movie; a sparkling new restoration of Renoir’s first sound film, the short On purge bébé (also 1931), a comic bauble based on a one-act play by Georges Feydeau and also starring Michel Simon; and a ninety-five minute 1967 French TV program featuring a conversation between Renoir and Simon. An essay by film scholar Ginette Vincendeau adorns the booklet.
A fine, notable release, and a must for lovers of European cinema.
Click Here To Order From Amazon...
By Raymond Benson
Fans of Fritz Lang’s film noir of 1945, Scarlet Street, may do well to take a look at this little French gem from 1931. Lang’s film was a Hollywood remake of La Chienne, which was based on a novel by Georges de La Fouchardière (it was also adapted into a stage play by André Mouëzy-Éon). More significantly, La Chienne was the second—and first feature length—sound film by the great Jean Renoir.
Renoir had done well in the silent era, but the invention of talkies presented the filmmaker with a larger palette of tools with which to craft some of his greatest works. Beginning with La Chienne, Renoir became France’s premiere director, a position he held for a decade.
La Chienne translates as “The Bitch,” and viewers may question which woman in the picture the title is referring to—the lead, Lulu, a beautiful blonde “street woman” (a con artist and often a prostitute), who serves as the femme fatale of the story (and wonderfully played by Janie Marèze)... or the wife of our protagonist, such a shrew of a woman that there’s no wonder why we sympathize with the poor schmuck, Maurice (portrayed by the brilliant Michel Simon), a banker and part-time painter who does everything he can to get away from his marriage and set up Lulu as his mistress. Of course, Lulu is really being played by her lover and pimp, the nasty Andre (played by real-life Parisian gangster Georges Flamant, who was also an amateur actor). Maurice is merely the mark, the sucker who is seduced by lust and led to his ruin.
Unlike Scarlet Street, La Chienne is more melodrama than film noir. Renoir handles the material well without making it overwrought, and he succeeds in developing fine character studies of the three leads. Those familiar with the director’s later masterpieces such as Grand Illusion (1937) and The Rules of the Game (1939) will find this early work fascinating. Renoir’s signature mise-en-scène is easily identifiable, even in its baby steps. Also impressive are the street scenes shot on location—this was the real Paris of 1931, displayed in glorious black and white.
Michel Simon, like Renoir, was one of France’s biggest film artists. Originally Swiss, Simon made French silent films and later had a long run as an actor in talkies. He has a distinctive Bassett Hound face, perfect for betraying first the joy and then the pain Lulu puts him through. According to Renoir scholar Christopher Faulkner, who talks about the movie in one of the disk’s supplements, apparently Simon fell in love with the actress playing Lulu off-screen. But, like in the film, Janie Marèze was seeing Flamant, and this relationship was encouraged by Renoir. Not long after production was completed, Marèze was killed in an automobile accident with Flamant at the wheel. At the funeral, Simon allegedly threatened Renoir with a gun, but he must have calmed down, for Simon starred in a subsequent Renoir feature, the excellent Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932; incidentally, this was remade in Hollywood in 1986 as Down and Out in Beverly Hills).
The Criterion Collection’s release features a new, restored 4K digital transfer that looks so pristine and sharp you might think the film was made last week. There’s an uncompressed monaural soundtrack and a new English subtitles translation. Supplements include an introduction to the film by Renoir himself, shot in 1961; the aforementioned interview with Faulkner on the movie; a sparkling new restoration of Renoir’s first sound film, the short On purge bébé (also 1931), a comic bauble based on a one-act play by Georges Feydeau and also starring Michel Simon; and a ninety-five minute 1967 French TV program featuring a conversation between Renoir and Simon. An essay by film scholar Ginette Vincendeau adorns the booklet.
A fine, notable release, and a must for lovers of European cinema.
Click Here To Order From Amazon...
- 6/12/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
A Day in the Country
Written and directed by Jean Renoir
France, 1936
Jean Renoir’s A Day in the Country comes at a curious point in the director’s career. In 1936, he had several exceptional silent films to his credit, as well as such classics of early French sound cinema as La Chienne (1931), Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932), and The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936), among others. But he had still not yet achieved his singular place on world cinema’s pre-war stage. That he would do just a year later, with La Grande Illusion (1937). As noted on the new Criterion Blu-ray, A Day in the Country was “conceived as a short feature…[and] nearly finished production in 1936 when Renoir was called away for The Lower Depths. Shooting was abandoned then, but the film was completed with the existing footage by Renoir’s team and released in its current form in 1946, after the...
Written and directed by Jean Renoir
France, 1936
Jean Renoir’s A Day in the Country comes at a curious point in the director’s career. In 1936, he had several exceptional silent films to his credit, as well as such classics of early French sound cinema as La Chienne (1931), Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932), and The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936), among others. But he had still not yet achieved his singular place on world cinema’s pre-war stage. That he would do just a year later, with La Grande Illusion (1937). As noted on the new Criterion Blu-ray, A Day in the Country was “conceived as a short feature…[and] nearly finished production in 1936 when Renoir was called away for The Lower Depths. Shooting was abandoned then, but the film was completed with the existing footage by Renoir’s team and released in its current form in 1946, after the...
- 2/17/2015
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
Ushered forth as the Netherlands’ submission for Best Foreign Language Film this year, Alex van Warmerdam’s hilarious Borgman may prove to be a bit too offbeat for the mainstream tastes of the Academy, at least if judging by its business at the Us box office bears any indication. Arriving on blu-ray from Drafthouse Films, word of mouth may continue to bolster its growing reputation, selected by a number of critics as a standout title for the first half of 2014. Whatever the case, it’s granted considerable attention to the underrated Dutch director whose next little bit of weirdness should arrive next year.
Alex van Warmerdam’s Borgman has to be the steadily working director’s most accomplished work to date. Known mostly for his droll, sometimes perverse films dealing with families or communities tested by strange situations that range anywhere from a maintained weirdness to potential violence, his latest...
Alex van Warmerdam’s Borgman has to be the steadily working director’s most accomplished work to date. Known mostly for his droll, sometimes perverse films dealing with families or communities tested by strange situations that range anywhere from a maintained weirdness to potential violence, his latest...
- 9/16/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Bill Hader has come a long way since his stint on Saturday Night Live, creating many popular characters and impersonations such as Stefon, Vincent Price and CNN’s Jack Cafferty. He is one of the highlights in such films as Adventureland, Knocked Up, Superbad and Pineapple Express, and so it is easy to see why author Mike Sacks interviewed him for his new book Poking A Dead Frog. In it, Hader talks about his career and he also lists 200 essential movies every comedy writer should see. Xo Jane recently published the list for those of us who haven’t had a chance to read the book yet. There are a ton of great recommendations and plenty I haven’t yet seen, but sadly my favourite comedy of all time isn’t mentioned. That would be Some Like It Hot. Still, it really is a great list with a mix of old and new.
- 8/28/2014
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
White Child Above the Clouds: Warmerdam’s Dark Classist Comedy a Winner
Alex van Warmerdam’s Borgman has to be the steadily working director’s most accomplished work to date. Known mostly for his droll, sometimes perverse films dealing with families or communities tested by strange situations that range anywhere from a maintained weirdness to potential violence, his latest treat is poised to broaden his appeal to a larger audience. His 1992 film, The Northerners, perhaps his most celebrated film, deals with a group of people living in a 1960’s housing development, while 2003’s Grimm is an off kilter retelling of Hansel and Gretel. Warmerdam’s latest, which also seems to have roots in the fairy tale parable, plays like the strange, neglected cousin to a host of other considerable cinematic references, and yet, it’s a delectable concoction all its own. Incredibly, often wickedly funny, it’s filled with memorable moments,...
Alex van Warmerdam’s Borgman has to be the steadily working director’s most accomplished work to date. Known mostly for his droll, sometimes perverse films dealing with families or communities tested by strange situations that range anywhere from a maintained weirdness to potential violence, his latest treat is poised to broaden his appeal to a larger audience. His 1992 film, The Northerners, perhaps his most celebrated film, deals with a group of people living in a 1960’s housing development, while 2003’s Grimm is an off kilter retelling of Hansel and Gretel. Warmerdam’s latest, which also seems to have roots in the fairy tale parable, plays like the strange, neglected cousin to a host of other considerable cinematic references, and yet, it’s a delectable concoction all its own. Incredibly, often wickedly funny, it’s filled with memorable moments,...
- 6/13/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Gilles Bourdos's film about the passion of the elderly impressionist for a young woman glows with the painter's own delight in the body and its pleasures
It's good to see a film about the private life of an artist that is not judgmental about his need for sex and beauty.
Renoir, directed by Gilles Bourdos and starring Michel Bouquet as the impressionist master, is the story of an old man's obsession with a young woman. It is set during the first world war, almost entirely on Pierre-Auguste Renoir's estate in the south of France. Renoir is old and ill, but his artistic fire burns bright, rekindled by a new model, Andrée, played by Christa Théret.
Cue a lot of nakedness in the golden light of Provence. Théret poses for Renoir in his studio, in a meadow, in a stream. The wizened, almost immobile old artist is unembarrassed. He knows what he likes.
It's good to see a film about the private life of an artist that is not judgmental about his need for sex and beauty.
Renoir, directed by Gilles Bourdos and starring Michel Bouquet as the impressionist master, is the story of an old man's obsession with a young woman. It is set during the first world war, almost entirely on Pierre-Auguste Renoir's estate in the south of France. Renoir is old and ill, but his artistic fire burns bright, rekindled by a new model, Andrée, played by Christa Théret.
Cue a lot of nakedness in the golden light of Provence. Théret poses for Renoir in his studio, in a meadow, in a stream. The wizened, almost immobile old artist is unembarrassed. He knows what he likes.
- 6/24/2013
- by Jonathan Jones
- The Guardian - Film News
Drafthouse Films has picked up rights to domestic thriller "Borgman" from this year's Cannes Film Festival. Helmed by Alex van Warmerdam ("Grimm," "Abel"), and in the tonal vein of Yorgos Lanthimos' "Dogtooth" and Michael Haneke's "Funny Games," it is the first Dutch film to play in competition at the fest in nearly 40 years. Here's a more in-depth synopsis, which makes the film intriguingly sound like a horror version of Renoir's "Boudu Saved from Drowning":"Borgman" is an allegorical tale exploring the nature of evil in unexpected places. A vagrant enters the lives of an upper-class family, igniting a descent from darkly comic dream to maddening psychological nightmare. “I wanted to show evil through the abnormal behaviour of normal people,” says Warmerdam at the film’s Cannes press conference, “the kind that you can come across in the street.” A stateside theatrical and VOD release is planned for...
- 5/31/2013
- by Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
The 18th edition of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, the Film Society of Lincoln Center's annual showcase of contemporary French film, hits New York screens February 28 - March 10. The fest's opening night sees the U.S. premiere of "Populaire," starring Romain Duris. Full lineup below. Other highlights from the program include Alice Winocour's Cesar nominee "Augustine," Francois Ozon's "In the House" and the late Claude Miller's "Therese Desqueyroux," starring Audrey Tautou. The Georges Franju 1962 original of "Therese Desqueyroux," which stars Oscar nominee Emmanuelle Riva, is also screening, as well as a mini-retrospective of Jean Renoir, boasting "Boudu Saved From Drowning," "The River" and "Rules of the Game." The series spans three theaters -- the Film Society's Lincoln Center location, IFC Center and BAMcinematek. Newly appointed Film Society director of programming...
- 2/5/2013
- by Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
In the 1930s, with Europe on the brink of war, director Jean Renoir found inspiration in Pierre-Auguste's tranquil paintings
In Jean Renoir's film Boudu Saved from Drowning, a Parisian bookseller dives into the river Seine to rescue a homeless man who has thrown himself off a bridge. He is acclaimed as a hero for saving Boudu, but finds he also has to invite this wild-bearded clownish character to live with him. The bookshop-owner's cosy lifestyle, including his affair with the maid, is turned upside down as Boudu refuses to accept bourgeois rules and manners (I am not using the term bourgeois in an abusive or Marxist way – it is how the characters describe themselves).
Boudu Saved from Drowning is as comic and accessible as anyone could want, and as profound as a great novel. It is ambiguous and rich in the way art ought to be: the meaning of...
In Jean Renoir's film Boudu Saved from Drowning, a Parisian bookseller dives into the river Seine to rescue a homeless man who has thrown himself off a bridge. He is acclaimed as a hero for saving Boudu, but finds he also has to invite this wild-bearded clownish character to live with him. The bookshop-owner's cosy lifestyle, including his affair with the maid, is turned upside down as Boudu refuses to accept bourgeois rules and manners (I am not using the term bourgeois in an abusive or Marxist way – it is how the characters describe themselves).
Boudu Saved from Drowning is as comic and accessible as anyone could want, and as profound as a great novel. It is ambiguous and rich in the way art ought to be: the meaning of...
- 4/10/2012
- by Jonathan Jones
- The Guardian - Film News
The Cannes Film Festival's unveiled its Classics program today: "Fourteen films, five documentaries, surprises, a Masterclass (Malcolm McDowell), new or restored prints: The program is based on proposals from national archives, cinematheques, studios, producers and distributors. Rare classics to discover or re-discover, they will be presented in 35mm or high definition digital prints."
The Films
The first round of descriptions comes straight from the Festival.
A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la lune) by Georges Méliès (France, 1902, 16'). "The color version of Georges Méliès most famous film, A Trip to the Moon (1902) is visible again 109 years after its release: having been long considered lost, this version was found in 1993 in Barcelona. In 2010, a full restoration is initiated by Lobster Films, Gan Foundation for Cinema and Technicolor Foundation for Heritage Cinema. The digital tools of today allows them to re-assemble the fragments of 13 375 images from the film and restore them one by one.
The Films
The first round of descriptions comes straight from the Festival.
A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la lune) by Georges Méliès (France, 1902, 16'). "The color version of Georges Méliès most famous film, A Trip to the Moon (1902) is visible again 109 years after its release: having been long considered lost, this version was found in 1993 in Barcelona. In 2010, a full restoration is initiated by Lobster Films, Gan Foundation for Cinema and Technicolor Foundation for Heritage Cinema. The digital tools of today allows them to re-assemble the fragments of 13 375 images from the film and restore them one by one.
- 4/26/2011
- MUBI
Cannes Classics is a recent addition to the festival, and will enjoy its 8th instalment this year. Part of the line-up of this section of the fest is screened at Ceinema de la Plage, that’s right, on the beach. You’ve got to admit that it’s pretty cool – an open-aired screening of a classic film on the French Riviera, away from the exclusivity of the Palais, and able to be enjoyed by Panini-eating passers-by on the Croisette. There should be more of this at the festival, it’s good for the soul.
This year’s line-up of films includes work by Stanley Kubrick, Bernardo Bertolucci, Euzhan Palcy (currently being honored by MoMA in New York) and Jerry Schatzberg, whose photograph of Faye Dunaway is embedded into this year’s festival poster above.
Robert DeNiro and Jane Rosenthal will present a screening of “A Bronx Tale” to celebrate ten...
This year’s line-up of films includes work by Stanley Kubrick, Bernardo Bertolucci, Euzhan Palcy (currently being honored by MoMA in New York) and Jerry Schatzberg, whose photograph of Faye Dunaway is embedded into this year’s festival poster above.
Robert DeNiro and Jane Rosenthal will present a screening of “A Bronx Tale” to celebrate ten...
- 4/26/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
Cannes Classics is a recent addition to the festival, and will enjoy its 8th instalment this year. Part of the line-up of this section of the fest is screened at Ceinema de la Plage, that’s right, on the beach. You’ve got to admit that it’s pretty cool – an open-aired screening of a classic film on the French Riviera, away from the exclusivity of the Palais, and able to be enjoyed by Panini-eating passers-by on the Croisette. There should be more of this at the festival, it’s good for the soul.
This year’s line-up of films includes work by Stanley Kubrick, Bernardo Bertolucci, Euzhan Palcy (currently being honored by MoMA in New York) and Jerry Schatzberg, whose photograph of Faye Dunaway is embedded into this year’s festival poster above.
Robert DeNiro and Jane Rosenthal will present a screening of “A Bronx Tale” to celebrate ten...
This year’s line-up of films includes work by Stanley Kubrick, Bernardo Bertolucci, Euzhan Palcy (currently being honored by MoMA in New York) and Jerry Schatzberg, whose photograph of Faye Dunaway is embedded into this year’s festival poster above.
Robert DeNiro and Jane Rosenthal will present a screening of “A Bronx Tale” to celebrate ten...
- 4/26/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
Of all the great directors France has produced since the Lumière brothers put light to celluloid, the greatest may be Jean Renoir, son of the painter Pierre-August and director of two movies considered by many critics among the best ever made: “La Grande Illusion” in 1937 and “The Rules of the Game” two years later. The latter has appeared in the Sight & Sound Top Ten poll (voted by critics and directors) every decade since 1952; it is worth noting however that the movie was slated upon its release, and even banned in France by the government.
Similarly when Boudu Saved From Drowning, one of his first sound movies – from 1932 – was finally released in America in 1967 it was met generally with bafflement and condescension (one of the few voices of praise was Pauline Kael’s). And like “Rules of the Game” it is now, correctly, regarded as a classic.
The title character is a tramp,...
Similarly when Boudu Saved From Drowning, one of his first sound movies – from 1932 – was finally released in America in 1967 it was met generally with bafflement and condescension (one of the few voices of praise was Pauline Kael’s). And like “Rules of the Game” it is now, correctly, regarded as a classic.
The title character is a tramp,...
- 4/4/2011
- by Adam Whyte
- Obsessed with Film
From the pioneers of the silver screen to today's new realism, French directors have shaped film-making around the world
France can, with some justification, claim to have invented the whole concept of cinema. Film historians call The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station, the 50-second film by the Lumière brothers first screened in 1895, the birth of the medium.
But the best-known early pioneer, who made films with some kind of cherishable narrative value, was Georges Méliès, whose 1902 short A Trip to the Moon is generally heralded as the first science-fiction film, and a landmark in cinematic special effects. Meanwhile, Alice Guy-Blaché, Léon Gaumont's one-time secretary, is largely forgotten now, but with films such as L'enfant de la barricade trails the status of being the first female film-maker.
The towering achievement of French cinema in the silent era was undoubtedly Abel Gance's six-hour biopic of Napoleon (1927), which...
France can, with some justification, claim to have invented the whole concept of cinema. Film historians call The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station, the 50-second film by the Lumière brothers first screened in 1895, the birth of the medium.
But the best-known early pioneer, who made films with some kind of cherishable narrative value, was Georges Méliès, whose 1902 short A Trip to the Moon is generally heralded as the first science-fiction film, and a landmark in cinematic special effects. Meanwhile, Alice Guy-Blaché, Léon Gaumont's one-time secretary, is largely forgotten now, but with films such as L'enfant de la barricade trails the status of being the first female film-maker.
The towering achievement of French cinema in the silent era was undoubtedly Abel Gance's six-hour biopic of Napoleon (1927), which...
- 3/22/2011
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Pre-Christmas snow put the brakes on Tron: Legacy, but at least it did better than disappointing Burlesque and Fred: The Movie
Snow 1, Tron 0When you release a film in spring or early summer, you always run the risk that a freak sunny weekend will play havoc with your box office. In winter, however bad the weather, it's rare for conditions to be so severe that it deters potential cinemagoers from leaving their homes. So whatever you think of Disney's decision to reactivate its long-dormant Tron property – gutsy move or standard Hollywood creative atrophy – it's hard not to feel some sympathy for the unlucky timing of the UK release.
The last weekend before Christmas, with schools across the country breaking up for the festive holiday, should be the right time to release a film with family appeal. Tron: Legacy debuted with a lacklustre £1.97m, below the opening of the previous week's Chronicles of Narnia instalment,...
Snow 1, Tron 0When you release a film in spring or early summer, you always run the risk that a freak sunny weekend will play havoc with your box office. In winter, however bad the weather, it's rare for conditions to be so severe that it deters potential cinemagoers from leaving their homes. So whatever you think of Disney's decision to reactivate its long-dormant Tron property – gutsy move or standard Hollywood creative atrophy – it's hard not to feel some sympathy for the unlucky timing of the UK release.
The last weekend before Christmas, with schools across the country breaking up for the festive holiday, should be the right time to release a film with family appeal. Tron: Legacy debuted with a lacklustre £1.97m, below the opening of the previous week's Chronicles of Narnia instalment,...
- 12/21/2010
- by Charles Gant
- The Guardian - Film News
This masterly ironic comedy of 1932 (aka Boudu sauvé des eaux), one of Renoir's earliest sound films, was reissued in the early 1990s and again in 2005 in connection with an Nft Renoir retrospective. It has a great performance from Michel Simon as the eponymous noisome clochard rescued from a suicide attempt in the Seine by a kindly Parisian bookseller. He's taken into his saviour's orderly home, but instead of displaying appropriate gratitude, Boudu attempts to seduce his benefactor's wife and creates havoc in the household. The movie is a witty hymn to anarchism and an attack on the belief that the poor should be thankful for the charity of the rich (though in fact Boudu's saviour asks nothing of him). It's also a charming illustration of what Renoir meant when (playing the parasitic hanger-on in La règle du jeu) he said: "The terrible thing about this world is that everyone has his reasons.
- 12/19/2010
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Tron: Legacy (PG)
(Joseph Kosinski, 2010, Us) Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde. 125 mins
Less a brand-new vision of the future than an upgrade of the old one, this reboot delivers digital thrills beyond your wildest electric dreams, but ties itself in knots with an analogue-era plot. There's sleek, sexy design, gladiatorial arcade game action and Daft Punk-scored retro styling, but questions pile up as Hedlund seeks to rescue his long-lost Zen-spouting dad (old Jeff Bridges) from Tron-world and its evil techno-führer (young Jeff Bridges).
Burlesque (12A)
(Steve Antin, 2010, Us) Christina Aguilera, Cher, Cam Gigandet. 119 mins
A rags-to-riches showbiz fable that makes Mariah Carey's Glitter look self-effacing and Showgirls avant garde. The mask of Cher presides over a bitchy La club where Aguilera's talent for warbling while modelling frilly lingerie eventually shines through.
Catfish (12A)
(Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman, 2010, Us) 84 mins
The perils of social media are spelt...
(Joseph Kosinski, 2010, Us) Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde. 125 mins
Less a brand-new vision of the future than an upgrade of the old one, this reboot delivers digital thrills beyond your wildest electric dreams, but ties itself in knots with an analogue-era plot. There's sleek, sexy design, gladiatorial arcade game action and Daft Punk-scored retro styling, but questions pile up as Hedlund seeks to rescue his long-lost Zen-spouting dad (old Jeff Bridges) from Tron-world and its evil techno-führer (young Jeff Bridges).
Burlesque (12A)
(Steve Antin, 2010, Us) Christina Aguilera, Cher, Cam Gigandet. 119 mins
A rags-to-riches showbiz fable that makes Mariah Carey's Glitter look self-effacing and Showgirls avant garde. The mask of Cher presides over a bitchy La club where Aguilera's talent for warbling while modelling frilly lingerie eventually shines through.
Catfish (12A)
(Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman, 2010, Us) 84 mins
The perils of social media are spelt...
- 12/18/2010
- by The guide
- The Guardian - Film News
This week Jason Solomons delves into the complex world of social networking when he meets Nev Schulman, the subject of Catfish, a documentary that traces the Facebook romance between New Yorker Nev and Megan from rural Michigan. As their relationship deepens and Nev heads out on a misson to meet his sweetheart it transpires that reality is in this instance much stranger then fiction.
Continuing in this eerie vein, Jason meets British director Richard Bracewell whose thriller Cuckoo follows the story of medical student Polly, who fears for her sanity. The lead is played by Laura Fraser but there are also great central performances from Richard E Grant and Tamsin Greig.
Xan Brooks is on hand to review some of this week's other releases including Tron: Legacy, starring Jeff Bridges young and old; Cher and Christina Aguilera high-kicking their way through Burlesque; Italian drama Loose Cannons and two classic re-issues:...
Continuing in this eerie vein, Jason meets British director Richard Bracewell whose thriller Cuckoo follows the story of medical student Polly, who fears for her sanity. The lead is played by Laura Fraser but there are also great central performances from Richard E Grant and Tamsin Greig.
Xan Brooks is on hand to review some of this week's other releases including Tron: Legacy, starring Jeff Bridges young and old; Cher and Christina Aguilera high-kicking their way through Burlesque; Italian drama Loose Cannons and two classic re-issues:...
- 12/16/2010
- by Jason Solomons, Xan Brooks, Jason Phipps
- The Guardian - Film News
HeyUGuys brings you the latest in World Cinema film trailers in association with Film Dates UK.
We’ll be showcasing some of most anticipated foreign releases as well as highlighting a few hidden gems which may have fallen off your radar. It’s no surprise that Hollywood has turned to World Cinema for inspiration in recent years with the number of remakes getting more and more popular.
Whilst it remains to be seen how many of these remakes go on to succeed or stay true to their original story counterparts, we decided it was high-time we turned the spotlight onto the next wave of foreign films to grace our screens.
For those who’ve yet to embark on their journey into the foreign movie world, here’s a beautiful and carefully crafted video tribute to the vibrant world of foreign cinema.
Manmadhan Ambu UK Cinema Release Date: Thursday 16th December...
We’ll be showcasing some of most anticipated foreign releases as well as highlighting a few hidden gems which may have fallen off your radar. It’s no surprise that Hollywood has turned to World Cinema for inspiration in recent years with the number of remakes getting more and more popular.
Whilst it remains to be seen how many of these remakes go on to succeed or stay true to their original story counterparts, we decided it was high-time we turned the spotlight onto the next wave of foreign films to grace our screens.
For those who’ve yet to embark on their journey into the foreign movie world, here’s a beautiful and carefully crafted video tribute to the vibrant world of foreign cinema.
Manmadhan Ambu UK Cinema Release Date: Thursday 16th December...
- 12/14/2010
- by Andy Petrou
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Somewhere (15)
(Sofia Coppola, 2010, Us) Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Chris Pontius. 98 mins
Let's see: a poor little lost girl; a distant, powerful father figure; artsy observations on wealth and fame – Coppola's hardly hurling herself out of her comfort zone. But there's just enough to make it work, with Dorff's disengaged movie star struggling to bond with his daughter, get a life and check out of Hotel California. It's an almost structureless essay on how celebrity is wasted on the famous.
The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader (PG)
(Michael Apted, 2010, Us) Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Ben Barnes. 113 mins
The seafaring odyssey was always the series' most cinematic proposition, and if you can get over the stagey acting and religious homilies, it's a solid kids' adventure.
The Tourist (12A)
(Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2010, Us/Fra) Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany. 103 mins
With its handsome leads, Venetian locations and wrong-man intrigues,...
(Sofia Coppola, 2010, Us) Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Chris Pontius. 98 mins
Let's see: a poor little lost girl; a distant, powerful father figure; artsy observations on wealth and fame – Coppola's hardly hurling herself out of her comfort zone. But there's just enough to make it work, with Dorff's disengaged movie star struggling to bond with his daughter, get a life and check out of Hotel California. It's an almost structureless essay on how celebrity is wasted on the famous.
The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader (PG)
(Michael Apted, 2010, Us) Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Ben Barnes. 113 mins
The seafaring odyssey was always the series' most cinematic proposition, and if you can get over the stagey acting and religious homilies, it's a solid kids' adventure.
The Tourist (12A)
(Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2010, Us/Fra) Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany. 103 mins
With its handsome leads, Venetian locations and wrong-man intrigues,...
- 12/11/2010
- by The guide
- The Guardian - Film News
From Frank Capra's festive classic It's a Wonderful Life, to mock-shocksploitation, a grumpy French tramp, an enigmatic badass and a Facebook romance
Machete
This mock-shocksploitation movie was developed by Robert Rodriguez from a spoof trailer. Granite-faced Danny Trejo stars as the blade-wielding avenger Machete, out for payback against the arrogant, corrupt authorities in Mexico and the Us who connived at the slaughter of his wife and child. Robert De Niro has a bizarre cameo as a dishonest politician.
▶ Out on Friday.
Of Gods and Men
Spiritual drama – or tendentious piece of Catholic proselytising? Either way, there's no doubt about the impact this has had on audiences since airing at Cannes. Based on a true story, the film is about ageing French Cistercian monks in a monastery in a remote part of Algeria who find themselves tragically at odds with a new generation of Islamic fundamentalists. Gripping and moving.
▶ Out on 3 December.
Machete
This mock-shocksploitation movie was developed by Robert Rodriguez from a spoof trailer. Granite-faced Danny Trejo stars as the blade-wielding avenger Machete, out for payback against the arrogant, corrupt authorities in Mexico and the Us who connived at the slaughter of his wife and child. Robert De Niro has a bizarre cameo as a dishonest politician.
▶ Out on Friday.
Of Gods and Men
Spiritual drama – or tendentious piece of Catholic proselytising? Either way, there's no doubt about the impact this has had on audiences since airing at Cannes. Based on a true story, the film is about ageing French Cistercian monks in a monastery in a remote part of Algeria who find themselves tragically at odds with a new generation of Islamic fundamentalists. Gripping and moving.
▶ Out on 3 December.
- 11/22/2010
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
You've read our festive tips so now we want to know what you can't wait to see or do this Christmas
From Edinburgh's great Scottish Santa Run, to classic panto at the York Theatre Royal, to a reissue of Jean Renoir's seminal film Boudu Saved from Drowning – our critics have picked out the very best things to do this Christmas.
But we want to know what's in your diary for the festive season. Which is the best carol concert in your area? Where's the best Christmas market for those last-minute purchases? Which panto have you rushed to get tickets for? Please share your festive tips below.
ChristmasChristmas marketsFestivalsTheatreDanceComedyClassical musicJazzWorld musicLaura Barnett
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds...
From Edinburgh's great Scottish Santa Run, to classic panto at the York Theatre Royal, to a reissue of Jean Renoir's seminal film Boudu Saved from Drowning – our critics have picked out the very best things to do this Christmas.
But we want to know what's in your diary for the festive season. Which is the best carol concert in your area? Where's the best Christmas market for those last-minute purchases? Which panto have you rushed to get tickets for? Please share your festive tips below.
ChristmasChristmas marketsFestivalsTheatreDanceComedyClassical musicJazzWorld musicLaura Barnett
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds...
- 11/22/2010
- by Laura Barnett
- The Guardian - Film News
Neils Arden Oplev criticises casting of American actor in lead role of Lisbeth Salander in American version of Swedish film
The director of the original Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has questioned the need for the upcoming American remake, reigniting a long-running war of words over Hollywood raiding foreign language films to repackage them for a global audience.
With an English-language version in the works, to be directed by The Social Network's David Fincher, film-maker Niels Arden Oplev expressed anger at plans to cast an American actor in the lead role of Lisbeth Salander, drawing unflattering comparisons with the Hollywood adaptation of the French film La Femme Nikita, which was poorly received when remade as The Assassin, starring Bridget Fonda in the 1990s.
He told the Word & Film website: "Even in Hollywood there seems to be a kind of anger about the remake; like, 'Why...
The director of the original Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has questioned the need for the upcoming American remake, reigniting a long-running war of words over Hollywood raiding foreign language films to repackage them for a global audience.
With an English-language version in the works, to be directed by The Social Network's David Fincher, film-maker Niels Arden Oplev expressed anger at plans to cast an American actor in the lead role of Lisbeth Salander, drawing unflattering comparisons with the Hollywood adaptation of the French film La Femme Nikita, which was poorly received when remade as The Assassin, starring Bridget Fonda in the 1990s.
He told the Word & Film website: "Even in Hollywood there seems to be a kind of anger about the remake; like, 'Why...
- 11/10/2010
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
David Lean's anti-war epic may be about to spark another battle as a digitally restored version screens at the London film festival
Two movies at this year's London film festival are emerging as strong contenders for Oscars, if the persistent whispers in the opening week are to be believed.
But Danny Boyle's 127 Hours and The King's Speech are still expected on Oscar night to fall well short of another Lff film, made over half a century ago, which premieres in a newly restored version and was awarded no less than seven Oscars in 1957, including best picture, director and actor.
David Lean's controversial anti-war epic The Bridge on the River Kwai has been the site of numerous battles since its release, but the festival's archive section consultant, Clyde Jeavons, is in no doubt about the significance to the film industry of both Sunday's screening and the latest skirmish to surround the movie.
Two movies at this year's London film festival are emerging as strong contenders for Oscars, if the persistent whispers in the opening week are to be believed.
But Danny Boyle's 127 Hours and The King's Speech are still expected on Oscar night to fall well short of another Lff film, made over half a century ago, which premieres in a newly restored version and was awarded no less than seven Oscars in 1957, including best picture, director and actor.
David Lean's controversial anti-war epic The Bridge on the River Kwai has been the site of numerous battles since its release, but the festival's archive section consultant, Clyde Jeavons, is in no doubt about the significance to the film industry of both Sunday's screening and the latest skirmish to surround the movie.
- 10/15/2010
- by Tony Paley
- The Guardian - Film News
The full line up for the 54th BFI London Film Festival was announced in the Odeon, Leicester Square this morning, with a number of highly anticipated films set to light up the capital this October.
The festival runs from the 13th to the 28th of October and will begin with Mark Romanek’s adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s haunting masterpiece Never Let Me Go, and will close with Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours which stars James Franco.
Announcing the roster were Artistic Director Sandra Hebron and the Director of the British Film Institute, Amanda Nevill.
HeyUGuys will be all over the festival this year, it looks like it will be one to remember.
Click here to view the full calendar
The 54Th BFI London Film Festival Programme Launch
London, Wednesday 8 September: The programme for the 54th BFI London Film Festival, launched today by Artistic Director Sandra Hebron, showcases an array of...
The festival runs from the 13th to the 28th of October and will begin with Mark Romanek’s adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s haunting masterpiece Never Let Me Go, and will close with Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours which stars James Franco.
Announcing the roster were Artistic Director Sandra Hebron and the Director of the British Film Institute, Amanda Nevill.
HeyUGuys will be all over the festival this year, it looks like it will be one to remember.
Click here to view the full calendar
The 54Th BFI London Film Festival Programme Launch
London, Wednesday 8 September: The programme for the 54th BFI London Film Festival, launched today by Artistic Director Sandra Hebron, showcases an array of...
- 9/8/2010
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Religulous (2008) Sunday, 2:30 p.m., SHOe Bill Maher and “Borat” director Larry Charles set out to prove that organized religions are wacky and dangerous. They go to the Creationist Museum — dedicated to showing that humans and dinosaurs roamed the earth together — and other places where religion is more over-the-top than organized. Like Maher? Then, you’ll like the movie and vice-versa. Down And Out In Beverly Hills (1986) Tuesday, 8 p.m., Style Paul Mazursky’s remake of the 1932 Jean Renoir comedy,...
- 8/22/2010
- by By LINDA STASI
- NYPost.com
Hollywood is in the throes of remake fever. So far this year, we've seen the release of 'Clash of the Titans,' 'The A-Team,' 'The Karate Kid,' and 'Robin Hood.' Other remakes on deck or rumored to be in the works include 'Red Dawn,' 'Footloose,' 'Private Benjamin,' 'Conan the Barbarian,' 'Police Academy,' 'Romancing the Stone,' 'Slap Shot,' 'Arthur,' 'The Birds,' 'National Lampoon's Vacation,' 'Creature from the Black Lagoon,' and 'Total Recall.'
The American film industry is slated to release about 75 remakes in 2010, and while that number is unusually high, remakes are nothing new in Hollywood. Some are outstanding films—'Cape Fear' (1991), for example. And some are painfully bad—such as 'Planet of the Apes' (2001).
Moviegoers love to bemoan remakes—never as good as the original,...
The American film industry is slated to release about 75 remakes in 2010, and while that number is unusually high, remakes are nothing new in Hollywood. Some are outstanding films—'Cape Fear' (1991), for example. And some are painfully bad—such as 'Planet of the Apes' (2001).
Moviegoers love to bemoan remakes—never as good as the original,...
- 7/14/2010
- The Bollywood Ticket
This column will feature, on a weekly basis, a different film from the Eclipse Series box sets, rotating each week between releases.
You’ll get your cross
it might be bronze, or it might be wood
but, you’ll get your cross.
Given a free choice to watch any movie I’d like, typically I’m not likely to select one about war, particularly the kind that focus on lurid, glossy battle scenes featuring the latest and greatest in pyrotechnic effects or revel in free-flowing machismo unleashed. Politically speaking, my temperament and values rest squarely in the antiwar camp, and I always advocate for non-violent conflict resolution, not merely as a strategic option but as a way of life. Yet having said that, I’ve seen films like Blackhawk Down, Saving Private Ryan and 300 early in their theatrical runs, most often due to a sense that these films deliver some...
You’ll get your cross
it might be bronze, or it might be wood
but, you’ll get your cross.
Given a free choice to watch any movie I’d like, typically I’m not likely to select one about war, particularly the kind that focus on lurid, glossy battle scenes featuring the latest and greatest in pyrotechnic effects or revel in free-flowing machismo unleashed. Politically speaking, my temperament and values rest squarely in the antiwar camp, and I always advocate for non-violent conflict resolution, not merely as a strategic option but as a way of life. Yet having said that, I’ve seen films like Blackhawk Down, Saving Private Ryan and 300 early in their theatrical runs, most often due to a sense that these films deliver some...
- 6/1/2010
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
Since the announcement of this year’s selected films, the Cannes film festival machine has whirred on, with additions to that line-up and confirmation of some of the Out of Competition activities that attendees can look forward to.
One particular highlight is the Cannes Classics programme of films, a selection of restored films and rediscovered lost films, as part of the build up to their re-release in cinemas or on DVD. The programme traditionally includes some massively important films: the 2009 fest offered the mouth-watering triptych of Powell and Pressburger’s The Red Shoes (1948), Leone’s A Fistful of Dynamite (1971) and Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows (1959), and this year’s line-up is just as eye-catching.
This year’s Cannes Classic programme lines up as follows (with additional detail of their restoration, and the ceremony attached to the screening):
- La Bataille Du Rail (The Battle of the Rails) (France,...
One particular highlight is the Cannes Classics programme of films, a selection of restored films and rediscovered lost films, as part of the build up to their re-release in cinemas or on DVD. The programme traditionally includes some massively important films: the 2009 fest offered the mouth-watering triptych of Powell and Pressburger’s The Red Shoes (1948), Leone’s A Fistful of Dynamite (1971) and Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows (1959), and this year’s line-up is just as eye-catching.
This year’s Cannes Classic programme lines up as follows (with additional detail of their restoration, and the ceremony attached to the screening):
- La Bataille Du Rail (The Battle of the Rails) (France,...
- 5/1/2010
- by Simon Gallagher
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Cannes Classics, created in 2004, accompanies contemporary films from the Official Selection with a programme of restored films and lost films that have been found again, as part of their re-release in cinemas or on DVD. The screenings will be held at the Palais des Festival and will be shown again at La Licorne. - Boudu Saved from Drowning by Jean Renoir in a restored version with unseen footage. René Clément, Luchino Visconti, Hector Babenco, Volker Schlöndorff, Mrinal Sen, and Luis Buñuel once again in the official selection. Rare footage from Marcel Lherbier. A restoration of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, for which work done on the sound means the film can be heard in a new way. Jack Cardiff, Ingmar Bergman and ‘cinema surfing’. Cannes Classics, created in 2004, accompanies contemporary films from the Official Selection with a programme of restored...
- 4/27/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Mrinal Sen’s Khandahar will be screened in Cannes Classics 2010. Cannes Classics, created in 2004, accompanies contemporary films from the Official Selection with a programme of restored films and lost films that have been found again, as part of their re-release in cinemas or on DVD.
The film has been restored by Reliance MediaWorks with the support of the National Film Archive of India. Mrinal Sen will attend the screening of Khandahar at Cannes.
Programme - La Bataille Du Rail (The Battle of the Rails) (France, 1946, 82’) by René Clément, awarded the Jury Prize in 1946, restored by Ina and Full Images, will be screened in the presence of Mrs. Johanna Clément.- Boudu Sauve Des Eaux (Boudu Saved from Drowning) by Jean Renoir (France, 85’, 1932), a restoration presented by Pathé in a never-before-seen version that includes scenes that were cut in the original. A Pathé restoration in association with the laboratries L’immagine...
The film has been restored by Reliance MediaWorks with the support of the National Film Archive of India. Mrinal Sen will attend the screening of Khandahar at Cannes.
Programme - La Bataille Du Rail (The Battle of the Rails) (France, 1946, 82’) by René Clément, awarded the Jury Prize in 1946, restored by Ina and Full Images, will be screened in the presence of Mrs. Johanna Clément.- Boudu Sauve Des Eaux (Boudu Saved from Drowning) by Jean Renoir (France, 85’, 1932), a restoration presented by Pathé in a never-before-seen version that includes scenes that were cut in the original. A Pathé restoration in association with the laboratries L’immagine...
- 4/27/2010
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
- 4/27/2010
- by Sasha Stone
- AwardsDaily.com
Boudu Saved from Drowning by Jean Renoir in a restored version with unseen footage. René Clément, Luchino Visconti, Hector Babenco, Volker Schlöndorff, Mrinal Sen, and Luis Buñuel once again in the official selection. Rare footage from Marcel Lherbier. A restoration of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, for which work done on the sound means the film can be heard in a new way. Jack Cardiff, Ingmar Bergman and ‘cinema surfing’. Cannes Classics, created in 2004, accompanies contemporary films from the Official Selection with a programme of restored films and lost films that have been found again, as part of their re-release in cinemas or on DVD. The screenings will be held at the Palais des Festival and will be shown again at La Licorne. The programme - La Bataille Du Rail (The Battle of the Rails) (France, 1946, 82’) by René Clément, awarded the Jury Prize in 1946, restored by Ina and Full Images, will...
- 4/27/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Paris -- Festival de Cannes official selection sidebar Cannes Classics will be saving more old films from drowning in a sea of obscurity with an all-star lineup of restored titles including Jean Renoir's "Boudu Saved From Drowning" set to screen during the festival, organizers said Tuesday.
Created in 2004, the Cannes Classics program restores old movies so that they can be re-released in theaters or on DVD and screened with their contemporary counterparts in Cannes during the festival.
This year's selection includes Rene Clement's 1946 film "The Battle of the Rails," "John Huston's 1951 film "African Queen" and Luchino Visconti's 1963 title "The Leopard" among several films from across the globe.
The fest will also screen a restored version of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" from Universal Pictures and Audionamix complete with a reconstructed soundtrack.
Martin Scorsese's nonprofit World Cinema Foundation is also planning to screen more obscure titles from the film archives of Kazakhstan,...
Created in 2004, the Cannes Classics program restores old movies so that they can be re-released in theaters or on DVD and screened with their contemporary counterparts in Cannes during the festival.
This year's selection includes Rene Clement's 1946 film "The Battle of the Rails," "John Huston's 1951 film "African Queen" and Luchino Visconti's 1963 title "The Leopard" among several films from across the globe.
The fest will also screen a restored version of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" from Universal Pictures and Audionamix complete with a reconstructed soundtrack.
Martin Scorsese's nonprofit World Cinema Foundation is also planning to screen more obscure titles from the film archives of Kazakhstan,...
- 4/27/2010
- by By Rebecca Leffler
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"As soon as you make a theory, facts destroy it."”
– Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir is not "elegant." Jean Renoir was never a "master." Though he could be gentle when he needed to, he was never genteel. Jean Renoir directed some of the nastiest, roughest, most brutal films ever made. I still feel humilated watching La chienne and The River, as I should. I can't think of any moments in cinema that make me more uncomfortable than when when Michel Simon sobs while being questioned in the former or Thomas Breen falls down in the latter. I am embarassed, as you should be embarrassed, when watching The Crime of Monsieur Lange, Boudu Saved from Drowning, The Little Theater of Jean Renoir and The Rules of the Game, because I recognize my own shortcomings in the shortcomings of the characters. Their foolishness isn't just something to laugh at; it points to the...
– Jean Renoir
Jean Renoir is not "elegant." Jean Renoir was never a "master." Though he could be gentle when he needed to, he was never genteel. Jean Renoir directed some of the nastiest, roughest, most brutal films ever made. I still feel humilated watching La chienne and The River, as I should. I can't think of any moments in cinema that make me more uncomfortable than when when Michel Simon sobs while being questioned in the former or Thomas Breen falls down in the latter. I am embarassed, as you should be embarrassed, when watching The Crime of Monsieur Lange, Boudu Saved from Drowning, The Little Theater of Jean Renoir and The Rules of the Game, because I recognize my own shortcomings in the shortcomings of the characters. Their foolishness isn't just something to laugh at; it points to the...
- 4/19/2010
- MUBI
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