Tag Archives: French Cinema

Saturday Matinee: Gregoire Moulin vs. Humanity

Posted on by
Reply

“Gregoire Moulin vs. Humanity” (2001) is a French romantic comedy starring and directed by the late Artus de Penguern. The film is a spoof of Amélie, which was released the same year and also featured Artus (who played the character Hipolito). While the world of Amélie was charming and magical, the world of Gregoire Moulin is cruel and twisted (though filmed in a similar visually striking manner). The films also play on the conventional romantic comedy plot structure in which two quirky characters find eachother against seemingly insurmountable odds.

To activate English subtitles, click the “CC” button in the lower left corner of the video window. Next, click the “Settings” icon next to it, choose “Subtitles/CC”, choose “Auto-Translate”, and then “English”.

Saturday Matinee: Immortal (aka Immortel, ad vitam)

Posted on by
Reply

hqdefault“Immortal” (2004) is a French-produced live-action/animated feature directed by Enki Bilal and based on his graphic novel The Carnival of Immortals. It was one of the first major films (along with Casshern and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow) to be shot entirely with a digital backdrop, blending live actors with computer generated surroundings.

The film takes place in New York City circa 2095 where genetically altered humans mingle with unaltered men and women and Central Park has been mysteriously encased in an energy field which kills people who attempt to enter. A strange pyramid has appeared over the city in which Egyptian gods decide Horus must end his immortality. Before dying, Horus, while searching for a host body with which to procreate and continue his bloodline, also finds potential demi-god Jill.

 

Saturday Matinee: La Jetée

Posted on by
Reply

“La Jetée” (1962) is a short sci-fi feature directed by filmmaker, poet, novelist, photographer, editor, videographer and digital multimedia artist Chris Marker. Comprised entirely of narration over still photos (except for one crucial scene), La Jetée tells the story of a post-nuclear war time travel experiment and is considered one of the most influential and radical science-fiction films ever made (directly inspiring Terry Gilliam’s “12 Monkeys”).

https://vimeo.com/31209852

Saturday Matinee: La Haine

Posted on by
1

haine_1

“La Haine” (1995) is the second feature film written and directed by Mathieu Kassovitz. The plot follows 19 hours in the lives of a multi-ethnic 20-something trio of friends from the housing projects of Paris where racism, police brutality and poverty have created a social pressure cooker. After finding a police pistol in the aftermath of a riot in which one of their friends was severely beaten by police, they navigate a series of perilous situations exemplifying simmering race and class hatred in French society (often escalated by the presence of the weapon). Though set in France, the basic storyline is all too relatable for disenfranchised people everywhere including the US. The film features great performances from the three leads (Hubert Koundé, Vincent Cassel and Saïd Taghmaoui), striking black and white cinematography by Pierre Aïm, and excellent writing/direction by Mathieu Kassovitz.

Watch the full film on Kanopy: https://www.kanopy.com/product/la-haine