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Home Archives for french cinema

September 23, 2016 By iluvcinema Leave a Comment

La Belle et la Bête (2014)

When I initially endeavored to cover La Belle et la Bête (2014) I thought it would be a great idea to watch the Jean Cocteau 1946 version as a companion piece. Alas, that never happened – because – life. I would say based on this viewing, I am determined to eventually give it a look. But for now, I’ll stick to reviewing this version.

First a little background. I definitely have a mixed history with the story of Beauty and the Beast as both a source material and an adaptation.  While I have not seen the Disney animated ‘masterpiece’ from 1991, I was more familiar with the late 1980s television version featuring Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton. Sadly I am old and remember it well. All this to say, that, I generally thought I knew the basics of the story; in other words, I knew enough to get by and not be surprised by the lack of singing candelabras or tea cups.

Or rather, I THOUGHT I knew. As I tucked in and watched this French language version, directed by Christophe Gans and starring Léa Sedyoux and Vincent Cassel (they of the title respectively), I found myself post-screening having to do some additional research about the 1740 story as told by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve (later abridged by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in 1756).

bellebete

In fact, let me go ahead and share with you (who may also be similarly uninitiated) the film synopsis which will adequately set the stage for the story:

The year is 1810. After the wreck of his ships, a financially-ruined merchant (André Dussollier) exiles himself in the countryside with his six children. Among them is Belle (the “beauty”), his youngest daughter.

One day, during an arduous journey, the merchant stumbles across the magical domain of the Beast (Vincent Cassel), who sentences him to death for stealing a rose.

Feeling responsible for the terrible fate which has befallen her family, Belle decides to sacrifice herself and take her father’s place. At the Beast’s castle, it is not death that awaits Belle, but a strange life in which fantastical moments mingle with gaiety and melancholy.

They learn about each other, taming one another like two strangers who are total opposites.

As for the film itself, credit to the director, cinematographer and the set design/visual effects teams. They really created a stunning and mystical landscape that seemed to be lifted straight from the imagination of a person reading the fairytale. The visual style was so enthralling that I was engaged all the way through. The live action blended seamlessly with the CG. Sure I knew it was CG, but that is a concession I was willing to make in allowing the film to push the limits of projecting an otherworldly fairyland onto the screen.

That said, once I got past the reverie, I did feel like there were issues with the plotting of the story. In spite of the fact of my prior knowledge that Belle (“Beauty”) would eventually fall in love with the “Beast,” the film did the bare minimum (and possibly less than that) to convince me of the progression of Belle’s feelings.

I also get the sense that there was an effort to convey a sense of gritty realism in the tale at particular moments. In general, this felt a little incongruous to my sensibilities and the initial escapism and whimsy conveyed by the images I saw on screen. But then again, maybe I should remember my literary history and that the origins of fairytales often were not filled with an unending stream of sunshine, rainbows and magic.

Although the film was produced in 2014 and premiered at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival, La Belle et la Bête is finally getting an American release.

Starting today, check the official website for showtimes (http://beautyandthebeastfilm.com/) in select markets around the country.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Beauty and the Beast, french cinema, La Belle et la Bête, la belle et la bete 2014

July 14, 2014 By iluvcinema Leave a Comment

In Honor of La Fête Nationale (Bastile Day)

In honor of La fête nationale, I wanted to share my appreciation French films by sharing a few clips from from French-language film:

Le Ballon rouge (My first French film)

Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (A rather recent addition thanks to my TCMParty pals)

La règle du jeu

Entre Les Murs

Madame de …
——-

In my researching (yes even for a post so economical, some research goes into it) I realized that I have seen a LOT of French films over the years – so many that I could not include all of them in this post. Otherwise, I could be here until midnight extolling their respective virtues. I will spare you that pleasure and offer this simple bit of advice: go to Netflix (or any other streaming service) and randomly pick a few French-language films. Trust me, I continue to follow my advice and remain constantly amazed.

Here are some recent recommendations; hopefully in the coming weeks/months I will post my reviews and recaps:
  • Sous les toits de Paris (Rene Clair, 1930) – not the most narratively-sound film, but there are some lovely shots in this one
  • Prête-moi ta main (Eric Lartigau 2006)
  • La Belle et la Bête (Jean Cocteau, 1946)
under the roofs of parisSous les toits de Paris
——-

In closing, here are a few posts from the ILC archives in which I discuss some of the French films I have seen over the years:

On Location at the Palace of Versailles

8 Femmes

La Delicatasse

The Scarlet Pimpernel – yes while not actually French, it does deal with the French Revolution whose source is one of my favorite books growing up)

Les adieux à la reine

 Ne les dis à personne

La Vie d’Adèle – Chapitres 1 & 2

Les yeux sans visage

——-

 

Filed Under: Fun Stuff Tagged With: bastille day, french cinema, french films, la fête nationale

March 16, 2010 By idawson Leave a Comment

Franco-cinephiles Rejoice!

Photo Credit: Film Society of Lincoln Center (Click on Image)

If you are in the NYC area you have until March 21st to view some great contemporary French imports.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: french cinema, french film, lincoln center film society

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