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Post by petrolino on Mar 11, 2017 1:20:13 GMT
French cinema has been going strong for some time now. In 1895, the Lumiere brothers were preparing to roll out the reels for a series of public showings. I think many of my favourite French films project a national identity, display gifts for innovation and possess an innate ability to cut through cultural divides, while always remaining resolutely French. French cinema was the first new language I learnt as a film lover who'd grown up on American movies, the beginning of a global journey made up of flickering images. "For more than a century, since he captured the spoken words “Mary had a little lamb” on a sheet of tinfoil, Thomas Edison has been considered the father of recorded sound. But researchers say they have unearthed a recording of the human voice, made by a little-known Frenchman, that predates Edison’s invention of the phonograph by nearly two decades. The 10-second recording of a singer crooning the folk song “Au Clair de la Lune” was discovered earlier this month in an archive in Paris by a group of American audio historians. It was made, the researchers say, on April 9, 1860, on a phonautograph, a machine designed to record sounds visually, not to play them back. But the phonautograph recording, or phonautogram, was made playable — converted from squiggles on paper to sound — by scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California. “This is a historic find, the earliest known recording of sound,” said Samuel Brylawski, the former head of the recorded-sound division of the Library of Congress, who is not affiliated with the research group but who was familiar with its findings. The audio excavation could give a new primacy to the phonautograph, once considered a curio, and its inventor, Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville, a Parisian typesetter and tinkerer who went to his grave convinced that credit for his breakthroughs had been improperly bestowed on Edison."
- Jody Rosen, The New York Times
"The tale of Louis Le Prince, the man regarded as the father of cinematography, ends in rather peculiar circumstances which have yet to be resolved, but for movie lovers everywhere, it’s his achievements in the last few years of his life which have granted him a place in the history books. Whilst Thomas Edison and the Lumière brothers dominated the headlines for inventing the equipment which made the moving image possible, Louis Le Prince preceded them by a number of years with a working model which captured motion outside his home in Roundhay, Leeds. However, his achievements were not widely recognised, because not long before a scheduled public performance of his technology, Le Prince went missing with no clues as to his whereabouts. Many people have since speculated on his fate (with theories ranging from suicide to murder by rival cinematographers), but the one undisputed fact is that Le Prince was the first past the post with his pioneering work in the medium which would ultimately become film."
- Kieron Casey, National Media Museum
"From 1863, Etienne-Jules Marey perfected the first elements of his 'methode graphique', which studied movement using recording instruments and graphs. Using polygraphs, sphygmographs, dromographs and other myographs, he succeeded in analysing diagramatically the walk of man and of horse, the flight of birds and insects. The results - published in La Machine Animale in 1873 - aroused much interest and led Leland Stanford and Eadweard Muybridge to pursue their own photographic researches into horse movement. In turn, the influence of Muybridge and of those in Marey's circle, including Alphonse Penaud, led the physiologist to use photography for the study of movement. Marey very much admired the results of Muybridge at Palo Alto, but was dissatisfied with the lack of precision in the images of birds. In 1882, he perfected the 'photographic gun', inspired by the 1874 'photographic revolver' of the astronomer Jules Janssen, and capable of taking twelve exposures in one second. In 1882 the Station Physiologique opened in the Bois de Boulogne, funded by the City of Paris, with Georges Demenÿ as Marey's assistant. Marey quickly abandoned his gun and invented in 1882 a chronophotographic fixed plate camera, equipped with a timed shutter. Using this, he succeeded in combining on a single plate several successive images of a single movement. To facilitate shooting in different positions the camera was placed inside a large wooden cabin which ran on rails. Numerous plates were made at the Station between 1882 and 1888, including the famous 'figures geometriques'. In 1888 Marey again improved his invention by replacing the glass plate with a long strip of sensitised paper. The first 'film' on paper, taken at 20 images a second, was shown (but not projected) at the Academy des Sciences on 29 October 1888. The strip was moved intermittently in the camera by an electromagnet."
- Laurent Mannoni, ‘Who’s Who Of Victorian Cinema’
"In 1878 a laboratory for medical photography had been set up at La Saltpêtrière hospital in Paris. To pursue his medical studies, in 1882, Albert Londe constructed a camera fitted with nine lenses arranged in a circle. A series of electro-magnets energised in sequence by a metronome device released nine shutters in quick succession, taking nine pictures on a glass plate. He used the camera to study the movements of patients during epileptic fits. Londe's improved camera of 1891 used twelve lenses (in three rows of four) and was used for medical studies of muscle movement in subjects performing a variety of actions as diverse as those of a tightrope walker and a blacksmith. The sequence of twelve pictures could be made in anything from 1/10th of a second to several seconds. The lay-out of Londe's laboratory at La Saltpêtrière was in many ways similar to Marey's Station Physiologique, and was similarly subsidised by the Parisian authorities."
- Brian Coe, ‘Who’s Who Of Victorian Cinema’
"The Lumiere brothers worked for their father, Claude-Antoine Lumière, who ran a photographic firm. Louis Lumiere's most notable improvement to still-photograph processes was the dry-plate process. The Lumières started to screen motion pictures privately in 1895, then publicly later that year. They began filming with Léon Bouly's cinématographe device, but later developed their own cinématographe, which could record, develop, and project motion pictures. In 1896, the brothers went on tour around the world with their cinématographe. Léon Bouly, also a French inventor, developed the first cinématographe, and created the word "cinematographe", which could both shoot and project. He then got this device patented, but in 1894, he could no longer pay to rent the patent, and the Lumiere brothers promptly bought it. He could not bring gain enough exposure for his cinematographe, because he was not as wealthy as the Lumiere brothers, especially since he could no longer pay the rent for the patent. The Lumiere brothers, however, were far better off because their father owned a photographic firm, and could travel around the world showcasing their cinematographe. The Cinematographe Lumiere was merely an upgrade from the original cinematographe, and Leon Bouly and the Lumiere brothers both contributed to early film."
- Ryan Frigo, ‘The Cinematographe : The Lumiere Brothers & Leon Bouly’Breaking The Rules ~ Enter the New Wave with special guest Quentin Tarantino : 'La Nouvelle Vague'Who are some of your favourite French filmmakers? Thanks!
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Post by geode on Mar 11, 2017 1:26:56 GMT
Eric Rohmer
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Post by petrolino on Mar 11, 2017 1:39:01 GMT
Eric Rohmer is often recalled for his movie cycles like the moral tales, comedies & proverbs, four seasons; do you have a favourite series?
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Post by petrolino on Mar 11, 2017 2:17:25 GMT
I drew up a list of films I'd recommend to someone interested in seeing the work of filmmakers who were born in France during the industry's formative years. I applied certain parameters to limit myself accordingly, so I didn't think to include Sacha Guitry (Russia), Jean Epstein & Marie Epstein (Poland), Dimitri Kirsanoff (Estonia), Marc Allegret (Switzerland), Henri Verneuil (Turkey), Grisha Dabat (Egypt), Henri Colpi (Switzerland) or Jean Aurel (Romania); not even Marguerite Duras, who was born in Vietnam. It's funny, there's some celebrated directors from Belgium who've often found themselves being listed as French directors, notably Jacques Feyder and Pierre Chenal during the early years, not to mention Jean Brismee, Harry Kumel, or the “Grandmother of the French Nouvelle Vague”, Agnes Varda. But this list I’ve knocked up consists entirely of directors born in France, because those are the parameters I set myself in order that I didn’t produce a list twice as long! There are still many distinguished directors I hope to see films from including Pierre Kast, Jean-Pierre Mocky, Claude Pinoteau, Francis Veber (I’ve seen one) etc. so, plenty to look forward to, I hope.
01. Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince (28 August 1841 – presumed vanished 16 September 1890) – ‘Roundhay Garden Scene’ (1888) 02. Émile Reynaud (8 December 1844 – 9 January 1918) - ‘Poor Pierrot’ (1892, Pauvre Pierrot) 03. Émile Cohl (4 January 1857 – 20 January 1938) - ‘A Fantasy’ (1908, Fantasmagorie) 04. Georges Méliès (8 December 1861 – 21 January 1938) - ‘The Astronomer’s Dream’ (1898, La lune à un mètre) 05. Louis Lumière (5 October 1864 – 6 June 1948) – ‘Demolition Of A Wall’ (1896, Démolition d'un mur) 06. Louis Feuillade (19 February 1873 – 25 February 1925) – ‘Tragic Error’ (1913, Erreur tragique) 07. Alice Guy-Blaché (1 July, 1873 – 24 March, 1968) – ‘Clown, Dog And Balloon’ (1905, Clown, chien et ballon) 08. Maurice Tourneur (February 2, 1876 – August 4, 1961) – ‘The Man With Wax Faces’ (1914, Figures de cire) 09. Léonce Perret (14 March 1880 – 12 August 1935) – ‘The Mystery Of The Kador Cliffs’ (1912, Le mystère des roches de Kador) 10. Germaine Dulac (17 November 1882 – 20 July 1942) – ‘The Seashell And The Clergyman’ (1928, La coquille et le clergyman) 11. Max Linder (16 December 1883 – 31 October 1925) – ‘Max, The Heartbreaker’ (1917, Max entre deux feux) 12. Léon Poirier (25 August 1884 – 27 June 1968) – ‘Verdun, Visions D’Histoire (1928) 13. Marcel L'Herbier ( 23 April 1888 – 26 November 1979) – ‘Fantastic Night’ (1942, La nuit fantastique) 14. Jean Cocteau (5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) – ‘The Blood Of A Poet’ (1932, Le sang d'un poète) 15. Abel Gance (25 October 1889 – 10 November 1981) ‘I Accuse’ (1919, J’accuse!) 16. Henri Decoin (18 March 1890 – 4 July 1969) – ‘Inside A Girls’ Dormitory’ (1953, Dortoir des grandes) 17. Louis Delluc (14 October 1890 – 22 March 1924) – ‘Fièvre’ (1921) 18. Raymond Bernard (10 October 1891 – 12 December 1977) – ‘Wooden Crosses’ (1932, Les croix de bois) 19. Jean Renoir (15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) – ‘A Day In The Country’ (1936, Partie de campagne) 20. Marcel Pagnol ( 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) – ‘The Well-Digger’s Daughter’ (1940, La fille du puisatier) 21. Julien Duvivier (8 October 1896 – 29 October 1967) – ‘Au Bonheur Des Dames’ (1930) 22. René Clair (11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981) – ‘The Million’ (1931, Le Million) 23. Robert Florey (14 September 1900 – 16 May 1979) – ‘Skyscraper Symphony’ (1929) 24. Claude Autant-Lara (5 August 1901 – 5 February 2000) – ‘Love Is My Profession’ (1958, En cas de malheur) 25. Robert Bresson (25 September 1901 – 18 December 1999) – ‘Pickpocket’ (1959, Incertitude) 26. Jean Grémillon (3 October 1901 – 25 November 1959) – ‘Misdeal’ (1928, Maldone) 27. Christian-Jaque (4 September 1904 – 8 July 1994) – ‘Fan-Fan The Tulip’ (1952, Fanfan la Tulipe) 28. Paul Grimault (23 March 1905 – 29 March 1994) – ‘The Curious Adventures Of Mr. Wonderbird’ (1952, La bergère et le ramoneur) 29. Jean Vigo (26 April 1905 – 5 October 1934) – ‘L’Atalante’ (1934) 30. Yves Allégret (13 October 1905 – 31 January 1987) – ‘The Proud And The Beautiful’ (1953, Les orgueilleux) 31. Edmond T. Gréville (20 June 1906 - 26 May 1966) – ‘The Hands Of Orlac’ (1960, Les mains d'Orlac) 32. Marcel Carné (18 August 1906 – 31 October 1996) – ‘The Children Of Paradise’ (1945, Les enfants du paradis) 33. Jacques Becker (15 September 1906 – 21 February 1960) – ‘Le Trou’ (1960) 34. Henri-Georges Clouzot (18 August 1907 – 12 January 1977) – ‘The Raven’ (1943, Le Corbeau 35. Jacques Tati (9 October 1907 – 5 November 1982) – ‘Playtime’ (1967) 36. Jean Delannoy (12 January 1908 – 18 June 2008) – ‘The Secret Of Mayerling’ (1949, Le secret de Mayerling) 37. Jacqueline Audry (25 September 1908 – 22 June 1977) – ‘The Pit Of Loneliness’ (1951, Olivia) 38. André Cayatte (3 February 1909 - 6 February 1989) – ‘The Lovers Of Verona’ (1949, Les amants de Vérone) 39. Georges Franju (12 April 1912 – 5 November 1987) – ‘Eyes Without A Face’ (1960, Les yeux sans visage) 40. Marcel Camus (21 April 1912 – 13 January 1982) – ‘Black Orpheus’ (1959, Orfeu Negro) 41. René Clément (18 March 1913 – 17 March 1996) – ‘Purple Noon’ (1960, Plein soleil) 42. Pierre Chevalier (23 March 1915 - 10 February 2005) – ‘Dr. Orloff’s Invisible Monster’ (1970, La vie amoureuse de l'homme invisible) 43. Jean Rouch (31 May 1917 – 18 February 2004) – ‘Chronicle Of A Summer’ (1961, Chronique d'un été : Paris 1960) 44. Jean-Pierre Melville (20 October 1917 – 2 August 1973) – ‘Doulos : The Finger Man’ (1963, Le Doulos) 45. Gérard Oury (29 April 1919 – 20 July 2006) – ‘The Mad Adventures Of ‘Rabbi’ Jacob’ (1973, Les aventures de Rabbi Jacob) 46. Jacques Doniol-Valcroze (15 March 1920 – 6 October 1989) – ‘The Denunciation’ (1962, La dénonciation) 47. Éric Rohmer (21 March 1920 – 11 January 2010) – ‘Chloe In The Afternoon’ (1972, L'amour l'après-midi) 48. Yves Robert (19 June 1920 – 10 May 2002) – ‘The Tall Blond Man With One Black Shoe’ (1972, Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire) 49. Jean Jabely (3 April 1921 - 14 March 2013) – ‘The Gauloises Blondes’ (1988, Les Gauloises blondes) 50. Chris Marker (29 July 1921 – 29 July 2012) – ‘La Jetée’ (1962) 51. Michel Boisrond (9 October 1921 - 10 November 2002) – ‘La Parisienne’ (1957, Une parisienne) 52. Alain Resnais (3 June 1922 – 1 March 2014) – ‘Last Year At Marienbad’ (1961, L'année dernière à Marienbad) 53. Alain Robbe-Grillet (18 August 1922 – 18 February 2008) – ‘Successive Slidings Of Pleasure’ (1974, Glissements progressifs du plaisir) 54. Michel Lemoine (30 September 1922 – 27 July 2013) – ‘Seven Women For Satan’ (1976, Les week-ends maléfiques du Comte Zaroff) 55. Alexandre Astruc (13 July 1923 – 19 May 2016) – ‘The Pit And The Pendulum’ (1964, Le puits et le pendule) 56. Claude Sautet (23 February 1924 – 22 July 2000) – ‘César And Rosalie’ (1972, César et Rosalie) 57. Maurice Pialat (31 August 1925 – 11 January 2003) – ‘The Mouth Agape’ (1974, La gueule ouverte) 58. Jean-Charles Tacchella (23 September 1925 - ) – ‘The Man Of My Life’ (1992, L'homme de ma vie) 59. Georges Lautner (24 January 1926 – 22 November 2013) – ‘There Was Once A Cop’ (1972, Il était une fois un flic...) 60. Jacques Rozier (10 November 1926 -) – ‘The Castaways Of Turtle Island’ (1976, Les naufragés de l'île de la Tortue) 61. Christian Marquand (15 March 1927 – 22 November 2000) – ‘Candy’ (1968) 62. Pierre Granier-Deferre (27 July 1927 - 16 November 2007) – ‘The Last Train’ (1973, Le train) 63. Robert Hossein (30 December 1927 - ) – ‘The Secret Killer’ (1965, Le vampire de Düsseldorf) 64. Roger Vadim (26 January 1928 – 11 February 2000) – ‘The Night Heaven Fell’ (1958, Les bijoutiers du clair de lune) 65. Jacques Rivette ( 1 March 1928 – 29 January 2016) – ‘The Beautiful Troublemaker’ (1991, La belle noiseuse) 66. Édouard Molinaro (13 May 1928 – 7 December 2013) – ‘Oscar’ (1967) 67. Serge Bourguignon (3 September 1928 - ) – ‘Sundays And Cybele’ (1962, Les dimanches de Ville d'Avray) 68. Pierre Étaix (23 November 1928 – 14 October 2016) – ‘Insomnia’ (1963, Insomnie) 69. Jean Douchet (19 January 1929 - ) – ‘Six In Paris’ (1965, Paris vu par...) 70. Jacques Deray (February 19, 1929 – August 9, 2003) – ‘Cop Story’ (1975, Flic Story 71. René Laloux (July 13, 1929 – March 14, 2004) – ‘Fantastic Planet’ (1973, La planète sauvage 72. Paul Vecchiali (28 April 1930 - ) – ‘Women Women’ (1974, Femmes Femmes) 73. Claude Chabrol (24 June 1930 – 12 September 2010) – ‘The Beast Must Die’ (1969, Que la bête meure) 74. Jean-Luc Godard (3 December 1930 -) – ‘Every Man For Himself’ (1980, Sauve qui peut (la vie)) 75. Michel Deville (13 April 1931 - ) – ‘The Reader’ (1988, La lectrice) 76. Jacques Demy ( 5 June 1931 – 27 October 1990) – ‘The Young Girls Of Rochefort’ (1967, Les demoiselles de Rochefort) 77. Alain Cavalier (September 14, 1931 - ) – ‘Fire And Ice’ (1962, Le combat dans l'île) 78. Alain Jessua (16 January 1932 - ) – ‘Shock Treatment’ (1973, Traitement de choc) 79. François Truffaut (6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) – ‘The Man Who Loved Women’ (1977, L'homme qui aimait les femmes) 80. Jean-Paul Rappeneau (8 April 1932 - ) – ‘The Horseman On The Roof’ (1995, Le hussard sur le toit) 81. Louis Malle (30 October 1932 – 23 November 1995) – ‘May Fools’ (1990, Milou en mai) 82. Jean-Marie Straub (8 January 1933 - ) & Danièle Huillet (1 May 1936 – 9 October 2006) – ‘Every Revolution Is A Throw Of The Dice’ (1977, Toute révolution est un coup de dés) 83. Philippe De Broca (15 March 1933 – 26 November 2004) – ‘King Of Hearts’ (1966, Le roi de coeur) 84. Jean Becker (10 May 1933 - ) – ‘One Deadly Summer’ (1983, L'été meurtrier) 85. Jean-Claude Roy (7 June 1933 - ) – ‘Éducation Anglaise’ (1983) 86. Claude Berri (1 July 1934 – 12 January 2009) – ‘Germinal’ (1993) 87. Claude Zidi (25 July 1934 - ) – ‘Animal’ (1977, L'animal) 88. Juan Luis Buñuel (9 November 1934 - ) – ‘The Woman With Red Boots’ (1974, La femme aux bottes rouges) 89. Pierre Grunstein (10 March 1935 - ) – ‘Tender Dracula, Or Confessions Of A Blood Drinker’ (1974, Tendre Dracula) 90. Claude Faraldo (23 March 1936 – 29 January 2008) – ‘Themroc’ (1973) 91. Joël Séria (13 April 1936 - ) – ‘Don’t Deliver Us From Evil’ (1971, Mais ne nous délivrez pas du mal) 92. Luc Moullet (14 October 1937 - ) – ‘Brigitte And Brigitte’ (1966, Brigitte et Brigitte) 93. Claude Lelouch (30 October 1937 -) – ‘A Man And A Woman’ (1966, Un homme et une femme) 94. Maurice Dugowson (23 September 1938 – 11 November 1999) – ‘Lily, Aime-Moi’ (1975) 95. Jean Rollin (3 November 1938 – 15 December 2010) – ‘The Night Of The Hunted’ (1980, La nuit des traquées) 96. Jean Eustache (30 November 1938 – 5 November 1981) – ‘Robinson’s Place’ (1963, Les mauvaises fréquentations) 97. Bertrand Blier (14 March 1939 - ) – ‘Going Places’ (1974, Les valseuses) 98. Yves Boisset (14 March 1939 - ) – ‘The Common Man’ (1975, Dupont Lajoie) 99. Just Jaeckin (8 August 1940 - ) – ‘Emmanuelle’ (1974) 100. Bertrand Tavernier (25 April 1941 - ) – ‘Coup De Torchon’ (1981, Le juge et l'assassin) 101. Raphaël Delpard (26 January 1942 - ) – ‘Night Of Death’ (1980, La nuit de la mort!) 102. Claude Miller (20 February 1942 – 4 April 2012) – ‘Little Lili’ (2003, La petite Lili) 103. Claude Mulot (21 August 1942 - 13 October 1986) – ‘The Blood Rose’ (1970, La rose écorchée) 104. Gérard Pirès (31 August 1942 - ) – ‘Erotissimo’ (1969) 105. Francis Leroi (5 September 1942 – 21 March 2002) - ‘Emmanuelle IV’ (1984) 106. Jean-Pierre Gorin (17 April 1943 - ) – ‘Tout Va Bien’ (1972) 107. Alain Corneau (7 August 1943 – 30 August 2010) – ‘Love Crime’ (2010, Crime d'amour) 108. Jean-Jacques Annaud (1 October 1943 - ) – ‘Quest For Fire’ (1981, La guerre du feu) 109. Bruno Gantillon (16 June 1944 - ) – ‘Girl Slaves Of Morgana Le Fay’ (1971, Morgane et ses nymphes) 110. Jean-Claude Brisseau (17 July 1944 - ) – ‘Noce Blanche’ (1989) 111. Francis Girod (9 October 1944 – 19 November 2006) – ‘The Infernal Trio’ (1974, Le trio infernal) 112. Patrice Chéreau (2 November 1944 – 7 October 2013) – ‘Queen Margot’ (1994, La reine Margot) 113. Jean-François Davy (3 May 1945 - ) – ‘Clockwork Banana’ (1973, Bananes mécaniques)
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Post by petrolino on Mar 11, 2017 3:09:32 GMT
Hi spiderwort : Francois Truffaut - One of my favourites too. He adapted his style throughout his career, took risks within the context of his narratives, became a consummate storyteller. Jean Vigo - Tremendous artist, though sadly was unable to realise his full potential. Still, I'm glad for what we've got. Jean Renoir - Probably my favourite French filmmaker, I love all things Renoir. Louis Malle - Another great storyteller blessed with a high level of technical skill. Claude Berri - Some nice movies, did well moving from production duties to the directors chair. Abel Gance - His films I've seen are filled with extraordinary moments. Marcel Carné - A poet of the cinema. Alain Resnais - I sometimes find Resnais' pictures frustrating, but in a good perplexing manner most of the time. I think he left behind a complex and fascinating body of work. René Clément - I know there are some in France who hold Clement up as the most gifted cinematic artist of his generation. I find his best work emotionally involving. Diane Kurys - She's a super talent who's terrific with actors. I'd like to see more of her work as I love a couple of her movies. Bertrand Tavernier - Tavernier is a provocative film theorist with an unerring sense of history who demonstrates technical chops. I'd happily watch anything he directed and I share his passion for music. Have yet to see the films of Robert Bresson - so long over due, I know! - Bresson was someone I saw at a young age, when I was exploring the worlds of Ingmar Bergman and Akira Kurosawa. I found his reputation slightly daunting but he more than lived up to it. Marcel Pagnol - keep an eye on youtube for Pagnol screenings if you're interested. Tati - he's a riot, check him out if you like Jerry Lewis. Godard - The only filmmaker I regularly refer to as a genius. Not many modern directors can claim to have rewritten the language of film in the way masters like George Melies, D W Griffith or Sergei Eisenstein did, but perhaps Godard can. In addition to the philosophy he expounds, he's also very funny. Check out his films with Anna Karina if you can, pure entertainment.
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rick220
New Member
@rick220
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Post by rick220 on Mar 11, 2017 7:37:11 GMT
You already said it but for me the most important film maker ever is Jean-Luc Godard. He is instrumental in my entire (re)consideration, approach to, and appreciation of film. Nobody has gone deeper into all aspects of what cinema and film is than Godard. Through his films he shows all elements of film - visual, audio, acting, and everything related to it - on both technical and philosophical levels and how they impact the intention of the director and the perception of the viewer. All of his films are a true collaboration between him and the spectator, because he wants, even demands you get actively involved in the realization of aspects of time, space, sight, sound in his work, and therefore in any film you watch. I've learned more from him about how movies 'work' than from any book I read, or class I ever had. That is not to say I like all of his work, because quite a number of his movies are above my level of comprehension, or are unbearable to enjoy on a visceral level. And that is also a reason I have not hardly seen everything he has made, because at times it is just too hard, confusing and frustrating. But still, since I had my Godard 'epiphany' in 2008 I have been looking at films in a different way, and it has become a much more profound and enjoyable experience. So there
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Post by petrolino on Mar 12, 2017 3:52:50 GMT
You already said it but for me the most important film maker ever is Jean-Luc Godard ...
... So there He's an explosive talent, for sure. The French are said to be very big in drama schools for seeking to combine art forms. As in, an acting student will be encouraged to delve into other areas, be it ballet, juggling, singing, stilt-walking ... it's just a way in which to gain experience, expand your repertoire and move outside your comfort zone, while building a formidable arsenal that may aid future French endeavors.
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Post by petrolino on Mar 12, 2017 3:57:44 GMT
And thanks for the Pagnol tip. I love the Berri versions of his novels and am very interested in his work as a filmmaker. Hopefully, I can find his version of Manon of the Spring. Hi spiderwort. I came to Marcel Pagnol's films via the works of Claude Berri. 'Manon Of The Spring' is a beautiful picture. Oh, and thanks so much for the kind words - and thank you for all your hard work in making this home away from home such a great place already to come and learn (and socialise!) I only hope more imdb refugees will find their way here in time.
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Post by petrolino on Mar 12, 2017 4:47:52 GMT
Annabella :
Simone Simon :
Danielle Darrieux :
Emmanuelle Riva :
Jeanne Moreau & Brigitte Bardot : Leslie Caron :
Mireille Darc :
Catherine Deneuve & Francoise Dorleac :
Nathalie Baye :
Miou Miou :Isabelle Huppert :Isabelle Adjani :
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Post by petrolino on Mar 12, 2017 5:17:27 GMT
Jean-Louis Trintignant :With Marie-France Pisier :With Ewa Aulin :Jean-Paul Belmondo :With Anna Karina :With Claudia Cardinale :Jean Sorel :With Anna Maria Ferrero :With Elsa Martinelli :Alain Delon :With Romy Schneider :With Jane Fonda :"A director makes only one movie in his life. Then he breaks it into pieces and makes it again." - Jean Renoir
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Post by OldAussie on Mar 26, 2017 18:50:56 GMT
Despite my limited knowledge of non-English speaking films I have 3 years where my number 1 film is French -
La Grande Illusion (1937) The Wages of Fear (1953) A Very Long Engagement (2004)
Other favourites -
Diabolique Contempt Jean / Manon Day For Night
....and others I can't think of at the moment.
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Post by london777 on Mar 26, 2017 20:24:13 GMT
Despite my limited knowledge of non-English speaking films I have 3 years where my number 1 film is French - La Grande Illusion (1937) The Wages of Fear (1953) A Very Long Engagement (2004) Other favourites - Diabolique Contempt Jean / Manon Day For Night ....and others I can't think of at the moment. Maybe some of them are the same as some of my favorites (in addition to those you list, although I have yet to see Contempt)? Caché (Hidden) 2005 Michael Haneke is an international co-production set in France with French stars and with French dialogue. Does that count? Safe Conduct 2002 Bertrand Tavernier Amelie 2001 Jean-Pierre Jeunet A Man Escaped (1956) the only Bresson film for which I have more than a cold respect. Les Enfants du Paradis (1945) Marcel Carné Rififi (1955) Jule Dassin Les Quatre Cents Coups (1959) Truffaut Le Bonheur (1965) Agnes Varda La Regle du Jeu (1939) Renoir La Belle et la Bĕte (1946) Cocteau Quai des Orfèvres (1947) Clouzot Le Corbeau (1943) Clouzot
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Post by OldAussie on Mar 27, 2017 5:01:45 GMT
london777 - Rififi and Rules of the Game are ones I liked too. Not sure I've seen the others you've named.
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Post by pimpinainteasy on Mar 27, 2017 5:15:20 GMT
jean pierre melville
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Post by howardschumann on Mar 27, 2017 5:22:09 GMT
Here are my favorites:
Au hasard Balthazar, France, 1966, Robert Bresson Diary of a Country Priest, France, 1950, Robert Bresson Hiroshima Mon Amour, France, 1959, Alain Resnais Forbidden Games, France, 1952, Rene Clement Therese, France, 1986, Alain Cavalier Wild Reeds, France, 1994, Andre Techine The Red Balloon, France, 1956, Albert LaMorisse The Dreamlife of Angels, France, 1998, Eric Zorca Z, France, 1969, Con. Costas-Garvas A Man Escaped, France, 1956, Robert Bresson La Vie de Jesus, France, 1997, Bruno Dumont Deep Breath (Le Soufflé), France, 2001, Damian O'Doul Sundays and Cybele, France, 1962, Serge Bourgignon The Wild Child, France, 1969, Francois Truffaut La Jetee, France, 1962, Chris Marker Trois Couluers Trilogy, France, 1993-4, Kristov Kieslowski The River, France, US, India, 1951, Jean Renoir He Who Must Die, France , 1957, Jules Dassin L’Humanite, France, 1999, Bruno Dumont It All Starts Today, France, 1999, Bernard Tavernier Beau Travail, France, 1999, Claire Denis The Green Ray, France, 1985, Erich Rohmer I’m Going Home, France 2001, Manoel de Olivera L’Enfance Nue (Naked Childhood), France, 1968, Maurice Pialat Charly, France, 2007, Isild Le Besco The Romance of Astrea and Celadon, France, 2007, Eric Rohmer In the City of Sylvia, France, 2007, Jose Luis Guerin
I haven't included films of Jean and Luc Dardenne because I believe they are considered to be from Belgium not France, I believe.
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Post by petrolino on Apr 1, 2017 22:51:06 GMT
Danielle Darrieux :Petrolino, it's hard to believe that Ms. Darrieux will be 100 on May 1. And she has credits in the database through 2016. Amazing! Hi spiderwort. The last film I saw Danielle Darrieux in was the excellent '8 Women' (2002) but she carried on working throughout that decade. Looks like this decade, however, she's decided to finally take a well-earned rest.
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Post by petrolino on Apr 1, 2017 22:54:57 GMT
Despite my limited knowledge of non-English speaking films I have 3 years where my number 1 film is French - La Grande Illusion (1937) The Wages of Fear (1953) A Very Long Engagement (2004) Other favourites - Diabolique Contempt Jean / Manon Day For Night ....and others I can't think of at the moment. Maybe some of them are the same as some of my favorites (in addition to those you list, although I have yet to see Contempt)? Caché (Hidden) 2005 Michael Haneke is an international co-production set in France with French stars and with French dialogue. Does that count? Safe Conduct 2002 Bertrand Tavernier Amelie 2001 Jean-Pierre Jeunet A Man Escaped (1956) the only Bresson film for which I have more than a cold respect. Les Enfants du Paradis (1945) Marcel Carné Rififi (1955) Jule Dassin Les Quatre Cents Coups (1959) Truffaud Le Bonheur (1965) Agnes Varda La Regle du Jeu (1939) Renoir La Belle et la Bĕte (1946) Cocteau Quai des Orfèvres (1947) Clouzot Le Corbeau (1943) Clouzot I have a copy of 'Cache' (Hidden) to watch but I keep putting it off. Thanks for the recommendation. I've not seen 'Safe Conduct' but I'm keen to as I try to see as much as possible from the director Bertrand Tavernier. I like all the other films in your lists, OldAussie and London, except for 'Amelie' which really winds me up for some reason.
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Post by petrolino on Apr 1, 2017 22:56:26 GMT
Here are my favorites: Au hasard Balthazar, France, 1966, Robert Bresson Diary of a Country Priest, France, 1950, Robert Bresson Hiroshima Mon Amour, France, 1959, Alain Resnais Forbidden Games, France, 1952, Rene Clement Therese, France, 1986, Alain Cavalier Wild Reeds, France, 1994, Andre Techine The Red Balloon, France, 1956, Albert LaMorisse The Dreamlife of Angels, France, 1998, Eric Zorca Z, France, 1969, Con. Costas-Garvas A Man Escaped, France, 1956, Robert Bresson La Vie de Jesus, France, 1997, Bruno Dumont Deep Breath (Le Soufflé), France, 2001, Damian O'Doul Sundays and Cybele, France, 1962, Serge Bourgignon The Wild Child, France, 1969, Francois Truffaut La Jetee, France, 1962, Chris Marker Trois Couluers Trilogy, France, 1993-4, Kristov Kieslowski The River, France, US, India, 1951, Jean Renoir He Who Must Die, France , 1957, Jules Dassin L’Humanite, France, 1999, Bruno Dumont It All Starts Today, France, 1999, Bernard Tavernier Beau Travail, France, 1999, Claire Denis The Green Ray, France, 1985, Erich Rohmer I’m Going Home, France 2001, Manoel de Olivera L’Enfance Nue (Naked Childhood), France, 1968, Maurice Pialat Charly, France, 2007, Isild Le Besco The Romance of Astrea and Celadon, France, 2007, Eric Rohmer In the City of Sylvia, France, 2007, Jose Luis Guerin I haven't included films of Jean and Luc Dardenne because I believe they are considered to be from Belgium not France, I believe. There's several films here I've not heard of before howard, thanks for the list. I'll look into some of those I've not seen.
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Post by howardschumann on Apr 2, 2017 2:05:48 GMT
Sure. Some of the films on my list may be a little obscure but are one's that made an impact.
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Post by london777 on Apr 2, 2017 2:19:04 GMT
I like all the other films in your lists, OldAussie and London, except for 'Amelie' which really winds me up for some reason. I can understand that. It might help to view the central character as less of a benevolent cute charmer and more of a mentally disturbed meddler whom we would avoid like the plague if she entered our own lives. Once you no longer feel obliged to like her, it is easier to relax and enjoy the many good things in the movie.
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