Are the Red, Blue, White films considered to be French? Or Polish?
OMG, how could I have forgotten them? They're right there on the shelf! Love them. Despite Kieslowski, they are considered French productions both for financing and language reasons (although most of
White
is in Polish).
(although most of White is in Polish).
Thank you! This explains why I've been sitting here wondering why I can't remember which language they were in even though I very clearly remember seeing them -- in France, in French, and yet somehow also with subtitles...
I love Trois Couleurs trilogy. Rouge is one of my all time favourite flicks EVER. Definitely in my top ten.
Hmmm. I've seen about the 75% of films on Megan's students-approved list, but I have this weird resistance to the French new wave. I can take Louis Malle in small doses (I actually like his last two films the best -- his adaptation of Uncle Vanya and the brilliantly nasty Damage -- hmm, it happens that both of them are in English, so maybe that's irrelevant), and Truffaut is OK, but I CANNOT stand Godard and haven't watched any Melville. Oddly enough, I love Eric Rohmer, despite the the never-ending navel-gazing and the incessant talk that define his films. The end of Le Rayon Verte always makes me cry, for some reason.
One of the most affecting French films in my memory is Claude Sautet's Un Coeur en Hiver, with Emmanuelle Beart and Daniel Auteuil, which is sparse and elegant and terribly wounding in a quiet way.
I love City of Lost Children so much. I have no French, though. And I still haven't seen Delicatessen, somehow.
That's the great thing about Jeunet, he's so visual that the language barrier is not as great as with the more "talky" French movies, or comedies.
and Truffaut is OK, but I CANNOT stand Godard and haven't watched any Melville.
It should be noted that Melville is more of a precursor to the French new wave than a participant. He shares a similar interest in American genre (particularly crime/noir) with the New Wave directors, but his style is more old school.
Bob le Flambeur
makes a better double-feature with Dassin's
Riffifi
than it does with
Breathless.
(And
Riffifi
might be the best picture in that bunch although
Breathless
is certainly more significant).
megan, I was also fond of Diane Kurys' movies like
Peppermint Soda
and
Cocktail Molotov.
From the late seventies, early eighties. Also
Coup de Foudre
(which was released stateside as
Entre Nous)
starring Isabelle Huppert and Miou Miou.
La Lectrice
also with Miou Miou was interesting.
Just saw
The Crow
for the first time ever (thanks TNT, even with your "that's flipping bullspit!" replacements!)
It's the gothiest goth goth in gothonia, huh?
One of the most affecting French films in my memory is Claude Sautet's Un Coeur en Hiver, with Emmanuelle Beart and Daniel Auteuil, which is sparse and elegant and terribly wounding in a quiet way.
Sautet's 'Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud' is even more low-key, in a kind of the-characters-react-to-the-the-dramatic-moments-by-walking-down-the-street way.
I think my favourite foreign film is
Jesu de Montreal.
Except, I was living in Montreal when I saw it, so I'm not sure how foreign it was.
It's the gothiest goth goth in gothonia, huh?
Heh. Well, yes. That's the point, really. I think if I had to make a Goth DVD Starter Kit, it would include both
Addams Family
movies, Beetlejuice, Nightmare Before Christmas, The Crow, and Gypsy 83. And maybe the original Dracula, just because. Or The Hunger.
The Crow
is a very good movie -- in some ways, I think it turned out better because the director had to retool a number of scenes because of Lee's tragic death.