More on French Films Festival

I have access to internet and Blogger again! Hurray!  This means that I have been able to correct and update my previous post. Still not perfect, of course, but better.

I saw three more films in the French Films festival. Sex, Love and Therapy, The Easy Way Out and Diplomacy. Why did I buy tickets to the first film with such a provoking title? It was for Sophie Marceau. I saw a film with her last year in Poland. It was Chance Encounter, the film, described as “Irresistible charm played to perfection, was also shown in the Sydney festival. So was the Sex, Love and Therapy. Irresistible fluff about nothing played to perfection. If it was not so charming and not so French, I would be perhaps more critical. I had fun watching this irresistibly charming film about nothing. Don’t be deceived about the title. There was really no sex. It was done in a French way, with finesse, about sex, without sex scenes and very sexy. Sophie Marceau has a special talent to play sexy roles. When I asked for a male opinion about her I got an answer: She has a sultry look.  Yes, I agree, and she also has je ne sais quoi that makes her so attractive. I would like to see her one day in a serious role though. Can she do it? I wonder.

Isn't she lovely?

The second film has strong Belgian influence and now that I write about the film few days later after I saw it, I have difficulties to remember what it was all about. On reflection it was about three brothers and their love problems. A drama with an unhappy end. It is about relationships, that they are difficult and that “love and pity are not compatible”. Not very revealing.

The third film was the film that closed the festival - Diplomacy.  Very different to all the others I saw in the festival. This is a serious film about history of the II World War. The action takes place almost exclusively in one room with two major characters deciding future of Paris. It’s to be or not to be of Paris. While we all know the positive outcome of the negotiation, the film is gripping. Paris has survived in spite great sense of duty of its German governor  who was given orders to dynamite the town in August 1944. After disillusion with the Fuhrer, duty towards his family was stronger than to the army orders. The film starts with the pictures of destroyed Warsaw. It is shown it looked after the systematic demolition of the city after the August 1944 uprising. Paris could have looked the same if the diplomatic art of the Swedish consul did not convince the German governor.

 Horrific pictures of ruined Warsaw reminded me of my home country tragedy that influenced many generations. It is amazing how Warsaw managed to restore itself to the current look of a lively town with so many faithfully restored historical buildings. One would no think that the current Royal Castle was only a fragment of a jagged wall in 1976 when I left my town for Paris. When I came back to visit I found the Royal Castle instead of the wall.

Start of the castle demolishon

The job is done

               

Back to its glory

                         

I am so happy that Paris is still all original and that it did not suffer as it was planned.

Sydney French Films Festival

I like movies. Because of the company I keep in the recent times, I see movies quite often, at least once a week. In Sydney there is a natural preference to screen English speaking films. Typically they are American and less often English. Of course we get films of any nation but they need to be exceptionally good, often awarded with some international prize. However, once a year there is the French Films Festival in Sydney. Selected movie theatres show selected French speaking films. They are typically French but they can be also Canadian or Belgian.  Like the one film I saw this year – The Tokyo Fiancé.

For some years I ignored the festival remembering my Polish experience. Going to film festivals was such a hard work. You had to buy tickets for the whole festival and that meant all films, over 30 of them. The films were typically heavy, meaningful and very good.  Too much happiness, as for me, especially that there were five screenings per day and the festival lasted a week.  No rest for the wicked. I was a student then and could take one week break from the studies, no problem. However, this was serious overdosing on culture and after one experience I stayed clear of encores. Until now. The film festivals in Sydney differ. You can choose as many films as you wish and the duration of the festival is much longer. Three weeks or so. There are many films on the festival menu. I picked 9 of them expecting that were selected appropriately. I was very disappointed with the first film. It was The Gazelles, a romp of frustrated thirty something single women. On reflection I came to a conclusion that even if I did not like the form of the film the subject of relationships and friendship is always current. It was not my way to analyze it or show. The message was not that revealing in my opinion – relationships are difficult and messy, women friendships are supportive.

I was disappointed that selection of the films was not done better. I had to admit that it was me who chose the film not doing sufficient research. I could not blame anyone but I was disappointed and wondered what will the next films be like.

Fortunately it got better and better. The next film was In the courtyard. The story was moderately interesting or believable but it had a lot of humour of the kind I respond to.  A bit nonsensical, almost surrealistic and finesse was its strong point. Catherine Denevue  played a major role and she is always draws me to see film swith her. The action of the film takes place in a courtyard of a typical Parisian old buildings. Such buildings have a janitor, I prefer the word concierge, who lives in a flat close to the entrance and keeps and eye on what is going on in the buildings under his care and at times takes part in lives of the people living there.

During my year in Paris I lived in one of such buildings and the yard looked exactly the same as the one on the film. This reminded me of a story with a very French flavour. I am very tempted to write about it in one of my posts even if it should be rated 15+. Life in Paris is sometimes very saucy even for observers.

This is a bit shabby, neglected Parisian courtyard, similar to the one I knew so well. The one from the film was also more like this one. 

Exclusive versions look more like this one. Ah... it would be so great to go flaneuring in Paris again....Nostalgia kicked in.

Gemma Bovery was my definite favourite so far. A pastiche on Madame Bovary, again very funny.  Gemma Bovery was played by an epitome of sexiness. It was enough to see her just walk to have naughty thoughts. And this is a woman saying, I wonder what men would. Knowledge of the story of Madam Bovary, and generally knowledge literature was helping to get the finer points of the story and its humour.

Tokyo Fiancé  is a charming story, nicely played and apparently based on experience of the author of the book on which the film was based.

3 Hearts a great melodrama again with Catherine Denevue, this time in her elegant edition in contrast to her role In the Courtyard where she was positively dowdy but still beautiful in my eyes. I do not think this woman can help but to look beautiful even if she is over 70. The film was about 3 confused hearts that had problems with living with their romantic urges and choices. Two sisters and a rather uninteresting man are heroes of the story. The three women were played by three fascinating actresses – Catherine Denevue, Ciara Mastroianni and Charlotte Gainsbourg.  Ciara Mastroianni is a daughter of Catherine Denevue and Marcello Mastroianni and Charlotte Gainsbourg has also famous parents – Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg. Those two sang (or whispered?) song that was once well known - Je T’aime. The gossipy part is fun but I really enjoyed the film. It kept my attention and interest and if someone likes melodramas this is a well played and executed film.

I still have three more films to go and I am looking forward to it.

Catherine Denevue as she is today. Beautiful 71.

Two fim daughters of Catherine Denevue Ciara Masrtoianni who is a real daughter as well and Charlotte Gainsbourg only the film daughter