In Another Country

Image via hancinema.net

Autumn is here and though we in Edinburgh are experiencing what I guess can be termed an Indian summer, it is almost time for us to start hibernating and dip into our stash of films that we have been saving up those chillier days.

In Another Country is my current recommendation for that time. By director Sang-Soo Hong, this minimalist comedy-drama is set in an undisclosed seaside town in South Korea. Slow-moving, cosy, with a quality that leaves you with a sense of detachment throughout (in a nice way), it also stars one of my favourite French actresses who, I feel, never disappoints. The graceful and ageless Isabelle Huppert plays the role of three different French women tourists, all called Anne, who in search of a mini lighthouse. Whilst having been met with mixed reviews, it was tipped for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012.

I say no more and let you track it down to make you own mind up.

La Samaritaine

via josephhosn.wordpress.com

The dearly departed La Samaritaine department store in Paris (it closed its doors in 2005), has had a recent brilliant revival. Though no longer open for official business, the beautiful Art Nouveau building is still in use every now and again. Today saw the place used for the Kenzo show during Paris Fashion Week (see above) and was featured in last years' Leo Carax film, Holy Motors (see stills below), with some great scenes of Kylie Minogue doing her stuff round the store and on the iconic roof. Lovely original advert, too, at the bottom of the page of the shop in its heyday. RIP.

Bon Anniversaire, FFF!

 

 

 

 

 

Lovers of French cinema who plan to be anywhere near Edinburgh, Glasgow or London (plus check the programme for many more UK venues) in the next wee while, the French Film Festival UK is almost here. Celebrating its 20th birthday this winter, 2012 looks to be a vintage year. As usual, it is a glorious mixed bag and there's lots and lots to choose from. The festival runs 8 November - 2 December this year.

 

un amour de jeunesse

YouTube: Goodbye First love, official trailer

 

I am no film critic, so am not about to dissect the film I watched last night. I would however recommend you get your hands on Mia Hansen-Løve's Un Amour de Jeunesse (Goodbye, First Love), for an evening of light and stylish viewing. Lola Créton's character, Camille, portrays a true style icon in the making. Check out her look for some great low-maintence, dressed down, Gallic flair. And it only gets better as the film progresses, along with her career. And if you enjoy this, I would suggest you follow-up with the excellent, Le pere de mes enfants (The Father of My Children), by the same director.

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Image via worldcinema.org

 

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Image via screenload.eu

Image via screenload.eu
 

nouvelle vague

Jean Seberg, À Bout de Souffle, 1960
Image via newwavefilm.com

I am coming to the end of some editing work I've been doing on a publication about film director, Jean-Luc Godard and French New Wave cinema. The work has been interesting and it has led me to rediscover work I had not seen in a while. Much of the décor in these films is as visually chic and stylish as its actors, with leading stars including Brigitte Bardot, Jean Seberg and Jean-Paul Belmondo; much of the sixties design featured looking very contemporary. All really good fashion, interiors and hairstyle inspiration. In the same vein, I'd also recommend La nuit Americaine by François Truffaut and I often think of Godard as a good introduction to the French New Wave, before venturing into the slightly more obscure territories of  L’année dernière à Marienbad and Hiroshima mon amour, by director, Alain Renais. But to be honest, the list of gems is endless, so well worth investigating.

Film stills, Le Mépris, 1963
Images vis filmcuts.co.uk

fff

Roll up, roll up, the Festival du Film Français (FFF) 2011, is about to begin. This is very good news. It's the time of year when we get to go to the cinema and watch really good (and many recent) French films, almost every day, in French. Now in its 19th year, FFF 2011 is a UK-wide French festival running from 9 November - 7 December and takes place in cinemas including Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Ciné Lumière, London, and Glasgow Film Theatre. Edinburgh's independent Filmhouse cinema, has been going for almost 30 years and offers a terrific variety of international films and is in its own words 'celebrating world cinema in all its brilliance and diversity'. It often has at least one French film as part of its monthly offerings, but the FFF happens once a year and is a rare treat for us, with an almost month-long programme of films. On offer this year will be a selection of French language films from France, Québec, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Belgium, and include previews, shorts, animation, and a quartet of Claude Chabrol films showing at the French Institute in Edinburgh.

Allez-y!





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une collaboration parfaite

When a film has good music, it really does make all the difference. When that film is watched in a cinema, or theatre, the experience is often enhanced for the better. And when the score is played live, the whole thing can become quite magical. I've seen a few such performances in the last few years, but this was one of the best. We were at Edinburgh's Usher Hall last night, watching the Tindersticks performing Claire Denis Film Scores from 1996 - 2009. As a director, Denis has a photographer's eye for beautiful close-up shots and amazing attention to detail. Her films vary in theme, but there are often sequences running in loops, the result being strangely hypnotic. The music of the Tindersticks lends itself so well to this and it's a partnership that has lasted several years and covered many of her films; their collaboration is quite brilliant.

Nénette et Boni (1996), YouTube