French and French-language Films
Orpheus: visually lovely meditation on triumph of love over death, the role of the artist and life in Vichy France
Jean Cocteau, “Orpheus / Orphée” (1950) Intriguing re-telling of the famous ancient Greek legend set
Category: French and French-language Films
Reviews of films from France and French-language films from Belgium and Switzerland. At this stage, I’m not sure if there’ll be many French-language films from African and other countries coming within my orbit – probably I’ll create a separate category for them and call it French-language Films from outside Europe, or something hopefully more succinct and graceful!
French and French-language Films
Blood Coltan: fact-finding documentary on coltan mining in DRC tells the horror like it is
Patrick Forestier, “Blood Coltan” (2007) Saw mention of this documentary in Arena magazine (December 2011
French and French-language Films | Spanish Films
L’Age d’Or: cheeky and hilarious attack on religious, social and political repression and corruption
Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali, “L’Âge d’Or” (1930) On the heels of “Un Chien Andalou”,
French and French-language Films
Blood of the Beasts: horror, death, poetry and beauty co-exist in slaughterhouse
Georges Franju, “Le sang des bêtes” / “Blood of the Beasts” (1949) An amazing if
French and French-language Films
Pierre Henry, or the Art of Sounds: subjective documentary says nothing about pioneer’s place in experimental music
Eric Darmon, Franck Mallet, “Pierre Henry, or the Art of Sounds” (2006) A so-so documentary about
French and French-language Films
The Tenant: psychological study of alienation, self-repression and loss of identity and control
Roman Polanski, “The Tenant” / “Le Locataire” (1976) A very good psychological study of a young man,
French and French-language Films
The Page Turner: a pleasing though cool psychological study of revenge through music
Denis Dercourt, “The Page Turner” / “La Tourneuse de Pages” (2006) A cool, elegant psychological
French and French-language Films | German and German-language Films | Italian and Italian-language Films
The Trial: brave and visually striking attempt to bring classic Kafka dystopia to screen
Orson Welles, “The Trial” / “Le Procès” (1962) This film is a visually striking adaptation
French and French-language Films | North American Films
Birds of a feather, let’s flock together: four film shorts about birds illustrate something universal about human behaviour and social life
Pierre Coffin, “Pings” (2 shorts, 1997) Ralph Eggleston, “For the Birds” (2000) Dony Permedi, “Kiwi!”
British Films | French and French-language Films | North American Films
Cave of Forgotten Dreams: too much whimsy and overbearing music, not enough facts and editing mar a fine documentary
Werner Herzog, “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” (2010) In 1994, three speleologists discovered and explored a