A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
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
Jean-Luc Godard, “Bande à part” aka “Band of Outsiders” (1964) Once upon a time, the French had a knack for making gangster and pulpy crime movies in…
French and French-language Films
Jean-Luc Godard, “Contempt” (1963) Partly set among some stunningly postcard-perfect islands rising out of the Mediterranean Sea, “Contempt” is a great-looking film that showcases the young…
French and French-language Films
Jean Renoir, “The Rules of the Game” (1939) When you hear that a rich French marquis decides to have a huge party at his country estate…
French and French-language Films, German and German-language Films
Carl Theodor Dreyer, “Vampyr” (1932) Made originally as a silent movie with a voice and musical soundtrack added later, this film boasts very creative if contrary…
French and French-language Films
Francois Truffaut, “The 400 Blows” (1959) This debut feature film by director Francois Truffaut is a very affecting one. By the standards of its time (1950’s),…
French and French-language Films, West African Films
Jean-Stephane Sauvaire, “Johnny Mad Dog” (2008) A film of child soldiers set in an African country experiencing a long and protracted civil war, “Johnny Mad Dog”…
French and French-language Films
Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi, “Persepolis” (2007) Adapted from the graphic novel, originally published in two volumes, of the same name, this is a coming-of-age fictional…
French and French-language Films
François Dupeyron, “Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran” (2003) This is an easy-going coming-of-age story based on a novel of the same name set in…
French and French-language Films
Andre Techine, “La fille du RER (The Girl on the Train)”, Strand Releasing (2009) Not a bad drama but I couldn’t quite see the point of…
French and French-language Films
Jacques Tati, “Playtime”, Madman Cinema / The AV Channel, DVD (1967) Source: www.lauradors.com Said to have been the most expensive movie made in…