British Films | French and French-language Films
Mayerling: lavish visuals cannot hide workman-like script and direction, and wooden acting
Terence Young, “Mayerling” (1968) Better known perhaps for directing three James Bond films in the
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!
Chinese and Chinese-language Films | French and French-language Films
Clean: a tale of caution and redemption lacking in spark and realism
Olivier Assayas, “Clean” (2004) Rare are the movies in which two main characters happen to
French and French-language Films
Hidden: a film about guilt, trust, colonial exploitation and manipulation of signs is overburdened by art and cleverness
Michael Haneke, “Caché / Hidden” (2005) An imaginative if overly layered thriller about a couple
French and French-language Films | German and German-language Films | Italian and Italian-language Films
The Name of the Rose: quite good if underrated adaptation of a literary novel with some extra features
Jean-Jacques Annaud, “The Name of the Rose” (1986) Based on Umberto Eco’s novel of the
French and French-language Films
The Grand Illusion: meditating on the effects of war on society and people’s loyalties
Jean Renoir, “The Grand Illusion” (1934) Jean Renoir’s film is a moving meditation on war
French and French-language Films
La Belle et La Bête: a visually sumptuous film both clear in its themes and ambiguous in its details
Jean Cocteau, “La Belle et La Bête” (1946) A beautiful and sumptuous film, this interpretation
French and French-language Films
Black Moon: surreal film on death and rebirth that satirises political, cultural and social issues of 1970s
Louis Malle, “Black Moon” (1975) A curious film this is, based on Lewis Carroll’s “Alice
British Films | French and French-language Films | North American Films
The Yes Men Fix the World: taking down predatory global corporate fascism with hilarious pranks and comedy
Kurt Engfehr, Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, “The Yes Men Fix the World” (2009) Well
French and French-language Films
Nathalie: lightweight psychology piece touches on double standards of modern capitalist society and its effects on people
Anne Fontaine with Wladimir Yordanoff, “Nathalie” (2003) Trust the French to do upper middle class
French and French-language Films
Thérèse Desqueyroux (dir. Claude Miller): straight story-telling narrative turns psychological study into mere historical soap drama
Claude Miller, “Thérèse Desqueyroux” (2012) Claude Miller’s swansong film is a historical drama piece starring