Tag

French and French-language Films

French and French-language Films, Middle Eastern Films

The Congress: good ideas and astute criticism of Hollywood and technology undone by a confused narrative

4 min read

Ari Folman, “The Congress” (2013) Partly based on Stanislaw Lem’s novel “The Futurological Congress”, in which the central character suffers from both delusional and actual mental…

Read article The Congress: good ideas and astute criticism of Hollywood and technology undone by a confused narrative

French and French-language Films

The Children of Paradise: a sumptuous melodrama rich in character, the complexities of human nature and the grandeur of life

5 min read

Marcel Carné, “The Children of Paradise / Les Enfants du Paradis” (1945) Made under difficult conditions in Vichy France, this sumptuous film is rich in character…

Read article The Children of Paradise: a sumptuous melodrama rich in character, the complexities of human nature and the grandeur of life

British Films, French and French-language Films

A trite plot and character stereotyping can’t lift “Paris 2054: Renaissance” from bland SF thriller genre

3 min read

Christian Volckman, “Paris 2054: Renaissance” (2006) A glossy animated style of minimal black-and-white presentation, emphasising detail, mood and atmosphere in a future Paris governed by corporations…

Read article A trite plot and character stereotyping can’t lift “Paris 2054: Renaissance” from bland SF thriller genre

French and French-language Films

In the Beginning: interplay of social realism and individual psychologies results in a film of self-renewal and fulfillment

4 min read

Xavier Giannoli, “À l’Origine” / “In the Beginning” (2009) It’s rather too long by 30 minutes and a couple of sub-plots, one involving Gérard Depardieu sleepwalking through…

Read article In the Beginning: interplay of social realism and individual psychologies results in a film of self-renewal and fulfillment