Category: France
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LES FEMMES aka THE WOMEN
“Les Femmes,” or “The Women,” was released in the U.S. as “The Vixen.” This 1969 French-Italian comedy-drama was directed by Jean Aurel, a notable filmmaker of the 1960s. Aurel often explored the relationships between men and women with a light, ironic touch characteristic of the late Nouvelle Vague style of French cinema. The film stars…
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THE DEATH OF STALIN
“The Death of Stalin” is a 2017 black political satire directed by Armando Iannucci, based on the French graphic novel by Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin. The film portrays the chaotic power struggle that ensued among Soviet leaders immediately after Joseph Stalin’s death in March 1953. Despite its dark subject matter, the film is presented…
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SHORT FILM: LE BALLON ROUGE aka THE RED BALLOON
“Le Ballon Rouge” aka “The Red Balloon” is a whimsical short film from 1956, directed by Albert Lamorisse. Set in the working-class neighborhoods of Paris, especially the steep streets and stairways of Montmartre, the film is told almost entirely without dialogue. It follows the quiet adventure of a young boy and the mysterious red balloon…
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LE CHARME DISCRET DE LA BOURGEOISIE aka THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE
“The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie” is a 1972 surreal satirical comedy directed by Luis Buñuel in which a group of affluent friends repeatedly attempt—and continually fail—to sit down and enjoy a proper dinner together. Through a series of absurd interruptions, dreams within dreams, and bizarre coincidences, Luis Buñuel constructs a sharp critique of upper-middle-class…
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MAÎTRESSE
“Maîtresse” is a 1976 drama directed by Barbet Schroeder. The film stars Gérard Depardieu, Bulle Ogier, André Rouyer, and Roland Bertin. It’s a controversial film that explores an intense, complicated relationship between a working-class man and a professional dominatrix in Paris. Blending raw realism with provocative subject matter, the film examines sexuality, power, love, and…
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LE PROFESSEUR aka LA PRIMA NOTTE DI QUIETE aka INDIAN SUMMER
“Le Professeur” aka “Indian Summer” is a 1972 film directed by Valerio Zurlini. The story follows Daniele Dominici, played by Alain Delon, a disillusioned, gambling-prone poetry professor. He takes a temporary teaching position in the coastal town of Rimini, working as a substitute teacher at a high school for about four months. Daniele is emotionally…
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TWENTYNINE PALMS (NSFW)
“Twentynine Palms” is a 2003 psychological drama written and directed by Bruno Dumont, known for his austere, contemplative approach to filmmaking. Set against the stark beauty of the Southern California desert, the film follows an American photographer and his Russian girlfriend as their passionate yet tumultuous relationship spirals into alienation, violence, and despair. With minimal…
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MASCULIN FÉMININ
“Masculin Féminin,” directed in 1966 by Jean-Luc Godard, is a seminal work of the French New Wave—a playful yet probing exploration of youth, politics, pop culture, and sexual relationships in 1960s Paris. Subtitled “15 faits précis” (“15 precise facts”), the film unfolds as a loose mosaic of vignettes rather than a conventional narrative, capturing the…
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CALMOS aka FEMME FATALES (NSFW)
Calmos (also known as Femme Fatales, 1976), written and directed by Bertrand Blier, is a surreal and satirical comedy that takes the classic “battle of the sexes” trope and pushes it to absurd extremes with a dreamlike logic. The film begins with Paul (Jean-Pierre Marielle), a Parisian gynecologist who is exhausted and disillusioned after years…
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LE COUPLE TÉMOIN aka THE MODEL COUPLE (NSFW)
“Le Couple témoin,” also known as “The Model Couple,” is a satirical French comedy directed by William Klein in 1977. The film presents a unique blend of social experiment and absurdist critique, following an ordinary couple selected by the French government to live under constant surveillance in a “model apartment,” which is a prototype of…
