Tag: French
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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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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…
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LE JOURNAL D’UNE FEMME DE CHAMBRE aka DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID
“Le journal d’une femme de chambre” aka “Diary of a Chambermaid” is a 1964 satirical and unsettling drama directed by Luis Buñuel. The film critiques French provincial society, exploring themes of repression, xenophobia, sexual obsession, and class hypocrisy. The story follows Célestine (Jeanne Moreau), a brilliant yet disillusioned Parisian woman who takes a job as…
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LE FEU FOLLET aka THE FIRE WITHIN
“Le Feu Follet,” aka “The Fire Within,” is a 1963 French drama directed by Louis Malle and based on the 1931 novel “Le Feu Follet” by Pierre Drieu La Rochelle. The film is regarded as one of Malle’s finest films and a poignant exploration of depression, alienation, and existential despair. Set in Paris in the…
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JULES ET JIM aka JULES AND JIM
“Jules et Jim” is a 1962 Romantic drama and seminal film of the French New Wave directed by François Truffaut. It is based on the semiautobiographical novel by Henri-Pierre Roché and is renowned for its lyrical style, poetic narration, and emotional depth.Set primarily in the years before, during, and after World War I, the story…
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UN MOMENT D’EGAREMENT aka IN A WILD MOMENT
‘Un Moment D’Egarement’ (In a Wild Moment) is a provocative French dramedy directed by Claude Berri, released in 1977. The film explores desire, betrayal, and the complexities of parenthood and aging masculinity. Pierre (played by Jean-Pierre Marielle) and Jacques (played by Victor Lanoux), two middle-aged friends, decide to take a summer holiday together in Corsica.…
