At NYC's FIAF this week, a lesser-known (and rightly so) Jean Renoir film, FRENCH CANCAN

Even great filmmakers can have off-days, one example being Jean Renoir, he of Grand Illusion and The Rules of the Game, who made a movie entitled FRENCH CANCAN back in 1955 that begins with the disclaimer that nothing we will see should be taken as having anything to do with real life, events or people.

Smart move, as much that we see and hear smacks of enormous, often overdrawn artifice.

Directed and written/adapted (from an idea by André-Paul Antoine) by Renoir (shown at left), the movie takes place in the 1890's as Henri Danglard, a producer of something you might, if you were particularly gracious, call "theater," attempts to open a new night club to be named, yes, the Moulin Rouge, which will make its mark by reintroducing a by-then-retro dance called the Cancan, now to be rechristened as the French Cancan.

Because Henri is played by that fabulous French star Jean Gabin, one of whose many gifts included the inability to overact or deliver a performance that was anything less than real, he is one of a very few of the cast members who manage this seemingly (here, at least) difficult feat.

Among M. Gabin's other gifts (the actor is shown above) was his unassuming grace and believability as a ladies' man, and here he plays it big-time, with a long-term mistress (the haughtily glamorous Maria Felix, below), plenty of past conquests, and a possible new one on the horizon -- an adorable little laundress whom he meets one evening at a local dance hall and who has quite a knack for movement and dancing.

That laundress is played by Françoise Arnoul (below) with charm and wit enough to match M. Gabin, and her character soon has suitors enough to vie with Gabin: She's engaged to the local baker, is chased after by a super-wealthy foreign aristocrat, and eventually falls for her hero and mentor, who now has her training to perform in his new club.

This rondelay of love matches and mis-matches comes to a proper and quite fittingly adult, philosophical and emotional conclusion that features a terrific speech by Gabin about theater, performing, producing, love, marriage, responsibility and all the rest. This alone makes the movie worth watching, but the final 20 minutes or so, devoted to the grand opening of the Moulin Rouge, the various musical numbers performed (one of these by Edith Piaf!), and of course the final one involving the cancan are the absolute knock-out we've been waiting for -- and to which the entire movie has been building. (It's rather like seeing those famous Radio City Music Hall Rockettes -- but with a lot more heart and soul.)

If this sounds some kind of "rave" notice, indeed it is, but it must also be accompanied by a major caveat. The first 40 minutes or so of this film is quite a slough to get through. While the candy-colored sets are often lovely, there is also an over-abundance of short scenes that exist simply to make a point and further the plot. This is clunky filmmaking. Many of the subsidiary roles are overacted and too obviously written, as well -- making use of a number of performers who were popular at the time but whose shtick, for that is what it is, does not hold up at all well today.

There is literally so much of this going on so often (as with the three "shticklers" above) that the movie soon seems unduly noisy and tiresome. My spouse gave up on it around that 40-minute point. TrustMovies persisted and is very glad he did because that shtick soon lessens even as the love relationships strengthen, character comes to the fore, and genuine performing takes over -- both in the acting and in the musical performances themselves.

That lengthy and super-engaging finale features Ms Felix (above) as Catherine the Great -- doing a strip-tease and a shimmy! -- and includes a simply lovely song (that I believe was also featured briefly in Baz Luhrman's crappy Moulin Rouge), and lots more. So do stick with French Cancan, and it'll probably win you over, too.

One other note: If you place yourself back in time of 1955, the film's release here in the USA must have knocked the uptight American audience for a loop in terms of its attitude toward love and sex, as when the heroine, expecting to have to turn herself over sexually to her new producer/mentor, instead willingly loses her virginity to her baker fiancé (above) so that she can have her first sexual experience with a man she actually cares for. The film's mature and thoughtful take on sexuality and its place in society is something that I'm afraid a rather too-large percentage of American audiences may still have to grow up and into. The attitudes belonging to fundamentalist religions continue to apply here in the USA -- and in far too much of our world.

French Cancan screens in French with English subtitles at FIAF in New York City this coming Tuesday, March 27, at 4 and 7:30pm, as part of FIAF's continuing CinéSalon series of classic of French cinema with Olivier Barrot. M. Barrot, noted journalist and TV personality, has curated the current series and will appear for a 30-minute talk at 6:45 that evening to share his insights into the social and cultural contexts of the film. His talk will be open to audiences of either the 4:30 or 7pm screening. For more information and/or tickets, simply click here.

Alix Delaporte's THE LAST HAMMER BLOW -- another winner screens at FIAF's CinéSalon

With a single exception so far, Burning Bright -- the new series from FIAF's CinéSalon that introduces the next generation of French auteurs -- is proving to be every bit as good as is that popular yearly series from the FSLC, Rendez-vous With French Cinema. This week's film is another little gem: THE LAST HAMMER BLOW from a filmmaker, Alix Delaporte (shown below), with whom TrustMovies is only now getting acquainted.

Ms Delaporte has written for French television and co-written and directed two movies, the latest of which is this 2014 film, which tackles the tale of an adolescent boy named Victor (played by a simply terrific newcomer, Romain Paul, above and below) in the French provinces finally coming into contact with his birth father, whom he has never met.

Dad  (played by Grégory Gadebois) is a fairly famous orchestra conductor, who may not even know he has a son. Victor's mom (the always fine Clotilde Hesme), who wants nothing to do with his dad, is recovering (well, we hope she is) from what looks like a bout with cancer of some sort, and when Victor learns that his father is guest conducting the local symphony in a performance of Mahler's Sixth, he determines to meet the man, come hell or high water.

That's the set-up, which sounds interesting enough but perhaps nothing we haven't seen previously. But how Ms Delaporte chooses to tell her story -- in swift, sharply observed scenes in which the exposition is mostly buried within the actions and behavior of the characters -- is something else.

This means we have to stay quite alert for fear of missing any telling moments, of which there are plenty. But the filmmaker makes this easy to do, via her casting of the three leads, each of whom shines, and all the subsidiary characters, as well. (That's Spanish actress Candela Peña, above, left, with Ms. Hesme; also in the cast is noted Spanish actor Tristán Ulloa.)

The lead performances -- that's M.Gadebois, above, and Ms Hesme, below -- are so immediate and real, without ever being "showy," that the film often appears to be something close to a documentary. (Gadebois rather resembles a French answer to our own Peter Sarsgaard, if a little heavier, and he gives a most interesting performance here.)

While her film unfurls in logical, first-this/then-that order -- no back-and-forth flashbacks or anything super-stylish here -- Ms Delaporte instead chooses to give us scenes that may seem almost random but are actually very well chosen to further her story and build her characters, while avoiding the typical and sentimental.

Characters grow and perhaps change, but only in small increments. All this makes what happens in the course of the film seem both believable and "earned." Consequently the joy we experience at the finale comes from a place much deeper and more genuine than often happens in stories like this one.

Young Monsieur Paul is quite a find. He has one of those wonderful faces that seem to want to hide feelings yet can't. They keep seeping through, as much as he tries for disguise. The IMDB does not show any further acting work for him post this film, but I do hope we'll see more of this young man as he grows up.

Gadebois and Hesme give performances of wonderful specificity and emotion. Though we never learn specifics about what happened between their characters, this seems yet another smart choice on the filmmaker's part. And the actors bring such depth to their roles -- they make their quite different situations seem understandable -- that we don't miss, even one tiny bit, the more standard exposition many moviemakers would offer. (The scene, above, in which Dad has his son come up and watch the orchestra from the conductor's standpoint is fascinating and rich. I've never seen anything quite like it in a film before.)

The way the movie handles music -- the love of it and the making of it -- seems to me exemplary. Combining Mahler, soccer, cancer and parenting, The Last Hammer Blow weaves all this together with such spirit and grace that we can only sit back and marvel. And care. And enjoy.

This film really ought to have been picked up for U.S. distribution, so FIAF's bringing it to us now can only be seen as a gift. It plays this coming Tuesday, July 5, at Florence Gould Hall in Manhattan, twice only at 4 and 7:30 PM. Click here to learn more and/or purchase tickets. And remember: FIAF members attend free of charge.

BURNING BRIGHT: On June 7, FIAF's CinéSalon begins a fine series by new French filmmakers

For eight consecutive Tuesdays, beginning June 7 and ending on July 26, CinéSalon -- which I think one might call the "cinema arm" of FIAF (French Institute Alliance Française) -- will be showing an exciting new series that ought to appeal to French film buffs, perhaps in particular the younger set, by introducing them and us to a new generation of French filmmakers. Entitled Burning Bright, the series features nine relatively new films made in 2013, 2014 and 2015, one of which -- The Cowboys -- will be released in theaters later this month by Cohen Media Group (so this FIAF screening is a kind of "advance look" opportunity for aficionados).

You can view the entire series here and then click on each of the films that interest you. TrustMovies has managed to view only three of the films at this point in time, of which two are definitely worth a look. The series opens this coming Tuesday, June 7, with screenings of THIS SUMMER FEELING (Ce sentiment de l'été), a really lovely, quietly alive movie about what an unexpected and untimely death does to a close-knit family and their friends. What surprises most about this film is how buoyant it remains, despite its seemingly grim subject.

What makes the movie, directed and co-written (with Mariette Désert) by Mikhaël Hers, so interesting and unusual is how -- despite its melancholy nature due to the attempt of the characters to somehow recover from this signature event -- it is still consistently full of life and energy. This is because M. Hers seems to prize honest behavior above all else, and so we watch these characters simply "behave" in the world. And because the filmmaker has chosen his times, places and people so smartly and well, even given that the movie is rather low on "events," it still holds attention.

Those "places" mentioned above includes Berlin, Paris and New York, and this, too, adds luster and variety to our viewing. The characters are played with easy-going, near-improvisational reality by the entire cast, with the excellent Anders Danielsen Lie (two photos up) and Judith Chemla (above) in the leading roles, as, respectively, the deceased's boyfriend and sister. In supporting roles (in the New York City segments), excellent work is done by our own Josh Safdie and Marin Ireland.  With its running time of 103 minutes, the movie still manages to move along in sprightly fashion. It's a thoughtful, quiet film that I suspect you'll remember fondly. Click here for more information and ticket procurement.

Next week, on June 14, a film from one of France's most interesting women writer/directors will be shown: Axelle Ropert's follow-up to her marvellous family drama, The Family Wolberg, the equally unusual and cliché-defying Miss and the Doctors (Tirez la langue, mademoiselle). Another of Ropert's movies that goes in odd directions and offers an unusual but not at all unbelievable look at human beings trying to somehow "work things out," the film gives us a look at a mother trying to raise her diabetic daughter, as the pair becomes involved with two brothers, each a doctor and each equally smitten with this beautiful mom.

It would be easy to call Ms Ropert feminist due to her thoughtful and far- reaching look into the female psyche, but that word doesn't begin to describe the filmmaker's unusual rapport with and understanding of all her characters. What happens in the movie is unexpected and will not satisfy those looking for cheap emotion and easy closure. But it will make you stop and consider.

The cast is top-notch, with the always gorgeous and intuitive actress Louise Bourgoin (two photos above) in the role of the mother, and two equally smart and unusual choices -- Laurent Stocker (above, left, of Chic!) and filmmaker/actor Cédric Kahn (above, right) -- playing the doctor brothers. Neither of Ms Ropert's films seem to be available any longer in this country for purchase or rental. A shame -- which makes this FIAF screening all the more precious. Click here to view screening times.

The continuing war in Afghanistan conflated with the supernatural (or in this case maybe religion) would not seem to make particularly engaging films -- if the two examples I've seen constitute reliable evidence. First we got Daniel Myrick's The Objective (back in 2009), and now we have NEITHER HEAVEN NOR EARTH (Ni le ciel ni la terre), which, if nothing else, at least has a more interesting cast than the earlier film. Directed by and with a screenplay from Clément Cogitore, this hugely slow-moving movie gives us the almost-always-good Jérémie Renier as the commander of a small group of men trying to hold down their position on a hilltop while winning the hearts and minds of the local villagers. They are not, it would seem, doing well at either job.

I have never seen M. Renier, above, give a bad performance; he usually rivets. Here, however, he and the rest of cast come close to putting us to sleep, as the very dawdling story very slowly unfolds. The commander's men are disappearing, two or one at a time, and nothing accounts for this. The single example we are made privy to would seem to involve something magical, and one of the local kids insists to the soldiers that this is the "place of Allah," and that if you sleep lying down, you'll be "taken."

Turns out that the local Taliban crew are missing men in their own camp, and our boys must join with them to find the missing men. The movie does not work on any level-- not as thriller, not as war film, not as a supernatural tale, and especially not as philosophy-cum-religious tract. You could say that the film is trying to prove the existence of god. Good luck with that. At the very least, you'd need to be alert and awake to take a crack at this. M Gogitore seem to be of the moviemaking mind-set that less is more. And though there is somewhat of a surprise in the manner in which the movie resolves itself, I'd call the whole thing too little too late. Neither Heaven nor Earth is neither fish nor fowl. But I wish the filmmaker better luck next time. You can click here to learn more about the movie, along with its FIAF screening times. (We've just learned that this film will be getting a theatrical release in New York City, opening on August 5th at the Film Society of Lincoln Center.)

I'll hope to see more in this CineSalon series if time permits (especially the movie entitled Vincent, above, which is said to resemble what a super-hero film might look like if directed by Eric Rohmer). If I can manage more viewings, you'll find the results here, if and when I add them to the end of this post. Meanwhile, you can view the listing for the entire nine-film series here, and then click on the whichever films you want to learn more about.  As always, these films are free to FIAF members. For information about FIAF membership, click here.

FIAF's CinéSalon presents LHOMME BEHIND THE CAMERA -- featuring the work of pioneering cinematographer, Pierre Lhomme

The French Institute/Alliance Francaise's (FIAF's) popular and increasingly indispensable Tuesday CinéSalon is on a roll. After its November/December series on Mathieu Amalric, here comes a new seven-week/eight-film series devoted to that fine French cinematographer whose work ought to be better known on this side of the Atlantic, Pierre Lhomme. Lhomme Behind the Camera is the clever title of the two-month run of films of this pioneering cinematographer who worked with some of the most special French (and international) filmmakers, from Jean-Pierre Melville to Chris Marker, James Ivory to Dusan Makavejev, Bertrand Blier to Claude Berri and Jean-Paul Rappenau.

What TrustMovies finds most impressive about Lhomme's work is his versatility: how he could become completely comfortable and creative in any kind of movie -- documentary or narrative, black-and-white or color -- and in just about any genre you can name. And throughout, his work remained beautiful, varied, and, well, just what the doctor -- whoops, filmmaker -- ordered. As the FIAF press release reminds us, Lhomme’s films are marked by a mastery of low light, and a gift for psychological realism in any genre.

A selection of Lhomme’s work -- many of the films newly restored -- will be presented from January 12 – February 23 at CinéSalon in Florence Gould Hall on East 59th Street in Manhattan every Tuesday at 4 and 7:30 PM. The complete eight-film schedule is below, with FIAF's description appearing in the first paragraph and TrustMovies "take" on each movie in the second.  As an added bonus, each 7:30pm screening will be introduced by a guest speaker, and after the movie, wine will be served and a lively discussion had in the lovely FIAF Gallery. All in all, CinéSalon is just about the perfect venue in which to see and then discuss the movie post-viewing.

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 Lhomme Behind the Camera 

Tuesday afternoons and evening

from January 12 through February 23

Le Sauvage
Tuesday, January 12 at 4 & 7:30pm 
DCP. Restored. Directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau. 1975. Color. 107 min. 
With Yves Montand, Catherine Deneuve, Luigi Vannucchi, Tony Roberts 
In French with English subtitles 
 A young bride (Catherine Deneuve) escapes her impending nuptials with a priceless painting hidden in her luggage. Pursued across Venezuela by her jilted lover, she maroons herself on an island with a sullen but handsome stranger (Yves Montand) who is also on the run from his past. Pierre Lhomme captures the emotional depth of tropical landscapes in this adventuresome rom-com. "Frantic and exotic"—L’Express

This little nearly-screwball comedy holds up rather delightfully, as Deneuve and Montand meet cute and stay that way for nearly all of the 107 minutes. The chemistry between the two is quite wonderful (watching this film, the younger generation might discover why Americans took so firmly to sexy European men back in the 60s and 70s, as well as why Ms Deneuve has remained such a film icon for so many decades). What fun to see Tony Roberts in a French movie, and to re-discover one of the great screen beauties, Dana Wynter. The ending's a bit of a letdown, but up to that point, there's beaucoup fun to be had.

 Free wine & beer following each screening. Special guest speaker to be announced.

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The Army of Shadows (L’Armée des ombres)
Tuesday, January 19 at 4pm DCP. Restored. 
Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, 1969. Color. 145 min. 
With Lino Ventura, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Paul Meurisse, Simone Signoret 
In French, German, and English with English subtitles. 
Equal parts beautiful and brutal, this psychological drama follows the clandestine movements of a cell of determined Resistance fighters who risk everything for a seemingly hopeless cause. Cold, spare, and visually arresting cinematography captures the pervasive atmosphere of fear and mistrust in France during World War II. Based on the novel by Joseph Kessel and director Jean-Pierre Melville’s own experiences as a young man, this wartime masterpiece won a New York Film Critics Circle’s award upon its US release in 2006, 37 years after its creation. “Thrilling…a masterpiece."— The New York Times

A film that TM found not quite up to its illustrious reputation, still, any Melville is worth the watch (and then some) and the cast here is top grade, too. I do recall being greatly impressed with Lhomme's cinematography (this is one of those films that, though the movie's in color, so drained is it of any cheer or brightness, that you may remember it being in black-and-white). It is also drained of any melodrama and thrills, so that from time to time it does seem rather one-note. Overall, through the subject matter and atmosphere (via Melville and Lhomme), the film proves persuasive.

Free wine & beer following each screening.

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The Mother and the Whore (La maman et la putain)
Tuesday, January 19 at 7:30pm 35mm 
Directed by Jean Eustache, 1973. B&W. 220 min. 
With Bernadette Lafont, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Françoise Lebrun 
In French with English subtitles
Jean Eustache’s intimate portrait of youth after May 1968 is one of the most influential films in the history of French cinema. In this wayward epic, Lhomme’s long shots mirror Alexandre’s (Jean-Pierre Léaud) meandering days spent in cafés, unable to choose between the bourgeois girlfriend (Bernadette Lafont) who supports him and the promiscuous mistress (Françoise Lebrun) who falls for him in spite of her better judgment. Don’t miss a rare chance to see this unforgettable classic, not available online or on DVD. “Emotionally shattering, historically earthshaking” – The New Yorker

More a film one can appreciate rather than love, this three-hour-and-forty-minute "masterpiece" is full of the fraught and arty but is also genuinely strange and moving from time to time. TrustMovies hasn't seen it in probably well over 15 years, so maybe he's grown a bit in that time and might be able to better appreciate it now. If he were still living in NYC, he might just show up at FIAF and take another gander at these alternately grim and goofy goings-on. He does remember muttering, "Enough already!" at several points along the way, and yet he stayed through the entire film, politely accepting his badge-of-endurance as he departed.

Free wine & beer following each screening. Special guest speaker to be announced.

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The Flesh of the Orchid (La Chair de l’orchidée)
Tuesday, January 26 at 4 & 7:30pm 35mm. Restored. 
Directed by Patrice Chéreau, 1975. Color. 110 min. 
With Charlotte Rampling, Bruno Cremer, Edwige Feuillère, Simone Signoret 
In French with English subtitles. 

Stage director Patrice Chéreau’s first film follows a fugitive heiress (Charlotte Rampling) on the run from her wicked aunt and a pair of murderous gangsters. In this foreboding, rain-soaked thriller, it seems just about everyone is after her fortune. “Murky psychological thriller”– The Guardian

Reeking with 1970s artsy-fartsy sex and violence, this has got to be the silliest but also perhaps the most fun film in the series. Not to mention the chance to see the gorgeous young Charlotte Rampling (above) -- currently making cultural headlines via 45 Years and her mini-retrospective at the IFC Center in NYC -- and Simone Signoret (in second photo from top) in a juicy supporting role! By the bloody, bizarre end of this mystery/thriller/chase movie involving the past, the circus, an old movie palace, a falling-into-ruins estate, and a railway station filled only with women, you may suspect that what you've seen is some kind of odd fairy tale about the wonders of unfeeling capitalism. Yeah, it's that weird. And not to be missed for Rampling completists.

Wine & beer following each screening. Special guest speaker to be announced.

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Maurice 
Tuesday, February 2 at 4 & 7:30pm 35mm 
Directed by James Ivory, 1987. Color. 140 min. 
With James Wilby, Hugh Grant, Rupert Graves, Denholm Elliott 
In English 
Adapted from E.M. Forster’s posthumously published tale of forbidden love, this stunning period piece follows a love triangle between Cambridge students Maurice (James Wilby), Clive (Hugh Grant), and Clive’s gameskeeper Scudder (Rupert Graves) as they navigate their sexuality in stifling, pre-WWI England. “Sprawling and spectacular”— The Washington Post

James Ivory may not be known as a ground-breaking director, but his film of Forster's novel certainly was. Deeply felt and full of passion, shame and beauty (of body and landscape), how the filmmaker brings to light and life this tale of homosexual love taking place a full century ago produces one of Ivory's (and Lhomme's) richest works. The cinematography here is as deep, dark (and often subtle) as the passions and events unleashed.

Free wine & beer following each screening. 7:30 screening followed by a special Q&A with director James Ivory -- and the cinematographer, Pierre Lhomme in person!

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Le Combat dans l’île
Tuesday, February 9 at 4 & 7:30pm 35mm 
Directed by Alain Cavalier, 1962. B&W. 104 min. 
With Romy Schneider, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Henri Serre, Diane Lepvrier 
In French with English subtitles

A love triangle—between an angry young fascist, his battered wife, and the friend who takes them in—is ground for an exploration of the political tensions in France in the early 1960s in this elegant thriller. Lhomme’s beautifully framed shots are the foundation for director Alain Cavalier’s first film. “Silvery and smoky cinematography”– The New York Times

Such a surprising movie -- and way ahead of its time in terms of its themes and its refusal to over-explain --  The Battle on the Island (I think that would be the English translation) is a film that sticks with you in odd ways, seeming to grow better over time. Just to see the young Romy Schneider and Jean-Louis Trintignant (above) should be enough to attract the senior set, but the story itself seems even more timely now than when TM first saw the film a decade or two ago.

Free wine & beer following each screening. Special guest speaker to be announced.

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Le Joli Mai 
Tuesday, February 16 at 4 & 8pm DCP. Restored. 
Directed by Chris Marker & Pierre Lhomme, 1963. B&W. 165 min. 
In French with English subtitles 
Students, stockbrokers, poets, and construction workers discuss their lives during a moment of peace between war and cultural revolution. Told in impromptu interviews shot on the streets of Paris, this legendary collaboration between Lhomme and Chris Marker captures the attitude of the city in May 1962. Pierre Lhomme is credited as co-director on this groundbreaking documentary, one of the first of its kind to use emerging technology to capture daily life. “One of the key works of French cinema vérité” – Criterion

A must for Marker fans and a fine place to begin if you've never seen a Chris Marker movie. The documentary is long, sure, but it is non-stop lively, too. It gives cinema vérité its good name, as Marker and Lhomme show us people and a city in ways we had never before seen (and seldom have afterward -- at least not like they are captured here).

Free wine & beer following each screening. Special guest speaker to be announced. 

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Cyrano de Bergerac
Tuesday, February 23 at 4 & 7:30pm 
Directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau, 1990. Color. 137 min. 
With Gérard Depardieu, Anne Brochet, Vincent Pérez 
In French with English subtitles. 
The tragic tale of a selfless romantic with a larger-than-life personality—and a longer than average nose—is perfectly told in this adaptation set in the royal court. This lavish and beloved period piece won a record-breaking 10 César awards, including best cinematography and best actor for a virtuoso performance by Gérard Depardieu. “A physically elaborate period spectacle"— The New York Times

This may not be a great Cyrano, but it is a very, very good one, with Depardieu in fine fettle, and Lhomme showing us what both gorgeous spectacle and delicate intimacy ought to look like. Cyrano de Bergerac is a difficult piece to wreck, and when it is done well, as here, its beauty and timelessness simply shine.

Free wine & beer following each screening. Special guest speaker to be announced.

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About FIAF
The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) is New York’s premiere French cultural and language center. FIAF's mission is to create and offer New Yorkers innovative and unique programs in education and the arts that explore the evolving diversity and richness of French cultures. FIAF seeks to generate new ideas and promote cross cultural dialogue through partnerships and new platforms of expression. www.fiaf.org

Merci! Special thanks to Renée and Pierre Lhomme, James Ivory, Charles Cohen, Tim Langa (Cohen Media Group) Melissa Chung, Eric Le Roy & Jean-Baptiste Garnero (CNC), Daniel Bish (Georges Eastman Museum Archives), Anne-Catherine Louvet (Institut Français), LiviaBloom (Icarus Films), Philippe Leconte (Pyramide), Amélie Rayroles (Tamasa Distribution), Jacob Perlin (The Film Desk), and Eric di Bernardo (Rialto Pictures)

CinéSalon is made possible by the NY State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the NY State Legislature, the Institut français, & the Cultural Services of the French Embassy.   CinéSalon is sponsored by Air France and Delta Air Lines, BNP Paribas, Nespresso, and Renault Nissan. The wine comes courtesy of Xavier Wine Company, the exclusive wine sponsor of CinéSalon, and the beer is provided courtesy of Kronenbourg 1664, the exclusive beer sponsor of CinéSalon. FIAF Winter 2016 Season Sponsors: Air France and Delta Air Lines, the official airlines of FIAF; Altour; BNP Paribas; Cultural Services of the French Embassy; The American Society of French Legion of Honor; Office Tourisme de Boulogne-Billancourt; Enoch Foundation; Florence Gould Foundation; FACE (French American Cultural Exchange); Institut français; New York State Council on the Arts; and New York State Regional Economic Development Council.

In NYC this July, FIAF celebrates that fine French actor, Vincent Lindon, with a mini-retrospective

He's the French "everyman," or one of 'em, anyway. Over the years I've used this phrase to describe a few different actors, but it fits, I think, Vincent Lindon best of all. Middle-aged and usually playing middle-class or working-class, this talented fellow with a mug you don't forget has often been compared to the likes of Jean Gabin (my choice for comparison) or Lino Ventura of a generation past. When I interviewed M. Lindon back in May of 2010, I found him to be the most interesting, talkative and genuine actor with whom I've ever spoken. He was a delight to spend time with. That interview can be found here and here -- separated to coincide with the opening of two of his films that year: Welcome and Mademoiselle Chabon, both of which are part of FIAF's CinéSalon mini-retrospective on the actor, A Salute to Vincent Lindon, which begins this coming Tuesday, July 1.

The actor has now worked with a bevy of directors including Claude Chabrol, Benoît Jacquot, Diane Kurys and Claire Denis, yet some of his finest performances (I have yet to see him give anything but a very good one) has come via directors less known over here, such as Stéphane Brizé, two of whose films are included in this month's series. Another thing: though I've seen almost 30 of Lindon's 66 film appearances, I've haven't found an out-and-out lemon in the bunch. Some are better than others, of course, but I think this fellow has a knack for knowing in which projects he should appear and with which directors he wants to work. I suspect that he also possesses that brand of intelligence that understands how to read and choose a script.

Audiences here in NYC will have the opportunity to see what I mean, as seven of Lindon's movies come to FIAF's Florence Gould Hall this July:

Augustine, directed by Alice Winocour, Tuesday, July 1, at 4 & 7:30pm.

TrustMovies covered this unusual tale -- of a famous French patient and the doctor who "serves" her -- when the film opened theatrically; you can find my review here. For FIAF's info on the film, click on the title, above.

Mademoiselle Chambon, directed by Stéphane Brizé,
Tuesday, July 8 at 4pm.

This is one of my favorite of Lindon's performances, and also one of the finest adult love stories/character studies I can recall. My original take on the film, along with an interview with M. Lindon, can be found here; for FIAF's description, click on the title, above.

Pater, directed by Alain Cavalier, Tuesday, July 8 at 7:30pm

When I saw this clever, comical/satirical take on French politics and filmmaking (among, I think, other subjects, too: ego, fashion sense and food), I missed the first few minutes and so I am going to try to view this one again. My original take is here; for FIAF's, click on the title, above.

New York Premiere!
Anything for Her, directed by Fred Cavayé, Tuesday, July 15 at 4 & 7:30pm.

It is little wonder that we never got to see the original version of this film at the time of its release. It took Britain by storm, but probably because of the overwrought and bloated American remake, The Next Three Days, that Paul Haggis adapted and directed, and which did not succeed theatrically, Cavayé's version was never shown here. Now we know why. So much leaner and more propulsive (96 minutes against Haggis' attenuated 133), Anything for Her (Pour elle), tells us only what we need to know and grabs us for keeps from the first frame onwards. Lindon (who is much better and far less showy than was Russell Crowe in the remake) is the perfect "every-husband" who must find resources inside himself that he had no hint of before events force him into this, while Diane Kruger does a fine job as his unjustly accused and imprisoned wife who lapses into depression. Cavayé's original is so good, in fact, that it practically wipes away any memory of that other dog, so even if you have already seen The Next Three Days, give this one a shot. FIAF's two showings may be the only chance you'll get.

Welcome, directed by Philippe Lioret, Tuesday, July 22 at 4pm.

This beautifully composed and comprised film about immigration and the possibility of change features fine performances and the kind of reality that often slides out of movies that tackle the immigrant experience vis-a-vis those who already live in this "foreign" land. You can read my review of the film (along with an interview with M. Lindon) here; FIAF's description can be found by clicking the title link, above.

Friday Night, directed by Claire Denis, Tuesday, July 22 at 7:30pm.

It's been at least a decade since I've seen Denis' movie (prior to my blogging), and I still think of it as one of her most mainstream and accessible (for the other end of her work, try The Intruder). This tale of a woman, about to make a fateful life decision, who literally and metaphorically opens the door to something new, was also something new for Denis. Lindon is formidable, as ever, and the movie is fun, hot, thoughtful, surprising and, in many ways, so un-Denis that if you haven't seen it, you probably should. For the FIAF description, click on the title link, above.

New York Premiere!
A Few Hours of Spring, directed by Stéphane Brizé, Tuesday, July 29 at 4 & 7:30pm. 

In my interview with M. Lindon, the actor told me that he preferred roles in which he didn't have to talk too much. Well, he's found another one in this second film in FIAF's series directed by Stéphane Brizé.  In it, Lindon plays a man just released from prison, who returns to the home of his mother (Hélène Vincent, on poster, right, and at bottom). Neither have had much to say to each other over the years (she didn't visit him prison), and when they talk now, it's likely to lead to an argument. The same goes for the woman he meets in the local bowling alley (Emmanuelle Seigner, below), and even to some extent with his old friend and neighbor (Olivier Perrier): little talk with the latter, but at least there's no argument.

The theme of the film is the end of life for the terminally ill, and what happens when you choose to end your life, rather than simply allowing it to end you. While the lack of much dialog is believable enough, this does not make for an easy entry into character. The actors are all first-rate, but Brizé keeps us at more of a distance than he needs to, I think -- which was not at all the case with his Mlle. Chambon (see above). How the tale plays out is undeniably moving and also important for us to observe and consider, seeing as how so many of us will be faced with exactly this choice.in time to come.

It's a shame that A Few Hours of Spring was never given U.S. distribution. ("Too downbeat!" someone must have said/) So FIAF's screenings are doubly appreciated. Try to catch it while you have the opportunity. Perhaps Netflix could make arrangements to stream it in the near future.

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About CinéSalon: In the spirit of French ciné-clubs and literary salons, FIAF’s new CinéSalon pairs an engaging film with a post-screening wine reception. Films are shown Tuesdays at 4 and 7:30pm, and every screening is followed by a get-together with a complimentary glass of wine. Each 7:30 screening will be thoughtfully introduced by a high-profile personality in the arts.

All films will be shown at FIAF's Florence Gould Hall in Manhattan. For tickets and other information, click here and start browsing...