I’ve been in town for a couple of days so I’ve seen two films from the French film festival.
Tuesday was Ismaël’s Ghosts (Les Fantômes d’Ismaël) which was a lot more intense than the second one. Mathieu Amalric plays Ismaël, a director/screenwriter who’s nearly finished making a movie based on his diplomat brother. He’s been happily attached to his girlfriend of two yyears, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg, after his wife Carlotta (Marion Cotillard) upped and left him 20 years ago.
She returns after she’s been wandering the world and settling in India where she married a guy who’s just died. Ismaël’s life starts to come unstuck…film producer is going mad…everything’s falling apart.
Heavy duty but at least MC drops trou.
Second one, Mr Stein Goes Online (Un Profil Pour Deux) is a reworking of the Cyrano de Bergerac story and is very funny. Long-time comic, Pierre Richard, plays the 80-odd Pierre, who hasn’t left his apartment since his wife died 2 years ago. His daughter arranges for her daughter’s boyfriend to teach him about the internet and computers. He quickly latches onto dating sites and sets up a profile but using the younger bloke’s photo. So when he arranges a meeting with a 30-odd Flora in Brussels, he has to do it secondhand. I’m sure everyone can work out what happens. Many laughs ensue, but where would comedy be if people didn’t tell a few porkies. Really well done.
If people don’t understand why I prefer French comedy to English or American comedy, see this one. They do farce so well.
Not really. I’ve got a few French films on DVD…not too many threepenny bits on display.
Or in Spanish films, which I also enjoy.
I just reckon they wipe the floor with the Seppos and Poms with farce, noir and family dramas.
Most of their best farce is remade a couple of years later, almost word for word, by the Septics…eg Three Men and a Baby, The Dinner Game, The 3 Fugitives.
Pierre Richard starred with Depardieu in a couple of those farces.
Marion Cotillard nuding up was a pleasant, if totally unexpected, bonus.
One of the films I saw a trailer for (French film) was a remake of a Mexican film I saw a couple of years ago - Instructions Not Included (Returns Not Accepted is the translation of the Spanish title) - the most popular Spanish-language film ever in the USA.
I mean if you don’t think it’s funny, or that it’s action sequences are better then sure, I guess you’d find it as ultimately boring as other Marvel movies.
I’m a fan of the French Film Festival and I’ve been to about 8 so far this year. I agree with Noonan about Mr Stein Goes Online, although I’d call it more a gentle comedy with somel farcical scenes than a pure farce. But it passed my sole test for a comedy: it made me laugh. I first saw Pierre Richard in The Tall Blonde Man with One Black Shoe, which was a total delight.
Other good ones were Custody, with actors I’d never heard of. Domestic violence film and very intense but excellent. Also Number One with Emmanuelle Devos, who is a total knockout in everything she’s in. About a woman trying to get the top job in a very big business. Very Good.
Last night I had the misfortune to see Let The Sunshine In, and despite the appearance of Juliette Binoche naked I have to say that it was quite possibly the greatest load of garbage I have ever seen — in any language. It begins with a sex scene that goes on interminably and is then followed by about 20 minutes (seemed like 20 hours) of the two lovers talking complete crap to each other. The rest of the film was just people talking crap to each other but without the sex scene. It finished with Gerard Depardydude as some sort of fortune teller talking complete crap to Juliette. Then the film stopped. Thank God. 0 out of 10.
This year’s Ma Loute? Juliette Binoche was pleine de merde in that one too.
Yes…Mr Stein Goes Online was indeed gentle family comedy rather than farce. There were moments of 1970s British comedy where everybody sat around talking at cross purposes (scene where the daughter and granddaughter were talking to Mr Stein and his “new love”).
