Does anyone understand French movies?

Old Aug 20th, 2001, 05:14 AM
  #1  
Falcon
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Does anyone understand French movies?

Last time I was in Paris, I took in a movie which to this day i cannot understand. It was "Un liaison pornographic" It is NOT, despite the title, a blue movie. It is one which some acquaintances living in France said was the movie of the year in France and had won awards in Venice.

Anyone else seen it?
 
Old Aug 20th, 2001, 05:32 AM
  #2  
Florence
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Even us French people don't understand all French movies and know there are truly terrible ones (can you imagine Josiane Balasko playing Eddie Monsoon in a French remake of "Absolutely Fabulous" ? I can't, and I don't want to see it !).

I've never heard of the one you mention. In what century was it movie of the year ?
 
Old Aug 20th, 2001, 05:34 AM
  #3  
Ursula
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Falcon, bonjour.
Yes, I saw it, but quite a while ago. I am an amateur of French films, especially the so called "small films" which we get to see here too in the original version (with German undertitles).
"Une liaison pornographique" (1999) was an excellent film with Nathalie Baye and Sergi Lopez in the leading roles. Director was Frederic Fonteyne.
If your French is not very good, I can understand that you did have some difficulties, because the never-ending discussions between the two are indeed very deep going.

A new film shown in Cannes this year, but if I remember well out of competition, is "Le destin fabuleux d'Amélie Poulain" playing in Montmartre. It's among the top-ten in France right now.
In Switzerland, it runs under the title "Amélie de Montmartre". A must-see for French film lovers. I really hope, that you will have the chance to see that one.
 
Old Aug 20th, 2001, 06:13 AM
  #4  
Ursula
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I did some research. Nathalie Baye got the prize for the best female role 1999 in Venice for her part in that particular film.
Hope this helps.
 
Old Aug 20th, 2001, 06:15 AM
  #5  
Falcon
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Hi Ursula
Actually I have heard of this latest one you mention. It about a girl who has a very protected childhood owing to perceived health difficulties right? So far I couldn’t bring myself to see it following my struggle with the other movie. It was not that liaison pornographic was hard to understand as it saw it with English subtitles. BUT what was the point of endlessly showing that damn door. There must have been a hidden meaning in it but it beats me!!! I would welcome your interpretation….

I left the theater feeling that even trying to attempt the language, there must be a considerably obscure message in European movies which I just cannot figure out.


Florence
Point taken but when the movie ended everyone applauded – except me!


 
Old Aug 20th, 2001, 06:23 AM
  #6  
Ursula
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Falcon: I know what you mean. It was one of those a bit strange films, not a comedy at all.
As I have seen it quite a while ago and seen tons of other films since, I really do not remember all those details. There are some European films or directors like that. A famous one is the Swiss Jean-Luc Godard. His films are a story for itself. Go and understand him!

Go and see "Amélie". People applauded and that is *very* rare here. But it's a special film too, but less difficult.

 
Old Aug 20th, 2001, 07:29 AM
  #7  
Ariel
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I did see "Un liaison pornograpgic" just a couple of weeks ago and quite enjoyed it. A couple meets via ads and has an on-going affair, meeting at a coffee shop and then goingto the hotel some something wild (which we never know anyhting about). I really enjoyed the movie, finding it true that we are often too afraid to truely know each other and let someone see all of ourselves - my interpretation of it anyway. I was able to read the subtitles so that helped. They were so close to being honest, but in the end could do it. I also found it interesting how they each had they own memories of how they met and how some of the event happened.

If French is not always to our taste try some of the Latin movies. One that I would recommend are "Men with Guns" and of course "All about my mother".
 
Old Aug 20th, 2001, 08:26 AM
  #8  
Arabella
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Just saw "The Closet" over the weekend. Fabulous, funny French movie.
 
Old Aug 20th, 2001, 08:30 AM
  #9  
ifitlookslikea
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Falcon, did you see it just before making a pornographic movie, and are now too traumatized to finish the assignment? I'm just remembering a previous problem you had with the showing of "Titanic" on a cruise ship, and wanting some sort of monetary compensation for your mental anguish.
 
Old Aug 20th, 2001, 08:50 AM
  #10  
Lou
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Even the French will admit that they are not making many good, quality movies anymore (a few are still excellent.) If you want to see an abundance of fantastic french movies, check out some of the old New Wave films.
 
Old Aug 20th, 2001, 11:50 AM
  #11  
Capo
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I'd meant to see this film when it played in Seattle, but missed it. (Last year, however, I did see Nathalie Baye in a charming and poignant comedy set in Paris, The Venus Beauty Institute, which I'd highly recommend.)

Recently, I saw an apparently very controversial French movie called (pardon my French :~), Baise-Moi, just to see what all the fuss was about (it wasn't all that interesting, and too violent for my tastes), and two years ago I saw another one called Romance", which was a lot more interesting, and far less violent.
 
Old Aug 20th, 2001, 12:09 PM
  #12  
Ursula
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Capo bonsoir: Yes, "Vénus Beauté", was a nice film, I agree. I went to see it at lunch-time. We have just one movie theater which offers that, i.e at 12.15h. In front of me, there were about four English speaking ladies. I was *very* surprised to see them, because the film was in French with German undertitles. Well, the film started and all these ladies were wondering in what the have run into. The normal programme which started only at 3 p.m. had scheduled "Shakespeare in Love" and I think they wanted to see *that* film. Well, they left and I hope they got their money back.
And yes, "Baise-moi", I read a lot about it and decided I did not really want to see it. I am glad I did not. There are so many other good films.
Did you happen to see "Vatel" with Gérard Dépardieu? That film was really made for him. A great role for him just like Auguste Rodin in "Camille Claudel" (with Isabelle Adjani).
 
Old Aug 20th, 2001, 12:28 PM
  #13  
Capo
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Bonsoir Ursula! Very nice to hear that you saw, and enjoyed, Vénus Beauté (merci for the French title.) I wasn't familiar with Nathalie Baye prior to seeing this film.

I wanted to see Baise-moi just to see what kind of a French film would create so much controversy in France. It's certainly not a movie I'd recommend. (It's not the sex that I abhor, but the violence.)

I'm not familair with Vatel; how recent is it? I loved Dépardieu in Camille Claudel!

Speaking of Dépardieu...have you ever seen Roman Polanski's movie A Pure Formality starring himself and Dépardieu? It's a brilliantly-acted cat-and-mouse thriller -- almost like a two-man play -- with a wonderful twist at the end; one of my favorite films.
 
Old Aug 20th, 2001, 12:33 PM
  #14  
dean
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What about Jerry Lewis in "The Nutty Professor"?
 
Old Aug 20th, 2001, 12:54 PM
  #15  
Ursula
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Capo: I cannot remember having seen "A Pure Formality", although I usually go to see Polanski's films. We do not hear too much about him right now over here, though. Also, we are lucky the see all films with their original title, so, sometimes I really do not know what film others speak about. "Vatel" is quite recent. Dépardieu is a cook (he's real big again) and sort of manager at a nice castle (Chantilly?). King Louis 14th (I think) who is due to arrive at that castle with some 200-300 people. Can you imagine. Vatel needs to organize a huge party for some 3 days, provide all the food and take care that the king is happy and gets entertained.
It's a funny costume film. If you go, don't go hungry, because you see a lot of nice French dishes you would want to eat immediately.
Capo, if you read and understand French, here's my favourite site, especially for French films:
www.allocine.fr

PS: Nathalie Baye has been a top star in France (and Europe) for some 20 years. She has been married not very long though to Johnny Hallyday, French singer famous since at least 1960.
 
Old Aug 20th, 2001, 12:56 PM
  #16  
Ariel
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Ursula - I just saw Vatel and really enjoyed it. Gerard was wonderful. Nice to see him in a better movie, he seemed to hit a low point a while back, but he is still a sexy man. Thanks to those who recommended The Venus Beauty Institue - we'll look for that one.
 
Old Aug 20th, 2001, 01:07 PM
  #17  
Ursula
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Ariel: You think he's still sexy? Well, hm.. he's got something yes, I agree, but sexy? To be honest, there are few big men of which I think they are sexy, interesting, yes.
Glad to hear you enjoyed that film too. And it is also staring Uma Thurman.

PS: "Ariel" is a famous washing powder here... and it's time to go to bed soon. It's past 11 p.m. Hope you keep this thread alive.
 
Old Aug 21st, 2001, 12:14 AM
  #18  
Lucy
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Capo, did you see Romance in the US? It almost did not screen here is Australia as there was a lot of controversy surrounding it due to the sex scenes apparently being the real deal & not simulated so some conservative politicians (who of course never had even seen it!) tried to get it banned. As a result it received more publicity than it would ever have dreamed of & higher attendances than would be the usual for a foreign language movie!!
 
Old Nov 14th, 2001, 11:53 AM
  #19  
Ursula
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Topping this and asking whether somebody did see the new film "La Pianiste" with Isabelle Huppert?
Apparently heavy stuff to digest.

PS: Just realize that all "e" with an aigu have been turned into other letters like "i"..?? Strange!
 
Old Nov 14th, 2001, 12:46 PM
  #20  
Christina
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I think most French movies are just about eating and sex, and talking a lot. There are some French movies I like a lot, and some are my favorites of any kind, but others can be very tedious. One of my favorites is Un Coeur en Hiver, and I also like most Eric Rohmer, Louis Malle or Claude Sautet films, and I liked all the Marcel Pagnol ones (ones adapted from his short novels--My Father's Glory and Jean de Florette were my favorites--not the ones he wrote the scripts for, although I haven't seen some of those old ones, actually). Also, I like about anything with Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider, Emmanulle Beart, Danny Auteuil or Michel Serrault in them as they are my favorite French actors. I didn't go to Baise-Moi even though I think it was playing when I was in Paris once because I didn't think I'd like it. One I did see in Paris and regretted was Queen Margot -- yikes!!!! I do like Isabelle Adjani (and liked her in Camille Claudel) but that film was so violent I nearly got ill. I saw it in French with no subtitles so probably missed a lot, just as well.
 

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