Alain Delon, the French Cinematic Star passes away at 88. Delon was known for his intense smouldering good looks and big screen presence. Le Samouraï happens to be a film noir favourite.
Born in Sceaux, France in 1935, Delon became an international star in the 1960’s working with directors including Rene Clement, Luchino Visconti and Louis Malle.
Alain Delon was more than handsome, but also had charisma and talent.
“Family Is Family”. A family can be a source of inspiration for artists. Morgane Dziurla-Petit’s family inspired work Excess Will Save Us is an examination of close relationship and manipulations. From a small French Village Petit points a lens at inhabitants whipped up by paranoia by far off event. However, in this story, who are the true nemeses?
An interview with Morgane Dziurla-Petit from the International Film Festival Rotterdam
Congratulations! You shattered illusions about French Sophistication. How has your view changed now as compared to when you started this film?
“Well I never had an illusion that French people were particularly sophisticated, growing up in a working class family. But I had the belief that sophistication was needed to change social class which felt important to me when I was younger. This is the kind of things that transforms your heritage into shame.
Making Excess Will Save Us was definitely a work on stopping the shame and creating a dialogue. I do not idealise countryside or working class because I find that there can be a lot of violence – afflicted and inflicted – but making the film made me grow so much more love and understanding for where I come from.”
These types of feelings, manipulations and reactions to events one would expect from perhaps Middle or Rural America, not a few hours drive from Paris. Are you saying emotions are universal?
“I think that anyone who makes films has the belief that emotions are universal. And with globalisation, the systems that influence us – even if you are a 93 year old man – are becoming more and more similar. But I am also in a particular situation as a French filmmaker because I live in Sweden – a country that is very much influenced by the US, much more so than France. I can see that it has sometimes influenced my choices.
Even though I work with a multiplication of small stories happening in the village of my family, I wanted them to be understood by an international audience. For example, there is that story about my grandfather believing that the tombstone of my grandmother has a strange smell. One of the versions of the edit went to the point where he shared that it maybe had something to do with Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès, a French man famous because he has killed his family and has never been found by the police. Though hilarious for a French person, I could see that this would not land on an international audience so it was removed.”
The dysfunctional relationships were central. As a director was it hard to get the talent to be exposed in this manner on camera?
“Comedy is the love language in my family so it was hard with the people I am the closest to – especially my dad – to sometimes go out of that. I wanted the film to operate movements between comedy and drama and my father could be anxious about that. He likes to have a direct answer about what people think of him and there is nothing more direct than a laugh. It is part of his character though and I love that look he has in the film where he is always trying to be seen by the audience. That’s what makes me laugh but that’s also what makes me love his character despite the terrible things he does. All in all each of the non professionals have an opinion on how they want to be seen in the family and it is extremely similar to the way they want the camera to see them.”
You drew inspiration from your family and community, how did they react to the film?
“Amazingly, I really could not have hoped for better. They see the film as something very true to who they are even in the more fictional parts. And I was surprised to see a difference from showing the short film I had made about them where most of their comments back then were on details like the clothes they wore or the cleaning they should have done better. This time they did not speak about that and enjoyed the story… and also understood my job much better going through the emotional journey that they know is a construction of a whole team of people.”
As a filmmaker, are you drawn to more farcical situations?
“My next project is a drama so it could be weird to answer yes even though it is something I obviously love. I think that in general I am drawn towards quidproquo, cringe and meta. And these are things that can be worked on in both the context of comedy and drama. They have the power to make you feel intimately close to characters and again… work on our own shames.”
Excess Will Save Us All was screened at International Film Festival Rotterdam in January.
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An extraordinary film released in 1981, Jean-Jacques Beineix‘s DIVA is a classic example of Cinema Du Look. Expressive, colorful, romantic. The French thriller is the story of an Opera Singer and a secret tape. Released by Rialto Pictures in the US.
Controversial. Shocking. Brilliant. These are some of the words use to describe Canes Film Festival winner Titane. For an episode of the Chat Cinema Podcast, we devoted the show to Julia Ducournau’s hardcore work.
Click Below to see what we think.
My first job, working a multiplex movie theater with 8 cinemas. I got to see movies for free. Invite friends and have popcorn. The Culture Wars of the Reagan Years were happening. Of course it reached my city and the theater I worked that summer. Martin Scorsese made “The Last Temptation of Christ”. What a controversy! “Hollywood, those “movie liberals” needed to get struck down by God” were comments. Main Southern Newspapers called for boycotts of Universal Pictures and parent company MCA.
Suddenly, the theater I worked in was under siege. Letters, petitions, came in the mail everyday. People even marched in building demanding to see the manager about the possibility of the feature running in the city. That “Blasphemous Movie” should not be shown here. Their morale outrage was clear, at times scary.
In spite of the fact the Italian Catholic Scorsese’s film had not been seen by film goers. Many had made up their minds before the first frame unspooled in a darken cinema. Thankfully, The national chain GCC cinemas decided not to book the film in its houses.
I travelled 3 hours away by car to Cineplex Odeon to watch the film. My reaction, DULL! All the drama over a movie that almost put me to sleep. I had more exciting Sunday School classes than sitting through Willem DaFore’s underwhelming take on the Savior.
A new century, people are have access to cinema at their fingertips. Click, on comes a selection of 10.000 movies. More exposure to cinema does not mean more understanding for different stories or views on the world. “Cuties” a film made by Senegalese-French filmmaker
Welcome to 2020, a tight election, a broken economy, and to top off, a raging pandemic. Ted Cruz stated his “disgust” for the work, but the Texas Senator had not viewed the film. Why a US conservative elected official is “concerned” about African immigrant children in a Poor Paris Suburb is beyond my reasoning, while, 25% of America’s children go hungry everyday. But, perhaps, “Cuties” offers a Moral Outrage to strike-up the voter base to get to the polls.
The “Cancel Netflix” hashtag trended for three days. Reach a wide audience, corrupting children, HA! What is the demand for a French Language film in the United States?
Social media was visceral to a movie few watched or tried to understand. After posting on two digital platforms about a podcast we produced on the film, we got called names and accused of encouraging child sexuality. Certainly many accusers were trolls, but some real. How do I discuss a film with person who refuses to see it?
Was part of backlash because this is a work by a dark skinned African woman? An easy target, prejudices go deep. Racial resentment is running high during these tense times.
Doucoure’s themes are about searching, belonging, children’s susceptibility to the media. She presents new perspective on feminism.
The 21stcentury feels a lot like the 20thcentury, in a bad way. The Culture War never ended.
Cuties is available on Netflix.
Senegalese-French filmmaker Maimouna Doucoure unwittingly stepped in the middle of the American Culture Wars. Her small film has gotten a lot of attention. “Cuties” is the story of a girl from a poor Paris neighbourhood trying to find her way in life.
According to some, it promotes Child Sexuality. On social media many are calling for canceling Netflix. The streaming giant acquired the production earlier this year. Senator Ted Cruz wants the company investigated calling the film “disgusting”. Why the Fuss? Has the film become the latest victim of “Outrage”?
I chatted with Chat Cinema Contributor Kristin about the controversy. Kristin thinks people should see the film before condemning it. “After the Berlinale screening we discussed “Cuties“, she says. The overall opinions, “We liked it”. “Admittedly, it is not a great film, but enjoyable”.
“Cuties” is available on Netflix.
Kristinloves going to the movies.