Category Archives: French Cinema

Beauty isn’t always about what one could readily see: “La dentellière” [1977 France, Switzerland]

Sometimes, it requires a painter to appreciate beauty, says Swiss director Claude Goretta, and writer Pascal Lainé, upon whose novel the film, “La dentellière” [Eng. Title: The Lacemaker] is based. Even the title alludes to Johannes Vermeer’s famous painting. Beatrice … Continue reading

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An ode to a baroque artist: “Tous les matins du monde” [1991 France]

To do full justice to Alain Corneau’s beautiful masterpiece “Tous les matins du monde” [Eng. Title: All the Mornings of the World] would require a deeper understanding of classical music than I possess, but that still couldn’t stop me from … Continue reading

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High art in a Parisian afternoon – Varda’s “Cléo de 5 à 7” [1962 France, Italy]

The French New Wave will be incomplete without the redoubtable Agnès Varda – in fact, critics even credit her earlier works as the forerunner of the Nouvelle Vague. Whatever the case, Varda’s magnificent 1962 masterpiece “Cléo de 5 à 7” … Continue reading

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Of daydreams and hidden desires – “Belle de Jour” [1967 France, Italy]

Let’s open the great Luis Buñuel’s filmography with one of his more recognisable works, “Belle de Jour”. His first film in colour is also regarded by many as among the best films of all time. Buñuel’s most commercially successful film, … Continue reading

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Sky is the limit for a modern day Daedalus – “Les Années Lumière” [1981 Switzerland, France]

It can be difficult to pigeon-hole Alain Tanner – he is one of the few pan-European directors who likes to defy cultural, linguistic, and geographical boundaries when it comes to cinema, and here’s another example – his contemplative drama “Les … Continue reading

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