The Hi-Pointe Theater, at 1005 McCausland Ave in St. Louis, is the best place to see movies. Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche in THE TRUTH opens there Friday July 10th.
Legends of French cinema Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche join masterful filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda (Shoplifters, Still Walking) to paint a moving portrait of family dynamics in THE TRUTH. Fabienne (Catherine Deneuve) is an aging French movie star who, despite her momentary lapses in memory, remains a venerable force to be reckoned with. Upon the publication of her memoirs, her daughter Lumir (Juliette Binoche) returns to Paris from New York with her husband (Ethan Hawke) and their young daughter to commemorate its release. A sharp and funny battle of wits ensues between the mother-daughter duo, as Lumir takes issue with Fabienne’s rose-colored version of the past. Reflected cleverly by Fabienne’s latest role in a sci-fi drama, their strained relationship takes a poignant journey toward possible reconciliation. Charming, bold, and imbued with endless emotional insight, THE TRUTH offers a relatable look at human relationships, featuring exquisite performances from its all-star cast.
The Critics love THE TRUTH:
Peter Travers at Rolling Stone says:
“….You don’t want to this thrilling standoff between two French legends-Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche -who are double dynamite as a mother and daughter with different ideas of what constitutes the truth.”
Jeff York at The Establishing Shot says:
“…. (THE TRUTH) stands as one of the year’s most exquisite, plumbing the depths of an actor’s life and the complexity of relationships in the fallout from it.”
Two great Catherines – Deneuve and Frot – star in THE MIDWIFE, a thoughtful French-language tale of family, childhood memories, and changing life in modern France. As the title suggests, one of the central characters is a midwife, but the film is not about midwifery. Still the film uses the profession’s long and honorable history bringing the next generation into this world as a metaphor a changing French world. It is also telling that the French term for midwife, sage femme, also means “wise woman.”
The film is moving, touching, bittersweet and funny by turns, and an excellent exploration of relationship between women of differing generations. The midwife in the film, Claire (Catherine Frot), is a really good one, the best at the little childbirth clinic near Paris where she works. But the small old-fashioned clinic is closing down, unable to compete with the big modern hospital nearby. Claire resists the idea of going to work for the big hospital, as she resists so many other changes. Meanwhile, at home, Claire put aside her own personal life to concentrate on being a single parent raising her son, now a student in medical school.
Unexpectedly, her late father’s long-ago mistress, Beatrice (Catherine Deneuve) turns up, wanting to re-connect after all these years. Beautiful, elegant Beatrice is still particular about her appearance but she’s clearly in the skids, flat broke after a life of serial affairs and years of gambling. Now suffering from a brain tumor, Beatrice reaches out to her one-time almost stepdaughter but Claire responds coolly to Beatrice’s efforts to rekindle their once-close bond. That Claire speaks to Beatrice at all, given how she left Claire’s father, is the greater mystery. As the story progresses, we learn the tragic and complicated history between them, as this intriguing family drama unfolds.
Writer/director Martin Provost brings together these two great French actresses in a story written specifically for them. The story is both about the characters’ personal journey and, more indirectly, about a changing France, Paris in particular. Several scenes in the movie allude to shifts in French society, from the world of cafe and smart shops of the past, to the modern diverse city of the present, but all is told through the relationship between these two women. Beatrice’s character represents that past, while Claire is the transition to the present, with her son representing the future on the horizon.
The director also offers gentle commentary on changes to the physical world of Paris and environs. In one scene, a bucolic view down the Seine River, on whose banks Claire has a little vegetable garden plot, is disrupted by the sudden appearance of a high-speed train streaking across the old-fashioned stone bridge. In another scene, a neighbor takes Claire on a woodland hike to a limestone bluff, hidden from view, with a breathtaking view of the distant modern Paris. The forest opening up to the bluff’s unexpected view of the modern city produce a startling juxtaposition of the past and present, as well as the natural world and man’s changes to it.
With firm but never heavy-handed guidance from Provost, Deneuve and Frot explore the complexity of their shared history and feelings, and of France then and now, in an acting tour-de-force. This film is a must-see for fans of either actress, for fans of French culture, or those who might enjoy a well-drawn feminist view of the inner lives of women and their relationships with each other. THE MIDWIFE is a warm-hearted, intelligent film as full of life as the profession in the title suggests.
The Classic French Film Festival celebrates St. Louis’ Gallic heritage and France’s cinematic legacy. The featured films span the decades from the 1920s through the 1980s (with a particular focus on filmmakers from the New Wave), offering a comprehensive overview of French cinema. UN FLIC will screen as part of the festival at 7pm Sunday, June 27th at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium
In UN FLIC piano-playing Edouard (Alain Delon) and nightclub owner Simon (Richard Crenna of “Wait Until Dark” and “Body Heat”) both love Kathy (Catherine Deneuve). If that’s not trouble enough, Edouard’s a post-burnout cop and Simon’s bent on the heist of a lifetime, and they seem to be looking past Kathy at each other. Jean-Pierre Melville’s final work features iconic performances from the star trio – a never more jadedly detached Delon, a never more chillingly icy Deneuve, and a surprisingly effective, smilingly insinuating Crenna. The film features two trademark Melville heists: the first a near-wordless bank job on a deserted, bleakly rain-sodden seaside street; the second a nerve-shredding, timed-to-the-second drug snatch done via helicopter-to-train transfer.
Former Village Voice critic J. Hoberman writes of the director: “The high priest of tough-guy mysticism and master of the attitudinous gangster thriller, Melville not only anticipated the French new wave but served as a model for the neo new wave of Jim Jarmusch, Quentin Tarantino and Wong Kar-wai.” And Time Out New York observes: “With barely a word spoken between them – mostly a series of virile glances – Delon and Crenna paint an idealized portrait of masculine camaraderie, one that’s exposed at the end of Melville’s bracing last testament as a soul-shattering illusion.”
UN FLIC will screen at 7pm Sunday, June 27th at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (Winifred Moore Auditorium in Webster Hall – 470 E Lockwood Ave – Webster Groves, MO 63119)
With an introduction and post-film discussion by Diane Carson, professor emeritus of film at St. Louis Community College at Meramec and adjunct professor of film studies at Webster University.
Admission: $12 general admission; $10 for students, Cinema St. Louis members, Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM) members, and Alliance Française members; Webster U. screenings free for Webster U. students.
A PDF version of the Classic French Film Festival program is available to download HERE:
Let me introduce you to a habit, I mean… a hobby of mine. I am an admirer (addict) of the Criterion Collection of unique and important films. What they do for these movies is wonderful, in most cases, presenting them in the most pristine and enjoyable presentation available for home viewing. So, anytime new titles are released, I get all excited like a schoolboy daydreaming about his very own Official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock.With it being mid-January, I figured I would get you up to speed on the film fixes I am most eager to get high off of for 2012, so far…
Release Date: 2012, January 17th (Blu-Ray, Spine #593)
BELLE DE JOUR (1967) directed by Luis Buñuel and starring the ravishingly beautiful and talented Catherine Deneuve. In the spirit of full disclosure, it has been so long since I saw this film in college, a time in which I often struggled to stay conscious through relatively early morning screenings, that I am ecstatic about finally revisiting the film, especially on blu-ray.
Release Date: 2012, January 24th (Blu-Ray, Spine #594)
GODZILLA (1954) is the monster that started it all, the original king of giant Japanese creature films and the very best… except for KING KONG, but that doesn’t count. It’s not Japanese, but I love them both! From what I’ve gathered, this will feature a gloriously pristine, unprecedented transfer. I can’t wait!
Release Date: 2012, January 14th (Blu-Ray, Spine # 597)
TINY FURNITURE (2010) is one of my favorite films from SXSW that year and for the year in general. Unique, off beat and sarcastic, the film is a modern sort of coming of age story for a young woman seeking her own direction and purpose in life while dealing with her mother and sister, whom she now lives with after graduating college. This smart, slightly rigid comedy is a masterful breakout feature film debut and definitely deserving of the Criterion monicker.
This brand new adaptation of a 1970’s French stage farce reminded me of something else the French are known for: desserts, namely pastry. They’re not too sugary, light, fluffy, and usually very tasty. Well, POTICHE (French for trophy wife) is the same delightful treat. In this film the dollop of cream on top would be the casting of two iconic French film stars in lead roles.
The year is 1977-Springtime to be exact. Suzanne Pujol (Catherine Deneuve) is blithely content in her privileged life. She inherited a successful umbrella factory from her late father. Her husband Robert runs the business with an iron fist (while canoodling with his executive secretary Nadege). Robert and Suzanne have two grown children-Joelle, ultra conservative wife to a constantly traveling businessman and mother of two young boys and Laurent a very liberal art student engaged to a frequently absent local woman. Soon after being released by striking factory workers who held him hostage, Robert is stricken with a heart “episode.” Upon the strong recommendation of the family physician, Robert must take a sabbatical from work. Perhaps a vacation cruise will do the trick. But who’ll will make sure the umbrellas are made? Suzanne will return to the work force! First she must charm the worker representatives.To do this, she consults with the Mayor, Maurice (Gerard Depardieu), who had enjoyed a passionate fling with her twenty five years ago. With the labor disputes settled Suzanne calls on her two children to help, Joelle in management and Laurent in creative designs. Things are going swimmingly until Robert returns. He’s horrified at the changes she has made. Now, that he’s regained his health the business must be put back on track. But, Suzanne doesn’t wish to hand over the reins. What will happen as the two fight over control of the family factory? Who will the kids side with? And will she rekindle her passion for Maurice?
Although the movie’s set in the late 70’s it owes quite a bit to the bright Technicolor farces of the 60’s (especially those frothy Doris Day flicks). Except Ms. Day never had a past as lusty as Suzanne’s. In the title role Deneuve is absolutely radiant, full of sly looks and double takes. Her character’s charm and beauty are used to obscure the intelligence and savvy. She’s a calm contrast to her blustering hubby and direction-less children. Depardieu’s Maurice is a lumbering bull of a bureaucrat until he’s reminded of the passion he shared with Suzanne. He begins to act like a man half his age especially when he suspects that he fathered a child during that fling. The hairstyles and fashions from thirty four years ago are faithfully reproduced along with the music. There’s a big dance sequence when Maurice takes Suzanne to a local disco. For all the lovers of classic films, it was a great treat seeing Deneuve surrounded by brightly colored umbrellas reminding us of 1964’s THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG. She even gets a solo song near the end. If you’re looking for a light cinematic treat, then POTICHE maybe be the movie dessert you’re craving.
*** Palm Springs International Film Festival 2011 – Opening Night Film ***
*** Venice Film Festival 2010 – Official Selection ***
*** Toronto International Film Festival 2010 – Official Selection ***
OPENING IN LOS ANGELES AND NEW YORK ON MARCH 25
In French, a potiche is a vase or decorative object of little value and no real practical use that you put on a shelf or a mantel. The word is also used in everyday language as a derogatory term for a woman who is considered eye candy, or a woman living in the shadow of her husband who doesn’t seem to have her own identity. Certain wives of politicians, or even certain female politicians themselves, have been called “potiches”, including Madame Chirac, or more recently, Ségolène Royal.
Set in 1977 in a provincial French town, POTICHE is a free adaptation of the 1970s eponymous hit comic play. Catherine Deneuve is Suzanne Pujol, a submissive, housebound ‘trophy housewife’ (or “potiche,”) who steps in to manage the umbrella factory run by her wealthy and tyrannical husband (Fabrice Luchini) after the workers go on strike and take him hostage. To everyone’s surprise, Suzanne proves herself a competent and assertive woman of action. But when her husband returns from a restful cruise in top form, things get complicated. Gérard Depardieu plays a former union leader and Suzanne’s ex-beau who still holds a flame for her. Acclaimed writer-director Francois Ozon (“Swimming Pool,” “Under the Sand,” “Time to Leave,”) who had previously directed Ms. Deneuve in the international hit “8 Women,” twists the original play on its head to create his own satirical and hilarious take on the war between the sexes and classes.
POTICHE reunites French cinema legends Catherine Deneuve and Gérard Depardieu in an ensemble cast that includes comic greats Fabrice Luchini and Karin Viard (as Luchini’s secretary and mistress,) while Judith Godreche and Jérémie Renier play the Pujols’ entitled daughter and sexually ambiguous son. The impeccable 1970s era set design and costumes, were created by Katia Wyzkop and Pascaline Chavanne, respectively.
POTICHE OPENS IN LOS ANGELES AND NEW YORK ON MARCH 25
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is not an easy film to watch. The pacing is a strange combination of slow and disjointed, but the overall result is not all bad. In fact, the strangest thing about this film, directed co-written by André Téchiné, is that despite the awkwardness of the film it maintains a certain level of intrigue that asks the viewer to keep watching, even when they’re unclear as to exactly where the story is going or why.
André Téchiné (WILD REEDS) weaves a coming-of-age story with a story of young ignorant love, focusing on the experience of a young woman named Jeanne, played by Émilie Dequenne. Jeanne lives with her widowed mother Louise, played by the ever-magnificent Catherine Deneuve, who seems to serve more as a friend and roommate than a mother at times. The two women are very much alike in some ways, despite their difference in age, both are independent but otherwise relative loaners.
The story begins as Jeanne roller blades by herself, but finds she has attracted the interest of a young man who has taken it upon himself to follow her. Uneasy by the attention, Jeanne seeks shelter in a nearby shop, only to be discovered and cornered by the young man named Franck (Nicolas Duvauchelle). Franck turns out to be a relative gentleman, having taken an honest interest in Jeanne for which he interprets as love at first sight and the two begin to develop feelings.
Meanwhile, Téchiné constructs the story of the Bleistein’s, a dysfunctional Jewish family. Samuel, the patriarch of the family and successful lawyer, plans to pay for his grandson’s Bar Mitzvah, while the boy’s divorced parents muddle through an awkward reunion of anger and regret, torn between their differences and their lingering love for each other. Throughout the film, Téchiné works towards bringing these two stories together. The drawback is that it seems to take forever before the stories finally collide, resulting in a scene intended to be more shocking than it was effective.
After Jeanne experiences a tragic relationship obstacle far from her normal comfort zone, she seems to have something of a breakdown that leads to her own psychological ordeal, affecting both her mother and the Bleistein family. While this scene is less immediately shocking than it is bewildering in its onset suddenness and curious obscurity, its effectiveness lies more in the bizarre string of circumstances that arise from Jeanne’s creation.
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN begins slowly, but the attention given to Jeanne and her seemingly uneventful life captures the audience’s interest in her potential story. Téchiné’s choice of lingering shots, warm lighting and upbeat, slightly techno-ambient music enhances these moments to a level of primal human wonder, stirring the sense of intrigue as its clear something is going to happen to this average but attractive “good” girl.
In this way, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN presents itself as part mystery, instilling a touch of subtle suspense as the story unfolds. There’s an element of social commentary, buried shallow within the film, but the essence of this movie lies in the youthful, often confused perception of the world and how it works. The 105-minute running time feels much longer, which is due in part to the randomness of the film’s structure and lulls in the story that detract from it’s strengths.
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is an interesting character study, but requires a certain level of patience and willingness to endure working for the final outcome. Audiences may find themselves leaving the theater truly wanting to have appreciated and enjoyed the experience, but may have difficulty forgiving the exhausted sensation of fighting to stay awake one moment and struggling to stay on track with the intent of the story the next moment.
