13 mai 2015

French Films at QFT this May

This month we have a number of French films showing at QFT. In addition to Argerich, the documentary exploring the love, life and extraordinary talent of renowned pianist, Martha Argerich through the eyes of her daughter Stéphanie which has one last screening on Thu 7th May – 6:30pm, we have …...

Samba

Fri 15th May - Thu 28th May

The directors of the French smash hit Untouchable reunite with the magnetic Omar Sy for another fantastic comedy drama.
Sy plays Samba Cissé, a migrant from Senegal who works washing dishes in the kitchen of a fancy French hotel. A bureaucratic slip-up puts his immigration status in danger, which puts him into the path of Alice (Charlotte Gainsbourg, playing charmingly against type), an immigration case worker new to the job and out of her depth. As professional roles begin to bleed into the personal, Samba and Alice find themselves drawn to each through their similarities, and even more so by their differences.
Three years ago, Untouchable became one of France's biggest breakout hits, charming audiences across Europe and then the world. Much of its charm flowed from its co-star, the exuberant Omar Sy. That performance soon led to a role in the X-Men franchise and the beginnings of a global career. If you've yet to discover the appeal of Omar Sy, just watch Samba.
Director Eric Toledano & Olivier Nakache
Run Time 1 hour 58 minutes
Released 2015
Country France
Cast Omar Sy, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Tahar Rahim
Genres Drama, Romance


BANDE DE FILLES
GIRLHOOD

Fri 15 – Thurs 21 May

In a tough Parisian suburb, shy, 16-year-old Marieme (Karidja Touré) lives with her oft-absent mother, domineering brother, and two younger, dependent sisters.
Facing high school failure, she is lured from her shell by three vivacious local teens. Adopting their flashier look and often reckless behaviour, Marieme makes both foolish and brave choices as she struggles towards independence. Director Celine Sciamma (Tomboy) provides irresistible, kinetic energy to an unforgettable story of female empowerment.

Dir: Céline Sciamma
Run Time 1 Hr 53 Mins
Released 2014
Country France
Subtitled


CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA

Fri 22 – Thurs 28 May

A bewitchingly and complex drama – and English-language debut – from French auteur
Olivier Assayas (Somethingin the Air).
A veteran stage and screen star (Juliette Binoche) turns to her assistant (Kristen Stewart) for solace as she prepares for a new production with a Hollywood It Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz). A captivating study in not one but three psyches; it’s All About Eve shaken and stirred with some Bergman-esque psycho-sexual female misbehaving.

Dir: Olivier Assayas
Run Time 2 Hrs 4 Mins
Released 2014
Country France/Switzerland/Germany/USA/Belgium


UNE NOUVELLE AMIE
THE NEW GIRLFRIEND

FRI 22 – THURS 28 MAY

François Ozon’s delicious new drama is a smart and sly satire – with some jaw-dropping twists – about love, desire, gender and sexuality.
Claire (Anais Demoustier) is devastated by the death of her closest friend but is determined to make good on a deathbed promise to watch over her friend’s widower David (Romain Duris) and newborn baby. She heads to their suburban home only to discover a big surprise that will change both their lives.

Dir: François Ozon • France
2014 • 1 Hrs 45 Mins • Subtitled

Dir: François Ozon
Run Time 1 Hr 45 Mins
Released 2014
Country France
Subtitled

For full details of QFT's Programme see... www.queensfilmtheatre.com

01 avril 2015

French Films at QFT … in April.

French Films at QFT … in April.


SUITE FRANÇAISE

Continues until Thursday 2 April


Fri 27 Mar – Thurs 2 Apr

DIOR AND I
(Documentary)

Dir: Frédéric Tcheng • France • 2014 • 1 Hr 30 Mins • Partially Subtitled

Dior and I brings the viewer inside the storied world of the Christian Dior fashion house with a privileged, behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Raf Simons’ first haute couture collection as its new artistic director.


Sun 19 Apr, 1pm

LI’L OUINOUIN

Dir: Bruno Dumont • France • 2014 • 3 Hrs 20 Mins • Subtitled

Bruno Dumont’s absurdist metaphysical murder mystery prompts inevitable comparisons to Twin Peaks and True Detective. Featuring Bernard Pruvost as the Clouseau-like detective on the case and charismatic young Alane Delhaye as the title prankster, Li’l Quinquin is proof that even an auteur like Dumont, best known for uncompromising and austere dramas, is capable of shifting gears without conceding his signature.


Sun 26 Apr, 4pm

UNE VIE DE CHAT
A Cat in Paris

Dir: Jean-Loup Felicioli & Alain Gagnol • France/Netherlands/Switzerland/Belgium
• 2010 • 1 Hr 5 Mins • Subtitled

A Paris cat called Dino leads an unlikely double life when he becomes embroiled in this tale of animated adventure. A jazzy film noir for children,A Cat in Paris is a cinematic delight celebrating traditional old school animation.


The film 'The Gunman' just released in the UK is based on one of the most influential French romans noirs, The Prone Gunman, by Jean-Patrick Manchette, and isHowever this article on  'The Conversation' website carries words of warning …...


Following the issues raised by the Charlie Hebdo killings in France you may find the programme 'A Nation Divided' broadcast on BBC3 on 30th March interesting. You can find it on iPlayer at …..


À bientôt, Philip

10 mars 2015

Chenonceau: Ray Largan: 11 mars 2015

Another of our seasoned travellers, Ray returns to share his love of history and location through his colourful presentation on the lovely chateau of Chenonceau in the Loire valley. 

He promises equally colourful tales of romance and intrigue!

03 février 2015

Deux roues, deux langues: Drew MILLAR: 11 février



Our next talk, on 11 February, is a personal account of a motorbike journey made by Cercle member, Drew Millar.

It was a journey that took him from here to France and on to Morocco.  Drew explains that the trip that had been intended to last a couple of weeks took considerably longer.....

Here's how he puts it himself:

At 8 o’clock on the 20th September 2008 I got onto a very scruffy and clumsily overloaded Yamaha xt600e trail bike and my wife said ‘be serious now – where are you going and how long will you be?’
My perfectly honest reply was ‘I don’t where I’m going but I’ll be at least a fortnight.’

Ruth next saw me nearly two months later, I was a lot slimmer, I spoke confident (if ungrammatical) French and my motorbike had sand from the Sahara in every nook and cranny’

It sounds a fascinating story, in which as well as presenting pictures from along the route, Drew be sharing anecdotes in relation to the French language. 

A bientôt ! Bonne route !




09 janvier 2015

Paris sera toujours Paris


Our annual bal musette to celebrate La fête des rois started in sad and sombre mood.
This was January 7, the day that the offices of #CharlieHebdo in Paris were attacked resulting in several deaths.
Some at our gathering had not heard the news until their arrival, and we're anxious then to hear updates and share thoughts.  What to say? What to do?

The answers to both these questions came from France's own musical tradition of the chanson. A recent purchase and played several times over the previous days was an album recommended by a French friend - Paris by Zaz. Her songs are upbeat interpretations of some of France's best-loved standards.  One composed in 1939 and performed then at a much slower pace by Maurice Chevalier spoke of Parisian resilience at another dark time in the life of the City of Light. It was Paris sera toujours Paris.

One verse seemed entirely appropriate for the occasion and was shared with those present. It goes:

Paris sera toujours Paris ! 
 La plus belle ville du monde
 Malgré l'obscurité profonde
 Son éclat ne peut être assombri
 Paris sera toujours Paris 
 Plus on réduit son éclairage 
 Plus on voit briller son courage
Sa bonne humeur et son esprit
 Paris sera toujours Paris.

Then our large gathering, like so many others in France at present, went quiet for a minute's silence.

Paris sera toujours Paris.



16 décembre 2014

Matisse - a cut above the rest



The weather wasn't kind to the large group of art lovers who filled the Dark Horse Coffee House on Wednesday 10 December to be escorted by Aine MacParland through the colourful world of Henri Matisse.
Aine's enthusiasm for her subject was readily apparent as she flicked her way through her iPad presentation.  She began at Le Cateau-Cambresis in Northern France where Henri-Emile-Benoit Matisse was born on New Year's Eve, 1869. Aine explained that although his father was a grain merchant, the family background was one of weaving and the young Henri grew up surrounded by a variety of colurful fabrics.
He had graduated as a lawyer and had been destined for a careeer in that profession until he suffered a bout of appendicitis.  It was while recovering from this that his mother provided him with some art materials and he discovered what he called a kind of paradise, throwing hiimself into that new world as a beast plunges into something it loves.
Referring to several works, Aine took us on a style journey - stopping for a while to consider and explain how Matisse came to be associated with the movement of the Fauves, the wild beasts.
We were introduced to some key people in Matisse's life among them his wife Noellie from whom he would later separate and Russian art collector, Sergei Shchukin who considered the artist's work to be above the rest.
Aine went on to explain that Matisse received much unfavourable criticism of his work and that along with his wont of buying works of other artists and his own materials often meant that his young family found it difficult to make ends meet.
We learned that, in 1917, Matisse moved to Cimiez outside Nice on the French Riviera, Aine all the while pointing out the qualities of his art, bringing us through a series of paintings to 1939 and the aforementioned separation from Noellie. Shortly afterwards a further period of illness meant the artist had a colostomy with mobility only possible with the use of a wheelchair.
Matisse overcame the confinements of this situation through "painting with scissors", creating his famous gouaches découpés - cut outs - many of which Aine noted had been recently displayed in the Tate and were currently showing in the MoMA in New York.
Caring for Matisse in what would be the later stages of his life was his nurse, Monique Bourgeois. We learned that Monique in addition to being Matisse's nurse was also his student, sometimes model and artist who would later become a Dominican nun.  It was their association, that would provide Matisse with what he considered his masterwork - the decoration of La Chapelle de Vence on the hillside above Nice, completed in 1951.
The artist died in 1954 and was buried in the cemetery of Cimiez where four year's later his wife, Noellie would be enterred alongside him.

Finally, Aine took questions from the audience and as an artist herself confirmed that she would provide us with a iPad painting that we could present on our site as a record of a most memorable and colourful evening on the modern master Matisse.

13 décembre 2014

Matisse evening

Thanks to Louise Scott of French Vintage Vie for sharing this photo from Wednesday evening's talk by Aine MacParland on Matisse. A report on the evening, accompanied by Aine's promised ipad painting will be posted shortly.

Meantime, we'd like to see your comments or any pictures you would like to share.

À bientôt.