French Film Cinemas
happy new year (Claude Lelouche)
A gangster (Lino Ventura) with his accomplice (Charles Gérard), prepares to take part in the "first psychological hold-up in the history of crime". Next door to the jewellers of Van Cleef & Arpels, on the Croisette, in Cannes, they find the shop of a beautiful antiques dealer (Françoise Fabian) who befriends the group. The driver and the antiques dealer fall in love. He is friendly but unrefined, she is cultivated and independent, but discovers that talking with Simon shows up her vanity, and she desires a simple and clean love. The hold-up which had been planned for a long time by the driver is shown to be more sophisticated than his methods of seduction.
diabolique(Henri-Georges Clouzot)
A second-rate boarding school on the outskirts of Paris is run by the tyrannical and mean Michel Delassalle (Meurisse). The school is owned, though, by Delassalle's teacher wife, the frail Christina (Clouzot). Delassalle also has a relationship with Nicole Horner (Signoret), another teacher at the school. Rather than antagonism, the two women are shown to have a somewhat close relationship, primarily based on their apparent mutual hatred of Michel, who is physically and emotionally abusive to both, as well as unkind to the children. Unable to stand his mistreatment any longer, Nicole devises a plan to get rid of Michel forever. Though hesitant at first, Christina ultimately consents to help Nicole. Using a threatened divorce to lure Michel to Nicole's apartment building in a town several hundred kilometers away, Christina sedates him. The two women then drown him in a bathtub and, driving back to the school, dump his body in the neglected swimming pool. When his corpse floats to the surface, they think it will appear to have been an accident. Almost everything goes according to their plans until the body fails to surface. Michel's corpse is nowhere to be found when the pool is drained. Nicole sees in the paper that the police have found the corpse. However, when Christina goes to the morgue, she finds it is not actually Michel's body. There she meets Alfred Fichet (Vanel), a retired senior policeman now working as a private detective. He becomes involved in the case, much to Nicole's chagrin. When Christina and Alfred come back, a boy is punished for breaking a window; the boy says it was Michel who punished him. After hearing this, Christina becomes very upset and is unable to join in the school photograph. When it is printed, somebody looking like Michel is seen at a window behind the group. Nicole becomes worried and leaves the school. Christina, overcome by fear, tells Alfred everything. He does not believe her, but he investigates the pool. That night, Christina hears noises and wanders round the school. When she realizes that someone is following her, she runs back to her room. There she finds Michel's corpse submerged in the bathtub, which is full of water. Michel rises from the tub, and Christina, who was said to have a weak heart, has a heart attack and dies. It is then revealed that Michel and Nicole have set up Christina from the beginning, with Michel acting as dead to scare Christina to death. However, Alfred hears their celebration and figures out everything, telling them they will get 15 to 20 years, depending on their lawyer. Some time later, the same boy who had earlier broken a window breaks another. When asked how he got his slingshot back, the boy says that Christina gave it to him. A final title screen tells the audience not to reveal the ending to others.
les 400 coups (François Truffaut)
Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud) is a young boy growing up in Paris during the 1950s. Misunderstood by his parents for playing truant from school and stealing, and tormented in school for discipline problems by his teacher (Guy Decomble), (Antoine falsely explains his being away from school was due to his mother's death), Antoine frequently runs away from both places. The boy finally quits school after being caught plagiarizing Balzac by his teacher. He steals a typewriter from his stepfather's (Albert Remy) work place to finance his plans to leave home, but is apprehended while trying to return it. Antoine Doinel in the final scene The stepfather turns Antoine over to the police and Antoine spends the night in jail, sharing a cell with prostitutes and thieves. During an interview with the judge, Antoine's mother confesses that her husband is not Antoine's biological father. Antoine is placed in an observation center for troubled youths near the seashore (as per his mother's wishes). A psychologist at the center probes reasons for Antoine's unhappiness, which the youth reveals in a fragmented series of monologues. One day, while playing football with the other boys, Antoine escapes under a fence and runs away to the ocean, a place he has wanted to visit his entire life. He reaches the shoreline of the sea and runs into it. The film concludes with a freeze-frame of Antoine, and the camera optically zooms in on his face, looking into the camera.
Bob the gambler (Jean-Pierre Melville)
Bob, a former bank robber and convict who has gone straight for 20 years, lives on his own as a gambler in the Montmartre district of Paris. He is well liked by the demi-monde community there, but has hit a run of bad luck and is nearly broke. Ever the gentleman, he lets an attractive young drifter called Anne stay in his flat in order to keep her from the attentions of Marc, a pimp he hates, and encourages his young protégé Paolo to become involved with her. Marc is arrested for beating up a *****, but is released on condition he becomes an informer. Ledru, the police inspector who does this, owes an unrepayable debt of gratitude to Bob, who once saved his life. Through an ex-con who is now a croupier in the casino at Deauville, Bob and his safecracker friend Roger learn that by 5.00 in the morning at the height of the season the casino safe can hold 800 million in cash. Forming a plan to lift it, they find a backer to finance their preparations and recruit a team of professional criminals. The croupier gets them detailed floor plans, together with the specification of the safe. Paid in cash for this valuable information, he uses some of it to buy jewellery for his avaricious wife. In bed with Anne, the immature Paolo brags about the upcoming raid, news which she passes on to Marc, who tips off Ledru that he has valuable info to share. When Anne confesses what she has done, Paolo shoots Marc dead before he can get to Ledru. Meanwhile, the croupier's wife has wormed out the secret of her husband's new riches and decides to blackmail Bob but, unable to find him, tells the police. Ledru finds it hard to believe, as he thinks Bob is truly reformed, and after checking with the casino mounts a fruitless search for Bob, who is already on his way to Deauville. Ledru follows with a convoy of armed police. Bob's plan is to spend the time until 5.00 as a customer inside the casino, keeping an eye on things until the rest of the gang burst in with guns. After wandering around the tables for a while, he can't resist placing a bet. There follows the most incredible run of luck, in which he wins millions. Just before 5;00 he orders the staff to cash his huge pile of chips and bring the money to the front door. Arriving there on time, his gang are ambushed by the police and in a gun battle Paolo is killed. The handcuffed Bob is put into Ledru's car and the casino staff put his winnings in the trunk. It is strongly implied that his lucky streak will hold and he will get off with little or no jail time. indeed, he quips, he may sue the police for damages - while the beautiful Anne waits for him at his apartment.
tomorrow (Mélanie Laurent et Cyril Dion)
Faced with a future that scientists say is a great cause for concern,[3] the film has the distinction of not giving in to catastrophism. Optimistically, it identifies initiatives that have proven themselves in ten countries around the world: concrete examples of solutions to environmental and social challenges of the twenty-first century, be it agriculture, energy, economy, education and governance. The film is organised in five chapters: Agriculture (food) Energy Economy Democracy Education
Assenseur vers l'eschaffaud (Louis Malle)
Florence Carala and Julien Tavernier are lovers who plan to kill Florence's husband, Simon Carala, a wealthy industrialist who is also Julien's boss. Julien is an ex-Foreign Legion parachutist officer and a veteran of the Indochina and Algeria wars. After working late on a Saturday, with a rope he climbs up one storey on the outside of the office building, shoots Carala in his office without being seen, arranges the room to make it look like a suicide, and then makes his way out to the street. As he gets into his Chevrolet convertible outside, he glances up and sees his rope still hanging from the building. Leaving the engine running, he rushes back and jumps into the elevator. As it ascends, the caretaker switches off the power and locks up the building for the weekend. Julien is trapped between floors. Moments later, Julien's car is stolen by a young couple, small-time crook Louis and flower shop assistant Véronique. Florence, who is waiting for Julien at a café nearby, sees the car go past with Véronique leaning out of the window. She assumes that Julien has run off with her and wanders the Paris streets despondently all night asking for him in the bars and clubs where he is known. While joy-riding, Louis puts on Julien's coat and gloves. Checking into a country motel, the two register under the name "Mr. and Mrs. Julien Tavernier" to avoid problems for Louis, who is wanted for petty crimes. At the motel, they make the acquaintance of Horst Bencker and his wife Frieda, a jovial German couple on holiday with whom they had raced en route to the motel. After Frieda takes pictures of Louis and her husband with Julien's camera, Véronique takes the film to a photo lab beside the motel for developing. After the Benckers go to bed, Louis attempts to steal their Mercedes-Benz 300 SL gullwing. Bencker catches Louis and threatens him with what appears to be a gun, though it is really a cigar tube. Louis shoots and kills the couple with Julien's handgun. He and Véronique return to Paris and hide out in her flat. Convinced that the crime will be traced to them, Véronique persuades Louis to join her in a suicide pact. They take an overdose of pills and pass out. The Benckers' bodies are discovered, along with Julien's car, handgun, and raincoat. Julien therefore becomes the prime suspect in their murders, and the morning newspapers print his picture. Searching for him, the police arrive at the office building with the caretaker, who unlocks the entrance doors and switches on the power. The elevator is working once more and Julien is able to escape without being seen, but when he orders coffee and croissants in a café he is recognized and the police are called to arrest him. In the office building, the police discover Carala's body but assume he committed suicide. However they charge Julien with killing the Benckers, refusing to believe his alibi of being stuck in an elevator. Florence is determined to clear him and sets out to find Véronique. She and Louis, their suicide attempt having failed, are alive but drowsy. Florence accuses them of killing the Benckers and goes off to call the police. Louis at first thinks there is no evidence to connect him with the crime, but Véronique remembers the photographs of him with Bencker. Rushing off to the photo lab, Louis finds that the police have developed the pictures and he is arrested. Florence has followed him and, when she enters the lab, the police show her the photographs taken with Julien's camera. These make clear that she and Julien were secret lovers, who shared a motive for killing her husband. Both will go on trial for Carala's murder.
the artist (Michel Hazanavicius)
In 1927, silent film star George Valentin is posing for pictures outside the premiere of his latest hit film when a young woman, Peppy Miller, accidentally bumps into him. Valentin reacts with humor to the accident and shows off with Peppy for the cameras. The next day, Peppy finds herself on the front page of Variety with the headline "Who's That Girl?" Later, Peppy auditions as a dancer and is spotted by Valentin, who insists that she have a part in Kinograph Studios' next production, despite objections from the studio boss, Al Zimmer. While performing a scene in which they dance together, Valentin and Peppy show great chemistry, despite her being merely an extra. With a little guidance from Valentin (he draws a beauty spot on her, which will eventually be her trademark, after finding her in his dressing room), Peppy slowly rises through the industry, earning more prominent starring roles. Two years later, Zimmer announces the end of production of silent films at Kinograph Studios, but Valentin is dismissive, insisting that sound is just a fad. In a dream, Valentin begins hearing sounds from his environment (as does the audience), but cannot speak himself, then wakes up in a sweat. He decides to produce and direct his own silent film, financing it himself. The film opens on the same day as Peppy's new sound film as well as the 1929 Stock Market Crash. Now Valentin's only chance of avoiding bankruptcy is for his film to be a hit. Unfortunately audiences flock to Peppy's film instead and Valentin is ruined. His wife, Doris, kicks him out, and he moves into an apartment with his valet/chauffeur, Clifton, and his dog. Peppy goes on to become a major Hollywood star. Later, the bankrupt Valentin is forced to auction off all of his personal effects, and after realizing he has not paid loyal Clifton in over a year, gives him the car and fires him, telling him to get another job. Depressed and drunk, Valentin angrily sets a match to his private collection of his earlier films. As the nitrate film quickly blazes out of control he is overwhelmed by the smoke and passes out inside the burning house, still clutching a single film canister. However, Valentin's dog attracts the help of a nearby policeman, and after being rescued Valentin is hospitalized for injuries suffered in the fire. Peppy visits the hospital and discovers that the film he rescued is the one with them dancing together. She asks for him to be moved to her house to recuperate. Valentin awakens in a bed at her house, to find that Clifton is now working for Peppy. Valentin seems to remain dismissive of Peppy having taken him in, prompting Clifton to sternly remind Valentin of his changing luck. Peppy insists to Zimmer that Valentin co-star in her next film, threatening to quit Kinograph if Zimmer does not agree to her terms. After Valentin learns to his dismay that it had been Peppy who had purchased all his auctioned effects, he returns in despair to his burnt-out apartment. Peppy arrives, panicked, and finds that Valentin is about to attempt suicide with a handgun. Peppy tells him she only wanted to help him. They embrace and Valentin tells her it's no use; no one wants to hear him speak. Remembering Valentin's superb dancing ability, Peppy persuades Zimmer to let them make a musical together. Now the audience hears sound for the second time, as the film starts rolling for a dance scene with Peppy and Valentin and their tap-dancing can be heard. Once the choreography is complete, the two dancers are heard panting. The director of the musical calls out audibly, "Cut!" to which Zimmer adds: "Perfect. Beautiful. Could you give me one more?" Valentin, in his only audible line, replies "With pleasure!" revealing his French accent.[18] The camera then pulls back to the sounds of the film crew as they prepare to shoot another take.
the diving bell and the butterfly (Julien Schnabel)
On December 8, 1995, Bauby, the editor-in-chief of French Elle magazine, suffered a stroke and lapsed into a coma. He awoke 20 days later, mentally aware of his surroundings, but physically paralyzed with what is known as locked-in syndrome, with the only exception of some movement in his head and eyes. His right eye had to be sewn up due to an irrigation problem. The entire book was written by Bauby blinking his left eyelid, which took ten months (four hours a day). Using partner assisted scanning, a transcriber repeatedly recited a French language frequency-ordered alphabet (E, S, A, R, I, N, T, U, L, etc.), until Bauby blinked to choose the next letter. The book took about 200,000 blinks to write and an average word took approximately two minutes. The book also chronicles everyday events for a person with locked-in syndrome. These events include playing at the beach with his family, getting a bath, and meeting visitors while in hospital at Berck-sur-Mer. On March 9, 1997, two days after the book was published, Bauby died of pneumonia.[1][2] Chapters[edit] Prologue: Jean-Dominique Bauby begins by detailing his rousing in room 119 at the Maritime Hospital at Berck the morning a year after the stroke that led to his locked-in syndrome. He recalls the days that followed and the resulting limitations: paralysis and blinking in his left eyelid. His mind on the other hand is active and he prepares for the publisher's emissary arrival, though his thoughts are interrupted a nurse. The Wheelchair: He is visited by many medical professionals. It hasn't fully sunken into himself his situation and does not fully understand the connotation of the wheelchair. It isn't until a comment is made by the occupational therapist that it becomes clear to him. Prayer: At Berck, there are only 2 patients that have locked-in syndrome. His case is unique in that he maintains the ability to turn his head. He hopes to improve his respiration and regain his ability to eat without a gastric tube in the way; as well as possibly be able to speak again. His friends and family have dedicated to all kinds of religions and spiritual deities on his recovery, and he has assigned specific parts of his body to some too. Bathtime: His physical therapist arrives for the exercise, "mobilization," where his limbs are moved. He has lost 60 pounds in twenty weeks. He notes that he has more mobilization in his head as he can rotate it 90 degrees. His recounts that even though he has limited facial expressions, he still has varying emotions each time he is cleaned or given a bath. The Alphabet: He describes the creation, use, and precision of the alphabet he uses to communicate. ESARINTULOMDPCFB VHGJQZYXKW He ordered the letters from the most common to the least common in the French language. His visitors read the alphabet and when he hears the letter he wishes for them to write down, he blinks his left eye. This is not without its challenges though. The Empress: Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, was the patroness of the hospital of which contains various depictions of her. He tells of an imperial visit on May 4, 1864, where he imagines himself alongside her. When visiting one of the depictions he sees a reflection that he finds disfigured but then realizes that it is his. Cinecittà: The author describes the location of the Maritime Hospital at Berck which is in the Pas de Calais. On one occasion that he is being wheeled through the hospital corridors he spots a corner of the hospital which contains a lighthouse which he names Cinecittà. Tourists: The author says Berck, the hospital, focused primarily on the care of young tuberculosis patients following the Second World War. It has now shifted away from that toward older patients which make up most of the hospital population. He refers to Tourists as those who spend a short time in the hospital following injuries such as broken limbs. For him, the best place to observe this is in the rehabilitation room and the interactions he has with these patients. The Sausage: He doesn't pass his dietary test as yogurt entered his airway, so he "eats" through a tube connected to his stomach. His only taste of food is in his memories where he imagines himself cooking dishes. One food is the sausage which connect to a memory from his childhood. Gaurdian Angel: The author refers to Sandrine, his speech therapist, as guardian angel as she is the one who developed his communication code. He undergoes speech therapy with her and is in the process of regaining vocal language. He listens to his daughter, Céleste, his father, and Florence speak to him on the phone but he is unable to reply. The Photo: The last time the author saw his father was a week before his stroke where he had shaved him. He describes his aging father in this chapter. He also receives calls from his father every now and then, he also received a photograph from his father which on the back was written Berck-sur-Mer, April 1963. Yet Another Coincidence: The author identifies with Alexandre Dumas' character from The Count of Monte Cristo, Noirtier de Villefort. This character is on a wheelchair and must blink to communicate, Noirtier is the first case of locked-in syndrome in literature. The author would like to write the modern take of this classic literature, where Monte Cristo is a woman. The Dream: He recounts a dream in which through thick snow, Bernard, a friend of his, and himself are trying to return to France even as it is paralyzed by a general strike. Then Bernard and he, have an appointment with an influential Italian businessman whose headquarters are in the pillar of a viaduct. Upon entering the headquarters, he meets the watchman Radovan Karadzic, a Serbian leader. Bernard tells that the author is having trouble breathing and the Serbian leader is performs a tracheotomy on him. They receive drinks from the location and he discovers that he has been drugged. Police then arrive and everyone begins to escape, he finds he cannot move and only a door separates him from freedom. He tries to call for his friends but he cannot speak either, thus realizing that reality has permeated the dream. Voice Offstage: He awakens one morning to find a doctor sewing his right eyelid shut, this is due to his eyelid no longer functioning and risking an ulceration of his right cornea. He mulls over how he must contain a delicate balance of resentment and anger, kind of like a pressure cooker, of which leads him to the suggestion of a play he may base on his experiences, though the man in the play will have a final scene where he gets up and walks, but a voice says, "Damn! It was only a dream!"[3] My Lucky Day: He describes a day where for half an hour, the alarm on the machine that regulates his feeding tube has been beeping non-stop, his sweat has unglued the tape on his right eyelid causing his eyelashes to tickle his eye, and the end of his urinary catheter has come off and he is drenched. A nurse ends up finally coming in. Our Very Own Madonna: The author tells the story of the time he undertook the pilgrimage to Lourdes with Josephine in the 1970s. During the trip he argued many times with her. Later while traveling through the town, the two see a statue of the Madonna, the holy virgin, he buys it for her although later they know they will separate. He attempts to read the book, The Trace of the Serpent, he notices that Josephine has written a letter on every page, "I love you, you idiot. Be kind to your poor Josephine."[3] Through a Glass, Darkly: The author is visited by his children, Théophile and Céleste, who have come for Father's Day with their mother Sylvie, Bauby's ex-wife. They head to the beach outside the hospital. He observes his children but is filled with sorrow as he cannot touch his son. He plays hangman with Théophile while Céleste puts on a show, performing aerobatics and singing. They spend their day on the beach until it is time for his children to go. Paris: His old life still burns within him but it becomes more and more of a memory. Since his stroke, he has traveled twice to Paris. The first time he went, he passed the building where he used to work as editor-in-chief of Elle which made him weep. The second time though, about four months later, he felt indifferent but knew nothing was missing except for him. The Vegetable: He recounts the opening to a letter he has sent to friends and associates, about sixty people, which make up the first words of his monthly letter from Berck. In his absence, rumors in Paris said that he had turned into a vegetable, of which he wished to dispel. This monthly letter allows him to communicate with his loved ones, the letters he receives in return he reads himself and he keeps them like a treasure. Outing: It has been weeks or months since Bauby has ventured outside the hospital, on this day he is accompanied by his old friend Brice and Claude, the person who he is dictating the book to. Though the journey is rough on his butt and winding, he keeps moving forward to his goal. Meanwhile, he contemplates how his universe is divided into those who knew him before and all others. Drawing closer to his destination, he sees Fangio, a patient of the hospital who cannot sit so he must remain standing or laying down. His destination ends up being a place that serves french fries, a smell which he doesn't tire of. Twenty to One: He tells two stories in this chapter, on an old horse called Mirtha-Grandchamp and the arrival of his friend Vincent. More than ten years prior, Vincent and he had gone to see a horse race where it was rumored the horse Mirtha-Grandchamp would win. They had both planned to bet on the horse but the betting counter had closed before they were able to make a bet, the horse ends up winning. Bauby views this as a lost opportunity and more. The Duck Hunt: He explains how he has hearing problems. His right ear is completely block whereas his left distorts all sound that is more than ten feet away. The various loud activities and patients of the hospital hurt his ears, but once they are gone, he can listen to the butterflies in his head. Sunday: He explains how he dreads Sundays as the drudge on as there as no visitors of any sort, friends or hospital staff besides the rare nurse. He receives a bath and is left to watch TV, though he must choose wisely as the wrong program or sound can make his ears hurt, and it'll be long before someone comes in and is able to change the channel. The hours stretch and he is left to contemplate. The Ladies of Hong Kong: He loves traveling and has done so much that he has banks of memories and smells on which to recall. The one place he has not visited though is Hong Kong, as various events would keep him from going. He imagines his colleagues there and how his assumed superstitious nature of the culture would treat him. The Message: He describes the cafeteria population in contrast to his side of the hospital. Then mentions a typewriter that sits with a blank pink empty slip, he is convinced that a message will be on it for him one day and he waits. At the Wax Museum: He has a dream of visiting the Musée Grévin. The museum has changed a lot and is distorted. Rather than contemporaries figures, the various personnel he encounters in the hospitable adorn the museum. He has given them all nicknames. He then goes on to the next exhibit which is a recreation of his hospital room excepts his pictures and posters on his wall contain stills of people he recognizes. He is then woken up by a nurse asking if he wants his sleeping pill. The Mythmaker: The author tells of an old schoolyard friend, Olivier, known for his runaway mythomania where he would claim to have spent his Sunday with Johnny Hallyday, gone to London to see the new James Bond, or had been driving the latest Honda.[3] Just as Olivier weaved stories, Bauby now does so for himself where he imagines himself a Formula One driver, a soldier, or a cyclist. "A Day in the Life": He describes the day of his stroke, Friday, December 8, 1995. As he traveled to work, he listened to the Beatles song, A Day in the Life. Once he leaves work, he goes to pick up his son Théophile to take him to the theater but on his way he vision and mind blur. He makes it near where his sister-in-law, Diane who is a nurse lives. He sends his son to get her and she takes him to a clinic where he is taken in by the doctors. His final thoughts before slipping into a coma involve the night he was to have with his son and where his son had gone off to. Season of Renewal: Summer is ending, it is now September and the author describes the events that come with it. He can now grunt a song about a kangaroo, which he attributes to his speech therapy. Claude rereads the pages of text that they have written together of the past two months and he wonders whether it is enough to fill a book. He closes the book with, "Does the cosmos contain keys for opening up my diving bell? A subway line with no terminus? A currency strong enough to buy my freedom back? We must keep looking. I'll be off now."[3]
les triplet de belleville
The film begins with a flashback showing The Triplets of Belleville: a trio of singers performing on stage in the early 1900s (dancing alongside other celebrities including Josephine Baker and Django Reinhardt). The story focuses on Madame Souza, an elderly woman raising her young grandson, Champion. Souza notices her grandson is sad and lonely, hinted as due to the loss of his parents, so she first tries to get him interested in the piano. When this fails, she buys him a puppy named Bruno to cheer him up. Although he is initially happy, he quickly becomes melancholic once again. After discovering that Champion has a keen interest in road bicycle racing, because it is implied that Champion's deceased parents were cyclists, she buys him a tricycle. Years later, Champion becomes a professional cyclist with Souza as his coach. Eventually, Champion enters the Tour de France but during the race, he and two other riders are kidnapped by two French mafia henchmen and brought to the bustling metropolis of Belleville. Souza and Bruno follow the men, but lose their trail soon after reaching the city. Lost and with no way to find Champion, Souza has a chance encounter with the renowned Belleville triplets, music hall singers from the 1930s, now elderly women turned improvisational musicians. The sisters take Souza to their home and over time she becomes a part of their group. Meanwhile, the mafia boss drugs the kidnapped cyclists and employs a mechanic to build a stationary cycling machine for the racers to race on — to create their own mini Tour de France for gambling. At a fancy restaurant, the Triplets and Souza perform a jam session using a newspaper, refrigerator, vacuum and bicycle wheel as instruments. The mafia boss who kidnapped her grandson happens to be in the same restaurant and, with the help of Bruno, Souza realizes he has Champion. She tails one of the Mafia's minions the next day and discovers their scheme. That night, several mob bosses and their henchmen arrive at the mafia hideout and place bets on the riders (one of whom falls off his bicycle from exhaustion, at which point the bookmaker shoots him as one would an injured horse). Madame Souza, Bruno and the triplets then infiltrate the hideout and sabotage the contraption, unbolting it from the ground and turning it into a pedal-powered vehicle on which they all escape. The mob henchmen pursue them, but are all thwarted amidst the chase. The film ends with the motley group riding on out of Belleville, and a flashforward to an elderly Champion reflecting on the adventure, as told to him by the then-deceased Souza.
the return of martin guerre (Daniel Vigne)
The film relates a historical case of alleged identity theft. Martin Guerre leaves his young wife in a small French village to go fight in a war, and to travel. Eight or nine years later, Martin (played by Depardieu) returns to resume his life. The man is initially acknowledged and welcomed by the wife, family, and friends because he knows the intimate details of his former life. As time passes, however, vagabonds identify Martin as Arnaud of the neighbouring village of Tilh, but the villagers dismiss these claims as lies. But when Martin makes a demand for money he's owed by his uncle, the uncle is outraged and attacks Martin. This leads to a trial on his identity, with his life at stake, since if he is not Martin he and Martin's wife Bertrande are adulterers and their children bastards. This trial constitutes most of the film. Martin argues well, and the villagers are divided on whether the man is in fact Martin, Bertrande siding with him. After several elevations of the proceedings up to a court in the Parlement, the judge, Jean de Coras, prepares to acquit Martin primarily on the strength of the testimony of Bertrande. At the last minute, another witness appears in court, bearing an even stronger resemblance to the young Martin and casting everything into doubt once more. The impostor confesses that he was a soldier with the real Martin, who said he was never going back to his village, upon which the impostor decided to take his place. Even Bertrande changes her mind and says the new witness is Martin. Arnaud is sentenced to death. Some time later, De Coras visits the village to tell Bertrande that she has been acquitted and is innocent of conspiracy with Arnaud. But he has deduced that she recognized the impostor from the very beginning and asks her why she claimed he was Martin. She says that he was a better husband and man, and they had a good life together. De Coras asks her then why she changed her mind at the last minute. She says she saw in Arnaud's eyes that the case had become hopeless and that he wanted her to feign ignorance so as to live for herself and her children. Arnaud is led to the gallows, repenting all the while. A voiceover closes the historical framework by mentioning that de Coras was executed some years later for his Protestant beliefs.
breathless (Jean-Luc Goddard)
The movie opens with a title dedicating its creation to Monogram Pictures. Monogram was a low-budget movie studio which figuratively occupied a Hollywood neighborhood known as Poverty Row which was the name given to a selection of unconnected studios composed of varying degrees corporate structure responsible for producing the bulk of what came to be known as the B-movie which informs the narrative and theme of Breathless. A summary of the events that follow upon the dedication title can only fail to convey the revolutionary impact that the film had on the world of cinema. It is well worth keeping in mind that the real star of the narrative is director Jean-Luc Godard who infuses nearly single shot with much greater important and meaning that is supplied by the textual narrative trajectory. Against a thematic background touching upon everything from the standard issue fashion accessory of the fedora sported by any number of B-movie heroes and villains to the more concrete images of Humphrey Bogart displayed on prominent movie posters, the viewer is introduced to Michel Poiccard. He is a young, disaffected French man with an acute streak of narcissism and no particularly obvious personal history. As for how he affords his clothing which acts as an homage to his favorite B-movie heroes, that is anyone's guess. At first, that is. Very quickly, the answer to the lingering question of Michel's—also occasionally known as Laszlo Kovacs, which will be a familiar name to anyone familiar with cinematography—means of support is answered: when he needs something or sees something that likes, he takes it. While engaging in the time-honored practice of loafing one day, Michel steals a car he happens to admire and heads north from Marseilles. Like so many of the low-life characters from the movies he enjoys, Michel naturally takes a look inside the glove compartment even though he isn't exactly in any real need of gloves. And what he finds there is like something from a movie: a gun. It's not long before the gun comes in handy as he shoots and kills a police officer who threatens to stop his joyride in the stolen vehicle. Once he gets back home to Paris, he uses his extensive charm to ensure a date with Patricia Franchini. Patricia is a young woman from America with incredibly short hair and a certain sort of exuberance most appropriately described by the French phrase je ne sais quoi. Making his way out of the long arm of the surete once again, but this time without pulling a gun, Michel's next adventure is mugging an unfortunate soul in the men's room. This is followed by yet another demonstration of Michel's lack of respect for all things conventional: he coolly lets himself into Patricia's apartment. After making love, she confesses to the possibility of pregnancy. Michel's unexpected response is to suggest they head to Italy. Patricia is a bit more conventional than Michel despite her free-spirited nature, although even within those traditional compromises can be found a bit of headstrong revolt: Italy sounds enticing enough, but not at the cost of giving up her own fiercely guarded independence nor her desire to actually do something with her life: become a journalist. In the face of impending threat of being finally caught by the police, she agrees to go with Michel to the house of an acquaintance. The question of whether Patricia is the equal or the superior of Michel when it comes to being her own person unconstrained by what is expected of her comes into play when she makes an impulsive decision easy interpreted as a simple betrayal of Michel. Lying beneath that simplistic explanation, however, is the ambiguity that permeates throughout the film: maybe she betrayed him in order to save herself or maybe she betrayed him in order preserve her own sense of self or maybe even what she does cannot even accurately be defined as a betrayal. Michel remains steadfastly committed to his vision of himself as a tragic hero straight out of the movies he loves. The police arrive and death or prison is certain. He runs down a street paved with cobblestones, choosing death. Patricia runs to him and Michel gazes up at her and, shortly before cursing her, makes the funny face that only they shared. Then Michel dies and the movie ends.
seducing dr lewis (Jean-François Pouliot)
The small fishing village Ste-Marie-la-Mauderne on the north coast of Quebec is in decline. Every resident collects welfare. To lure a company into building a plastic container factory nearby, they need to double their population of 120, have a resident doctor, and give a $50,000 bribe for the company owner. Montreal plastic surgeon Dr. Christopher Lewis (David Boutin) gets pulled over for speeding by an officer, Réal Fournier (Jean-Pierre Gonthier), the former mayor of Ste-Marie-la-Mauderne who moved to the city because he, like most of the residents of Ste-Marie, couldn't get a job there. Réal will not arrest him for drug possession - Dr. Lewis is carrying a packet of cocaine - if Dr. Lewis will visit Ste-Marie-la-Mauderne for one month. In a deleted scene, Dr. Lewis sells cocaine to his patients. Germain Lesage (Raymond Bouchard), a welfare recipient himself and the new mayor, hatches a plan. The entire village will convince Dr. Lewis to stay. They tap his phone, and pretend to share his likes: cricket, fusion jazz, and all the same foods. Henri Giroux (Benoît Brière), the local banker whose sole job is to cash the townfolks' welfare cheques, leaves small amounts of money for Dr. Lewis to find as small measures to increase Dr. Lewis' happiness about being in town, and attempts to secure a loan through his bank for the bribe. Dr. Lewis likes the beautiful post office worker Ève Beauchemin (Lucie Laurier), but Ève knows he has a girlfriend, Brigitte, in Montreal. The ruse works, but they cannot secure a loan. Henri fronts the money from his personal savings, after a bank executive tells him that he has a job only as a favour to his father, and that his position could easily be replaced by an ATM. When the plastics company owner arrives, everyone continues their elaborate trick, and convinces him to build the factory there. The owner is ready to sign, but insists that they must have a doctor. When Dr. Lewis learns that Brigitte has been having an affair with his best friend Paul for three years, he proclaims that he will stay because everyone in the village is genuine. Germain feels bad for lying, and "lets him off the hook" by telling him another lie in that they have secured another person as a permanent doctor. Hurt, Dr. Lewis turns to Ève, who has disliked all the lying, and confesses all to him, including the phone tap. Dr. Lewis confronts Germain about the lies, with Germain confirming the accusations. When Dr. Lewis asks him if he will learn the game of cricket for real if he decides to stay, Germain replies "no". It is then that Dr. Lewis decides to stay. The factory is built, Ste-Marie-la-Mauderne is saved, everyone gains renewed pride, and Dr. Lewis has five years in which to woo Ève.
Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder)
Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray), a successful insurance salesman, returns to his office building in downtown Los Angeles late one night. Visibly in pain and sporting a gunshot wound on his shoulder, he begins dictating a confession into a Dictaphone for his friend and colleague, Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson), a brilliant claims adjuster. The story, told primarily in flashback, ensues. Neff first meets the alluring Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) during a routine house call to remind her husband (Tom Powers) that his automobile insurance policy is up for renewal. They flirt, until Phyllis asks how she could take out an accident policy on her husband's life without his knowledge. Neff deduces she is contemplating murder, and makes it clear he wants no part of it. However, he cannot get her out of his mind, and when Phyllis shows up at his apartment, he cannot resist her any longer. Neff knows all the tricks of his trade and devises a plan to make the murder of her husband appear to be an accidental fall from a train that will trigger the "double indemnity" clause and pay out twice the policy's face value. After Dietrichson breaks his leg, Phyllis drives him to the train station for his trip to Palo Alto for a college reunion. Neff is hiding in the backseat and kills Dietrichson when Phyllis turns onto a deserted side street. Then, Neff boards the train posing as Dietrichson and using his crutches. He makes his way to the last car, the observation car, and steps outside to the open platform to supposedly smoke a cigarette. A complication ensues when he meets a passenger named Jackson (Porter Hall) there, but he manages to get the man to leave. Neff then throws the crutches on the railway tracks, jumps off at a prearranged meeting spot with Phyllis, and drags Dietrichson's body onto the tracks. Mr. Norton (Richard Gaines), the company's chief, believes the death was suicide, but Keyes scoffs at the idea, quoting statistics indicating the improbability of suicide by jumping off a slow-moving train, to Neff's hidden delight. Keyes does not suspect foul play at first, but his instincts, to which he refers as the "little man", pointing to his stomach, starts nagging. He wonders why Dietrichson did not file a claim for his broken leg, and deduces he did not know about the policy. Keyes tells Neff of his theory outside Neff's apartment, while Phyllis hides behind the door. Keyes soon concludes that Phyllis and some unknown accomplice murdered Dietrichson for the insurance money, but needs more proof. Keyes, however, is not Neff's only worry. The victim's daughter, Lola (Jean Heather), comes to him, convinced that stepmother Phyllis is behind her father's death. Lola's mother also died under suspicious circumstances, when Phyllis was her nurse. Neff begins seeing Lola, at first to keep her from going to the police with her suspicions and then because he is plagued by guilt and a sense of responsibility for her. Keyes brings Jackson to Los Angeles, suspecting that the man aboard the train had not been Dietrichson, but rather had been Phyllis' accomplice in Dietrichson's murder. After examining photographs of Dietrichson, Jackson is sure that the man he met was not that old, but at least ten years younger. Now certain that he can prove murder, Keyes is eager to reject the claim and force Phyllis to sue. Neff warns Phyllis not to pursue the insurance claim in court and admits that he has been talking to Lola about her past. Phyllis, however, insists on filing suit to pursue the claim despite the risk to both her and Neff. Lola eventually tells Neff that she has discovered that her boyfriend, the hotheaded Nino Zachetti (Byron Barr), has been seeing Phyllis behind her (and Neff's) back. When Neff learns that Keyes suspects Nino of being Phyllis' accomplice, Neff sees a way out of his predicament. He arranges to meet Phyllis at her house. He informs her that he knows about her involvement with Nino, and guesses that she is planning to have Nino kill him. He tells her that he intends to kill her and put the blame on Nino. She is prepared, however, and shoots him in the shoulder. Seriously wounded but still standing, he slowly comes closer and dares her to shoot again. She does not, and he takes the gun from her. She says she never loved him "until a minute ago, when I couldn't fire that second shot." Neff does not believe a word she says, and as she hugs him tightly, Neff says, "Goodbye, baby," and shoots twice, killing her. Outside, Neff waits for Nino to arrive (something Neff had orchestrated). Neff advises him not to enter the house and instead go to Lola, the woman who loves him. Nino is reluctantly convinced and leaves as told. Neff drives to his office and starts speaking into his Dictaphone, as seen at the film's opening. Keyes arrives unnoticed and hears enough to know the truth. Keyes sadly tells him, "Walter, you're all washed up." Neff tells Keyes he is going to Mexico rather than face the gas chamber, but sags to the floor from his injury and blood loss before he can reach the elevator. A weakened Neff tells Keyes that the reason why he could not figure the case out was that the guy whom he was looking for was "too close, right across the desk from you." When Keyes replies "closer than that, Walter." Neff replies that he loves Keyes too. As Neff had done, lighting Keyes' cigars for him throughout the film, Keyes lights Neff's cigarette as they await the police and an ambulance.
