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French Film Festival
Well, the French Film Festival started for me today and it looks like I have a series of joyful happy days ahead of me.
This is my second favorite event on the Sydney calendar – my first being our world class writers festival.
The mood is jumping here tonight … ripe with cliche(d) striped shirts and berets! Nobody does “no idea” quite like the Australians!
I saw ‘And if we all lived together’ earlier today and I’m currently in the wait for ‘Paris Manhattan.’
Yikes!
The que is long.
I’ll be back with the first review in a couple of hours!
Bon Chance!
Lisa Thatcher 
Hmmm… I should have known there was a reason behind my urge to finally see Midnight in Paris for the first time yesterday.
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Did you see it?
This film festival has Truffaut’s The Last Metro as the closing film – I’ve never seen it. So I get to see it for the first time on the big screen – VERY VERY excited. The festival will be in Melbourne in about a week I think.
So far the two films I have seen have not been terrible, which is high praise!
Oh – and I won’t be seeing anything with Audrey Tautou, which cancels out around 45% of the films for me.
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I did see it. And I really really responded to it. It’s a nice piece of whimsy.
And I haven’t seen The Last Metro either. In fact, I’ve seen very little Truffaut. He’s one of the biggest blind spots in my knowledge of the French New Wave. Seeing it on the big screen will likely be wonderful.
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Oh I’m really glad you liked it.
I had a great time with it as well. Nothing beats the Bunuel moment “But why can’t they leave the room?” That had me giggling. Or the way the surrealists think there is nothing strange about traveling back and forth through time.
I haven’t seen lots of Truffaut either, but he’s so “adored” by the establishment, that works against him in context I think (well for me anyway). Plus I don’t think his flix quite stand up to time like the other “French New Wavers”. (he he)
However, he is still one of the all time greats, and I am dying to see The Last Metro.
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I tell ya… I was laugh A LOT during Midnight in Paris. From the pretentious wine tasting to Wilson’s looks of goofy disbelief. His first meeting with Hemingway had me laughing like a loon.
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No one does goofy disbelief like Owen Wilson… it’s such a nice little flick.
And given I know how fussy you are about contemporary film, its kind of a miracle that you enjoyed it!
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hahahahaha! it wasn’t what i’d call a great film, but it was such a pleasure. it made me feel good deep inside.
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Well, it always good to feel pleasure there.
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Very much looking forward to your writeup of The Last Metro. It will ultimately decide whether I rush out to see it.
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Wel… you have a while to wait. Its not on until the 23rd.
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Damn…
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(sorry – dealing with a little blogging glitch here – I have zoned out. Be back with more wit soon!)
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sometimes I wonder if my whole blogging experience is a glitch.
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Ha ha ha ha ha ha!
I know how you feel.
But Trash Complex is brilliant!
(see what I did there?)
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That was really clever. And thanks! Who knew I had it in me. Think I might have been inspired by this great blog that I know.
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I’m going to assume you mean me and say THANKYOU! (that would be Lisa Thatcher)
But really – there is a huge demand for the things you and I talk about easily every day. I guess its that Niche thing.
You and I see 4 decent write-ups of a film or a disc and assume there is nothing more to say. But that’s not true.
If you personalize the content and speak about things you love (that make you feel good about yourself) then its amazing how many lovely lovely other people there are keen to catch the vibe.
Blogging is a big love fest.
The best best best.
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I think you’re right! I’m not sure if I’m encouraging people to purchase my books, but I’ve heard that I’m definitely helping sell the music I talk about. Really though, there’s no way I could keep it up if I didn’t devote it to what I truly love. I can’t be another mouth for small press promotion. It has to be different.
And of course I was referring to you. I just don’t know how to do link things on my iPad.
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No no – I was kidding… I don’t need a link to my blog on my blog… he he he…
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But promotion’s promotion! 😀
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Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!! YES!!!
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I’m watching the very end of Heart of Glass – WOAH that’s an odd and interesting film.
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I’m still not sure how I feel about Herzog. That’s one of his I haven’t seen. He frustrates me so much.
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I totally get what you are saying. You can’t help feeling there is a hope for accidental message transmission that he relies on. He is a film maker not always in control of his films, and that shows I think. He’s a bit ‘near enough is good enough.’
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Yes!!! I couldn’t agree more. My main problem is that I don’t think his films say anything. They’re empty oddity. Everyone was telling me not to write Herzog off until I saw Strozcek, which I finally did a few months ago. I found the message obvious and unconvincing. What’s worse is that Herzog tampered the whole German New Wave for me. I saw the films of Fassbinder through the prism of Herzog. I thankfully shook that free and now I’m convinced Fassbinder is one of the absolute greats.
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Well – you REALLY won’t like Heart of Glass then. 🙂
Strozcek is next for me – don’t tell me anything more.
Fassbinder is one of the best filmmakers ever. Beware of a Holy Whore is one of my top films ever made. But he made too many. Lily Marlene absolutely looks rushed through. You get the feeling Fassbinder is glancing at his watch the whole time – and he was! However, when he takes the time to make a great film, there is almost none better. (But when it’s rushed it irritates me – all I see is the promise of the film he stole from me.)
And yeah – he is way out of Herzog’s range. They can’t compare I don’t think – but I did love Nosferatu. I thought that was a really well done tribute film. Herzog paid very close attention to the addition of color and sound to the original, and I do think he came up with a beautiful work of art when you compare the two films.
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In the scheme of things, I’ve seen very few Fassbinder films. This year I’m making it a goal to rectify that. I’ll but Beware of the Holy Whore at the top of my list. The game changer for me was Berlin Alexanderplatz. One of the few films I’ve ever given 10 out of 10. I can’t believe I get the opportunity to exist in a world the produced a piece of art like that. I just got World on a Wire in the mail. Yay!
What’s sad is I own 14 Herzog films. I feel obliged to watch them. Ugh.
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Beware of a Holy Whore had me eyes wide and mouth open for the entire film. I ADORE that movie. It’s so clever. I haven’t seen Berlin Alexanderplatz. I’ll have to get my hands on it. I’ve always got time for Fassbinder. I have his Melodrama series coming my way next. I’ll be keen to hear what you think of World on a Wire.
I agree about the thrill of art like that existing. There is no deeper pleasure.
Well… I guess you should watch your Herzog at some point – but I have to say, the world is a special place when Herzog is your low point! 🙂
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This will make you smile! I’m reading Herzog on Herzog for my review and I came accross this interview question. This pretty much sums the whole problem up!
Interviewer:
One criticism that Simon had about The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser
was one that seemed to be taken up by other critics – perhaps a
case of Simon himself starting a trend – that the film was historically
inaccurate, the most obvious example of which was getting
Bruno S., a forty-year-old man, to play a sixteen-year-old boy.
Herzog:
But Bruno looks like a sixteen-year-old, Goddammit! And he was
so unbelievably good on screen. He has such depth and power,
and he moves me so deeply like no other actor in the world. He
gave himself completely to the role and was so good doing
exactly what the role required, being able to detach himself from
every bit of knowledge he had about the world, even how to
scratch himself. Bruno is the most co-operative and intuitive
actor I have ever worked with. Age itself does not matter in this
film at all. It means much more that Bruno radiates such a radical
human dignity.
Who truly cares about the man’s age? This is the difference
between history and storytelling.
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The world is an enormously special place. Some times I think that being alive is the most important thing we’ll ever do.
I’m going to order Holy Whore this week. Berlin Alexanderplatz is a HUGE time commitment. But very few things have ever been that worthwhile.
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hahahahahahahahaha! I love it! And the truth is, I can’t STAND Bruno!!! He annoys more than almost any other actor (except Kinski).
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Well I’ll give it the time – I have no problem with that.
This Herzog on Herzog book is very funny! I can’t work out if he intended it to be however.
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I’ll read your review with an open mind 😀
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I KNOW!!! HOW out of touch is Herzog?
There is a classic section where he is talking about what a genius of focus he is and his example is how he berates the ‘continuity girl’ (I want to be a continuity girl when I grow up) for talking to him about what scene they are up to…. then in a question a few pages on… when talking about the intense grip he has on the film, he says ‘this is why I rely so heavily on the support of continuity girl, and she must be telling me what scenes we’ve done’ etc…! THAT poor woman!!! She gets yelled at no matter what she does! It made me laugh!
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You don’t have to like it. I think Heart of Glass if everything you can’t stand and more about Herzog.
But it was interesting. I was happy to watch it, and am glad to have seen it.
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I know I’ll see it one day. I spent money on it after all. It’s actually liberating to have officially lost hope in him though.
By the way… If you go to iTunes and type in “Reverend America” you can stream the track you sang (track 25). It went up today!
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Oh really?
That’s quite cool.
I’ll check it out.
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Wow – the album is huge!
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Let me know if you want me to send a media fire link. You’ll get a physical copy when they’re pressed too.
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Yes! Of course! I’d love the media fire link! That would be wonderful! Thank you so much!
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No problem. I’ll finish this film and send it to you.
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Oops – sorry – are you watching a flick?
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I am! A film called Duet for Cannibals, directed by Susan Sontag!
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Oh yes! I have heard about it!
Don’t talk with me anymore – finish the film.
I will be here when you’re done.
How exciting!
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Very special! I had to tear the Internet apart in order to find it. The only copy available was taped off television a loooooong time ago.
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Oh wow – but it was really great and worth it right?
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SOOOOOOOOO worth it!!! this film NEEDS to be released.
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Yeah! Then I could see it!
Will you write a review?
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