George Benlian on movies, books and few other things

So what did i watch during the French Film Festival?

It's not always easy to choose from a selection of 35 titles. Some of them will have theatrical release in the coming weeks so i will watch them later on. Others are only good for the small screen so time should not be waisted. There is also a handful of titles that we know in advance will be definitely worth having a look. 

 

 Emmanuel Mouret is a 38 years old director who also plays in his own movies. Eric Rohmer influence on his work is visible from the first scene of any of his movies. Since year 2000, he has directed four. His fifth one has just been completed and is due to be released later this year.

 

       

"Shall we kiss?" aka "Un baiser s'il vous plait" is his latest opus.Like in his previous movies,  love and relationship remains key elements in his exploration of thirty something lives of well behaved, well educated middle class men and women. The abundance of the dialogue may give the impression of a play however when it is well written, the whole experience is worthy of our time. Rohmer, Sacha Guitry, Marcel Pagnol all made movies with abundant dialogues, a tradition well kept in the French cinema. Mouret's observation of human relations is shown with the utmost simplicity and panache. He has good taste when it comes to romance. Marie Gilain, Fanny Valette and now Virginie Ledoyen have all felt in love with our romantic and idealist hero. The use of classical music (Schubert in "Shall we kiss?")adds the perfect touch of a harmonious comedy full of wit and intelligence. I am a huge fan of Emmanuel Mouret films. It takes some effort to accept a different type of filmmaking but once you are under the spell the rest is pure joy!

    

I have seen many kissing scenes over the years yet i never felt so engaged by the kiss scene at the end of this enchanting cinematic experience.

 

Jacques Mesrine was France's public enemy number one from the sixties until his assassination in the middle of the French capital in 1979. A two part movie directed by Jean-Francois Richet got released in 2008 obtaining a huge success by the press and the public alike. Four hours of packed action will impress anyone who likes thrillers. If part one may look repetitive, part two is truly and simply spectacular. It takes time to get used to the idea of almost liking a criminal whose ideas and charisma made him the most popular gangster of modern France.

 

Vincent Cassel is staggering in the leading role. He is without doubt the most gifted french actor of his generation. He can play anything and be reliable and convincing. Mesrine didn't know the meaning of the verb "surrender". A master of disguise and an assertive manipulator of high caliber, thirty years after his atroce end, he continues to fascinate.

Both movies are perfect examples to stop giving credits only to the Americans when it comes to fast heart beating action movies. For sure the American cinema is full of great thrillers but we should not underestimate  productions of this genre from other countries including of course France. Few years back, i discovered another superb french thriller called "36 Quai des orfevres" starring Daniel Auteuil and Gerard Depardieu.

Speaking of Daniel Auteuil, i was very disappointed to see his talent totally wasted in a weak comedy known in english as "Me two". A stupid idea makes a stupid movie and even Daniel Auteuil can't save it!

However, thumbs up for the new comedy written and directed by Francis Veber. Born in 1937, Veber became in the seventies a well respected screenplay writer specializing in comedies. He wrote "L'emmerdeur" know in english as "A pain in the ass" in the early seventies for Edouard Molinaro, a popular french movie director. The movie was a big hit in those days allowing Jacques Brel to show his acting abilities specially in a comedy. Thirty five years later, Veber made a remake from his own screenplay and the result is even better than the original. We are guaranteed as always to spend a joyful time in company of his duo. This is i guess the biggest recipe of great comedies. Having two very opposite characters being together can definitely provide hilarious moments as well as well structured conflict.   

    

Both Patrick Timsit and Richard Berry played "L'emmerdeur" at the theatre couple years ago. I always found Berry a fine performer who like Vincent Cassel can play any character and keep the whole thing authentic. Timsit however is your typical french comic actor who is obviously taking great pleasure of making his surrounding lives miserable. For a good laugh, "L'emmerdeur" is highly recommended.

 

 Jean Becker is the son of legendary film maker, Jacques Becker. Born in the thirties, he made couple average comedies in the sixties before disappearing for two decades. In 1983, he directed Isabelle Adjani in "L'ete meurtrier" before disappearing again for another decade. Since 1995, he is back and is making interesting movies on regular basis. His latest "Deux jours a tuer" is a curious piece that keeps the viewer puzzled. We know from his previous movies, Becker likes to promote the simple life. He has a zen approach and little things have great importance for him. In this movie, he keeps a deep secret right to the end. A great way to show how we can be sensitive without risking a stereotype outlook. Again, when watching a new movie by Jean Becker, we know he will take us to a beautiful and sometime sad journey.

  

"Mes amis mes amours" is a french romantic comedy having London as the centre of the action. An average movie that has some funny scenes but the lack of surprises can play a overall negative role.

The biggest highlight of the festival was "Paris 36". I didn't watch it for the simple reason it will be released in May. However, i did miss out an opopportunity to meet it's leading actor, Gerard Jugnot who was a guest at the festival. It is a pity as i have always considered Jugnot as a talented artist who can be funny and touching and definitely a pleasure to see him performing.

A peek of 232 minutes from The Howard Years

When i decided on my blog title to be "George Benlian on movies, books and few other things" i had various subjects in my mind mostly artistic and one being something completely different; the fascinating World of Politics.

As an Australian, the politics of my country does interest me on a certain level. I started working in 1996, the year John Howard became Australia's thirtieth and the second longest serving Prime Minister. The ABC Television produced a four parts documentary on "the inside story of the Howard Government" shown recently and already available on two discs dvd.

I always voted for John Howard although i don't consider myself as his fervent supporter. I guess i always preferred Liberal from Labour although the current prime minister is doing quiet a good job. Being elected four times is a monumental achievement. His biggest mistake however remains his hunger for a fifth term. You cannot be greedy even in politics.

Considered by many as "the ultimate political master", John Howard did over all a honest job. You can see how persistent and self confident he has been during his eleven years as Prime Minister. He made good and bad choices however he made all his choices with utmost conviction. My biggest deception came from his unwise decision in participating at the invasion of Irak. Watching this documentary gave me however couple hints of why he went that path. Let's remember he was in Washington on the 11th of September 2001 and saw the atrocities in his own eyes. A year later, the Bali bombing and the large number of Australian casualties prompted him to act against the Terror. However, the Irak war remains unjustified and although the "devil" is gone, there was no need of making Irak the world's most dangerous place and its habitats victim of few crazy people.

I met Howard once. It was a month before his defeat. He was campaigning everywhere and made a surprise visit at the Armenian festival in Darling Harbour. He visited few stalls including the one i was occupying with my colleague and began asking questions about the property market.

Absolutely recommended as this is a fascinating peek of how my country was governed from 1996 to 2007.

The mysterious Yasujiro Ozu

Back in October last year, i discovered "Tokyo stories" a Japanese cinematic masterpiece directed by Yasujiro Ozu. I wrote about it in my blog and promised myself to watch more movies from this master of Japanese cinema. Five months later, i have seen half a dozen of his works and i will be writing further in the near future.

Today, my intention is to write about the mysterious simplicity of Ozu. First his name is simple yet mysterious; just a "Z" and two vowels; "O" and "U". He was born December 12 1903 and died on December 12 1963. He was a bachelor who lived with his mother for sixty years and died just three months after she passed away. He made fifty four films, all but three for the same producer. He didn't make his first talking picture until 1936, six years after everyone else. His first color film was made in 1958 later than all his colleagues. So it's a sort of refusal to budge, a stability and equilibrium. That's the first thing that strikes us about Ozu. There is also his style. After 1940, he always refused to move his camera keeping it stationary and just a few centimetres off the ground where daily Japanese life takes place.

His films titles all seem alike. They can be easily confused; "Early Spring", "Early Summer", "Late Autumn", "An Autumn Afternoon". It's as if he kept making the same film always about the Japanese family, marital relationships, the old and the young, work and family. It's all very intriguing and also utterly simple. It's not difficult to enter in Ozu's world. Maybe at first it may appear a bit slow and the lack of camera movements may cause a certain passivity however relationships can be universal and familiar to all of us. Ozu's reflection on Zen philosophy about the non-existence of the future because it's unreal and untouchable nor the past because it's over brings the present as the crucial moment of intensity and fullness.