My favorite french director is Resnais. Movies like Mon Oncle d’Amérique or Hiroshima Mon Amour but also Pas sur la bouche which is quiet recent.
Godard’s A bout de souffle and Pierrot le Fou are wonderful anf François Truffaut’s La Nuit Américaine and Jules et Jim too.
I could tell you a lot more movies since i am french but I guess the movie from Nouvelle Vague are the best french cinema gaves to the world.
Well, to be honest (even if i know i’m gonna be hated by most of the people on the auteurs, Tim Burton is the most overrated auteur ever. This guy makes audience by using the old hollywood recipes and just had his fantastic style for pre-adolescents. Ok, he’is got his universe but it is the only thing he’s got.
I would probabbly say Summer of Sam by Spike Lee…most of the people don’t even know the titel of this movie while it really made me upset. I find it so different in some ways. But of course, there are a lot of underrated movies (all Wenders’ s ones for example or The Times that remains, the new Elia Suleiman movie…)
Robert, Bill
as I am french i tell you that you can find them…here is a link to a website on which you can buy them but i don’t know if it is possible to get them in the US…
I choose one and then i realize that i really wanted to watch another one so i stop and watch the other…i think there is always one you wanna see more then the other (it changes from day to day) that catched your eye or because you like the director…
Of course I think I am…even if maybe deep inside of me I know I am not, it makes me happier to think that a have something special that nobody else can even imagine…and if it makes me happier, i don’t know why I should stop thinking like that. The world is only how you imagine it is !
Movies about Vichy’s governement do not follow the historical aspect of this period, most of the time… The new movie by Robert Guédiguian l’Armée du Crime about Missak Manouchian is quiet realistic so, for the historical aspect, it is something you should see if you’re interest in french history…but the cinematographical aspect is, without being deceiving, very classic.
Papy fait de la Resistance and La Grande Vadrouille are movies realased in french during the period when french people tried to forget about collaboration. The first french movie talking truly about this period was Nuit et Brouillard (but it is about concentration camps) and then there was Le Chagrin et la Pitié by Max Ophuls. If you decide to watch french movies released in the 50s and 60s, they will probbably be celebrating a resistant France which didn’t exists. Those movies are not good historical ones but if know about the way the memory was manipulated during this period, watching it could give you an idea about what resistancialism was (and still is for some people)
You see, me I am french…and when you tell me “favorite french film” I can’t pick one because there are some many…your topic is too deep so let me tell you abotu some french directors :
Resnais
Godard
Truffaut
In fact, la Nouvelle Vague in general because what french directors did before was good but classical (indeed some were extremely good directors : Renoir, Gance…) and what french cinema gave after la Nouvelle Vague went back to classicism. Today, most of movies just to copy americain productions but with less money : it is pathetic.
Today, going to the movies more then twice a week has become kind of a luxury, and I am not talking about DVDs which are sold at an exhorbitant price. However, we, customers, are told that this couldn’t be another way because the money we pay our tickets with is used to produce other movies. My problem is that money the producers and the famous actors are payed prove us the contrary…Where is all our money exactly going ? Couldn’t we really get less expensive DVDs and movie’s seats ?
What do you think about it ? Is there an explanation you can find ?
My teacher told me if your character is on the right side of the fram and he is looking on the left, it makes the audience feel incomfortable… (take the exampke he gave us : Kissing scene in the hotel in Vertigo).
If the character turns his back to the camera, you get a incomfortable audience too.
Law thank you for you cynisism…But what I try to do is to find a real economical reason…I know very well how it is now but what I would like to know is what could be the solution to make the access to movies less difficult. With comments like yours, we don’t make a step ahead with the problem…
I’m asking a question about how cinema’s economy works to people that knows things about it more than I do (and I do know some stuff since a study cinema and read a lot about its economy), that’s it. If you don’t know anything great, but no need to make a fool out of me.
Well you’re true and it is really sad you are but in fact my question at the beginning did not only concern the capitalism problem…I mean, if we except the people that makes a lot of money, where is exactly the money going…
- To produce other movies…
- To pay the shooting of the movie and so on (advertising campaign which is not normal because somethimes it represents about a half of the price…)
- To pay back the SOFICAs or governemental helps
Then, I am very happy to see that everyone agrees but then, why do they complains about piracy and their beloved authors’ rights telling everybody they can’t live without this money ?
Is it really a problem or the only thing that is a problem is the fact they have one million less than usual hundreds ?
OK i’m mixed up the things because I took short curts in my purpose…then, i start again : you can’t tell Pay fait de la Resistance is a movie about what truly was France under the nazi Occupation. Even if it was realased later, it tries to banalize the idea of resistance, you can’t denie it as well as you can’t denie it is not an historical movie about WWII and France…
Well for example, i was thinking :
- a computer ruling the space we’re in like HAL in Kubrick’s 2001
- a society were humain-being can’t think like 1984 meaning the book and the movie…
Things like that…It could be a parallel between different themes or characters, way of filming…anything.
I don’t know The Conformist, could you tell me what it is about ?
Well I don’t think so because there are not many french people on theauteurs (are there ?) and that is not what I want to do… I already got some ideas but it is just to see if there could be something I could say that I forgot…
Thanks for your advice anyway ;)
I could tell you a hundred pages about it not only because it is my favorite movie ever but because i have to take an exam about it !
Well for the themes you could talk about the Oedipus complex of Thornhill which is replaced by his love for Eve, then, the travel from east to west which is like the conquest of the west and which is symbolized through many shots of the movie. I can talk about the vision of the plice which is representedd as useless and purely stupid because Hitch was scared byt he police. it comes from the day when his father brings him to the police station and he spent one night in a cellar. If you look at all his films, you’ll rarely see a very good policeman who understands everything and stops the bad guy.
Well, I guess the most interesting thing is the representation of cinema or theatre in the movie trough different scenes :
- First, in Mr Townsend’s house : Thornhill makes “this very room a theatre” (as Vandam says) where Vandamm is the director (he arranges the light…) and Thornhill the actor.
- Then Thornhill plays the part of Kaplan when he puts on his suit at Plaza Hotel when he is in the room with his mother and for the rest of the movie.
- He also wears a “costume” at chicago’s train station…
There are other metaphorical allusions on this theme in the movie, those are just examples.
Well, I think I’ll stop there, but if you want more, I could go on !
You know Bobby, the whole thing with analysis is to believe it or not…some do and some don’t…It remains very personal even if you hear it from somebody else because the whole movie is working on what you see in it. This is the condition to the catarsis of the audience.
You don’t believe there is an oedipus complex in North by Northwest, it is your right. I’m must agree with you on the conquest of the west it is a bit exagerate but it is something I heard from several people and when somebody asks, I can mention it even though I don’t agree myself.
As for the oedipus complex, of course it is not seriously treated and it is not the main theme of the movie, but I believe it is there somewhere. Don’t forget Hitch was fond of psychology…
Wel, of course, I agree with you Kenji. The first time I watched it, I didn’t think of it either. But what I am studying is the whole film in every detail and so, when you spend one hour talking about five minutes of the movie, that is something you notice…=D
French Film over 2 years ago
My favorite french director is Resnais. Movies like Mon Oncle d’Amérique or Hiroshima Mon Amour but also Pas sur la bouche which is quiet recent.
Godard’s A bout de souffle and Pierrot le Fou are wonderful anf François Truffaut’s La Nuit Américaine and Jules et Jim too.
I could tell you a lot more movies since i am french but I guess the movie from Nouvelle Vague are the best french cinema gaves to the world.
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Who do you think the most overrated director is? over 2 years ago
Well, to be honest (even if i know i’m gonna be hated by most of the people on the auteurs, Tim Burton is the most overrated auteur ever. This guy makes audience by using the old hollywood recipes and just had his fantastic style for pre-adolescents. Ok, he’is got his universe but it is the only thing he’s got.
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Underrated Films... over 2 years ago
I would probabbly say Summer of Sam by Spike Lee…most of the people don’t even know the titel of this movie while it really made me upset. I find it so different in some ways. But of course, there are a lot of underrated movies (all Wenders’ s ones for example or The Times that remains, the new Elia Suleiman movie…)
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Who do you think the most overrated director is? over 2 years ago
Robert, Bill
as I am french i tell you that you can find them…here is a link to a website on which you can buy them but i don’t know if it is possible to get them in the US…
http://video.fnac.com/a1949812/Coffret-Chantal-Akerman-Les-Annees-70-DVD-Zone-2?PID=3&Mn=-1&Ra=-3&To=0&Nu=1&Fr=0
(Toute la Nuit is on the website too but not on this dvd…)
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Most depressing film you have ever seen? over 2 years ago
Well, i would say L’Amour a Mort by Alain Resnais. it is veru beautiful but reaaly sad, i crieddurng the all afternoon after it!
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Most depressing film you have ever seen? over 2 years ago
Control is pretty depressing too
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How do you decide what film to watch? over 2 years ago
I choose one and then i realize that i really wanted to watch another one so i stop and watch the other…i think there is always one you wanna see more then the other (it changes from day to day) that catched your eye or because you like the director…
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Do you think you're destined for greatness? over 2 years ago
Of course I think I am…even if maybe deep inside of me I know I am not, it makes me happier to think that a have something special that nobody else can even imagine…and if it makes me happier, i don’t know why I should stop thinking like that. The world is only how you imagine it is !
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Best Films about Death and Dying? over 2 years ago
L’Amour A Mort, Resnais…it is mixing theological ideas about death and paradise and passion of love…It is very touching and beautiful…
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Films on the French Resistance over 2 years ago
Movies about Vichy’s governement do not follow the historical aspect of this period, most of the time… The new movie by Robert Guédiguian l’Armée du Crime about Missak Manouchian is quiet realistic so, for the historical aspect, it is something you should see if you’re interest in french history…but the cinematographical aspect is, without being deceiving, very classic.
Go to Comment
Films on the French Resistance over 2 years ago
About Thomas’ comment :
Papy fait de la Resistance and La Grande Vadrouille are movies realased in french during the period when french people tried to forget about collaboration. The first french movie talking truly about this period was Nuit et Brouillard (but it is about concentration camps) and then there was Le Chagrin et la Pitié by Max Ophuls. If you decide to watch french movies released in the 50s and 60s, they will probbably be celebrating a resistant France which didn’t exists. Those movies are not good historical ones but if know about the way the memory was manipulated during this period, watching it could give you an idea about what resistancialism was (and still is for some people)
Go to Comment
FAVORITE/BEST FRENCH FILM? over 2 years ago
You see, me I am french…and when you tell me “favorite french film” I can’t pick one because there are some many…your topic is too deep so let me tell you abotu some french directors :
Resnais
Godard
Truffaut
In fact, la Nouvelle Vague in general because what french directors did before was good but classical (indeed some were extremely good directors : Renoir, Gance…) and what french cinema gave after la Nouvelle Vague went back to classicism. Today, most of movies just to copy americain productions but with less money : it is pathetic.
Go to Comment
FIND AN EXPLANATION TO THE EXTORTIONATE PRICES OF DVDs AND MOVIE THEATERS' TICKETS over 2 years ago
Today, going to the movies more then twice a week has become kind of a luxury, and I am not talking about DVDs which are sold at an exhorbitant price. However, we, customers, are told that this couldn’t be another way because the money we pay our tickets with is used to produce other movies. My problem is that money the producers and the famous actors are payed prove us the contrary…Where is all our money exactly going ? Couldn’t we really get less expensive DVDs and movie’s seats ?
What do you think about it ? Is there an explanation you can find ?
Go to Comment
Psychological Effect of Different Shot Types over 2 years ago
My teacher told me if your character is on the right side of the fram and he is looking on the left, it makes the audience feel incomfortable… (take the exampke he gave us : Kissing scene in the hotel in Vertigo).
If the character turns his back to the camera, you get a incomfortable audience too.
Go to Comment
FIND AN EXPLANATION TO THE EXTORTIONATE PRICES OF DVDs AND MOVIE THEATERS' TICKETS over 2 years ago
Law thank you for you cynisism…But what I try to do is to find a real economical reason…I know very well how it is now but what I would like to know is what could be the solution to make the access to movies less difficult. With comments like yours, we don’t make a step ahead with the problem…
I’m asking a question about how cinema’s economy works to people that knows things about it more than I do (and I do know some stuff since a study cinema and read a lot about its economy), that’s it. If you don’t know anything great, but no need to make a fool out of me.
Go to Comment
FIND AN EXPLANATION TO THE EXTORTIONATE PRICES OF DVDs AND MOVIE THEATERS' TICKETS over 2 years ago
Intersting point of view…I think we can change something but he have to know how it works at least as good as production and distribution companies !
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FIND AN EXPLANATION TO THE EXTORTIONATE PRICES OF DVDs AND MOVIE THEATERS' TICKETS over 2 years ago
Well you’re true and it is really sad you are but in fact my question at the beginning did not only concern the capitalism problem…I mean, if we except the people that makes a lot of money, where is exactly the money going…
- To produce other movies…
- To pay the shooting of the movie and so on (advertising campaign which is not normal because somethimes it represents about a half of the price…)
- To pay back the SOFICAs or governemental helps
And then ?
Go to Comment
FIND AN EXPLANATION TO THE EXTORTIONATE PRICES OF DVDs AND MOVIE THEATERS' TICKETS over 2 years ago
Then, I am very happy to see that everyone agrees but then, why do they complains about piracy and their beloved authors’ rights telling everybody they can’t live without this money ?
Is it really a problem or the only thing that is a problem is the fact they have one million less than usual hundreds ?
Go to Comment
Films on the French Resistance over 2 years ago
Calm down guys…
OK i’m mixed up the things because I took short curts in my purpose…then, i start again : you can’t tell Pay fait de la Resistance is a movie about what truly was France under the nazi Occupation. Even if it was realased later, it tries to banalize the idea of resistance, you can’t denie it as well as you can’t denie it is not an historical movie about WWII and France…
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DRAW PARALLELS BETWEEN ALPHAVILLE (JEAN-LUC GODARD) AND OTHER MOVIES OR MOSTGENERAL OTHER WORK OF ART over 2 years ago
Could you help me drawing parallels between Alphaville and other SF movies ? Or eventually other SF works of art ?
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DRAW PARALLELS BETWEEN ALPHAVILLE (JEAN-LUC GODARD) AND OTHER MOVIES OR MOSTGENERAL OTHER WORK OF ART over 2 years ago
Well for example, i was thinking :
- a computer ruling the space we’re in like HAL in Kubrick’s 2001
- a society were humain-being can’t think like 1984 meaning the book and the movie…
Things like that…It could be a parallel between different themes or characters, way of filming…anything.
I don’t know The Conformist, could you tell me what it is about ?
Go to Comment
DRAW PARALLELS BETWEEN ALPHAVILLE (JEAN-LUC GODARD) AND OTHER MOVIES OR MOSTGENERAL OTHER WORK OF ART over 2 years ago
Thank you for your help but the problem is that it as to be similarities with sci-fi movies because I am actually working on a project about SF
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DRAW PARALLELS BETWEEN ALPHAVILLE (JEAN-LUC GODARD) AND OTHER MOVIES OR MOSTGENERAL OTHER WORK OF ART over 2 years ago
Thank you very much KJ, your comment is gonna help me a lot I guess =D
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DRAW PARALLELS BETWEEN ALPHAVILLE (JEAN-LUC GODARD) AND OTHER MOVIES OR MOSTGENERAL OTHER WORK OF ART over 2 years ago
Well I don’t think so because there are not many french people on theauteurs (are there ?) and that is not what I want to do… I already got some ideas but it is just to see if there could be something I could say that I forgot…
Thanks for your advice anyway ;)
Go to Comment
North by Northwest: Your thoughts? over 2 years ago
I could tell you a hundred pages about it not only because it is my favorite movie ever but because i have to take an exam about it !
Well for the themes you could talk about the Oedipus complex of Thornhill which is replaced by his love for Eve, then, the travel from east to west which is like the conquest of the west and which is symbolized through many shots of the movie. I can talk about the vision of the plice which is representedd as useless and purely stupid because Hitch was scared byt he police. it comes from the day when his father brings him to the police station and he spent one night in a cellar. If you look at all his films, you’ll rarely see a very good policeman who understands everything and stops the bad guy.
Well, I guess the most interesting thing is the representation of cinema or theatre in the movie trough different scenes :
- First, in Mr Townsend’s house : Thornhill makes “this very room a theatre” (as Vandam says) where Vandamm is the director (he arranges the light…) and Thornhill the actor.
- Then Thornhill plays the part of Kaplan when he puts on his suit at Plaza Hotel when he is in the room with his mother and for the rest of the movie.
- He also wears a “costume” at chicago’s train station…
There are other metaphorical allusions on this theme in the movie, those are just examples.
Well, I think I’ll stop there, but if you want more, I could go on !
Go to Comment
North by Northwest: Your thoughts? over 2 years ago
You know Bobby, the whole thing with analysis is to believe it or not…some do and some don’t…It remains very personal even if you hear it from somebody else because the whole movie is working on what you see in it. This is the condition to the catarsis of the audience.
You don’t believe there is an oedipus complex in North by Northwest, it is your right. I’m must agree with you on the conquest of the west it is a bit exagerate but it is something I heard from several people and when somebody asks, I can mention it even though I don’t agree myself.
As for the oedipus complex, of course it is not seriously treated and it is not the main theme of the movie, but I believe it is there somewhere. Don’t forget Hitch was fond of psychology…
Go to Comment
North by Northwest: Your thoughts? over 2 years ago
Wel, of course, I agree with you Kenji. The first time I watched it, I didn’t think of it either. But what I am studying is the whole film in every detail and so, when you spend one hour talking about five minutes of the movie, that is something you notice…=D
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North by Northwest: Your thoughts? over 2 years ago
“i havent heard hitchcock was ever fond of psychology” bobby wise
Watch Spellbound and you tell me…
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North by Northwest: Your thoughts? over 2 years ago
I don’t like it either but after this, you can’t tell me that hitch was not very interested in psychology
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North by Northwest: Your thoughts? over 2 years ago
Bobby, I think you can also put Mr and Mrs Smith on this list, don’t you agree ?
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