Cyrano de Bergerac : a great introduction to the richness of French culture.

Cyrano de Bergerac directed by Jean Paul Rappeneau

Cyrano de Bergerac is one of the most perfect films made in French language.It is a film which must be shown to all connoisseurs of French culture as it makes for the most perfect introduction to French civilization.The greatness of Cyrano is universal as he teaches us some of the most essential human values such as friendship,love, sadness and trust.It is a film for which everybody has worked hard under the leadership of French auteur Jean Paul Rappeneau.There is an air of authenticity in the portrayal of France circa late 1900s.This has been achieved by creating magnificent sets,marvelous costumes and a cast of many junior artists.Jean Paul Rappeneau allows us to be transported to a time when innumerable duels were fought over women, pure love was omnipotent and poets and artists were venerated.When we watch this film,we come to realize that Gerard Depardieu is exceptionally great as troubled Cyrano who has hidden many deep secrets in his heart.It is due to the greatness of his personality that we choose to own his sadness in order to lessen his pain.There are no so many films which can have such an effect on movie goers. This is the best virtue of this historical drama.

An objective appraisal of African muslim community.

Police (1985) directed by Maurice Pialat

Police is an objective appraisal of African muslim community wherein Pialat takes us on a fantastic tour of Parisian drug dealing activities.He has vibrantly portrayed Arab world from an evenhanded French perspective by depicting individuals caught in a vortex of social context.All its characters are so vulnerable that even the slightest fantasy pays a heavy price.Pialat has acquired laudable brilliance from his leading players.Depardieu is exceptionally brilliant in his role as Inspector Mangin.Sophie Marceau is equally impressive in her role as compulsive liar Noria.She has incarnated her role with noteworthy aplomb.Police is a solemn chronicle about the interminable combat involving corrupt people on the one hand and an honest police officer like Mangin on the other hand.Police differs from other films of thriller genre by laying a good deal of emphasis on its protagonists' frame of mind.

Absolute gem :A tale of deception set in the ancient times.

Le Retour de Martin Guerre (1982) directed by Daniel Vigne

Daniel Vigne described his film as a modern story that took place in 16th century.Le Retour de Martin Guerre is a wonderful historic romance that pertinently comments on an individual's role in society.The film is a beautiful illustration of 16th century pastoral life. Pancette had the nerve to assume Martin's identity as Bertrande constantly assisted him in deceit.His greed was responsible for his ruin as he claimed wealth which never belonged to him.A vast majority of viewers will not be in a position to form an opinion about Bertrande as she did not wish to spend her life with an impotent village resident.The entire storyline hinges heavily on Gerard Depardieu's captivating performance.His imposing aura makes us readily accept him as the real Martin Guerre even though,in reality,he is Martin's lookalike Pancette.Le Retour de Martin Guerre will fascinate not only the admirers of suspense genre but also those spectators who are attracted to drama.Daniel Vigne has effectively crafted a thought-provoking oeuvre which competently wrestles with major issues like identity and deception.

Franco-American relations will surely get a boost if this film is shown to the concerned people.

I Want to Go Home (1989) directed by Alain Resnais

Before shooting "I want to go home", if Resnais had thought of keeping somebody in mind, it is quite possible that he must have had ruminated about both American and French public. "I want to go home" shows why French fascinate Americans so much. It is a fairly honest portrayal of why French have all the respect for Americans. It is so hard to believe that this comic film was made by Resnais. For the last five decades, he has remained a highly intelligent intellectual cinéaste who has excelled in making difficult films about memories. Watching his films can be likened to a concentrated reading of a "stream of consciousness" oeuvre. Not only will this film charm die-hard francophiles like Paul Auster, Johnny Depp, William Fiedkin, Jim Jarmusch, Hal Hartley and John Malkovich but also fans of comic strips as it is not so often that one comes across a feature film in which there is a happy marriage of cartoons and film. Through this quirky work, Resnais has advocated popular culture as in today's world Mickey Mouse, Snoopy, Charlie Brown and Garfield are as relevant/necessary and useful for everybody as Flaubert, Stendhal and Sartre. "I want to go home" is a light film which provides a multiplicity of meanings for its viewers. On an elementary level it explores cultural differences between French and American people. On another level it is also a tale of an amicable reconciliation process which happens between a father meeting his daughter after many years. This emotional turmoil has been shown in a very dignified indeed subtle manner. Although it might seem odd, this film makes it absolutely clear that French have a penchant for admiring those American artists who have been ignominiously rejected/ignored back home in USA. One classical example is Samuel Fuller. He enjoys a bigger, dedicated fan following in France than in United States of America. "I want to go home" is a film which can be understood by all kinds of artists. It speaks of different arts like cinema, comics etc. This is why Resnais has collaborated with great artists like Enki Bilal, Jules Feiffer and John Kander. The highlight of this film is the fact that it shows how all arts are interrelated as well as mutually beneficial. In "I want to go home" the characters alternate between serious mood and comic mood. This is because people can't always remain funny or serious. Resnais makes us all imbibe a logical lesson that in our daily lives we have to react according to the situation in which we find ourselves. Lastly it is high time that it is said that although Americans might abhor French or vice versa, the truth is that both of them cannot live without each other.

A sad tale of doomed love !!!

La Femme d'à côté (1981) directed by François Truffaut

La Femme d'a Cote shows violent emotional state of two melancholic lovers.Truffaut wanted to reveal the extreme steps of frustrated love.It is a brilliant story of passion set in the provincial french town of Grenoble which shows that love is the only thing that is universal.Bernard and Mathilde are truly the perfect lovers Truffaut wished to exploit in his film.There is a sense of urgency in their love affair as in a place where all the people know each other,it is highly improbable that any love affair can remain a secret.La Femme d'a Cote has agreeably given an idea about small town charm wherein Truffaut has vividly portrayed all the minor details of provincial life.Truffaut,while filming La Femme d'a Cote,hoped that the viewer would not be tempted to take sides in order to call one wrong and the other wrong but would love them both as he has loved them.Truffaut will remain the only filmmaker who has mastered the art of human emotions.La Femme d'a Cote gives an impression of an affecting account of human foibles by illustrating how a happy married man sacrifices everything for trivial passion.

Famous for all the wrong reasons. A good look at Creteil from the eyes of an odd

La dernière femme (1976) de Marco Ferreri

After having attended a film festival in Creteil (a posh suburb of Paris), I accidentally got a chance to watch "La derniere femme" on big screen. This invigorating experience took me in a not so distant past to a nice place called Creteil circa 1976. I was much too thrilled to have known Creteil through the vision of a maverick filmmaker Marco Ferreri for which he teamed with his regular partner Rafael Azcona. La dernière femme is a film which will easily please people of varied tastes. It can be liked by feminists,admirers of actors Depardieu and Ornella Muti and supporters of a highly unconventional filmmaker Marco Ferreri. The essential charm of this film lies in Creteil and its high rise buildings.Some of them are occupied by the likes of Depardieu and Muti.There is Michel Piccoli too who lends credible support to the narrative pattern. During my viewing of this film I did not mind at all watching a small
kid act alongside Depardieu and Muti.I doubt as to how this can be true of other viewers who might find such a move harmful for young minds. Watch it to explore other films by Marco Ferreri.