Itineraire Cinematographique: A Journey through the History of French Cinema
Fans of French Cinema or people simply interested in discovering these treasures are in for a two-week treat. The Marco Polo Plaza and Les Amis De La France proudly bring to Cebu “Itineraire Cinematographique: A Journey through the History of French Cinema. Fourteen films will be shown over the course of two weeks, a different film every night, each film representing a different era, all of them representing the best of the art form.
The films will be shown at the al fresco setting of the hotel’s El Viento Restaurant and Pool Bar from 22 November to 5 December 1900 H – 2100 H. These are free to all dinner guests of the Marco Polo Plaza. For Dinner Reservations: 253 1111 local 8245.
1.)La Grande Illusion, by Jean Renoir, (1937). November 22.
One of the very first prison escape movies, Grand Illusion is hailed as one of the greatest films ever made. Jean Renoir's antiwar masterpiece stars Jean Gabin and Pierre Fresnay, as French soldiers held in a World War I German prison camp, and Erich von Stroheim as the unforgettable Captain von Rauffenstein. After it won a prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1937, the Nazis declared the film "Cinematographic Enemy Number One." There can be no higher praise.
2) Quai des Orfèvres, by Henri Georges Clouzot, (1947) November 23.
Set within the vibrant dancehalls and historic crime corridors of 1940s Paris, ambitious performer Jenny Lamour (Suzy Delair), her covetous piano-playing husband Maurice Martineau (Bertrand Blier), and their devoted confidante Dora Monier (Simone Renant) attempt to cover one another’s tracks when a sexually ogreish high-society acquaintance is murdered. Enter Inspector Antoine (Louis Jouvet), whose seasoned instincts lead him down a circuitous path in this classic whodunit murder mystery.
3) Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot, by Jacques Tati, (1953) November 24
Pipe-smoking Monsieur Hulot, Jacques Tati's endearing clown, takes a holiday at a seaside resort where his presence provokes one catastrophe after another. Tati's wildly funny satire of vacationers determined to enjoy themselves includes a series of precisely choreographed sight gags involving dogs, boats and firecrackers. The first entry in the Hulot series is a masterpiece of gentle slapstick.
4) Touchez Pas au Grisbi, by Jacques Becker, (1954). November 25
Jean Gabin is at his most wearily romantic as aging gangster Max le Menteur in the Jacques Becker gem Touchez pas au grisbi (Hands Off the Loot!). Having pulled off the heist of a lifetime, Max looks forward to spending his remaining days relaxing with his beautiful young girlfriend. But when Riton (René Dary), Max's hapless partner and best friend, lets word of the loot slip to loose-lipped, two-timing Josy (Jeanne Moreau), Max is reluctantly drawn back into the underworld. A touchstone of the gangster-film genre, Touchez pas au grisbi is also pure Becker—understated, elegant, evocative.
5) A bout de Souffle, byJean-Luc Godard, (1960). November 25
The movie that heralded the French New Wave movement, this lean and exciting 1959 film directed by Jean-Luc Godard broke new ground not only in its unorthodox use of editing and hand-held photography, but in its unflinching and nonjudgmental portrayal of amoral youth.
6) Jules et Jim, de François Truffaut, (1962). November 26
Hailed as one of the finest films ever made, legendary director François Truffaut’s early masterpiece Jules and Jim charts the relationship between two friends and the object of their mutual obsession over the course of twenty-five years.
7) Le Grand Bleu, by Luc Besson, (198
November 27
Luc Besson's The Big Blue has endured as a cult classic for its gorgeous photography (both on land and underwater) and dreamy ambiance. The film charts the competition and friendship of real-life champions Jacques Mayol and Enzo Maiorca,. The action is divided into two timelines - the nascent rivalry between the two divers as children, and (as adults) their final competition at the world free-diving championships at the Sicilian town of Taormina.
La Cité de la Peur, by Alain Barbérian, (1994). November 28
This French comedy parodies horror movies and detective films. It is set at the Cannes Film Festival. There, Odile, a sincere publicist, tries to promote the horror movie "Red Is Dead." The movie tells of a killer in a welding mask who wields a hammer and sickle with deadly results.
9) Himalaya, l’enfance d’un chef, by Eric Valli, (2000) November 30
Is a Nepalese movie directed by Eric Valli and was funded through France-based corporations. It was the first Nepalese film to be nominated in the Best Foreign Film category at the 72nd Academy Awards.
Himalaya is an epic adventure story set against the staggering backdrop of the Nepalese Himalayas. At an altitude of five thousand meters in the remote mountain province of Dolpo, Himalaya is the story of an ancient tribe who lead a caravan of yaks across the mountains, carrying salt from the high plateau down to the plains. It tells the classic tale of rivalry between an aging chieftain and the young daring herdsman challenging his leadership and the affections of his family
10) Les triplettes de Belleville, by Sylvain Chomet, (2003). December 1.
An animated feature film written and directed by Sylvain Chomet. It was released as The Triplets of Belleville in North America. The film satirically pokes fun at national stereotypes and clichés foreigners spread about French and Americans. It laughs at the stereotypes of the French (for example their alleged obsession with the Tour de France, or their so-called fondness for eating frogs)and Americans (for example their alleged obesity and lewd manner). The film features almost no spoken dialogue, though some spoken words (such as Tour de France radio commentary by Robert Chapatte and a speech by Charles de Gaulle on evening TV) are included sporadically.
11) De Battre Mon Cœur s’est Arrêté, By Jacques Audiard, (2005). December 2
Twenty-eight-year-old Tom leads a life that might be termed as criminal. In doing so, he follows in the footsteps of his father, who made his money from dirty, and sometimes brutal, real estate deals. Tom is a pretty hard-boiled guy but also strangely considerate as far as his father is concerned. Somehow he appears to have arrived at a critical juncture in his life when a chance encounter prompts him to take up the piano and become a concert pianist, like his mother. He senses that this might be his final opportunity to take back his life….
12) L’enfant, by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne , (2005). December 3
Winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival the film opens just as 20-year-old Bruno (Jeremie Renier) and his 18-year-old girlfriend Sonia (Deborah Francois) have welcomed their first child into the world. A small-time crook with no big-time leads, Bruno decides to sneak away with his son, Jimmy, and sell him for a hefty chunk of money. But when he tries to justify his actions to Sonia, assuring her that they'll have another baby, she collapses in shock. While she recuperates in the hospital, Bruno realizes that he's made a horrendous mistake, and embarks on an impassioned quest to get his son back and redeem himself to Sonia.
13) Le Parfum de la Dame en Noir, by Bruno Podalydès, (2005). December 4
Based on the novel by the notorious Gaston Leroux, this movie is a contemporary tale of a young star reporter named Joseph Rouletabille, a man mocked and shunned for his fierce independence and his unusually large head.
14) Taxi 4, by Gérard Krawczyck, 2007. December 5
This is the sequel to the 2003 French Action/Comedy film Taxi 3. As with all the other films in the Gallic Taxi franchise, Samy Naceri plays taxi driver "Daniel Morales", this time in a Peugeot 407 unlike the 406 in the previous films. Frédéric Diefenthal is "Émilien Coutant-Kerbalec", whilst Jean-Christophe Bouvet reprises his role as "General Bertineau" yet again. The film also features French footballer Djibril Cissé.
French Film Festival at Marco Polo Plaza
dili diay ni open...sayang..
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