Welcome to the part of the French Film Festival UK which puts the spotlight firmly on films by such established directors as Costa-Gavras, Bertrand Blier, Claude Chabrol, Patrick Grandperret, Anne Fontaine as well as from the rapidly rising new generations among them Xavier Beauvois, Nils Tavernier, and Cédric Kahn. Here you can find performances featuring some of France’s finest stellar acting talents including José Garcia, Vincent Lindon, Isabelle Carré, Carole Bouquet, Nathalie Baye, Isabelle Huppert, Eddy Mitchell, Jean-Paul Rouve, Clovis Cornillac, Roschdy Zem, and, of course, the omnipresent Gérard Depardieu. 2007 represents an exceptional vintage – savour and enjoy.
| L'Avion (PG) The Aeroplane Dir: Cédric Khan |
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EDINBURGH
FILMHOUSE 21 April 3.30pm |
| On Christmas Eve, as everyone with great merriment is unwrapping presents, Charly, an eight-year-old boy, discovers that he has been deceived: instead of the bicycle he has been promised, he has been given a huge model aeroplane. Pierre, his father (played by Vincent Lindon) dies shortly afterwards without being able to keep the promise of the bicycle that he had made originally. Sadness, however, quickly gives way to wonder when Charly discovers that this is no ordinary model: his aeroplane is “live.” Now he can be transported on all sorts of crazy adventures with his new found “friend” before finding his dad – whom he’s able to thank for this inspired present while his maman (sensitively played by Isabelle Carré) marvels at her offspring’s new found spirit. This charming comic fable was taken from the book, Charly by Magda-Lapière. | Cast:
Isabelle Carré, Vincent Lindon, Roméo Botzaris, Nicolas Briançon, Alicia Djemaï Director  |
| Aurore (12) Aurore Dir: Nils Tavernier |
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EDINBURGH
FILMHOUSE 22 April 3.30pm DUNDEE DCA 29 April 3.30pm |
| Welcome to a fairytale world of castles and kings, princes and princesses, balls, dowries and secrets. The story begins with Princess Aurore, living happily with her brother, Solal and her parents the King and Queen. Aurore loves to dance and despite the fact that it is forbidden in the kingdom, she seizes every opportunity to follow her mother's advice 'Never forget to dance, even when you feel sad'. As the unexpected secret behind the dancing ban unfolds, the King's greedy advisor persuades him that the only way to save his financially troubled empire is to marry Aurore off to a rich prince. A series of balls are set up to allow the young royals to get to know each other, despite the fact that Aurore's heart belongs to another. Known to many as a documentary maker, Nils Tavernier (son of last year’s retro guest Bertrand Tavernier) successfully turns his hand to fiction in this original and beautifully crafted tale of purity, trust and regret. The ball sequences, choreographed by Carolyn Carlson, Kader Belarbi and Yann Bridard are particularly outstanding. Whilst this film has been made with lovers of dance in mind, there is certainly enough to entertain those of us who have an interest and appreciation in this cinematically neglected art form. | Cast:
Carole Bouquet, Margaux Chatelier, Anthony Munoz Director |
| Le couperet (18) The Axe Dir: Costa-Gavras |
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GLASGOW
FILM THEATRE 21 April 6.00pm & 22 April 1.15pm LONDON CINELUMIERE 24 April 8.30pm LONDON RIVERSIDE 29 April 8.30pm EDINBURGH FILMHOUSE 1 May 2.30pm & 8.15pm DUNDEE DCA 3 May 8.20pm |
| Bruno (José Garcia), a senior executive, is laid off after15 years in the company. Three years later, he is still unemployed and he is ready to do anything to find a job and secure his family’s future, including wiping out his “rivals” to get the job he deserves. Costa-Gavras who made such films as Z, The Confession, Missing, Hanna K, Music Box, Mad City, Amen, returns to the thriller as a vehicle for his socio-political commentary, an adaptation of a novel by American mystery writer Donald Westlake. What originally was a mystery novel about ‘the American dream gone wrong’ has become a highly contemporary satire about the European consumer market and the implications of losing the working humans out of sight in favour of profits having to grow according to predefined targets. The Ax has been unanimously acclaimed by critics in France, and has been a huge box office success. | Cast:
José Garcia, Karin Viard, Ulrich Tukur, Olivier Gourmet, Geordie Monfils, Christa Theret, Yvon Back, Thierry Hancisse, Olga Grumberg, Yolande Moreau, Dieudoné Kabongo, Jean-Pierre Gos, Vanessa Larré, Serge Larivière, Jeanne Savary Director |
| Camping (12) Camping Dir: Fabien Otoniente |
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EDINBURGH FILMHOUSE
20 April 2.30pm & 22 April 8.30pm GLASGOW GFT 23 April 3.00pm & 24 April 6.00pm LONDON CINELUMIERE 26 April 8.45pm EDINBURGH VUE OCEAN TERMINAL 28 April 6.30pm DUNDEE DCA 2 May 8.20pm |
| A mainstream comedy with heart, Camping thumbs its nose at urban sophistication, revelling in the common touch. A microcosm of the “real” France, seen through the jaded eyes of a wealthy Parisian, the film is genuinely funny within its terms of reference. When his James Bond-vintage Aston Martin conks out en route to a luxury vacation in Spain, plastic surgeon to the stars Michel Saint-Josse (Gerard Lanvin) and his teen daughter Vanessa (Armonie Sanders) end up stranded with the provincial regulars at a typical Gallic campground. Raspy-voiced bon vivant Jacky Pic (Claude Brasseur) and his wife Laurette (Mylene Demongeot) have spent August in camping spot number 17 for 30 years; but this year a Dutch couple got there first. Bitter and vindictive sulking ensues. Oteniente’s film garnered an impressive 4.8m admissions in six weeks at the French box office and has been a runaway hit on its home turf. | Cast:
Gerard Lanvin, Mathilde Seigner, Franck Dubosc, Claude Brasseur, Mylene Demongeot, Antoine Dulery, Christine Citti, Frederique Bel, Laurent Olmedo, Francois Levantal, Armonie Sanders Director |
| L'ivresse du pouvoir
(15) Comedy of Power Dir: Claude Chabrol |
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LONDON CINELUMIERE
20 April 8.30pm GLASGOW GFT 25 April 3.00pm & 26 April 8.30pm DUNDEE DCA 29 April 8.20pm EDINBURGH FILMHOUSE 2 May 2.30pm & 8.20pm ABERDEEN BELMONT 5 May 8.45pm & 6 May 6.30pm |
| In a return to form for the great Claude Chabrol (The Ceremony), Isabelle Huppert stars as a magistrate whose investigation into a fraud case uncovers some powerful secrets. When she chooses to wield that knowledge for personal gain, however, she learns that there are limits to her power. “I did not seek to expose events, which are already known by everybody, but to inquire into the consequences of power for a human being”, said the 76-year-old director. Based on real events – without reporting on them – the plot of Comedy of Power jumps back and forth from the public to the private sphere, showing Jeanne’s personal life to be as corrupt as the criminals she is chasing. If the whole financial scandal is portrayed with wit and humour, Chabrol decided to use a more serious tone for Jeanne’s marriage. With no room for domestic satires, here we meet a decadent couple, where husband and wife have become invisible to each other. | Cast:
Isabelle Huppert, François Berléand, Patrick Bruel Director |
| Combien tu m'aimes?
(18) How much do you love me? Dir: Bertrand Blier |
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GLASGOW GFT
23 April 8.40pm LONDON CINELUMIERE 25 April 8.30pm DUNDEE DCA 27 April 8.20pm ABERDEEN BELMONT 30 April 6.30pm & 1 May 8.45pm |
| The highly provocative new romantic comedy from Bertrand Blier (Too Beautiful for You) is a stylish and handsomely played fable about beauty, seduction, sex and romance. Balding office worker François (the excellent Bernard Campan) enters a brothel in Paris’ Pigalle District, and speaks with the fur-clad prostitute Daniela (a beguiling Monica Bellucci), discovering that her favours can be had for 150 euros. Instead, Francois reveals he has just won the lotto, and will happily give her 100,000 euros a month to live with him until the money runs out. Daniela soon transforms herself into the domestic housewife of every man’s dreams: she cooks him spaghetti and wriggles and squeals endlessly during their long sessions of lovemaking (much to the annoyance of Francois’ neighbour, Farida Rahouadj). It almost seems as if nothing could go wrong, at least until Daniela’s gangster boyfriend Charlie (Gérard Depardieu) turns up… This audacious, buoyantly choreographed ballet of fluctuating allegiances is played to perfection, and boasts a quartet of delicious performances. The ubiquitous Depardieu, of course, nearly steals the show from under the leads. | Cast:
Gérard Depardieu, Monica Bellucci, Bernard Campan, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Edouard Baer Director |
| Meurtrières(18)
Murderers Dir: Patrick Grandperret |
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LONDON
CINELUMIERE 24 April 6.30pm GLASGOW GFT 25 April 6.30pm EDINBURGH FILMHOUSE 26 April 2.30pm & 6.15pm DUNDEE DCA 30 April 6.00pm MANCHESTER CORNERHOUSE 2 May (Contact cinema for time) Director Patrick Grandperret will be present at these screenings: London CinéLumière 24 April 6.30pm / Glasgow GFT 25 April 6.30pm / Edinburgh Filmhouse 26 April 6.15pm |
| A true-life tale of two innocent and well-meaning 19-year-old women who are driven by a series of untoward events to commit murder, was inspired by an unrealised project of the late French veteran Maurice Pialat, to whose memory it is dedicated. It explores the idea of beautiful but sexually ripe and independent-minded young women clashing with the stifling norms of the bourgeoisie. Rejected by their parents, they run off. Their paths cross when they meet up in a psychiatric hospital from which they soon escape. With no money, they ask for help, in vain, from people they know including friends, ex-boyfriends, and neighbours. Their encounters become more and more dangerous on the roadside, confronted with abuse which perhaps inevitably ends in extreme violence. This is the sixth feature by Patrick Grandperret who was an assistant to Pialat on Passe ton bac d'abord (1979) and Loulou (1980). Grandperret directed notably Mona et moi (1989 – Prix Jean Vigo) and L’enfant lion (1993). | Cast:
Céline Sallette, Hande Kodja, Gianni Giardinelli, Anais de Courson, Isabelle Caubère, Shafik Ahmad, Karine Pinoteau, Marc Rioufol Director |
| Nouvelle chance (15)
Oh, la, la! Dir: Anne Fontaine |
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LONDON CINELUMIERE
20 April 6.30pm EDINBURGH FILMHOUSE 23 April 8.30pm GLASGOW GFT 24 April 3.00pm & 26 April 6.30pm MANCHESTER CORNERHOUSE 1 May (Contact cinema for time) |
| Two of Anne Fontaine’s earlier films, Augustin and Augustin, roi du kung-fu, were based around the fictional figure of Augustin Dos Santos, a hopeful, but hopelessly bad, bit-part actor trying to find his way in a world that does not suit him. Augustin returns in Nouvelle Chance – as does Jean-Chrétien Sibertin-Blanc, Fontaine's brother, who has played the role in each film. It is now clear that Augustin is to Fontaine (subject of an FFF retro in 1999) what Antoine Doinel was to François Truffaut: a character at the centre of a richly evolving universe. Bemused, bewildered and slightly inept, Augustin is nevertheless a kind of foil for everything in the narrative world that seems to unfold mysteriously in front of him. Nouvelle Chance also boasts the radiant presence of Danielle Darrieux, whose career goes back some seven decades. This icon of French cinema is luminous as Odette, a retired operetta star. When she sees Augustin's one-man show Odette seeks him out to congratulate him. Their serendipitous meeting results in the entrepreneurial Augustin attempting to stage a play with Odette. Their source material is the famous correspondence of the Marquise du Deffand, an 18th-century hostess of artistic salons who was known for her intelligence, formidable cynicism and esprit. Augustin's quest to round out the cast soon draws mainstream television star Bettina (Arielle Dombasle), fine-looking social worker Raphaël (Andy Gillet) and Franck (Christophe Vandevelde) into his typically frenetic orbit. Briskly paced and delightfully realised, the film is a treat for lovers of Fontaine's off-beat tales. | Cast:
Danielle Darrieux, Arielle Dombasle, Jean-Chrétien Sibertin-Blanc, Andy Gillet, Christophe Vandevelde Director |
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EDINBURGH FILMHOUSE 28 April 8.30pm ONLY Director Sylvain Chomet and Producer Claudie Ossard will be present at this screening. |
| A dream list of international directors were invited by producer Claudie Ossard to each make a short film reflectingsome of the character and emotion conjured up by a particular district in the heart of Paris. The result is an inspiring love letter to a city and its inhabitants filled with magical moments from Sylvain Chomet’s delightful meander with a renegade mime (Little Britain’s Paul Putner) to the reunion of Gena Rowlands and Ben Gazzara in a neighbourhood cafe to Steve Buscemi’s experiences as a hapless American tourist. This is definitely a “date” film, with appropriate humour, romance, and a sense of loss. | Cast:
Fanny Ardant, Julie Bataille, Leïla Bekhti, Melchior Beslon, Juliette Binoche, Gérard Depardieu, Martin Combes, Sergio Castellitto, Aïssa Maïga, Florence Muller, Alexander Payne, Éric Poulain, Ludivine Sagnier, Rufus Sewell, Gaspard Ulliel, Leonor Watling, Paul Putner, Emily Mortimer, Yolande Moreau, Sara Martins, Axel Kiener, Hippolyte Girardot, Bob Hoskins, Marianne Faithfull, Cyril Descours, Javier Camara, Seydou Boro, Steve BUSCEMI, Willem Dafoe, Li Xin, Barbet Schroeder, Miranda Richardson, Joana Preiss, Nathalie Portman, Ben Gazzara, Nicolas Maury, Olga Kurylenko, Laetitia Spigarelli, Hervé Pierre, Eric Caravaca 2006 120mins |
| Un printemps à
Paris (15) Springtime in Paris Dir: Jacques Bral |
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EDINBURGH FILMHOUSE
24 April 8.30pm & 25 April 2.30pm DUNDEE DCA 28 April 8.20pm |
| An exuberant spoof on honour among thieves following a jewel heist, Springtime in Paris is smart, sardonic and satisfying. With enough bluffing and brinkmanship for a poker tournament, the cast of shady guys and dolls offer the considerable pleasure of a modest but nicely calibrated thriller. Veteran Jacques Bral, who wrote, directed, produced and co-edited, has been absent from the big screen for too long. Middle-aged thief Georges (Eddy Mitchell) has just served five years in prison and would rather not go back. When suave young Pierrot (Sagamore Stévenin) suggests a lucrative can't-miss job, they combine forces to steal a gem-bedecked necklace from the safe in a private mansion. Matters grow complex when the insurance company leans on the police, the police lean on the fence, the jeweller is reluctant to split the proceeds, bullets are fired, women are seduced and the wrong people make impromptu visits to the cops. Mitchell and Stévenin are great fun as cool customers while the dark humour and modern romance punctuate the proceedings from first frame to last while the breezy jazz score is a delight. | Cast:
Eddy Mitchell, Sagamore Stévenin, Pascale Arbillot, Pierre Santini, Jean-Francois Balmer, Gérard Jugnot, Maxime Leroux, Anne Roussel, Géraldine Danon, Florence Darel Director |
| Les Brigades du Tigre
(12) Tiger Brigades Dir: Jérôme Cornuau |
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EDINBURGH FILMHOUSE
21 April 5.45pm GLASGOW GFT 22 April 3.45pm LONDON CINELUMIERE 26 April 6.15pm LONDON RIVERSIDE 27 April 8.40pm |
| Think on the lines of a French version of The Untouchables and you have an approximation of this enjoyable story of an elite police section who fight crime and terrorism during the Parisian Belle Epoque when the first motorised police brigade called Tiger Brigades was established. Les Brigades du Tigre actually became a cult French TV series produced from 1974 to 1983. The special police unit was created in 1907 by Head of Government Georges Clemenceau (aka The Tiger hence the moniker). These untouchables, especially the main protagonists, Valentin (Clovis Cornillac), Terrasson (Olivier Gourmet), and Pujol (Edouard Baer), helped by a young officer (Stefano Accorsi) and supervised by Inspector Faivre (Gérard Jugnot), fight against criminal organisations with the then-modern means (De Dion Bouton and then Panhard Levassor limousines, telegraph, telephone, fingerprints...), which included a full physical training involving a lot of French boxing. All the typical elements of the early 20th Century are there : gangsters in black cars, anarchists and violent groups like ‘la bande à Bonnot’, financial scandals (the Russian loans affair) and the threat of a World War. The film is reminiscent of the silent serials by Louis Feuillade (Les Vampires) with its multiple colourful and surprising episodes plus lots of action, suspense, romance and humour. | Cast:
Clovis Cornillac, Diane Kruger, Edouard Baer, Olivier Gourmet, Stefano Accorsi, Jacques Gamblin, Thierry Frémont, Léa Drucker, Didier Flamand, Philippe Duquesne, Alexandre Medvedev, Richard Valls, André Marcon, Agnès Soral, Gérard Jugnot Director |
| Le temps des porte-plumes
(PG) A Year in my Life Dir: Daniel Dural |
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GLASGOW GFT
22 April 6.30pm EDINBURGH FILMHOUSE 28 April 1.00pm EDINBURGH VUE OCEAN TERMINAL 29 April 6.30pm |
| A Year in my Life is set in 1954 and follows the misadventures of a ten year old boy adopted by a couple (Anne Brochet and Jean-Paul Rouve) in Auvergne. Coming from a deprived urban background and having witnessed all kinds of social drama, the child discovers a more sympathetic way of life, notably with the help of a soldier returning from the war in Indochina (Lorànt Deutsch). Pippo is excited about his new world and charmed by life in the countryside. Slowly, the boy knocks down the barriers of his own shyness and starts getting to know people, like old Alphonsine, who amuses and fascinates him. A Year in my Life marks a fine return to directing for Daniel Duval. Having made five feature films between 1974 and 1983, the actor-director notably garnered three Cesar nominations in 1979 for La Dérobade for which Miou-Miou was awarded best actress. He put on hold his director’s career to concentrate his efforts on acting, with a filmography of more than 40 roles, recently in 36 Quai des Orfèvres, Hidden and also Time to Leave. | Cast:
Gérard Depardieu, Monica Bellucci, Bernard Campan, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Edouard Baer Director |
| Le petit lieutenant
(18) The Young Lieutenant Dir: Xavier Beauvois |
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GLASGOW GFT
21 April 8.40pm EDINBURGH FILMHOUSE 20 April 6.15pm & 24 April 2.30pm LONDON RIVERSIDE 28 April 4.15pm & 8.45pm DUNDEE DCA 1 May 8.30pm ABERDEEN BELMONT 4 May 8.45pm & 5 May 6.30pm |
| The promise of Xavier Beauvois’s early features (North, Don’t Forget You’re Going to Die) continues auspiciously with The Young Lieutenant, a singular critical and commercial success in France. Practically bursting with pride on the day of his graduation from the police academy, Antoine (Jalil Lespert) is even more delighted to learn that his request for assignment in Paris has been granted. While his wife remains in the country, Antoine finds a place in town and starts work in the criminal unit run by Inspector Caroline Vaudieu (Nathalie Baye). Recovering from a long struggle with alcoholism brought on by the death of her son, Vaudieu is determined to regain the respect she’s lost in the department – as well as to introduce Antoine to the reality of police work. As shown in his earlier films, Beauvois is exceptionally skilled at orchestrating ensemble casts. The interplay between Lespert, Baye and their fellow cops Roschdy Zem, Antoine Chappey and Xavier Beauvois himself feels both precise and remarkably natural. The police unit becomes a kind of refuge for each of these characters, a place for them to let down their guard and be themselves – until tragedy strikes and reconfigures all their relationships. | Cast:
Nathalie Baye, Jalil Lespert, Roschdy Zem, Antoine Chappey, Xavier Beauvois, Jacques Perrin Director |