Journeys Through French Cinema
tv show
8 total episodes
-
1 seasons
First Aired September 16, 2017
Genres:
Overview
My Journey Through French Cinema (2017), Bertrand Tavernier’s César-nominated three-and-a-half-hour tour through French film history, was too short to introduce audiences to all that he wanted to share. In this new eight-part series (8x55min), the acclaimed director of such films as Coup de Torchon and ‘Round Midnight guides us through a roster of filmmakers both influential and forgotten, explores how his country’s cinema was shaped by the German occupation and changed again through the New Wave, spotlights little-known female filmmakers, and more. Subjects include: René Clément, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Julien Duvivier, Henri Decoin, Claude Autant-Lara, as well as composers who made movie music an art in and of itself, far from the Hollywood spotlight.
Underrated Directors
Season 1 - Episode 7 - 1h 56m
Air Date
October 28, 2017
Overview
Continuing to spotlight names that might be unfamiliar even to ardent film buffs, Tavernier unveils glorious restored footage from one of France’s first-ever color films, 1936’s La Terre qui meurt. The latter’s director, Jean Vallée, is given his due, as are Pierre Chenal, Henri Calef (previously Chenal’s assistant)—and trailblazing women directors including Jacqueline Audry (Olivia), Nelly Kaplan (A Very Curious Girl), and Agnès Varda (Cléo from 5 to 7), whose emergence in the 1950s Tavernier hails as “a thunderclap.” Tavernier is joined by Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Frémaux for an annotated discussion of director Gilles Grangier’s many teamings with iconic actor Jean Gabin that is rich in production anecdotes and histories.