Monthly Archives: March 2016
Mammuth
Gérard Depardieu wears his corpulence as a heavy soul, a man greased and bled by years of work in the local abattoir. Benoît Delépine and Gustave de Kervern’s blue-black comedy (the humour is more an aching bruise) opens with the … Continue reading
Vincent, François, Paul et les Autres (the Others)
Mid-life unease is worn as light as a 1970s sports jacket in Claude Sautet’s expose of friendship and floundering between three men. Energetic entrepreneur, Vincent (Yves Montand), the uptight doctor, François (Michel Piccoli) and disillusioned writer, Paul (Serge Reggiani) all … Continue reading
Conte d’Hiver (A Winter’s Tale)
Eric Rohmer reinvents fairytale with grey cold, charming chattering and the hopes of an ordinary woman. Neither Grimm nor Disney, greedy witch or shallow promise, Rohmer’s magic rests in the day-to-day and a heart’s steadfast belief that something, contrary to … Continue reading
César et Rosalie
Male adoration and infatuation takes two forms in Claude Sautet’s love-triangle serenade, starring Romy Schneider as the woman unable to choose between a passionate entrepreneur and an aloof artist. Both are obsessed with her, but show their interest in different … Continue reading
Le Boucher (The Butcher)
A disturbed butcher falling for a small-town schoolteacher forms the blood and bones of Claude Chabrol’s classic 1970 thriller. Set in the heart of the Dordogne close to one of the region’s prehistoric caves, Popaul (Jean Yanne) is a needy … Continue reading
