A Decade of French Film

French film will always be considered as the most stylish and influential of the cinematic cannon. In the late 50s through to the 60s Hollywood took note from the iconic and artistic films of the French New Wave, which taught America how to be simultaneously intellectually engaging, politically provocative and visually beautiful. While the popularity of this movement later began to fade and be parodied as something pretentious and dated, French Cinema in the 21st century has hit back by proving itself to be continually innovative, boasting a mix of both French and Hollywood influences whilst retaining its commitment to home grown talent.

To celebrate the release of the latest French import ‘The Informant’ from director Julien Leclercq (A Prophet) we take a look at some of the most popular French films to grace our cinema screens for the past ten years.

THE INFORMANT in cinemas from Today Friday 25th April 2014.

The Informant (2014)

An intense thriller based on true events that tells the tale of one man’s attempt to stay alive while caught between both sides of the law. The film’s excellent cast led by a captivating Gilles Lellouche ensures the plot is character driven without unnecessary melodramatics. The Informant sees Leclercq stay true to his subtle French style whilst also creating a Hollywood thrill ride, perfectly blending drama and reality to build tension throughout.

Juene et Jolie (2013)

A critically acclaimed French drama that follows the emotionally complex Isabelle as she explores her burgeoning sexuality via the world of high end prostitution with varying levels of consequence. Marine Vacth’s subtle performance as Isabelle was universally praised, showcasing the new young talent coming out of France.

Amour (2012)

This heart wrenching drama starring Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva sees Austrian director Michael Haneke tell the story of an elderly French couple’s struggle after Anne (Riva) suffers a stroke and becomes paralysed. The film takes on the heavy topics of ageing and death to create a moving and inspiring piece of cinema that is carried by the impressive talent of its leading cast.

The Artist (2011)

The Artist recreated the magic of early French Cinema in this playful and inventive film which was considered both a crowd pleaser and an incredible piece of film-making. The black and white silent romantic-comedy takes place in Hollywood during the Golden Age of cinema where a love story between two stars is compromised by the rise of ‘talkie’ films which are replacing silent cinema. The film’s use of an old cinema style to stunning effect meant it became the first French film to win an Academy award and also saw Jean Dujardi pick up the award for Best Actor. (The Artist is on BBC2 Sunday, 27th April, 9pm)

March of the Penguins (2005)

This 2005 French-nature documentary was a surprise global hit and showed the diversity and originality of what French cinema had to offer. The film depicts the yearly journey of the Emperor Penguins of Antarctica and was praised for its cinematography and the subtle political and social commentary that runs throughout. While some of the international versions varied from the original narration and sound track, the heart-warming story at the core of the film appealed to audiences worldwide.

Subtitled Style (Rebellion Feature)

Too often, incredible foreign-language films slip through the cracks and escape international notice. Even with widespread acclaim, it can be difficult for foreign films to be seen outside their native country and sometimes even within their native country, particularly if said film was the subject of controversy. Here is a look at ten of the best foreign subtitled action films, starting with Mathieu Kassovitz’s hidden gem Rebellion

Rebellion (2013)

Mathieu Kassovitz’s thrilling, action-packed Rebellion tells the real-life story of a French tribe in New Caledonia who attacked a police precinct taking 30 innocents hostage, as Special Ops officer Captain Philippe Legorjus (Matthieu Kassovitz, Haywire) is tasked with freeing them. A connection is formed between the Captain and lead terrorist Alphonse Dianou (newcomer Iabe Lapacas), but as negotiations become increasingly hostile, it becomes clear that the rebels have nothing to lose and everything to fight for. Kassovitz was nominated for a César award for this film, along with co-writers Benoît Jaubert and Pierre Geller for a Best Adapted Screenplay.

La Haine (1995)

Rebellion director Mathieu Kassovitz’s second feature film was the critically acclaimed La Haine (or Hate), which featured a stellar breakthrough performance from close friend, then-rising French star, Vincent Cassel. The controversial film chronicles 19 hours in the lives of three young friends from immigrant backgrounds—one North African, one Jewish and one Afro-French—as they contend with the overflowing racial tensions in the French housing project where they live. Despite the controversy in his native France, the film earned Kassovitz the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Oldboy (2003)

Loosely based on the Japanese manga of the same name, the second instalment in The Vengeance Trilogy by South Korean director Park Chan-Wook, Oldboy has developed something of a cult following for its cinematic originality and shocking twists. On his way to his young daughter’s birthday party, businessman Oh Dae-su is kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years. Once released, he embarks on a perilous five-day journey to discover the motive behind his confinement. Oldboy garnered incredible reviews from Western critics, and director Spike Lee’s American remake is scheduled for 2013 release.

Tough Enough (2006)

Director Detlev Buck’s gripping German thriller showcases a brilliantly emotional performance from a teenage David Kross (The Reader, 2008). When Miriam splits up with her wealthy boyfriend, she and her 15-year-old son Michael (Kross) are forced to relocate from their posh neighbourhood to a rundown Berlin suburb. Michael endures violent bullying from the first, until he begins running drugs for a local charismatic dealer. Praised for its gritty social realism and stellar soundtrack, the film won Buck the International Federation of Film Critics award at the Berlin Film Festival, along with a slew of other accolades from Germany and Austria.

City of God (2003)

The critically acclaimed City of God follows two young boys from the same Brazilian slum and the very different trajectories their lives take. Rocket grows up to become a photographer who chronicles the rise of childhood associate Li'l Zé, now a ruthless kingpin who terrorises the city with maniacal glee. The film received four Academy Award nominations, and following its success, director Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardner, 2006) created a television series City of Men, which was then adapted into a 2007 film.

The Debt (2007)

This Israeli thriller tells the fictional account of a 1964 covert Mossad team charged with capturing a nefarious Nazi doctor who brutally experimented on Jews during the Holocaust. When the doctor manages to escape, the group reports instead that he was shot and killed in the process of fleeing. Years later, the celebrated agents discover the surgeon may still be alive and on the verge of confessing all. The film was nominated for four awards by the Israeli Film Academy, and in 2011, Helen Mirren, Ciarán Hinds and Tom Wilkinson starred in the American remake.

Battle Royale (2000)

Based on the 1999 novel of the same name, Battle Royale follows a young student forced by a dystopian government to compete against the other students of his class in a fight to the death. The film was met with immediate controversy in its native Japan, particularly from government officials, but still managed to become one of the country’s top ten highest grossing films and was hailed by Western critics.

Tsotsi (2005)

In the slums of South Africa, brutal gang leader Tsotsi (Presley Chweneyagae) comes of age through rather unusual circumstances. After a mugging gone wrong, Tsotsi accidentally rides away with a three-month-old in the backseat of a stolen car. With the police hot on his trail, the young gangster becomes the baby’s sole caregiver and that baby becomes the catalyst for his redemption. Tsotsi won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film and was nominated for a Golden Globe in the same category.

Hidden (2005)

Starring French luminaries Danny Auteuil and Juliette Binoche, Michael Haneke’s polarising thriller about a small Parisian family shaken by the discovery that they are being anonymously surveilled premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to tremendous acclaim. The film won three prizes, including the Best Director Award for Haneke. The film received largely positive reviews, and is a regular fixture on the best of world cinema lists.

Waltz With Bashir (2008)

In this fiercely original, animated documentary, writer and director Ari Folman meets up with an old army buddy, 24 years after the 1982 Lebanon War. Both still teenagers at the time, his friend remembers nothing about the war effort and Folmon discovers he, too, recalls very little with precision. In order to recover his memories, Folmon seeks out others in Beirut at the time to share their stories. Although classified as a documentary, the film uses a combination of storytelling techniques and Folmon used both actual people and composites. Among its numerous accolades, Waltz With Bashir counts the BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language; but despite its numerous accolades, the film is banned in its native Lebanon.


Rebellion is released on DVD and Blu-ray by Lionsgate in UK&Ireland 26th August, read our review here.

The Look of Love - Coogan the Chameleon

Steve Coogan, forever tied to his legendary comic creation Alan Partridge, has appeared in a varied range of film roles in recent years, acting in biopics, voicing animated characters and of course recently starring as the aforementioned Partridge in the long awaited ALPHA PAPA. To celebrate the release of THE LOOK OF LOVE out on DVD & Blu-ray on August 19th, we take a look at a selection of Coogan’s cinematic roles.

Paul Raymond – The Look of Love (2012)

Paul Raymond, otherwise known as the King of Soho, was a bold and brave businessman during a time of social change. He is most famous for his strip clubs in Soho during the 1960’s that brought him an obscene amount of wealth, which led to the launching of Paul Raymond Publications and soft porn magazines. After watching video footage and talking with the Liverpudlian’s family and friends, Steve Coogan was able to bring his character back to life, showing his close relationship with his daughter Debbie Raymond and how drugs were the downfall of his family.

Alan Partridge – Alpha Papa (2013)

After he first appeared on BBC Radio 4 with On The Hour back in 1991, Alan Partridge has become a UK phenomenon and Steve Coogan’s 20 year long comedy masterpiece. Coogan has mastered Alan’s insecure, superficial, social status obsessed personality, this year culminating in his very own action film. Acting as a negotiator during an armed takeover of the news station, Partridge looks to take advantage of the media buzz. As witty as he’s ever been, Coogan’s alter ego looks to be a hit with critics and viewers.

Tony Wilson – 24 Hour Party People (2002)

Despite being another biopic of a media mogul, 24 Hour Party People is a very different film. Tony Wilson, Cambridge educated journalist, knew he’d found ‘the future of music’ one night at a small concert featuring the Sex Pistols, and later sets up Factory Records who would sign Joy Division. Using a healthy dose of artistic license, the film depicts the defining foundations of the punk movement in Manchester and the later era-defining ‘Madchester’ scene of the late 80s and early 90s. See if you can spot a cameo from the real Tony Wilson.

Tristram Shandy – A Cock & Bull Story (2005)

In this book within a book within a film within a film, Coogan plays himself playing an actor. Based on the humourous eighteenth century book Tristam Shandy, famous for its long discussions of metaphysical concepts, the film employs layers of this outside the production of the film being made on screen. Using a documentary style, the lack of plot focus from the novel allows Coogan freedom to riff amusingly with co-star Rob Brydon unhindered by relevance to anything happening within what can be loosely described as the story.

Damien Cockburn – Tropic Thunder (2008)

With a $92 million budget, this comedy action movie is only the fourth from director Ben Stiller. Coogan plays a fledgling director attempting to shoot an adaptation of a war novel written by John Tayback (Nick Nolte). What he and the rest of the production don’t realise is that their location is actually the territory of a violent heroin gang who view the film crew as a threat. The frustrated Coogan is a month behind schedule and stressing about his project, to amusing satirical effect. When he is blown up by a land mine, the actors believe it is a trick to add realism to their roles.

Phileas Fogg – 80 Days Around the World (2004)

Taking David Niven’s role in the Oscar winning 1956 version of the film, the modern update with Jackie Chan is an amusing retelling that doesn’t take itself nearly as seriously. Coogan fits the shoes of mad inventor with surprising ease. His outlandish CGI inventions and trademark British humour in the face of almost certain death give the film a warm charm, and is representative of a self-awareness that the grandeur of its older adaptation won’t enthral modern audiences in the same way that it did half a century ago.

Ambassador Mercy – Marie Antoinette (2006)

The cult period film by Hollywood royalty Sophia Coppola put Coogan in a more minor role. Speaking of the director, he said “You know that if Sofia Coppola’s going to make a costume drama it’s not going to be ordinary ... The reason I did that movie was because of her.” Like many in the industry, he prefers the freedom of independent filmmaking, but made exception on this occasion. An uncommon non-comedic role for the actor, Coogan proves he can tackle this type of character with a flourish.
The Look Of Love will be released on 19th August on DVD and Blu-ray.

A-mour than slim chance (Amour Feature)

Come Sunday, Hollywood may be toasting the work of one of cinema’s most celebrated bearded and bespectacled directors at its lavish annual hand out of golden statues. But, there is a chance it may not be the familiar face of Steven Spielberg but the shadowy, roll necked figure of Michael Haneke gracing the stage at LA’s Kodak Theatre accepting the handouts from Hollywood’s elite.

Yes Michael Haneke, the same Michael Haneke whose disdain for Hollywood is hardly a closely guarded secret. The same Michael Haneke whose violence-heavy Funny Games went for the jugular on its attack of American cinema’s obsession with, and subsequent numbness to, extreme violence. When his original Austrian version failed to land a knock-out punch stateside it was the same Michael Haneke who made an exact remake complete in English and with recognisable stars to engage the very audience he seems to hold in such contempt.

His Palme D’or winning feature Amour can arguably claim to be the runaway success of the Academy’s nominations, picking up five nods in total. So how can this apparent nemesis of all things Hollywood now lay claim to being enfant terribles number one, no longer feared but embraced by the establishment? What’s perhaps more surprising than nominating such a critic of America’s cinematic output is the fact that Haneke is a foreign film maker making distinctly foreign language films, something largely ignored by the Academy. With that in mind, does this mean there is change afoot at the Oscars? Are they finally embracing the subtleties, craftsmanship and overlooked work of world cinema, finally putting it on a par with their own brand of multiplex mediocrity?

Sadly, there is a more likely reason for Amour falling in favour with the Academy. Before its actual release, Amour was being whispered about as a sign of Haneke finally yielding to sentiment and emotion. The tale of an aging couple, struggling on alone with just their ‘amour’ keeping them going sounded almost heart-warming. There is reason to believe that some voters were sold on the idea rather than the reality of Amour, the warm end-of-life saga resonating with the notoriously elderly members. In reality, of course, it delivers the usual cold punch Haneke has become so masterful at handling.

There is reason to celebrate Amour’s success – its nominations come in the traditionally heavyweight categories of Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress alongside the obligatory Best Foreign film nod. However, that a film of Amour’s quality is having to celebrate a mere mention among the usual Oscar fodder is indicative of how blind Hollywood can be when it comes to films not in its native tongue.

The Awards concession to all things outside the English language was the formation of the aforementioned Best Foreign Film category. Film-making countries from across the globe are given the generous amount of 1 film to put forward as a contender for the Academy to consider. That’s one. One film from a years worth of cinema to be chosen above countless others, judged best suited to appeal to the Academy members taste. So impossible is it for a country whose first language isn’t our own to possibly make more than one award-worthy film and so stretching it is to expect said members to suffer their way through any more subtitles than they have to that the one country one film rule was born.

This rule only serves to obscure and skew the works of film-makers outside the US and has ramifications in this year’s ceremony. Falling foul of this bizarre condition this year was Jacques Audiard and his acclaimed Rust and Bone. The French Film Academy, reduced to their solitary vote, elected Intouchables as their most likely chance of success across the Atlantic. It’s an understandable decision – their pick was a record-breaking box office success in its homeland and fared well among audiences overseas. It also had a redemptive, uplifting tone likely to appease the Academy, something Amour distinctly lacks.

It does however underline the obscurity of the nomination process which forced the wonderful Rust and Bone to be overlooked, no doubt jeopardising the chances of its star Marion Cotillard to be nominated for the Best Actress award (surely no Academy member would watch an overseas film they weren’t forced to).

Away from the absurd one film rule, there is another baffling element to the category, one that may be on show come this year’s ceremony. It’s more than probable that Amour will win the best foreign film race, marking Austria as the victorious nation due to the nationality of director Michael Haneke. This ruling overlooks the merits of the very un-Austrian production of the film itself. Financed with French money by a French production company and shot in France with French actors speaking French, Amour has more than a whiff of a Gallic accent to it. It is unlikely that the film would have been quite the same had it not, and yet it is Austria who will be on the record books as producing the years best film outside of the English speaking world. They may well have produced a great director but had very little to do with the making of the film.
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Perhaps expecting any kind of change is futile. The Oscars has never been a place to acknowledge the cinematic world as a whole, lifting the work of foreign cinema aloft on the burley and financially sound shoulders of Hollywood studios. It is intended as an office party of sorts, celebrating those on the same team, just down the road and familiar faced, meeting once a year to slap each-other on the back and congratulate one another on their fine achievements. The fancy festivals of the Med and mystical Europe are seen as the place to acknowledge the work of everyone else. And, while the likes of Cannes and Venice have regularly embraced the works of Hollywood’s finest – Scorsese, Malick, Copolla – giants of European cinema such as Godard, Fellini and Renoir were consistently overlooked by the industry’s biggest bash.

We can hope for a change in attitude or an alteration to the foreign film category but both seem unlikely. For now we are left with Haneke and Amour. How ironically apt it would be for him all of people to truly break out of the ‘foreign’ ghetto and into the glittering Hollywood limelight.

Matthew Walsh