French artistry on film
THE Cork French Film Festival, which opens next weekend, will bring a variety of feature films, short films, documentaries and associated events to the city. It is a measure of the success of the festival, which is sponsored by Bord Gáis Energy, that even in these straitened times it continues to grow and evolve after 22 years in existence.
The artistic director of the festival is Paul Callanan, who is happy that the event is not just thriving but attracting international attention. “France continues to be the most active country in terms of film production,” he says. “The success of The Artist at the Oscars and at the box office is an indication of how strong and innovative French cinema is at present. There is a humour and rhythm in French cinema which creates an important counterpoint to the prevalence and overwhelming influence of American productions. As this year’s festival shows, it is also possible to unearth some real French gems from the past which may be known in France, but are largely unknown elsewhere.”
The centrepiece this year is a retrospective on the work of French film-maker, actor and comedian Pierre Étaix. He started his career with the legendary French film maker Jacques Tati before forming a very productive writing partnership with Jean-Claude Carrière. Although their French comedies were hugely popular in the Sixties, he drifted into obscurity following a prolonged legal battle over the distribution rights of his films. In an effort to resolve the complex legal entanglements, over 35,000 people, including Woody Allen and David Lynch, signed a petition looking for the release of films which are considered part of France’s national film heritage. Now restored and released for the big screen, his films are coming to the attention of a new generation of film buffs.
This year’s festival will feature the full range of his work, including Happy Anniversary (Heureux Anniversaire), which won an Oscar for the Best Short Film in 1963. It features on a double bill with Yo Yo, which chronicles the life of a ruined millionaire who meets a circus performer on the road. This will be followed by a question and answer session with Étaix, who, at 83 years of age, remains as sharp as ever. There will also be a question and answer session with his collaborator Carrière, after the showing of Le Grand Amour.
Other films to feature include Land of Milk and Honey (Pays de Cocagne), which captures the French on holidays, and Rupture, which features on a double bill with The Suitor (Le Soupirant). Étaix also plays the doctor in the festival’s closing film Le Havre, by Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki.
Étaix worked as a clown and his comedy has a strong physical component; however, his films are difficult to categorise. “They certainly haven’t dated and remain extremely funny,” says Callanan. “They were the kings of comedy in the 1960s, both nationally and internationally, and influenced other comedians such as Jerry Lewis. The legal wrangling that ensued over distribution rights essentially meant that his life’s work disappeared into a black hole for 25 years. It is an amazing privilege to be able to show his iconic films, which have been fully restored.”
Aside from the work of Étaix there is a broad buffet of feature films to choose from, including anarchic comedy The Fairy La Fée; Elles, staring Juliette Binoche as a journalist working with young prostitutes; the richly filmed and erotic Bel Ami; the classic French film Enfants du Paradis; a family screening of Tales of the Night in 3D; and Chicken with Plums (Poulet aux Prunes) from the creators of the Oscar nominated Persepolis.
In the documentary section, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, by director Werner Herzog, examines some of the world’s most ancient cave paintings in the Chauvet Cave in France. Herzog uses close up shots to bring these 30,000-year-old images to life. The Referees goes behind the scenes of the very modern phenomenon of professional referees and the abuse they face on the field. Crazy Horse looks at the subtle and precise art of seduction as it documents life in this legendary Paris strip club. One of the most intriguing documentaries is Game of Death (Le Jeu de la Mort). In a famous 1960s experiment, psychologist Stanley Milgram discovered that participants in a study were willing to administer electric shocks under instructions from an authority figure. This documentary repeats the experiment under the guise of a reality television show. The results are startling.
Three events take advantage of the unique atmosphere created by the recently renovated Triskel Christchuch. Memorsion seeks to integrate digital art, video and immersive sculpture and uses 20 screens to create a maze of video projections accompanied by live music. Project DI is a collaboration between dancer Delphine Dolce and electro-videographer Lionel Palun which explores the relationship between the physical body, image and sound.
Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated event is a showing of The Passion of Joan of Arc, accompanied by a specially commissioned score by Cork composer Irene Buckley. Staring Renée Falconetti and based on the trial records, it details the torture and scorn Joan endures in a French court where she is forced to confess to sorcery and witchcraft. Through it all she retains her faith. For Buckley, who composed the score for soprano, organ and electronics, it is the latest in a line of interesting and high profile projects.
Currently finishing a PhD in musical composition at University College Cork, she has written original scores for award winning film and television productions, including My Beamish Boy and Liberty Hall, and theatrical productions such as Disco Pigs. She admits that Joan of Arc was a perfect project for her in many ways. “The film has a dark edge and I am drawn to emotional, melancholic music,” she says. “There is a sense of restraint and purity within medieval music and that has always appealed to me. The score has the structure of a requiem mass, which I think complements both the location and the subject matter.”
Seven Years of Bad Luck will be accompanied by live piano and dinner at a gala evening at Ballymaloe House. It tells the tale of a man who breaks a mirror, thus bringing on seven years of bad luck, and it features Max Linder, who was an importance influence on Charlie Chaplin. For a more raucous evening, it’s worth catching the film Desperado with a live soundtrack by Bikini Machine. There will also be a screening of Mr Hulot’s Holiday at the English Market with a supper of Breton specialties by Farmgate Café and French accordion music.
Finally, there are two very interesting programmes featuring French and international short films from the Rencontres Henri Langlois Film Festival in Poitiers. This festival selects the most exciting films from film schools all over the world from over 1,000 works submitted annually.
“In the past, this festival has presented awards to film makers who have gone on to greater things, including the Cohen Brothers,” says Callahan. “It provides a great opportunity to spot up and coming talent and gives a glimpse of where film may be heading in the near future.”
* The Cork French Film Festival runs from March 4 to 11.Tickets, further information and a full programme of events are available at www.corkfrenchfilmfestival.com
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