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CinémaTuesdays
Hollywood Loves French Cinema
October 5–26, 2010
Florence Gould Hall

Screening Schedule
Oct 5: À bout de souffle
Oct 5: Breathless
Oct 12: Boudu sauvé des eaux
Oct 12: Down and Out in Beverly Hills
Oct 19: Le salaire de la peur
Oct 19: Sorcerer
Oct 26: Le jour se lève
Oct 26: The Long Night

FIAF offers a small window into a giant theme in the history of cinema: remakes. In particular, this series focuses on American takes on classic French films. These remakes speak to the universality of cinema while illuminating fascinating differences in time, culture, and community.

À bout de souffle
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
12:30 & 7pm
Florence Gould Hall

Breathless
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard, 1961. B&W. 90 min.
With Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg
In French with English subtitles

Introduction Cancelled
Bruce Goldstein, founder and director of Rialto Pictures will be unable to introduce the 7pm screening. Only the film will be screened at that time.

For many, the film that defined the French New Wave. With a restless energy that pulses through its handheld camerawork and obsession with cinema’s history, À bout de souffle carves out its own unique territory. Emulated and imitated over the decades, it remains staggeringly original. Presented here in a 50th anniversary restoration.

CRITICS PICK!
"It’s not hyperbole to say that Godard's New Wave touchstone, still one of the most electrifying debuts in history, changed cinema forever." —New York Magazine

“A chunk of raw drama, graphically and artfully torn with appropriately ragged edges out of the tough underbelly of modern metropolitan life.” —The New York Times

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Breathless
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
4 & 9pm
Florence Gould Hall

Directed by Jim McBride, 1983. Color. 100 min.
With Richard Gere, Valérie Kaprisky
Note: In English

A film ripe for reconsideration, McBride’s Breathless proves to be an acute examination of the characters and themes introduced in Godard’s original, only transposed from the streets of Paris to the unsettling calm of 1980s Los Angeles. Gere, stepping into the role made famous by Belmondo, radiates charisma and intensity.

Reviews
“Mr. Gere plays Jesse Lujack with an uninhibited, lunatic energy that frequently comes close to parody, but it also gives the film a nervous, nutty quality that fits.” —The New York Times

“The stars are rarely uninhibited and tangibly hot for each other, and every element of the movie jams responsively with the soundtrack. I'd rather re-watch it than À bout de soufflé about 9 times out of 10.” —The Village Voice

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Boudu sauvé des eaux
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
12:30 & 7pm
Florence Gould Hall

Boudu Saved from Drowning
Directed by Jean Renoir, 1932. B&W. 85 min.
With Michel Simon, Marcelle Haina
In French with English subtitles

An early masterpiece by Renoir spotlighting Simon’s performance as the rascally Boudu—often referred to as one of the great performances in film. By rescuing Boudu from his deadly jump into the Seine, middle-class bookseller Lestingois unwittingly invites chaos into his life, upending all he holds dear. Hilariously, resolutely moving.

Review
“One of Jean Renoir's most enjoyable films. Its wit, freshness and spontaneity continue to impress.” —The BBC

“Jean Renoir's effortless 1932 masterpiece is as informal, beguiling, and subversive as its eponymous hero... Shot largely on location along the quays of Paris, the film features several early experiments with deep focus and non naturalistic sound, though its chief stylistic feature is Renoir's incomparable way of gently shifting moods, from the farcical to the lyrical to the tragic and back again.”
—Chicago Reader

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Down and Out in Beverly Hills
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
4 & 9pm
Florence Gould Hall

Directed by Paul Mazursky, 1986. Color. 103 min.
With Nick Nolte, Bette Midler, Richard Dreyfuss
Note: In English

Mazursky’s decision to bring the Boudu tale to Beverly Hills richly pays off, allowing for a fresh take on the collision of classes that nearly equals the original. Nolte and Dreyfuss lead a stellar cast on a frequently insightful and funny journey through the American bourgeoisie in all its gaudy glory.

Review
“This isn’t just a remake…Mazursky has a way of making comedies that are more intelligent and relevant than most of the serious films around…Down and Out in Beverly Hills made me laugh longer and louder than any film I've seen in a long time.” —Roger Ebert

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Le salaire de la peur
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
12:30 & 7pm
Florence Gould Hall

The Wages of Fear
Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1953. B&W. 148 min.
With Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Folco Lulli
In French with English subtitles

The 7pm screening will be introduced by filmmaker and film curator Jackie Raynal.

Two rare screenings of the complete 16mm version. A thriller with few peers, The Wages of Fear finds four men in a South American jungle hired to deliver nitroglycerine to a distant oil field by truck. Tension builds between the men to unbearable levels on remote roads where the tiniest jolt could result in death. Riveting beyond belief!

Review
“Clouzot’s ability to sustain suspense may have even exceeded Hitchcock’s…a relentless, goosebump-inducing assault on the audience's senses.” —All Movie Guide

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Sorcerer
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
4pm
Florence Gould Hall

Directed by William Friedkin, 1977. Color. 121 min.
With Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal
Note: In English

After achieving great success with The French Connection and The Exorcist, Friedkin revisited Clouzot’s classic, imbuing it with his distinctive talent for suspense and terror. Driven by its notable score by Tangerine Dream, Sorcerer builds toward a hallucinatory climax that crystallizes Freidkin’s bravura filmmaking. A mesmerizing remake of an already classic tale.

Review
“The tension never slackens in the carefully paced thriller.”
—All Movie Guide

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Le jour se lève
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
12:30 & 7pm
Florence Gould Hall

Daybreak
Directed by Marcel Carné, 1939. B&W. 93 min.
With Jean Gabin, Jules Berry, Arletty
In French with English subtitles

Gabin explores new depths of the everyman persona he had perfected in this, his second collaboration with the master Carné. A hallmark work of poetic realism, Le Jour se lève asks us to consider what is acceptable in the pursuit of love—and what remains unforgivable. A despairing, brilliant film.

Review
“Possibly the best of the Carné-Prévert films, certainly their collaboration at its most classically pure.” —Time Out

“This is the best of the fatalistic dramas scripted by Prévert and directed by Carné, a doom-laden romance, heavier on atmosphere than tension, and made memorable by the performances.”
—Film 4

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The Long Night
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
4 & 9pm
Florence Gould Hall

Directed by Anatole Litvak, 1947. B&W. 101 min.
With Henry Fonda, Barbara Bel Geddes
Note: In English

The success of Le jour se lève practically guaranteed production of a remake, but The Long Night is entirely successful on its own terms. As Fonda steps into Gabin’s role, the story bracingly pushes into noir territory with all of its impact intact, resulting in a real tightrope of a film.

Review
“There is a real feeling of claustrophobia as the film progresses…the performances are first rate.” —Film 4

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Venue & Ticket Information

Venue
Florence Gould Hall
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022

Ticket Prices
FIAF Members FREE** ($2 advance tickets)
Non-Members $10
Students with ID $7

Buy Tickets
Online: Ticketmaster.com
Call: 212 307 4100

Fax Order Form (pdf)

Visit Box Office

**Free tickets for FIAF Members are distributed on the day of the event. Please present your Membership card at the box office. Tickets may be purchased in advance for $2.

Special Offer
Present your ticket and receive a 15% discount on your bill at Bistro 60 (37 E 60 St). Valid on date printed on ticket.

Curated by Marie Losier and Jackie Raynal.

Special thanks to the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rialto Pictures, Bruce Goldstein, David Kehr, and Jackie Raynal.

Cinéma at FIAF is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency.

Additional Sponsors:
American Airlines, the official airline of FIAF; Cultural Services of the French Embassy; Culturesfrance; Florence Gould Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency; The Bay and Paul Foundations; Robert de Rothschild; The Laura Pels Foundation; and Dr. Michael Siegal

Images courtesy of Photofest