French Film Masters Retrospective highlights charms of French cinema
A still from Jean-Pierre Melville's crime film "Le Samouraï," starring Alain Delon
A still from "La Haine" by Mathieu Kassovitz
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the Shanghai Art Film Federation is staging a French Film Masters Retrospective in the city.
From July 29 to August 13, representative works by renowned French filmmakers including Danièle Huillet, Jean-Marie Straub, Jean-Pierre Melville, Leos Carax, Jean-Luc Godard, Mathieu Kassovitz and Maurice Pialat will be screened at the Grand Cinema.
All the films showcase the development and innovation of French cinema during different periods. They will be presented in digitally restored versions, and some have been restored with 4K technology.
Eleven feature films and two short films will be featured in the exhibition. Among them are "Fool's Mate" (1956), "Contempt" (1963), "Le Samouraï" (1967), "The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach" (1968), "One Plus One" (1968), "We Won't Grow Old Together" (1972), "Boy Meets Girl" (1984), "Bad Blood" (1986), "Under the Sun of Satan" (1987), "La Haine" (1995), and "Sicilia!" (1999).
A poster for Jean-Luc Godard's documentary film "One Plus One"
A poster for the short film "Fool's Mate"
A poster for "Contempt"
The 29-minute short film "Fool's Mate" by Jacques Rivette, one of the central figures in the French New Wave movement, is about an unfaithful wife's attempt to keep her husband from discovering the true origins of a fur coat, a gift from her lover.
"Contempt," a representative film of Jean-Luc Godard, is centered on the disintegration of a screenwriter's marriage after his wife spends too much time with the producer.
Godard's first English-language documentary film "One Plus One" will also be screened. Godard aimed his lens at the Rolling Stones when they rehearsed "Sympathy for the Devil" in the studio. He also reflected on the society and politics of that time, commenting on news events and questioning Western culture through extensive narratives and symbols.
A poster for "Le Samouraï"
A poster for "The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach"
A poster for "Sicilia!"
Jean-Pierre Melville's crime film "Le Samouraï," a story about professional killer Jef Costello, boasts stylish cinematography, atmospheric noir elements and compelling narrative. Alain Delon's depiction of the main character has also become iconic in the realm of crime cinema.
"The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach," the feature debut of the couple Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub, is considered the best biopic film about the German composer Johann Sebastian Bach. The film provides an insight into the life and music of Bach through the correspondence and texts written by the composer, and read by his wife, Anna Magdalena Bach.
A couple's 66-minute tragicomic and lyrical film "Sicilia!," based on a novel by Elio Vittorini, is about their life and challenges on the island of Sicily.
A poster for "We Won't Grow Old Together"
A poster for "Under the Sun of Satan"
A poster for "Boy Meets Girl"
Maurice Pialat's two feature films "We Won't Grow Old Together" and "Under the Sun of Satan" are also award-winning highlights of the exhibition.
"We Won't Grow Old Together" is about a couple in a loveless marriage struggling to remain ignorant to their failed relationship while "Under the Sun of Satan" revolves around a priest's efforts to help a troubled woman accused of murder.
Leos Carax's feature debut "Boy Meets Girl" is about the relationship of an aspiring filmmaker who has just been left by his lover, and a suicidal young woman he meets. The director's iconic second feature "Bad Blood" is a tale of love and crime when a deadly virus sweeps Paris and infects people who have loveless sex.
Crime film "La Haine" by Mathieu Kassovitz is adapted from a true event in Paris in 1993. It covers 24 hours in the life of three young men from immigrant families the day after a violent riot.
In recent years, the Shanghai Art Film Federation has been devoted to making Chinese and foreign cinema more accessible to movie fans. In the future, it will host more high-quality exhibitions and film events for audiences in the city.
A poster for "Bad Blood"
A poster for "La Haine"
Screening info:
Date: July 29-August 13
Tel: 6327-4260
Venue: Grand Cinema 大光明电影院
Address: 216 Nanjing Rd W.
南京西路216号
How to purchase tickets:
1. In addition to buying tickets at the Grand Cinema, Maoyan and Taopiaopiao are available for online ticket purchases of the French Film Masters Retrospective.
2. Download Maoyan Pro app and click "me." Go to "settings" and then select "English version."
