It was all about prison and a see-through dress...

Luckily, or not, depending on how you look at it, my weekend's activities included neither of these excitements. But after the 35th Annual César Film Awards (think Oscars with a French accent), these are the hot topics of conversation I'm sure are making the rounds of water-coolers throughout the country today.

Un Prophète, directed by Jacques Audiard, swept the awards, including best film, best director, best actor and best screenplay. The film, which had already received high praise at the Cannes Festival earlier this year, is also up for an Oscar for best foreign-language film.

Un Prophète tells the story of Malik El Djebena (played by Tahar Rahim), a 19-year old Arab man who has been sent to prison for 6 years for an assault on police. He is taken under the wing of fellow inmate Cesar Luciani (played by Niels Arestrup), head of the Corsican mafia gang, who pretty much rule the prisoners. After doing some of Luciani's dirty work, Malik, who teaches himself how to read while in prison, begins to make his own dangerous power play. The result is an almost art-house French gangster film, dealing with cultural identities and marginalisation; in other words, French society today.

On a lighter note, the other senasational story of the night, particularly for the male viewer, was the transparent YSL dress worn by Laetitia Casta. This reminds me of the Versace safety-pin dress worn by Elizabeth Hurley to the premier of 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' back in 1994.

I wonder just how much hemming and hawing was involved before this dress was chosen. Gives new meaning to the term Little Black Dress, non?

Serge Gainsbourg- Vie Héroïque

Already being called the French film of 2010, Serge Gainsbourg- Vie Héroïque, the biopic of the man whom many consider to be one of France's all-time greatest singer/songwriters, was released last week in France.

Starting with his childhood as a Jewish boy growing up in Nazi-occupied Paris, the film goes on to tell the story of his career, from struggling painter to one of the country's biggest rock star bad boys.

I can only imagine how many later musicians have been inspired by the life of this cult French icon. From his hard-drinking lifestyle to his well-publicised love life, which included relationships with the likes of Brigitte Bardot and Jane Birken, Serge Gainsbourg's life reads like a manual on how to really do the whole sex, drugs, and rock and roll thing (particularly the sex bit...).

The film has been dedicated to Lucy Gordon, the young English actress who played Jane Birkin in the film, and who committed suicide in her apartment in Paris, shortly after filming finished.

Gainsbourg - Vie Héroïque - Trailer HD [VF]

Le Petit Nicolas...

The film made to celebrate the 50th birthday of one of France's best loved children's literary classics, Le Petit Nicolas, comes out on Wednesday here in France.

Created in 1959 by René Goscinny and illustrated beautifully by Jean-Jacques Sempé, little Nicolas quickly became the nation's favorite schoolboy. Telling his tales through the eyes of a 7-year old, but often with the wit and wisdom of an adult, Nicolas has appealed to both young and old for 50 years.

The books are beautifully illustrated and would make a great gift for any francophile child or family. Not sure how well the film will translate when it appears in the States, but I think it would be worth seeing just for a glimpse into the world of 1960's France.

M Hulot has lost his pipe...

One of the interesting things about being an American, married to an Englishman, and living in France is the exposure I've had to each country's sense of humor. From the Saturday Night Live, Bill Cosby, and Eddie Murphy comedy of my youth, to the Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, and Lee Evans comedy of Britain, I now find myself in a country where comedy exists, but not in a shape or form that I easily recognize.

There is one French comedian, however, that I was introduced to early on who in my opinion tops the list of comedic geniuses, and that man was Jacques Tati. His comedy to me is the best kind- intelligent, and thought-provoking, sure, but also the kind where when the sketch or film is over, your body aches from laughing and there is a slight possibility that you may have wet yourself at some point along the way.

If you haven't seen Mon Oncle, Jour de Fête, or M Hulot's Holiday yet, you have deprived yourself of some seriously brillant ridiculousness.

Unfortunately, Jacques Tati has made the news again recently for quite a different kind of ridiculous absurdity. A new exhibition is running in Paris at the Cinémathèque Francaise called Tati, deux temps, trois mouvements, which celebrates the 102nd birthday of the comedian, with screenings of his films, exhibits of some of the props, costumes and screenplays used in the films, walking tours of some Tati-related architectural landmarks, and a screening of a new 6-part documentary of Tati's life.

The reason this is getting so much press is that the posters they've created to promote the exhibit shows the instantly recognizable M Hulot on his bike, with his hat, but instead of the usual pipe sticking out of his mouth, they've replaced it with a little yellow pinwheel. Apparently, the pipe would have contravened the law against smoking in advertisements.

I guess I can understand why there are laws against the Marlboro Man, or the woman reclining on a yacht smoking a Virginia Slim, but honestly, do they really think children are going to rush out to smoke a pipe after they've seen this advertisement? Just when I thought I was recovering from the shock of France actually obeying the smoking ban, I'm now witnessing a form of zealotry that I thought I'd left behind me in the States. I'm sure he is breaking some law by not wearing a bike helmet; I'm surprised they didn't slap one of those on him as well...

I guess we better start getting used to seeing images of Groucho without his cigar, Holly Golightly without her cigarette holder, and Jean-Paul Sartre without his Gauloise stub. And it's probably best if we just forget about George Burns altogether.

It seems that long after his death, and as he did with all of his films, Jacques Tati is still providing us with a surreal version of modern day France. It's just a shame he isn't still here to give some comedic levity to some of these modern French absurdities.

Coco avant Chanel...

A new film comes out today in France about Coco Chanel, called Coco avant Chanel, directed by Anne Fontaine and starring Audrey Tatou. The film tells the story of Coco's childhood and early life. The trailer looks good, full of period atmosphere. Audrey Tatou looks perfectly cast in the role, and apparently Karl Lagerfield advised on the costumes for the movie.

Puss in Boots...

It's school holidays once again (weren't they just on holiday?), so I'm on the hunt for something to amuse me darling little angels.

Maybe we'll check out this new French animated film that's been released just in time for the school holiday (funny, that.). La Véritable Histoire du Chat Botté is inspired by the 17th Century French author, Charles Perrault, who brought us Le Petit Chaperon Rouge (Little Red Riding Hood), La Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty), Cendrillon (Cinderella), La Barbe Bleue (Bluebeard) and Le Chat Botté (Puss in Boots).

Looks like the French are giving Dreamworks a run for their money.

La Journée de la Jupe (Skirt Day)...

Isabelle Adjani returned to the big screen last week with her new film, La Journée de la Jupe, directed by Jean-Claude Lilienfeld. The film showed on the French tv channel Arte, and then was released in cinemas last Wednesday.

Adjani is receiving good reviews for her role as a French teacher in a Parisian suburb high school who gets pushed to her limits and cracks one day, taking her class hostage after she accidentally shoots one of them in the leg. Much like the film Entre les Murs, the film deals with the current popular themes of racism, prejudices and social tension, but also focuses on sexism and the lack of respect between girls and boys. Adjani's character's personality is symbolized by her insistence on wearing a skirt as she fights against sexist insults and abuse.

Guns in the classroom, unfortunately, is an all too common occurrence these days, but this time it is the teacher who is demanding the attention with one. And with the difficulties teachers are facing all around the world with trying to keep discipline and respect in their classrooms, I'm sure there are a few teachers out there who have felt like cracking like this at some point in their careers.

It's not a pretty role but I think, as always, Isabelle Adjani has picked a character that makes people think, and it's nice to see her back on top form again.

BA Journee de la jupe
envoyé par arte

The Girl on the Train....

A new film directed by André Téchiné comes out on Wednesday, called La Fille du RER. It's based on the true story that shocked France about a girl who falsely claimed to have been attacked by black and Arab youths who she said mistook her for a Jew. The media picked up on it and made it a huge national story which forced her to eventually tell the truth.

Starring Cathrine Deneuve as the girl's mother, Belgian actress Emilie Dequenne as the girl, and Michel Blanc as her lawyer, the film deals with modern day Paris life and how the media portrays racial tensions. The trailer looks good, and it has been given alot of hype here, so might be worth seeing.

Volt, star malgré lui...

This is what I will be doing with the little ladies this afternoon. I think he is called 'Bolt' in the US, but apparently 'Volt' works better in France. I didn't realize they still made 3-D movies. The last one I saw was Jaws 3 and I was afraid to swim in a swimming pool for months. I'm hoping this movie has kind of the same effect on the little ones and that they'll stop pestering me to get them a pet hamster. I'm just wondering if it's worth spending the extra 2 euros a piece for the 3-D glasses...

Bon Voyage, Claude Berri...

Two films had a massive influence on me growing up, both of which formed the nucleus of my attraction to France and all things French.

The first one was 'Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown', which I first saw when I was 7. If you haven't seen it, don't laugh. This is a poignant, atmospheric tale of exchange students (Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, Snoopy, Woodstock, et al.) who find themselves deep in the French countryside, surrounded by romanticism and intrigue. So very French. Sure it was a cartoon, but from the moment I watched their little 2 CV pull out of Paris and head down the dark, tree-lined lane to the Chateau du Malvoisin, I was hooked. The Duke recently found it for me online, and watching it all these years later brings back all the excitement I felt when I first saw it.

The second film I saw when I was around 13 or 14 was 'Jean de Florette'. This Marcel Pagnol novel adapted to the screen was enough to seal my love affair with France and put me on the road that would eventually lead me to study French Literature and come to France. A bit dramatic, maybe, but if you have seen the film, then you'll know what I'm talking about.

From the film's music, to the Provence landscape and the way the sun shone on the stones and olive trees, this film has to be one of the best pieces of French tourism promotion ever made. And even if at the age of 13 I didn't fully understand the words or the sentiments of the film, I still 'got' it. A Gérard Depardieu poster even got pride of place next to my Rob Lowe and Rick Springfield posters, hunchback and all.

So it's sad to see that the film's directer, Claude Berri, passed away yesterday, at the age of 74. Known as the 'Godfather of French cinema' and after almost 50 years in the business, he will surely be missed by film enthusiasts around the world. I for one am grateful for his work. After all, it's partly his fault I'm here...

Rub a dub dub...

The French Film industry has recently been branded as 'racist' for not allowing black actors to dub white stars' voices, although white voices are quite often used to dub black stars' voices, such as Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and Danny Glover. The reason apparently is that white voices are more 'universal', whereas black voices are too distinctive. Hmmm, that's an interesting one.

Dubbing is a huge industry in France and one of the more bizarre things about living in France as a native English speaker (the list is long, let me assure you). Familiar tv characters, who have very distinctive voices back home, are transformed into French speakers with completely different voices.

This isn't really a problem when you are seeing a film for the first time; you just accept that that is how their voice should sound. But when it's a tv series you've seen hundreds of times in English, it can be slightly disturbing.

One of my local cafes always has 'Les Feux de l'Amour', or 'The Young and the Restless' to you and me, playing on the tv in the afternoons. Who knew that Victor Newman spoke such beautiful French? Or imagine watching Joey in 'Friends' and saying 'how you doin?' in French. It's just bizarre...

Many of the French 'voices' who dub the big names stars have become household names because of it. And once they find the voice of a certain actor, that voice tends to do that actor in several movies. Here's an article about Maik Darah in the Paris Voice magazine some years ago. Mme Darah has been the French voice several times for Whoopi Goldberg, Monica on Friends, and Madonna. I guess she's been one of the lucky French black voices allowed to do a white star's voice.

Problems can arise though when instead of doing a straight translation of the script, the dubbers are forced to water down the original. French audiences just have to hope that what they are hearing is as close to the original as possible.

But imagine not ever hearing George Clooney's real voice....

Timpelbach: A world without parents....

Les Enfants de Timpelbach, a new children's adventure film by Nicolas Bary comes out today, just in time for the holidays.

In a remote village, all of the parents decide they are fed up with the obnoxious behavior of their children, so they leave. Chaos follows.... Looks fun!

Agathe Cléry....

A new film came out a couple of days ago here in France, called 'Agathe Cléry' by Etienne Chatiliez, starring Valérie Lemercier. The subtitle of the film says 'Elle est blanche, elle est raciste, et elle va devenir noire.'

It's a comedy about a deeply racist woman who works for a cosmetics company which specializes in products for pale skin. She finds out she is suffering from a rare disease of the adrenal glands which makes her skin turn dark. She tries to commit suicide and fails, and then tries to regain her old life. She loses her job and suffers racism firsthand, and through various humiliations and injustices, soon sees the 'other side' of the story. Should be interesting, a comedy about racism.

You won't see advance reviews in Le Monde, Libération, les Cahiers du Cinéma, or Les Inrockuptibles. The producer of the film, Charles Gassot, has banned the aforementioned publications from attending any of the advance screenings, saying that the film has been too long in production and too expensive to make to let the likes of journalists from these publications pan it before it even gets a fighting chance in the theaters.

Apparently this is a common theme at the moment with producers in France, who say it's the general audience who should decide what gets panned and how, not journalists, particularly those who don't 'do' comedies, or whatever genre the particular film is.

So, I guess you pay your money and you take your chance, which can only go one of two ways for the box offices takings.

But I wonder how a film like this would be received in the States...

The perfect villain...

I think one of the hardest things for a writer to do is to create a character who is essentially bad but that the reader can have sympathy for, or even grow to like. There have been a few good examples of this in film, like Silence of the Lambs, Falling Down or Scarface. But the most perfect villain award would have to go to the real-life, French criminal, Jacques Mesrine.

The second part of a two-part biopic film has just come out on the life of Jacques Mesrine, one of the most famous criminals France has ever produced and a man that has become a bit of a cult hero. Jacques Mesrine: L'Ennemi Public n°1, by J.F. Richet, follows on from L'Instinct de Mort, taken from the autobiography Jacques Mesrine wrote while in prison.

He's been called many things, from 'The Man of 1,000 Faces' to 'The French Robin Hood', and I imagine that his life had screenplay writers just itching to tell his story in film.

In the 1960's and 70's, Jacques Mesrine became internationally infamous for his criminal activities, including bank robberies (sometimes 2 in one day), kidnappings, murders (he himself admitting to killing over 40 people), and prison escapes. His life dramatically came to an end in November 1979 when police sharpshooters ambushed his car just outside of Paris and fired 19 rounds through the windscreen.

So how does a man like this, blatantly a baddie, become some sort of anti-establishment hero, with films being made about him and Facebook pages dedicated to him? Some say he was a misunderstood hero fighting against the establishment for the common people. Some say he was one of the most violent gangster of the century. Some say his assassination by the police was the scandal to end all scandals.

I guess whatever your opinion of him, his story does make good blockbuster fodder...

L'Instinct de Mort- Première Partie

L'Ennemi Public Numèro 1- Deuxième Partie

double o sept....

I remember living in England, desperate to see foreign films and only getting to once they came out on video. I really need to figure out how to do this whole illegal movie downloading thing.....

Entre les Murs...

Okay, so if 'Mamma Mia!' is a film that must be seen in English, I imagine that 'Entre les Murs' (Between the Walls, or The Class) would lose alot of its effect if watched in any other language than French.

The winner of this year's Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival comes out next week in France. Wildly received at Cannes, this film-with-a-documentary-feel shows the reality of classroom life in a junior highschool in the multi-ethnic 20th arrondissement of Paris.

The story covers a year in the life of the class and their teacher, played by real students and Francois Bégaudeau, who wrote the book from which the film is adapted. From struggles with learning French grammar to tension-filled power struggles between teacher and students, the film has been lauded as being one of the best insights into the educational process that has been made in a long time.

Mamma Mia!

Here's the French trailer for 'Mamma Mia!'. While the Abba songs are pretty universal, it is one film that I think needs to be watched in English if possible.

'Oh, mon, dieu!' just doesn't have the same ring as 'Oh, my, God!'does, somehow....