Paris In New York

Edith Piaf - La Vie en Rose - Openings this week in New York

LA VIE EN ROSE
By Olivier Dahan. 2007.
With Marion Cotillard, Gerard Depardieu, Jean-Pierre Martins, Clotilde Courau, Jean-Paul Rouve, Sylvie Testud, Pascal Greggory, Emmanuelle Seigner.


A swirling, impressionistic portrait of an artist who regretted nothing, La vie en Rose stars Marion Cotillard in a blazing performance as the legendary French icon Edith Piaf. From the mean streets of the Belleville district of Paris to the dazzling limelight of New York’s most famous concert halls, Piaf’s life was a constant battle to sing and survive, to live and love.


Piaf s passionate romances and friendships with some of the greatest names of the era-Charlie Chaplin, Jean Cocteau, Yves Montand, and Marlene Deitrich who famously remarked that Piaf’s voice is ‘the soul of Paris’- made her a household name as much as her unforgettable renditions of the songs she made famous, including ‘Hymne a l’Amour’, ‘Milord’, and ‘Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien’.

The title of the film is from Piaf’s signature song ‘La Vie En Rose’, a love song which translates into English as ‘The Life in Pink’.
But in her audacious attempt to tame her tragic destiny, the Little Sparrow flew so high that she could not fail to burn her wings. The great love of Piaf’s life, Middleweight boxing champion Marcel Cerdan, died in a plane crash in 1949. Piaf developed a serious morphine addiction following a car accident in 1951, and eventually succumbed to cancer in 1963, dying at the untimely age of forty-seven. Piaf remains, however, one of France’s immortal icons, her voice one of the indelible signatures of the 20th Century.

Trailer: http://edithpiafmovie.com/

‘Marion Cotillard’s feral portrait of the French singer Edith Piaf as a captive wild animal hurling herself at the bars of her cage is the most astonishing immersion of one performer into the body and soul of another I’ve ever encountered in a film’ – Stephen Holden, The New york Times.


Angelika Film Center
18 W Houston St, NY 10012
11:00 AM 11:45 AM 1:30 PM 2:30 PM 4:15 PM 5:15 PM 7:00 PM 8:00 PM 9:45 PM 10:45 PM 12:30 AM


Clearview Chelsea
260 W 23rd between 7th and 8th avenues
11:00am 12:45pm 2:00pm 4:00pm 5:15pm 7:15pm 8:45pm 10:30pm 11:45pm

Paris Theatre
4 W 58th St
10:45am, 1:30pm, 4:40pm, 7:50pm, 10:45pm

"Paris, Je t'aime" and the other French movies in town this week end

This week has been a busy week for French Movies.

The Tribeca Film Festival featured 13 French films or films with French actors: 2 Days in Paris, Avida, Falafel, Golden Door, Half Moon, Lady Chatterley, The Last Man, My Best Friend, Napoleon and Me, Taxidermia, The Pelican, The Premonition, The Sugar Curtain.

Paris in New York would highly recommend two movies to get in DVD when they come out. I am sure those movies will be soon on the big screen in New York...

. Lady Chatterley
Winner of five major prizes, including Best Film and Best Actress at the 2007 César Awards, France's equivalent of the Oscars®, this very sensitive, poetique and sensual film is based on the second of three versions of D.H. Lawrence's tale about an innocent yet subversive passion between Ladu Chatterley and her gamekeeper. Beautiful movie...
cf. article "Lady Chatterley won the Cesar Awards in Paris " in Paris in New York, February 26.

. 2 Days in Paris

I highly recommend this movie to mixed couple ! Funny and very charming, the story is based on all the cliches of Americans versus French people: clashes of culture, language and difficulties of the relationship... A view of Paris that is not always flattering ! From and with Julie Delpy.

Also in town this week:

Paris, je t'aime
A series of eighteen short vignettes about Parisian living by 21 directors like Gus Van Sant and Cohen Brothers and actors like Steve Buscemi, Nick Nolte, Fanny Ardant, Juliette Binoche, Gerard Depardieu or Natalie Portman...
Made by a team of contributors as cosmopolitan as the city itself, this portrait of the city is as diverse as its creators' backgrounds and nationalities. With each director telling the story of an unusual encounter in one of the city's neighborhoods, the vignettes go beyond the 'postcard' view of Paris to portray aspects of the city rarely seen on the big screen.

Landmark's Sunshine Cinema
143 East Houston Street
New York, NY 10002
11:15am | 1:45pm | 4:20pm | 7:15pm | 10:00pm | 12:20am

and Paris Theatre
4 West 58th Street
New York, NY 10019
11:45am | 2:15pm | 5:00pm | 7:45pm | 10:20pm

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkrqtxogmME

Coming this week-end at the Tribeca Film Festival:

. Napoleon and Me
Napoleon's exile on the Italian island of Elba is seen through the eyes of a young teacher who reviles the former emperor (played by Daniel Auteuil), but must serve as his librarian in this light-hearted costume drama that's as fast-paced as an operetta and spiked with Tuscan humor. Featuring Monica Bellucci as the intriguing Baroness.

Fri, May 4
8:45pm
AMC 34th Street (between 8 and 9 Avenue)

. The Pelican
Dubbed "the French James Dean" for his roles in films by Claude Chabrol (Le beau Serge, Les cousins) and Howard Hawks (Hatari), Gérard Blain's work as director never surfaced in the U.S. This is his masterpiece, a moving account of parental love and obsession, filmed in a rigorous style that recalls Bresson or Dreyer—sans religion.
Sat, May 5
5:15pm
AMC 34th Street (between 8 and 9 Avenue)

. Falafel
France, Lebanon
Everything bad that can happen on the way to a party happens to easygoing young Tou in this chronicle of a nighttime trip though Beirut, permeated by the smell of falafel frying at neon-lit stands. Flipping between the playful youth and scenes of unexpected danger, Kammoun creates a kind of Lebanese After Hours.Sat, Sat, May 5
12:15am
AMC 34th Street

. My Best Friend
After business associates chide him for his indifference to other people, high-powered art dealer François (Daniel Auteuil) is challenged to produce an actual friend in only ten days, or lose a valued vase. His search sets off a witty and thoughtful look at the meaning of friendship from prolific French director Patrice Leconte.
Sun, May 6
2:00pm
AMC Kips Bay
57 Second Avenue at 32nd street

. Golden Door
The turn-of-the-century voyage of a poor family from rural Sicily through the "golden door" of Ellis Island and into America is beautifully portrayed in this visually striking, emotionally resonant narrative. Charlotte Gainsbourg portrays the young bride in this new film by NYU graduate Crialese that was Italy's Oscar submission this year.
Sun, May 6
7:00pm
AMC Kips Bay

More details on www.tribecafilmfestival.org

"The Valet" with Daniel Auteuil and Gab Elmaleh

Alternate Title: La Doublure
Starring: Gad Elmaleh, Alice Taglioni, Daniel Auteuil, Kristin Scott Thomas, more cast
Directed By: Francis Veber

Prominent industrialist Pierre Levasseur (Daniel Auteuil) and his beautiful mistress Elena (Alice Taglioni) are in the midst of an argument when a photographer immortalizes the moment on film. It looks as if Mrs. Levasseur (Kristin Scott Thomas) would have all the evidence she needs of her husband’s infidelity—if someone else wasn’t in the photograph, a parking lot attendant named François Pignon (comedian Gad Elmaleh).

Levasseur protests that Elena was actually with Pignon, and to bolster his claim he convinces Pignon to let Elena move in and pose as his fiancée. But the attendant has set his sights on the somewhat diffident Emilie (Virginie Ledoyen), who can’t believe that her mild-mannered admirer is suddenly all over the Paris gossip columns.

An hilarious farce as filmmaker, Francis Veber (The Dinner Game, The Closet) knows how to make them.

Trailer on http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?pmmsid=1841605

City Cinemas Cinema 1, 2, and 3
1001 3rd Avenue
New York, NY 10022
12:00pm | 2:00pm | 4:00pm | 6:00pm | 8:00pm | 10:00pm

Angelika Film Center
18 W. Houston Street
New York, NY 10012
12:00pm | 2:00pm | 4:00pm | 6:00pm | 8:00pm | 10:00pm

Fanny Ardant in Marguerite Duras' La maladie de la Mort

Friday & Saturday, May 4 & 5 at 8pm

Acclaimed French actress Fanny Ardant makes her NY stage debut in an adaptation of Marguerite Duras’ short story La Maladie de la mort. In this one-woman show, Ardant plays a prostitute speaking directly to a man who has paid her to spend several days with him. The man suffers from an illness— he is incapable of loving or being loved.

This production comes to New York following a successful run at Paris’ Théâtre de la Madeleine last summer.

One of France’s leading actresses of film and theater, Fanny Ardant has appeared in more than 40 films and was awarded the César for Best Actress in 1997. This is a rare opportunity to see her on stage in the Unites States.

“Submit to the commanding charms of an actress whose intelligence we love, and here, the ironic restraint and precision of character.” Le Figaro

In French with English supertitles

Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street
Members $40
Non-Members $50

Book at www.ticketmaster

Also in May at the Alliance Francaise, a special Fanny Ardant at the occasion of the CinemaTuesdays,

Films:
May 1 - Callas Forever
May 8 - 8 femmes / Eight Women
May 15 - Ridicule
May 22 - La Vie est un roman / Life is a Bed of Roses
May 29 - La Femme d’à côté / The Woman Next Door
May 29 - Vivement dimanche / Confidentially Yours

Go to www.fiaf.org

Rainy Week-end...Don't worry French movies are in town !

It is rainy but for our good luck, there will be lots of French movies in town for the next few days.

As every year, the Rendez-vous with French Cinema is offering a good selection of French films at the Lincoln Center until March 11th.
Among the 15 US premieres of the best new French films, I suggest:

. La Mome/La vie en Rose
Olivier Dahan’s fascinating, deeply moving portrait of the great singer Edith Piaf.
If you have trouble to find seats, don't worry this movie will be coming soon at the Paris Theatre.

. Tell No one
This thriller won the 2007 Cesars for Best Director with Guillaume Canet and for Best Actor with Francois Cluzet
cf. my article "Lady Chatterley won the Cesar Awards in Paris".

. The Valet
A comedy from Francis Weber with Daniel Auteuil, Alice Taglioni and Kristin Scott Thomas

. The Singer/Quand j'etais chanteur
A great performance of Gerard Depardieu as a popular dance hall singer working the circuit in the provinces.

Book on line at www.filmlinc.com

Also in town, at the Angelika film Center, Avenue Montaigne .
“A delicious Robert Altman-like mosaic. The elegant, worldly movie leaves you with the satisfied glow of sharing a healthful nouvelle repast with stimulating company and topping it off with the best Champagne.”, according to Stephen Holden from the The New York Times
This movie won the Cesar for Best supporting Actress with Valerie Lemercier

Go to www.angelikafilmcenter.com

and to finish, U, the animated movie from Gregoire Solotareff and Serge Ellisalde about a Unicorn which come to save a little princess, will be opening the New York International Children's Film Festival.
www.gkids.com

Lady Chatterley won the Cesar Awards in Paris

Paris- The night before the Oscars, the 32nd Cesar Awards saw two movies split the big prizes. Lady Chatterley from Pascal Ferran and Ne le dis a personne/Tell No One from Guillaume Canet.
Lady Chatterley is an adaptation of the D.H. Lawrence novel and Tell No One is a all-star thriller adapted from a novel by Harlan Coben about a man who believes he has seen his wife, who had been murdered eight years earlier.

Those two adaptations of english novels cumulated 9 Cesars among the most prestigiou.But eventually, it is the romantico-erotic affair of an english bourgeoise with her groundskeeper that won the Cesar of the Best Movie. Lady Chatterley got also the Cesar for Best Actress with Marina Hands, while Tell No One won Best Director with Guillaume Canet and Best Actor with Francois Cluzet.
Valerie Lemercier, who was also presenting the ceremony, was named Best Supporting Actress for Fauteuil d'Orchestre/Avenue Montaigne.

Tell No One can be seen at the Rendez-vous with French Cinema at Lincoln Center on March 2n, 3rd and 4th.
To book, go to www.filmlinc.com

Arthur and the Invisibles...new movie from Luc Besson

Arthur and the Minimoys (Arthur and the Invisibles in the US) is a part-animated, part-live action feature film adaptation of the same-name, 2002 children's book and the 2003 sequel Arthur et la cité interdite / Arthur and the Forbidden City by filmmaker Luc Besson, who also directed the film.

In this family adventure, ten-year-old Arthur, in a bid to save his grandfather's house from being demolished, goes looking for some much-fabled hidden treasure in the land of the Minimoys, a tiny people living in harmony with nature.

As all the kids, Arthur loves the stories that his grandmother read to him. One of these stories is about the fabled Minimoys, living in the very garden of his grandparents' house. According to these stories, the Minimoys are holding a wondrous and expensive treasure of rubies given by an African tribe to Arthur's grandfather.
Arthur manages to find the key to the Minimoys' world. He discovers some Masai-esque men in his garden, who tell Arthur how to get into the Minimoys' world by way of shrinking down with the help of a telescope and the power of a full moon.
When Arthur is down underground with the Minimoys, he learns of the plans of Maltazard, the leader of an army of mosquito-riding warriors living in nearby "Necropolis",
who plan to conquer the Minimoys' by flooding their city. Thanks to, but also in spite of, Arthur, the Minimoys' colony is saved in the nick of time. Later, Arthur finds out his grandfather is not dead as suspected, but imprisoned in Necropolis...

To view trailer, go to www.arthur-movie.com

For showtimes, look at www.moviefone.com
or check at any AMC Loews theatre

Comedy of Power..the lastest Chabrol at the IFC Center, a.k.a L'ivresse du Pouvoir...with Isabelle Huppert

Parisian investigating judge Jeanne Charmant-Killman (Isabelle Huppert) is known in the judicial system as “the piranha,” a title which becomes more accurate after she arrested in a high-profile case of corruption a well-connected CEO Michel Humeau (François Berléand).

As her investigation and interrogations proceed, Killman uncovers an immense scandal reaching into the highest levels of government. The more dangerous the secrets she reveals, the more powerful she becomes. However, under the pressures of her sudden influence and renown, Killmanýs private life begins to unravel, and she finds herself probing both the limits of her own power and its intoxicating grip.

Both a political thriller and a moral comedy, COMEDY OF POWER is inspired by the real-life story of examining magistrate Eva Joly, whose seven-year investigation into charges of fraud and bribery at the French oil company Elf Aquitaine was described by The Guardian as "the biggest and most scandalous fraud inquiry in Europe since the Second World War.
The oil conglomerate Elf became a private bank for its executives who spent ý200 million on political favors, mistresses, jewelry, fine art, villas and apartments."

Stephen Holden of The New York Times has called COMEDY OF POWER "the strongest film in years from Claude Chabrol" and lauded its "sensational performance by Isabelle Huppert."
For showtimes, look at www.ifccenter.com
323 Sixth avenue
212-924-7771