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20 FILMS IN PARIS

All films are free and screened at Alliance Française de San Francisco.

		Monday, June 8, 5pm 2 ou 3 choses que je sais d’elle (1967) Dir. Jean-Luc Godard Starring Marina Vlady, Anny Duperey, Roger Montsoret, Jean Narboni 87 minutes Subtitled in English The "her" of the title refers to two objects: Juliette, a woman who resides in one of Paris's drab, ugly suburbs, and the capital city itself. Using a fragmented narrative style that mirrors Juliette's clipped, confused existence, Godard looks at a day in the life of Juliette and the cast of Parisian women that revolves around her. Simply put, this is cinema at its most thought provoking. Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Monday, June 8, 7pm Les Quatre Cent Coups (1959) Dir. François Truffaut Starring Jean-Pierre Léaud, Claire Maurier, Albert Rémy, Guy Decomble 99 minutes Subtitled in English Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud) is a 13-year-old boy who can't seem to do anything right. As a result, Antoine runs away from school and his difficult family, living on the streets of Paris and committing petty crimes. Few films have captured the difficulties of childhood as well as this acclaimed French masterpiece. Essentially the start of the French New Wave movement, this film is the first of five additional films following Antoine over 20 years. Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Wednesday, June 10, 5pm Hotel du Nord (1938) Dir. Marcel Carné Starring Annabella, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Louis Jouvet, Arletty, Paulette Dubost 90 minutes Subtitled in English Quai de Jemmapes, on the banks of Canal Saint-Martin in Paris, 1938. As the residents of the family-run Hôtel du Nord celebrate a first-communion lunch, a young couple named Renée and Pierre arrive, planning a double suicide. Pierre wounds Renée. Unable to kill himself, he escapes into the night and gives himself up. From the first scene to the last, Hôtel du Nord is a compelling drama, one which offers one of the most powerful and disturbing expositions of the destructive power of love. This is a film which justly deserves its status as one of the all-time classics of French cinema. Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Wednesday, June 10, 7pm La Femme Nikita (1990) Dir. Luc Besson Starring Anne Parillaud, Jeanne Moreau, Tcheky Karyo, Jean-Hugues Anglade 117 minutes Subtitled in English A strung-out sociopath, sentenced to death for shooting a cop, is instead turned into an assassin by the French government in this exciting, yet thoughtful slant on the "Pygmalion" story. Trained in martial arts and coached by her mentor, she is slowly transformed into a cultured, sophisticated feminine killer. But when she re-enters the real world and falls in love, she finds it impossible to reconcile her new feelings with her profession. Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Friday, June 12, 5pm Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain (2001) Dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet Starring Audrey Tautou, Matthieu Kassovitz, Djamel Debbouz 120 minutes Subtitled in English Amélie Poulain (Audrey Tautou) is a young woman who glides through the streets of Paris as quietly as a mouse. With wide eyes and a tiny grin, she sees the world in a magical light, discovering minor miracles every day. “Amélie” is humorous, questioning, and strange, and it will change the lives of all who watch it, if only for a short while after leaving Amélie's world. Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Saturday, June 13, 12pm A Bout de Souffle (1960) Dir. Jean-Luc Godard Starring Jean Seberg, Jean-Paul Belmondo 90 minutes Subtitled in English An enormously influential film and a seminal study of existential longing and betrayal. Within the first few minutes, Michel (Belmondo), a foul-mouthed Parisian who idolizes Humphrey Bogart, shoots a police officer and immediately becomes a fugitive on the run. He visits an ex-girlfriend and while casually charming her, he steals her money. He then gallivants through the marvelous streets of 1940s Paris, pursuing Patricia (Seberg), a blond pixie-like American selling the New York Herald Tribune on the Champs-Elysees. Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Monday, June 15, 5pm Belle du Jour (1967) Dir. Luis Bunuel Starring Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel 101 minutes Subtitled in English Famous for giddily manipulating audiences in order to make his point, Bunuel boldly blurs the line between fantasy and reality once again. It is this gleeful mischievousness that makes “Belle du Jour” such a classic. Catherine Deneuve's performance reaffirms her status as one of world cinema's most electrifying actresses. An exquisite tale of self-discovery and tragic passion, this is one of the crowning achievements of the director's brilliant career. Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Monday, June 15, 7:15pm Chouchou (2003) Dir. Merzak Allouache Starring Gad Elmaleh, Alain Chabat 105 minutes Subtitled in English Actor and comedian Gad Elmaleh confirms himself as one of France’s leading performers in this outrageous, high-energy comic farce. The film is based on a one-man show which the Moroccan born actor wrote and acted on stage, re-worked by writer-director Merzak Allouache. Part fairy tale, part fantasy, part love story, part thriller, Chouchou is a film that defies classification. Perhaps the best way to describe it is an outlandish farce intended to showcase the unexpected talent of its lead actor. And what a talent. Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Wednesday, June 17, 5pm Les Enfants du Paradis (1945) Dir. Marcel Carné Starring Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault, Pierre Brasseur, Pierre Renoir 186 minutes Subtitled in English Children of Paradise is set in the theatrical world of Paris during the July Monarchy (1830-48), centred on the area around the "Funambules" theatre, situated on the Boulevard du Temple — pejoratively referred to as the "Boulevard du Crime".The film revolves around a beautiful and charismatic courtesan, Garance (played by the famous Arletty). Four men, the mime Baptiste Debureau (Jean-Louis Barrault), the actor Frédérick Lemaître (Pierre Brasseur), the thief Pierre François Lacenaire (Marcel Herrand), and the aristocrat Édouard de Montray (Louis Salou) are in love with Garance, and their intrigues drive the story forward. Garance is briefly intrigued/involved with them all, but leaves them when they attempt to force her to love on their terms, rather than her own. However, the only one whose love is pure, the mime Baptiste, is the one who suffers the most in pursuit of the unattainable Garance. Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Friday, June 19, 5pm Trois Couleurs: Bleu (1993) Dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski Starring Juliette Binoche, Benoît Regent 98 minutes Subtitled in English In the first part of acclaimed Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski's extraordinary trilogy, “Bleu” represents Liberté (of Égalité and Fraternité) in the French flag and national motto. Julie (Juliette Binoche) is a young, musically gifted Frenchwoman who has just lost her daughter and renowned composer-husband in a tragic car accident. During her convalescence, a journalist questions Julie about the widespread rumor that she's the actual composer of all Patrice's work. As Julie, Binoche is a striking cinematic presence. Her transition from a destroyed widow to a woman who has learned to embrace life gives “Bleu” the heart and soul that makes it a powerful, moving work. Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Saturday, June 20, 12pm Zazie Dans Le Métro (1962) Dir. Louis Malle Starring Catherine Demongeot, Philippe Noiret 89 minutes Subtitled in English A sassy young girl embarks on a madcap Parisian adventure when she visits her transvestite uncle and takes a raucous sightseeing tour of the city. In true slapstick fashion, she encounters various nutty characters and unusual situations, culminating in a food fight in a cafe. Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Saturday, June 20, 2:30pm Le Dernier Métro (1980) Dir. François Truffaut Starring Catherine Deneuve, Heinz Bennent, Gérard Depardieu, Jean Poiret 127 minutes Subtitled in English During the German occupation of France, the owner of a small theater company, Marion Steiner, is desperately trying to keep both the troupe and Lucas, her Jewish husband, alive. To do this, she's staging a new play, which must be successful if she is to maintain the theater. Not only is this an artistic imperative -- the building also serves as a refuge for Lucas, who's hiding from the Nazis. But just as the actors begin their rehearsals, an anti-Semitic journalist ensconces himself in the theater, creating an atmosphere of fear and insecurity. Will he discover Lucas's hideaway... or the truth about the political affiliations of the group's lead actor? Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Monday, June 22, 5pm Ascenseur Pour l’Échafaud (1958) Dir. Louis Malle Starring Jeanne Moreau, Maurice Ronet, Georges Poujouly 92 minutes Subtitled in English Director Louis Malle was just 25 years old when his first non-documentary feature Elevator to the Gallows (Ascenseur pour l’echafaud) was released in June 1958. Based on the French pulp fiction novel by Noël Calef, and with the story set to a haunting Miles Davis score, this noir tale of adultery and murder is tempered by a chain of ill-fated events. No matter how slick a plan is, no matter how well it’s executed, it’s always the unexpected events, the things that you can’t plan for that ultimately trip up the murderer’s scheme. Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Monday, June 22, 7:30pm Baisers Volés (1968) Dir. François Truffaut Starring Jean-Pierre Léaud, Claude Jade, Delphine Seyrig 87 minutes Subtitled in English Baisers Volés is the third film in Truffaut’s Antoine Doinel series. Now the lovable everyman is a bushy tailed twentysomething who has just been released from military service. Anxious to jump back into civilian life, he reunites with his girlfriend, Christine (Claude Jade), and starts a job as a night watchman at a hotel. Some hilarious scenes follow as Antoine's combined incompetence, flightiness, and general bad luck land him in some ruthlessly ironic situations. Beautiful shots of Paris cement the always-romantic nature of Truffaut's works. Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Wednesday, June 24, 5pm Last Tango in Paris (1972) Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci Starring Marlon Brando, Maria Schneider 129 minutes Subtitled in English Dubbed the most controversial film of it’s era, the film stars Marlon Brando as an expatriate American in Paris reeling from his wife's suicide and entering into a nihilistic sexual relationship with a young woman (Maria Schneider). The film is still shocking, not simply because of its (sometime unconventional) sexual sequences, but because Brando's protagonist needs his liaison with Schneider's character to remain anonymous, an experience not to be shared but indulged on either end. Rated NC-17 for sexual content. Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Friday, June 26, 5pm La Haine (1995) Dir. Matthieu Kassovitz Starring Vincent Cassel 96 minutes Subtitled in English When he was just twenty-nine years old, Mathieu Kassovitz took the international film world by storm with La Haine (Hate), a gritty, unsettling, and visually explosive look at the racial and cultural volatility in modern-day France, specifically in the low-income banlieue districts on Paris’s outskirts. A work of tough beauty, La Haine is a landmark of contemporary French cinema and a gripping reflection of its country’s ongoing identity crisis. Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Saturday, June 27, 12pm 2 Days in Paris (2007) Dir. Julie Delpy Starring Julie Delpy, Adam Goldberg 96 minutes Subtitled in English Julie Delpy's breezily hilarious feature follows Marion (Delpy) and Jack (Adam Goldberg), her American boyfriend, on a two-day stop through Paris, where Marion has purchased a tiny apartment one floor up from her rowdy, eccentric parents (played with great ability by Delpy's actual parents). That said, the film counters its thoughtful scenes with lighthearted ones, so it never becomes contrived or bogged down, and leads up to a whimsical conclusion which is beautiful in its simplicity. The film pulls off what Marion, a photographer, struggles with throughout, torn between the compulsions to capture a moment on film while desiring to be really in the moment itself. Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Saturday, June 27, 2:30pm Angel-A Dir. Luc Besson Starring Rie Rasmussen, Jamel Debbouze 90 minutes Subtitled in English Self-described liar and shady businessman André (Jamel Debbouze), is down on his luck and owes Parisian gangsters money. In a desperate and weak state, André finds himself on the edge of one of the Paris’s majestic bridges, ready to plunge into the river below. After one last look around him, he catches sight of a statuesque blonde woman, tears streaking down her gorgeous face, also standing on the ledge just a few feet away. She makes André forget about his problems for a moment, and he pleads with her not to jump. What André soon discovers is that meeting Angela was no accident, and that they both need saving, not just from death, but also from themselves. “Angel-A” is beautifully filmed, with the black-and-white cinematography capturing all that is engaging and romantic about Paris. Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Monday, June 29, 5pm Irma la Douce (1963) Dir. Billy Wilder Starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, 143 minutes English. The film version of Irma La Douce (which means "Irma the Sweet") tells the story of Nestor Patou (Jack Lemmon), an honest policeman who finds a street full of prostitutes in Paris. After reporting the ladies to the police inspector, who has been aware of those prostitutes but lets them off by accepting bribes, he fires Nestor. Drowning his sorrows at the local bar, Chez Moustache, Nestor becomes close friends with Irma La Dolce (Shirley MacLaine), a popular prostitute. After Irma dumps her pimp boyfriend, Nestor moves in with her, and he soon finds himself as Irma's new pimp. Jealous of the thought of Irma with other men, Nestor comes up with a plan to stop Irma's prostitution. But he soon finds out that it's not all that it's cracked up to be. Nestor's plans to keep Irma off the streets soon backfire and she becomes suspicious, and hilarity ensues in this classic comedy of errors. Series curated by IVY Paris.

		Wednesday, July 1, 5pm Le Voyage du Ballon Rouge (2008) Dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien Starring Juliette Binoche Subtitled in English. An update on the French classic, “Le Ballon Rouge”. Juliette Binoche as Suzanne is charming and frazzled. With her puppet shows, the classes she teaches and the two children, Simon and Louise, who she has been raising alone since their father left, she is snowed under. To help her, she takes in a young Taiwanese babysitter, Song Fang, who is a student at Paris University. On his way home from school, Simon, who is 7 years old, leads her through the streets and cafés of his neighborhood. Soon, Song Fang and Simon share an imaginary world: a strange red balloon follows them, even in the exhibition space of the Musée d'Orsay. Series curated by IVY Paris.