French Film Series

The Modern Languages and Literatures department presents the Fall 2003 French Film Series. Films will be shown in French with English subtitles on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. in Stein 102. All films are free and open to the public. This series is organized by Professor Laurence Enjolras.

September 23 "Rosetta" 1999 (95 mins.) Directors: Jean-Pierre et Luc Dardenne with Emilie Dequenne, Fabrizio Rongione

* Rosetta, a shy 17-year-old girl, lives with her alcoholic mother in a trailer park in Belgium. Desperate to live a normal life, she is determined to get and keep a job. Hired to work at a waffle stand, her growing friendship with a handsome co-worker begins to draw Rosetta out of her shell. However, her newfound stability collapses when she is laid off. Willing to do anything to get her job back, Rosetta makes a fateful choice between honesty and betrayal. Winner of the Palme d’Or for Best Picture at the Cannes Film Festival. Emilie Dequenne was awarded Best Actress for her powerful performance as Rosetta.

October 7 "Le retour de Martin Guerre" ("The Return of Martin Guerre") 1982 (111 mins.) Director: Daniel Vigne with Gérard Depardieu, Nathalie Baye

* A true, satisfying, ingenious and provocative medieval mystery with meticulous historical detail, this film revolves around the suspenseful unraveling of the identity of the title character, Martin Guerre. Guerre disappeared as a young husband and returns to resume his marriage 20 years later. The apparent changes Guerre has undergone in his years away form the basis of his uncle’s claim that he is not at all Guerre but an imposter. A trial is demanded and it is not until the very last minutes of a tension-filled courtroom sequence that the situation is resolved. Winner of three French Academy Awards.

October 21 "Diva" 1982 (123 mins.) Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix with Frédéric Andrei, Thuy An Luu, Whilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez

* Action, arias and assassins all collide in this stylish romantic thriller. When Jules, an 18-year old postal worker, secretly tapes the concert of a superstar diva who refuses to be recorded, he finds himself with more than he bargained for. In addition to the concert, Jules accidentally winds up with another tape that identifies a top mobster involved in an international sex and drug ring. Suddenly, he finds himself chased through the streets of Paris by blackmailers, hitmen and the police. Complex, fast-moving, this film is a superior piece of entertainment.

November 4 "Xala" 1974 (119 mins.) Director: Sembene Ousmane with Thierno Leye, Miriam Niang, Dieynaba Niang

* Ed Hadj Abdoukader Beye is a rich self-made businessman who celebrates his affluence by taking a third wife who is younger than his daughter. His troubles begin on his wedding night when he is stricken by a "xala," a curse that renders him impotent. Abdoukader’s attempts to remedy his problem create a vivid, satirical representation of life in post-independence Senegal, underlining the gap between rich and poor and the inextricable mix of modernity and tradition. The conclusion of this comic moral tale has a surreal intensity.

November 18 "Le dîner de cons" ("The Dinner Game") 1998 (81 mins.) Director: Francis Veber with Thierry Lhermitte, Jacques Villeret, Catherine Frot

* Laughter is on the menu when the creator of La cage aux folles serves up a tasty comic feast in this hilarious farce. Pierre and his snobbish friends have a standing date for dinner. Every week they compete to see who can bring the biggest "idiot" to the party. Pierre is sure he has found a winner in the unsuspecting Francois, a ministry accountant whose hobby is making matchstick models of famous monuments. But when circumstances trap Pierre in his apartment with Francois, the tables are turned and everyone gets their just desserts. Winner of three Césars at the Cannes Film Festival, this film quickly became an international screen sensation.

December 2 "Y aura-t-il de la neige à Noël?" ("Will it Snow for Christmas?") 1996 (90 mins.) Director: Sandrine Veysset with Dominique Reymond, Daniel Duval

* A young mother living in a drafty, damp, stone farmhouse in southern France is the center of her seven children’s lives. Loving them with a fierce pride, the children respond by rallying around her unwavering spirit. The tyrannical father, who has a wife and home elsewhere, uses his second family as slave labor, asserting his authority in a series of malevolent acts. Director Sandrine Veysset details with an unsentimental eye the rhythms and realities of the family’s life, moving from summer through fall and on to winter, where Christmas stands as a beacon of hope for all. Winner of three awards.

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# Modern Languages and Literatures Department