Reel Rewind: “Mères Et Filles”

French title – “Mères Et Filles” / English title – “Hidden Diary”
This is not a direct translation of the French title into English. Although the hidden diary (title “Lost Diary” would be better) is the central element of the story, the overall driving aspect of the plot is the relationship between mothers and daughters. Therefore, I rate the actual English title used as Poor and I would use “Mothers And Daughters” as the English title.

Loss and discovery appears to be the theme of “Mères Et Filles”. Loss and discovery of life. Loss and discovery of relationship. Loss and discovery of truth. It is Louise’s (Grandmother) accidently lost and unexpectedly rediscovered diary that holds the key to the flawed relationship between Martine (Mother) and Audrey (Daughter) and Martine’s memories of Louise. The plot advances through the showing of Louise’s life as written in the diary and the impact the diary has on those who read it. When Martine finally learns her mother’s story, she realizes how mistaken she was in the thoughts she had about Louise and how this lifetime error affected her relationship with Audrey. The lost diary reveals the grandmother and returns her to her daughter. Now Martine and Audrey can reestablish a relationship built on the truth. Loss has turned into a life found.



Film Facts: Director: Julie Lopes-Curval, Writers: Julie Lopes-Curval, Sophie Hiet, Cinematographer: Philippe Guilbert, Editor: Anne Weil, Musician: Patrick Watson, Producers: Alain Benguigul, Thomas Verhaeghe, Production Companies: Sombrero Films, France 3 Cinéma
Film Type: Drama, Cast: Catherine Deneuve (Martine), Marina Hands (Audrey), Marie-Josée Cross (Louise), Michel Duchaussoy (Michel), Jean-Philippe Écoffey (Gérard), Carole Franck (Evelyne), Eléonore Hirt (Suzanne), Gérard Watkins (Gilles), Romano Orzan (Tom), Nans Laborde (Pierre), Meriem Serbah (Samira), Louison Bergman (Martine as a child), Arthur Lurcin (Gérard as a child), Manon Percept (Audrey as a child), Length: 105’, Language: French, Countries: France, Canada, Year: 2009
Film trailer
No United States release date set as of this post


Images:
Left: Front side of the ticket for “Mères Et Filles” (“Hidden Diary”)
Center: Graphic interpretation of “Mères Et Filles” created by Adrean Darce Brent

Right: Marina Hand as Audrey from the website colcoa.org

Reel Rewind: “La Petite Voleuse”

French title – “La Petite Voleuse” / English title – “The Little Thief”
This is an almost perfect translation of the French title into English. However, since the French title indicts the thief is a female and the English title doesn’t and there is no easy way to do so without having a somewhat awkward/inaccurate/inappropriate title – ‘The Little Girl Thief” (is she under thirteen?), “The Little Woman Thief” (is she a wife?), “The Little Female Thief” (best of the three suggestions) – I rate the actual English title as Good.

As the film’s source material is from an unfinished script by François Truffaut, it has been suggested that “La Petite Voleuse” is the female version of “Les Quatre Cent Coups”. Although it has been years since the last time I saw “Les Quatre Cent Coups”, I can see similarities that “La Petite Voleuse” has with that earlier film. The theme of adolescent alienation acting out with anti-social behavior is the overarching one in both films – though there are differences in the presentation of the idea, they are more alike than unlike. And although “La Petite Voleuse” has a more involved plot with a chance for Janine to change the direction of her life, she does end up incarcerated as Antoine does in “Les Quatre Cent Coups”.


Film Facts: Director: Claude Miller, Writers: François Truffaut, Claude de Givray, Adapters: Luc Béraud, Annie Miller, Claude Miller, Cinematographer: Dominique Chapuis, Editor: Albert Jurgenson, Musician: Alain Jorny, Producers: Claude Berri, Daniel Chevalier, Jean-Louis Livi, Alain Vannier, Production Companies: Orly Films, Renn Productions, Cine Cinq, Lee Films du Carrosse, Sédif Productions
Film Type: Drama/Crime/Romance, Cast: Charlotte Gainsbourg (Janine Castang), Didier Bezace (Michel Davenne), Simon de La Brosse (Raoul), Clotilde de Bayser (Séverine Longuet), Raoul Billerey (Uncle André Rouleau), Chantal Banlier (Aunt Léa), Nathalie Cardonne (Mauricette), Renée Faure (Mother Busato), Catherine Arditi (School Principal), Gilbert Bahon (Police officer), Clothilde Baudon (Bonnin), Joëlle Bruyas (Sister Marie-Odile), Denise Chiabaut (Doctor), Philippe Deplanche (Jacques Longuet), Erick Deshors (Raymond), Length: 103’, Language: French, Country: France, Year: 1988
Film scene
United States release date Friday 25 August 1989



Images:
Left: Front side of the ticket for “La Petite Voleuse” (The Little Thief)
Center: Graphic comparison of “La Petite Voleuse” and “Les Quatre Cent Coups” created by Adrean Darce Brent

Right: Simon de La Brosse as Raoul and Charlotte Gainsbourg as Janine Castang from the website colcoa.org

Happy Anniversary Earth Day!!!

Earth Day was “born” on Wednesday 22 April 1970 and is forty years old today. Take a moment to reflect on the beauty of our home planet and the ways you can help to keep her living. Enjoy and take care of our Earth today and every day!

Image is of a button from the late Twentieth century

Reel Rewind: “Deux De La Vague”

French title – “Deux De La Vague” / English title – “Two In The Wave”
This is an almost perfect direct translation of the French title into English, which would be “Two Of The Wave”. I give the actual English title used a rating of Excellent.

Of the two filmmakers, I am more familiar with the works of François Truffaut than of Jean-Luc Godard. The first Truffaut film I saw was “Tirez Sur Le Pianiste” one Sunday night at college in a roomful of other foreign film loving students. The film is an early example of La Nouvelle Vague as put forth by him and Jean-Luc Godard. As I have never really known the background of the New Wave film era in France, I was happy to see the documentary “Deux De La Vague”. Over the course of the film you learn how Truffaut and Godard worked together on each other’s films and promoted their new way of filmmaking. Other contributors to the New Wave movement are mentioned including André Bazin, Claude Charbol, Éric Rohmer. Eventually Truffaut and Godard had a falling out and the French New Wave does a slow fade.



Film Facts: Director/Producer: Emmanuel Laurent, Writer: Antoine de Baecque, Cinematographers: Etienne de Grammont, Nick de Pencier, Editor: Marie-France Cuénot, Production Company: Films à Trois
Film Type: Documentary, Subject: French New Wave, François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Length: 91’, Language: French, Country: France, Year: 2010
United States release date Wednesday 19 May 2010


Images:
Left: Front side of the ticket for “Deux De La Vague” (“Two In The Wave”)
Center: Graphic interpretation of “Deux De La Vague” created by Adrean Darce Brent

Right: Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut from the website colcoa.org

Reel Rewind: “Ma Vie En L’air”

French title – “Ma Vie En L’air” / English title – “Love Is In The Air”
This is not a direct translation of the French title into English, which would be “My Life In The Air”. Although the actual English title used conveys the romance aspect of the film, I prefer the French title with its irony surrounding the main character. So only a rating of Fair for the title “Love Is In The Air” and I would use “My Life In The Air” as the English title.

I first saw “Ma Vie En L’air” at the tenth year of ColCoa on Saturday 8 April 2006 and I still like it. I think it is an inspired idea to have the main character, due to the circumstances of his birth, able to fly for free for life, but is afraid of flying and is a flight simulator instructor. Love it! Basic plot – boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, girl goes to Australia, boy unable to overcome flying fear to visit girl, boy and girl breakup. Ten years pass and now the fun begins – boy and two girls. As the current relationship saying states, “it’s complicated” and in the film, comedic. But the question is, would you still be with the person who threw away your comic books (insert own objects)? To me, at that point, “it’s not complicated” and not comedic.



Film Facts: Director/Writer: Rémi Bezançon, Cinematographer: Antoine Monod, Editor: Sophie Reine, Musician: Sinclair, Producers: Éric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer, Isabella Grellat, Production Companies: Mandarin Films, M6 Films
Film Type: Comedy/Romance, Cast: Vincent Elbaz (Yann Kerbec), Marion Cotillard (Alice), Gilles Lellouche (Ludo), Elsa Kikoïne (Charlotte), Didier Bezace (Castelot), Tom Novembre (Yann’s Father), Cécile Cassel (Clémence), Philippe Nahon (Ludo’s Father), Vincent Winterhalter (Eddy), François Levantal (Passenger going to Sydney), Length: 103’, Language: French, Country: France, Year: 2005
Film trailer
Not released in the United States



Shown before the film - the short “Vinyl”
Director/Writer: Julien Hallard, Producer: Les Films Velvet, Film Type: Comedy, Length: 18’, Language: French, Year: 2009
“It is an almost ordinary day in the strangest record shop in Paris.”



Images:
Left: Front side of the ticket for “Ma Vie En L’air” (“Love Is In The Air”)
Center: Graphic interpretation of “Ma Vie En L’air” created by Adrean Darce Brent

Right: Marion Cotillard as Alice and Vincent Elbaz as Yann Kerbec from the website colcoa.org