French & Francophone Cinema

Cinema class schedule: Sept. 10, Sept. 24, Oct. 8, Oct. 22, Nov. 5, Nov. 19, Dec. 3.

A full breakdown of the films is below. Register now before the class fills up!

This Zoom class on French and Francophone cinema and film offers a diverse mix of classic and contemporary French language films.  The instructor, Manon Bellet, is a French cinephile who has a real passion for movies. 

In this course, after watching French language films, we will examine their directors and actors, analyze the themes and language, and learn vocabulary and expressions related to a specific film and to cinema in general.  Each class includes an open discussion in French and English. 

This course provides a deeper understanding and analysis of French language films in a relaxed environment on Zoom.  Because the class is virtual, the students are asked to watch the film (in French with English subtitles) before the lesson.

Theme this semester:

La Carrière de Jean Renoir - The Career of Jean Renoir

Jean Renoir was a highly influential French filmmaker, considered one of the greatest directors of all time. He's known for his humanist approach, focusing on human relationships and social issues in his films. e developed a passion for cinema after being wounded in World War I. His early films were influenced by the artistic environment of his upbringing and his experiences in the war. Renoir's work, such as La Grande Illusion and The Rules of the Game, is celebrated for its deep exploration of social themes, intricate storytelling, and technical innovation. Renoir was the son of the famous Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. 

Mercredi, le 10 septembre

Jean Renoir. From Belle Époque to World War II. 1995 documentary

This documentary explores the early life and cinematic career of the renowned French filmmaker Jean Renoir, focusing on his work up to the start of World War II. It's a part of a larger documentary series about Renoir. The documentary features interviews with various individuals, including filmmakers like Peter Bogdanovich and Bernardo Bertolucci, as well as archival footage of Renoir himself. It delves into the cultural and historical context of Renoir's films, particularly his depictions of French society during the Belle Époque period and the lead-up to the war. The documentary explores themes relevant to his films, such as social class, political upheaval, and the changing landscape of French society. It also examines the influence of his father, the impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, on his artistic vision. 

Mercredi, le 24 septembre

Boudu Saved from Drowning (French: Boudu sauvé des eaux), 1932

A 1932 French social satire comedy of manners film directed by Jean Renoir. Renoir wrote the film's screenplay, from the 1919 play by René Fauchois. The film stars Michel Simon as Boudu. Bourgeois Latin Quarter bookshop owner Edouard Lestingois rescues Boudu, a tramp, after his suicidal plunge from the Pont des Arts in Paris into the River Seine. The family adopts him and dedicates itself to reforming him into a well-mannered, middle-class person. He is shaved, given a haircut, and put in a suit. However, Boudu shows his gratitude by shaking the household to its foundations, challenging its hidebound manners, propositioning the housemaid and raping the wife. Then he wins a large sum of money on the lottery from a ticket Lestingois gives him and is guided into marrying the housemaid. However, at the wedding, Boudu capsizes a rowboat and floats away, "back to his old vagrancy, a free spirit once more.

Mercredi, le 6 octobre

La Grande Illusion, 1937 

La Grande Illusion is regarded by critics and film historians as one of the masterpieces of French cinema and among the greatest films ever made. Orson Welles named La Grande Illusion as one of the two movies he would take with him "on the ark". Director and producer Sydney Pollack picked La Grande Illusion as one of his ten favorite films of all time.

Mercredi, le 22 octobre

La Bête Humaine (English: The Human Beast and Judas Was a Woman), 1938 

French crime drama film directed by Jean Renoir, with cinematography by Curt Courant. The picture features Jean Gabin and Simone Simon, and is loosely based on the 1890 novel La Bête humaine by Émile Zola. La Bête Humaine is partially set "on a train that may be thought of as one of the main characters in the film." Although generally listed as a romantic drama, it is sometimes thought to foreshadow the film noir genre. Fritz Lang directed an adaptation of the same source material as Human Desire 16 years later in the U.S. for Columbia Pictures. The latter film falls more properly within the film noir genre. 

Mercredi, le 5 novembre

La Marseillaise, 1938

A vast political, social, and military panorama of the French Revolution up to the autumn of 1792, its many episodes range from the life of ordinary working people through the committed bourgeois struggling for change up to those in the upper echelons of society defending the status quo. La Grande Illusion (French for "The Grand Illusion") is a 1937 French war drama film directed by Jean Renoir, who co-wrote the screenplay with Charles Spaak. The story concerns class relationships among a small group of French officers who are German prisoners of war during World War I and are plotting an escape. The title of the film comes from the 1909 book The Great Illusion by British journalist Norman Angell, which argued that war is futile because of the common economic interests of all European nations. The perspective of the film is generously humanistic to its characters of various nationalities. 

Mercredi, le 19 novembre

The Rules of the Game, 1939

Considered by many to be one of the greatest films ever made, The Rules of the Game is a scathing critique of corrupt French society disguised as a comedy of manners. Taking place over a weekend at a marquis’ country château, Jean Renoir's classic film lays bare some ugly truths about a group of haute bourgeois acquaintances. After a violent response from its premiere audience, THE RULES OF THE GAME was subjected to cuts in 1939. The original negative was destroyed during World War II and wasn’t reconstructed until 1959. That version, which has stunned viewers for decades, is presented here. "There are about a dozen genuine miracles in the history of cinema, and one of them is Jean Renoir's supreme 1939 tragi-comedy THE RULES OF THE GAME." - Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

Mercredi, le 3 decembre

Partie de campagne /A Day in the Country, 1946

This film is a French featurette that was written and directed by Jean Renoir in 1936, but not edited and released until 1946. It is based on the short story "Une partie de campagne" (1881) by Guy de Maupassant, who was a friend of Renoir's father, the renowned painter Auguste Renoir.The film chronicles a love affair over a summer afternoon in 1860, along the banks of the Seine.