Nick Hammond
Nous, Princesses de Clèves
The other day I walked into one of the many chic gift shops in the Marais district of Paris and found myself drawn to a pack of old books, only to discover that they had been tied together so tightly … Read More
Paris à la Carte
Return of Marks & Sparks Ten years ago, when the quintessentially British food and clothes retailer Marks & Spencer decided to withdraw all its outlets from France, there was a sense of collective despair and outrage. After all, its main … Read More
Avant l’Aube
When I saw that Raphaël Jacoulot’s Avant l’aube (Before Dawn) stars three of the finest actors of their respective generations, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Sylvie Testud and Vincent Rottiers, it felt like an opportunity not to be missed. Clearly inspired by the … Read More
Siegfried & Káťa Kabanová
Torsten Kerl as Siegfried and Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke as a campy Mime. Photo: Charles Duprat / Opéra National de Paris Two operas currently being performed in Paris, although written only 50 years apart, could hardly be more different from each other. … Read More
Césars
Praises Of The Cesars Who needs Oscars when you have Césars? This year, the French awards ceremony took place in the same weekend as the American one, not that Hollywood would have noticed. And deservedly, the big winner (not even … Read More
Des Hommes et des Dieux
Inspired by real events that occurred in 1996, when a group of French Cistercian monks was abducted from their monastery in the Atlas Mountains in northern Algeria and held hostage by Islamic militants, Des Hommes et des Dieux (Of Gods … Read More
Year in Review
Ricarda Merbeth as Ariadne in Ariadne auf Naxos. Photo: Julien Benhamou/Opéra National de Paris On the operatic front, after the production disasters of 2009, 2010 turned out to be a bumper year. From the perfectly acceptable Cunning Little Vixen (Janacek) … Read More
Le Nom des Gens
Le Nom des Gens has so much going for it: witty dialogue, imaginative touches, engagement with some interesting political issues, a strong lead performance from Jacques Gamblin and even a brief appearance by former French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. So … Read More
Ariadne auf Naxos
Zerbinetta (Jane Archibald) tries to convince Ariadne (Ricarda Merbeth) to lighten up a little. Photo: Julien Benhamou/Opéra national de Paris With Paris enduring its heaviest snowfalls in years last week and many motorists spending hours stuck in their cars, the … Read More
La Princesse de Montpensier
Marie-Madeleine de Lafayette’s La Princesse de Clèves (1678), considered by many to be the first modern novel – and denigrated a few years ago by that authority on high culture, Nicolas Sarkozy – has tempted many a movie director, usually … Read More