Nick Hammond
Ariadne auf Naxos (3)
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
Alceste
Fine Cast and OrchestraCarry Revived Production The orchestra onstage. Photo © Julien Benhamou It can sometimes be instructive to revisit an operatic production viewed previously, and I was glad to have the chance to see the return of Olivier Py’s … Read More
Comme des Voleurs (à l’Est)
Polish Autofiction Lionel (Lionel Baier) and his boyfriend Serge (Stéphane Rentznik), whom he leaves to find his Polish roots. Comme des Voleurs (à l’Est) is young Swiss director Lionel Baier’s second film. His first, Garçon Stupide (2004), although uneven, showed … Read More
Charly
Faith in French Films Restored Julie-Marie Parmentier as Charly and Kolia Litscher as Nicolas. At the tender age of 24, the actress Isild Le Besco has already directed two films, and each has featured her younger brother Kolia Litscher. In … Read More
Chacun sa Nuit
Incestuous Intimacy The film’s characters drop their clothes at every opportunity. Photo: © La Fabrique Films It is a sad fact that much French cinema these days is afflicted by what seems to be terminal laziness. Unfortunately, Chacun sa Nuit … Read More
Le Passager
Beautiful Collage Julie Depardieu gives a strong performance. Le Passager, directed by and starring Eric Caravaca, follows in the long line of recent French films dealing with mourning and loss. In this one, a man (played by Caravaca) returns to … Read More
Un Monde sans Femmes
Men with andWithout Women Sylvain gets a respite from his lonely life while frolicking with two visiting Parisians. French cinema tends to be overpopulated with dreadful movies set at the seaside in which improbably ugly men pursue and conquer improbably … Read More
Ce qu’Il Restera de Nous
The Longest 40-Minute Film Ever The lipstick smear: how to tell a woman is losing it in a French film. Always on the lookout for films that do not quite fit the mold, I recently saw the 40-minute Ce qu’Il … Read More
Au Bout du Conte
A Modern Fairytale Lacking in Adventure Jean-Pierre Bacri and Agnès Jaoui in “Au Bout du Conte.” Ever since being blown away by the warmth, humor and humanity of Le Goût des Autres (2000), I must admit to approaching each new … Read More
Le Cid
Grand Themes,Intimate Singing Court scene. Photo © Agathe Poupeney. The appearance of Pierre Corneille’s play Le Cid in 1637 had a long-lasting effect on French cultural life. Not only did its subject matter – the young hero Rodrigue is forced to … Read More