Journeys through French Cinema

In the first episode of this expansive series, Bertrand Tavernier discusses the directors who have both influenced him personally and impacted French Cinema at large.

In part two, Tavernier explores the formal and thematic approaches of Sacha Guitry, Marcel Pagnol, Jacques Tati, and Robert Bresson.

Tavernier dissects the importance of music in French Cinema with palpable enthusiasm. He treats us to a feast of joyous clips from beloved classics like Agnès Varda’s CLEO FROM 5 TO 7, Louis Malle’s VIVA MARIA!, and Jacques Demy’s THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROQUEFORT, before honing in to focus on prolific director Julien Duvivier.

Discussing the artistic and political atmosphere during the German occupation, Tavernier explores the ways in which French cinema was enriched by foreign talent as many directors were forced to leave their native countries for political reasons settled in France. Filmmakers discussed include Viktor Tourjanski, Robert Siodmak, Jean-Paul Le Chanois, Albert Valentin, and André Cayatte.

As a postscript to his survey of moviemaking in France under German occupation, Tavernier takes a deep dive into how that period of history impacted films by three essential directors - Claude Autant-Lara, René Clément, and Henri-Georges Clouzot- all the way through their post-WWII work.

In seeking to upgrade his own outmoded perspective on several filmmakers, Tavernier credits critic/programmer Patrick Brion and other writers for championing directors who- decades after their heyday- were finally restored the respect they deserve.

Tavernier continues to spotlight director names that might be unfamiliar even to ardent film buffs and unveils glorious restored footage from one of France’s first-ever color films, 1936’s LA TERRE QUI MEURT.

Closing out his “exercise in admiration and gratitude” from an even more personal perspective, Tavernier recounts firsthand experiences from his 10 rewarding years as press attaché to and with legendary producer and publicist Pierre Rissient.