French cinema Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I'm surely not the only one who remembers With a Friend Like Harry (Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien), an oddly intriguing film French film that played in competition at Cannes in 2000, the film is helmed by Dominik Moll. Harry is one of those rare films that, with no apparent rhyme or reason, pops back into my head from time to time. With an IMDb keyword list that includes words like dentist, obsessive, reckless driving, car crash, murderer and ... poetry ... you know at least that it's likely to be interesting. And indeed it is.

What I love about this film is the way it delves into the darker side of the human psyche, especially around relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children. We're introduced to Michel, a writer (Laurent Lucas, who five years later starred in Moll's only other film since Harry, Lemming), and his lovely wife Claire (Mathilde Seigner), who have ventured into the French countryside for a little vacation with their three small daughters. Michel and Claire aren't wealthy, but they seem by all appearances to be as happy as a young couple raising three small kids on limited income might be.

The French are in love with happy endings. French cinema is classic for ending their films relating to love with disastrous, heart wrenching break ups. The lovers have passion and excitement, but never quite live happily ever after. Happily ever after is a definite go to in American cinema -- sometimes a requirement. Often times, films are rewritten or never made because they do not obtain those hopeful and uplifting endings -- especially in matters of love. Are the French following in the footsteps of America's audience-approved endings?

The answer seems to be yes. French box office charts are giving the number one slot to romantic comedies with those familiar 'love conquers all' endings. Pierre Salvadori is heading French box offices with his film Hors de prix (Priceless) starring Audrey Tautou and Gad Elmaleh -- a spin on America's Pretty Woman.

Why the change? Many changes have been happening in French cinema this year. France has been playing with war action films, 3D animation as well as relieving themselves of a snobby filmmaker attitude and connecting more with pleasing audiences. Some films are also dealing with the rising prejudices existing in France with the film Mauvaise foi (Bad Faith) -- where an Arab/Jewish couple's religions may cause the demise of their relationship. The director Roschdy Zem hopes to raise tolerance for those involved in the growing violence between the two groups using humor and film.

So are classic French love stories long gone? One of my favorites, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, is devastating yet equally yummy in its story telling. The young lovers are torn apart by war as the possible defamation of an unwed pregnant woman throws her into the arms of another man -- it's so sad but so good. For now, French audiences are approving this new found happy ending; but I'm sure there are still plenty of French elitist filmmakers ready to rebel against the 'love conquers all' fairytales.