Continuing to spotlight names that might be unfamiliar even to ardent film buffs, Tavernier unveils glorious restored footage from one of Franceâs first-ever color films, 1936âs La Terre qui meurt. The latterâs director, Jean VallĂ©e, is given his due, as are Pierre Chenal, Henri Calef (previously Chenalâs assistant)âand trailblazing women directors including Jacqueline Audry (Olivia), Nelly Kaplan (A Very Curious Girl), and AgnĂšs Varda (ClĂ©o from 5 to 7), whose emergence in the 1950s Tavernier hails as âa thunderclap.â Tavernier is joined by Cannes Film Festival director Thierry FrĂ©maux for an annotated discussion of director Gilles Grangierâs many teamings with iconic actor Jean Gabin that is rich in production anecdotes and histories.
My Journey Through French Cinema (2017), Bertrand Tavernierâs CĂ©sar-nominated three-and-a-half-hour tour through French film history, was too short to introduce audiences to all that he wanted to share. In this new eight-part series (8x55min), the acclaimed director of such films as Coup de Torchon and âRound Midnight guides us through a roster of filmmakers both influential and forgotten, explores how his countryâs cinema was shaped by the German occupation and changed again through the New Wave, spotlights little-known female filmmakers, and more. Subjects include: RenĂ© ClĂ©ment, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Julien Duvivier, Henri Decoin, Claude Autant-Lara, as well as composers who made movie music an art in and of itself, far from the Hollywood spotlight.
