Bay Of Angels (1963)

From the very first shot I knew I’d made the right decision to watch Bay Of Angels (1963; La baie des anges): it’s a shot of glamorous Jeanne Moreau standing in a street near the water at Monte Carlo, the camera immediately pulling away and racing backwards down the street. Directed by Jacques Demy, his […]

In The White City (1983)

Swiss-German actor Bruno Ganz is popularly identified for two roles – playing the angel in Wings Of Desire and Hitler in Downfall. But I love him in The American Friend and am always keen to discover more of his work in international cinema, particularly in the 70s and 80s. In The White City (1983; aka […]

A Week’s Vacation (1980)

Sunday afternoon dread when the working week beckons. This is a feeling that A Week’s Vacation (1980; aka A Week Of Holidays aka Une semaine de vacances) is about, yet it also works as a soothing balm for such an emotion. The second film I’ve watched by French director Bertrand Tavernier, A Week’s Vacation is […]

Friday Night (2002)

I remember SBS programming Friday Night (2002; Vendredi soir) when I was younger and I was intrigued to see it even though, at the time, I didn’t have much awareness of who director Claire Denis was (or had to see Beau Travail at the very least). The sound of the plot – two people meeting […]

The Clockmaker Of St. Paul (1974)

When French director Bertrand Tavernier passed away recently, I was ashamed to say I’d not seen any of his movies. A number of them are on the Criterion Channel until the end of June, which gave me a timeline to at least see a few. I started with his first film, The Clockmaker Of St. […]