Paris Je T'aime

     Paris Je T'aime is a series of short films. Most of them weere short stories about love. There were a few that seemed liked they were not, though. There was one scene about a woman who cared for babies and she sang lullabies to them, and then the scene ended. I really did not understand how that was a love story. One of the other ones that was a love story, and it was about these mimes that met in a jail and got married and had a child together. It was a really cute scene. I found that some of the scenes were really kind of strange as well, like there was one that had a bunch of crazy chinese people.

     Another thing about the film that I thought was interesting was how it was set in each different quarter of Paris. This was so interesting because it really tells you alot about the atmosphere of each area. I think that there are parts of Paris that remind me of parts of places here. Like the fact that there are parts that are nicer than other parts, there are the parts with drugs and violence and criminals, and then there are parts where none of that would even happen at all. I really learned alot more about Pariis when watching this movie. The bottom line of this movie is that love is different for everyone.

The scene pictured above, which was filmed in Quartier des Enfants Rouges, was one of my favorites. It starred Maggie Gyllenhaal.

The above two pictures are from the mime scene. The little boy starts it off anwering questions about his parents, who were mimes that met in jail. This was there son.

The movie was combined from short films that were filmed by 22 different directors. Here they are:

Bruno Podalydès ("Montmartre")

Gurinder Chadha ("Quais de Seine")
Gus Van Sant("Le Marais")
Ethan and Joel Coen ("Tuileries")Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas ("Loin du 16e")Christopher Doyle("Porte de Choisy")Isabel Coixet ("Bastille")Nobuhiro Suwa ("Place des Victoires")Sylvain Chomet ("Tour Eiffel")Alfonso Cuarón("Parc Monceau")
Olivier Assayas and Emmanuel Benbihy ("Quartier des Enfants Rouges")
Wes Craven("Pére-Lachaise")Oliver Schmitz ("Place des Fetes")
Richard LaGravenese ("Pigalle")Vincenzo Natali ("Quartier de la Madeleine")Tom Tykwer("Faubourg Saint-Denis")Gérard Depardieu and Frédéric Auburtin ("Quartier Latin")Alexander Payne ("14e arrondissement")

1. What do you think that this film shows about French culture? Be specific!

     I think that this movie shows alot about French culture. First of all, I think that this shows that Paris can be very diverse culturally in all the different areas. They each have completelyh different atmospheres. I also think that it shows how people act in Paris. It really shows that it is not all like the stereotypes, it is very different, even though some stereotypes seem true.

2. Did you like this film? Why or why not?

     I loved this movie so much! It was fantastic! My favorite scene was "Quartier Latin". It was about a man and woman who were finalizing there divorce. They both seemed pretty happy about it considering they both had found other people, and they talked to eachother in a very lighthearted way, wishing eachother alot of happiness. Well there were many other scenes that I enjoyed but this was one of  my favorites. I enjoyed this movie so much because of the humor and romance.

3. Was this film aesthetically beautiful?

     I think that this film was very beautiful,. The scenes that feature the sky line of Paris were beautiful. I loved the way that some of the scenes were filmed such as Les Marais which was filmed inside of what looked kind of like a warehouse. It was filmed verry well and it was enjoyable to watch. I liked how they also showed both character's point of veiw when they were filming.

4. How does the film compare to an American film of a similar genre? How it is different?

     This film reminds me of Valentines Day. I think that it is similar because of how it shows the different situations of different relationships. The upcoming film New Years Eve also looks like it could be similar to it aswell because of the style of the way it is put together. I think that this film is also similar to this one because of the endings where the people all know eachother somehow even though in the film it is only a few people that know eachother. They show it as one big Paris.




Paris, Je t'aime Quartier Des Enfants Rouges by ryoanji

Coco Before Chanel

A rise from obscure beginnings to the heights of the fashion world, Coco Before Chanel is the story of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel who began her life as a headstrong orphan,and through an extraordinary journey became the most respected woman in all of Europe. She spent years discovering herself and represented courage and motivation. She never gave up. She not once, stopped being herself. The movie brought surprises when least expected. The film feels less like a "documentary", but instead a romantic tragedy. Several years after leaving the orphanage to which her father never returned for her, a young Gabrielle Chanel finds herself working in a provincial bar. She is both a seamstress for the performers and a singer, earning the nickname Coco from the song she sings nightly with her sister. A young man gives her an opportunity to live with him and she accepts. In the middle of sewing hats, making dresses, and in the middle of parties, she finds herself falling in love with Arthur Capel, nicknamed "Boy". When she finally decides to begin a business of design, she is left without a love in her life. Her true love, Boy, ends up dying in a car accident. I believe Audrey Tatou did a phenomenal job at the role of Coco. She's a hard role to play because of how great Coco Chanel came to be. 

The story is full of tragedy. 

Some parts will make you laugh because of how high she holds her head.

Others,however, might make you tear up. 

Did you like the film? Why or why not?

The film was spectacular. I can relate what it's like to have to fight pain just like Coco. Before she reached the top or the good, she had to deal with the bad and the ugly. I can learn so much from the movie. She is her self the entire movie. She doesn't try and change herself to impress anyone. She didn't change her morals or beliefs or values. The real points of the film was a story of an orphan who reached the top of the fashion world.

Was the film aesthetically beautiful? If yes, how so? If not, then why not?

The scenery the director wanted to include was breathtaking. The story was simple. But because of the deep scenery and the music, it made it complicated. Coco Chanel really makes me think. It was grand. All the scenes of France, prettier than I would have expected. Bravo, Anne Fontaine!

How does the film compare to an American film of a similar genre? How is it different?

It reminds me a little of My Best Friend's Wedding because the drama and love doesn't turn out as planned. My Best Friend's Wedding has scenery and culture of NYC. Those movies are different in the plot but the theme has the same idea. When you realize you really love something, everyone tries to hold on to it, when in reality, they should be let go just like Boy and Micheal. These movies have a similarity that falls under the category of success and heartbreak. It's different because French movies have an excitement to them. American movies don't have this trait. When I was watching Coco Chanel, it had passion. American films aren't as culturally developed as French movies.

What does this film show about French culture?

This movie has French culture written all over it. France is the birthplace of cinema and love and passion and drama. This movie has all of these characteristics. It has a deep connection to France.

Les Choristes - The Chorus

Les Choristes was very entertaining to me, although I thought it seemed like it was cut short. The movie started out with two men reading a journal from a music teacher they both had when they were younger. The music teacher, Clément Mathieu, didn't know what he was getting into.



On his first day, the headmaster surprises Mathieu with his impatience and anger. The school was a boarding school just for boys. It was a place for orphans, badly behaved boys, and boys that were taken away from their parents. Throughout the movie, Mathieu gains the children's respect and attention, also discovering a young boy with a magnificent voice.



The reason I thought the movie was cut short was because it didn't show any big performances or where most of the children went after that. Overall, I enjoyed the movie. I would say it's in the drama category of genres, with a little humor.



The director of the movie is Christophe Barratier and it was produced in 2004. The main character actors are:

Clement Mathieu - Gerard Jugnot
Rachin - Francois Berleand
Chabert - Kad Merad
Maxence - Jean-Paul Bonnaire
Violette Morhange - Marie Bunel
Pierre Morhange - Jean-Baptiste Maunier
Pepinot - Maxence Perrin
Le Querrec - Cyril Bernicot
Boniface - Simon Fargeot

Les Choristes won many awards including, the Audience Award and the Jury award in 2004 and the Golden Kinnaree Award and the Cesar award in 2005.

Did you like the film? Why or why not?

Yes, I liked the film. It was funny and it kept me interested. I liked the way it started out with the adult versions of the two boys in the chorus. I would recommend this to well, anyone really if they have any spare time. It was a fun watch.

Was the film aesthetically beautiful? If yes, how so? If not, then why not?

Yes, the songs and music the boys performed were beautiful. They sang really well for a bunch of mischievous boys. They had a soft, high pitched sound. This was most likely because they were young boys. And also the dedication that Mathieu put into the chorus and the boys was great.

What are three major themes that the film addresses? How are those themes played out?

One major theme would be determination. Mathieu does not quit on teaching the boys how to sing. Another major theme would be discipline. Even though the headmaster in the movie goes a bit too far with punishment, we could all learn that with wrong decisions, there comes consequences and discipline. And the last major theme would be to never give up. Never give up on your dreams, never give up doing what you love, and never give up fighting for it.

What does this film show about the French culture? Be specific!

Well, first it's in French! The manners in the movie are more strict than ours in America. In the movie, the boys had to stand and cross their arms whenever the headmaster came into the room. But that was the only person they really "respected" in the beginning. In America, the rules are looser in that area. You still have to respect the principle, but you don't have to stand up when he enters the class and wait for his signal to sit down.

Les Choristes- The Chorus

Les Choristes is a dramatic comedy film about a music teacher named Clement Mathieu who goes to work at an orphanage where children act out and get severely punished by their headmaster for a certain amount of time. When he arrives the children steal his sheet music which he has promised himself he wouldn't write ever again. He strongly disagrees with the punishment system but it isn't his place to do anything about it. The headmaster doesn't have faith in the children until the chorus is formed.master. When a child acts our or pulls a prank he says "action-reaction" and the child is punished by cleaning duties and solitude for

After a while he becomes inspired by the children and starts writing chorus music for them to sing. One day after Pierre Morhange (an orphan) is cleaning for punishments he starts to sing and Mathieu hears him. He gives Pierre a solo in his chorus and when Mathieu meets his mother (whom he is very fond of) he urges her to have him put into a school for gifted singers. He always believes in the children and does his best to keep them from being punished. Singing gave the children hope and a sense that someone cared about them. When he is fired for taking the children off "campus" part of the school is burned down by a student who escaped the school. As he is leaving, Pepinot, one of the children who longs to be adopted, rushes to Mathieu and begs to go with him which he can not decline.

Les Choristes was directed by Christophe Barratier and produced in 2004, staring Gerard Jugnot as Mathieu, Francois Berleand as Rachin, and Jean-Baptiste Maunier as Pierre Morhange. It was nominated or won awards in the Golden Globes, the Oscars, Australian Film Festival, BAFTA Awards, Bankok Internation Film Festival, Camerimage, Cesar Awards, European Film Awards, Goya Awards, Heartland Film Festival, London Critics Circle Film Awards, and many more.

Did you like the film? Why or why not?

I did like the film, I thought it was interesting how the children were so disciplined but at any moment they could snap out of it and behave badly. They stole money and played dangerous pranks that accidently injured one of the staff. Even though they knew who it wast the boys refused to tell so that their friend wouldn't be punished. Mathieu knew who it was and in his own ways punished the boy. To turn a rowdy group of boys into a hopeful choir who behaves is a hard and long process. i also liked how it was based on an earlier time period and at some times it was funny.

Was the film aesthetically beautiful? If yes than how so? If not, then why not?

Yes, the film was aesthetically beautiful because it used the beautiful voices of a real choir of young boys and an old building to be the orphanage. They way the movie is set back in time gives you a better idea of what orphanages were like when the war was over and shows what happens to the children of those who died. Not all of the children are orphans but some are troubled kids starting over. It uses scenery from countrysides and classrooms with wooden table desks, chalkboards, and ink wells for their pens. The old timey feel makes you think about kids now and then and how they grew up.

What are three major themes that the film addresses? How are those themes played out?

The three major themes are music, unnecessary punishments, and hope for hopeless children. The songs that the children sang were about places they could go, dreams they could have, and hope for their future. When no one would confess for pranks they did, the whole school would be punished and random kids were chosen for solitary. One boy was accused of stealing money and running away but he never stole it. The headmaster slapped the boy when police returned with him for over half an hour and told people he confessed when he never did. The boy who actually stole the money hid it but was caught by Matheiu and he told him that he wanted to buy a hot air balloon.

What does this film show about the French culture? Be specific!

This film shows how one man can change the future of many children just by believing in them when they needed it the most. The ways that the headmaster punished the children were so different from the ways of america. When I think of a child being put in solitary it makes me think of kids who are in jail. Also, the children were smoking even though it wan't allowed. One child set the school on fire and watched it burn while smoking. It was nice that in the end Pepinot got away form the school and adopted by someone who could love and support him.

400 Blows

Les Quatre Cents Coups- The 400 Blows

The 400 blows is a film based on the struggles of a young boy, Antoine Doinel. He is a young French boy who has a streak of being a trouble maker, even when attempting to make the correct decisions. The story revolves around Antoine's relationship with his mother and father, which is very stressed to say the least, and with his close friend Rene. Rene and Antoine manage to make mischief of all manner, running away from home not to mention Antoine's arrest for petty theft and vagrancy. The story makes for a very excellent film, including mischeif, runaways, correctional facilities, and jail. I highly recommend this film to anyone, American or French, who loves a well directed movie.

The movie starts off with Antoine at school passing around a naked picture of a girl. When he is caught he is punished by his teacher and curses him when he leaves class. When he gets home, the film shows how tense his life at home with his mother is. Although he is jokey and respectful to her, she still seems so mad. Antoine ends up skipping school with his best friend Rene due to forgetting an assignment that was due, and on his way home he sees him mother kissing another man.He overheard his mother explaining to her dad about why she was coming home so late, having to do with her boss at work. The next day at school when he is asked why he was absent he is choked up, and his father was surprised to hear this. Of course, his mom who had seem him watch her kiss another man did not have much to say. Later when his teachers ask where he was he claims his mother died to get out of trouble and having to explain his absence. He decides not to return home and goes to the Place Pigalle for somewhere to sleep.

As the story moves on, his mother comes looking for him at school the next day and takes him home from school and spends the day with him. That night she tells him of her rebellious times when she was young and encourages him to talk about his problems in school. At school he is told to write an essay and titles his "my grandfathers death" When he gets home he goes to his room and lights a candle in remembrance of Balzac, like in his school essay. His father gets furious that he lite the candle but his cautious mother defends him and the family enjoys each other and gets strawberry ice cream which was a first for them. This was a change for Antoine because his family was actually acting like a family for once. When the essays are given back, Antoine's teacher was furious with what he wrote and he was suspended til after Christmas. Once again he was afraid to go home to his parents so he went to Rene's and was not found because his parents were at the country club. The friends think of ways to make enough money to start their own business, after much more trouble through the film, he eventually gets sent to a place for bad children and troubled youth. His best friend Rene comes and visits but nothing is the same. One day Antoine escapes and gets to live buy the ocean, which is where he was always wanted to be anyways.

Francois Truffaut was the director of 400 Blows. The French film was produced in 1959. It was announced the Best Director Award at the 1959 Cannes Film Award. A huge accomplishment for the film was the Best Original Screenplay at the 32d Academy Awards. Also it was awarded the Best European Film award at the Bodil Awards.

It has a 100 rating on Rotten Tomatoes and on the BFI list of 50 movies you should see by the age of 14.

The 400 blows had a talented cast that kept the film upbeat and enjoyable to watch . Some of the main cast members in Truffauts most successful film.

Jean-Pierre Léaud was starred as Antoine DoinelClaire

Maurier as Gilberte Doinel (Antoine's mother) .

Albert Rémy as Julien Doinel, (Antoine's father).

Guy Decomble as School teacher (Sourpuss).

Patrick Auffay as René Bigey.

Georges Flamant as Monsieur Bigey.

Did you enjoy the film?

I thought it was a pretty good movie, although I didn’t always follow the significance of the plot, and at times i felt like there wasn't much of an aim to what plot there was. But other then the plot the movie was pretty good, and even though it was in French i felt like even without the subtitles i got the gist of what they were saying, possibly because it was a movie starring children.

Was the film aesthetically beautiful? if yes how and if not why not?

There were some remarkably breathtaking scenes in the movie, at the beginning when they drive towards the Eiffel tower it made me wish I could visit Paris just to see it it was so breathtaking. Also there were many other very pretty images of the city or landmarks and shots of the landscape in the country. Oddly enough none of the actors were all that physically attractive, which i guess is just a convention of American movies to only star attractive actors.

How does the film compare to an American film of a similar genre? How is it different?

The film is shot in black and white and not a very current movie, far before my time and not like any I have seen, although i have seen a few clips from older American films, I can’t compare it to any movie I’ve seen, but genre-wise I found out there is a genre based on the self discovery of the hero or star of the movie, called “Coming-of-age drama” which is based on a characters struggle and strife to become the man or woman they wish to be.

What are 3 major themes the film addresses? How are those themes played out?

Three main themes of the movie are Crime, Punishment, and growing up. These themes play out in several different ways throughout the film. Crime begins when after his first attempt at running away the boy decides to steal a bottle of milk from a crate on the street, while hanging around Rene this crime escalates to stealing from parents, stealing clocks, cigars and wine, and finally culminating in the theft of the typewriter. The most dramatic escalation of this criminal streak is the escape from the juvenile detention center. The next theme, punishment, is extremely prominent throughout the film, beginning with his defacing of the classroom walls, he is slapped by his father, slapped in class after being caught skipping school, and slapped in the detention center for eating early. This punishment extends to being sent to the detention center, being held in jail, and being treated like a criminal. The final theme of growing up never really materializes but it is always on the edge of consciousness, he and Rene both make a point of talking about how they want to grow up and move out on their own, how they could escape to the sea and make their own way through the world if only given the chance. However this is mostly just idle talk of children, but is still a significant aspect of the characters.

How does the film show french culture?

French culture is demonstrated in the film in numerous ways. One is the freedom children are given to almost do as they please, roaming the city as much as they wish, even in grade school. Also it appears at least in this movie that the children are brighter and more ambitious then their American counterparts. The only other true French culture demonstrated is in their schoolwork and dinner, as well as the fact that these children are already drinking and smoking cigars at such a young age, but to each their own i suppose. There also seems to be fair emphasis on the cinema, for news reels as well as films, and that recreation is more common in France.

400 Blows Movie Trailer

Director of 400 Blows, Francois Truffaut.

Paris, Je T'Aime (Paris, I Love You)

Love can be weird. It can be hard to understand. It can come in many different forms. It doesn't always have a happy ending.

In a series of 18 vignettes--all taking place on different streets of Paris--"Paris Je T'Aime" explores every aspect of love. This film feels less like a romantic comedy and more like a documentary tour of Paris and collection of short stories about the people who are lucky enough to live there. All of these stories have their own attitudes and depictions of what love is. Love between mother and child, a person and a country, a human and a vampire.

Some of these films make you laugh, others make you cry. On Tuileries, a hapless tourist (Steve Buscemi) gets seduced and then humiliated by a French woman and her mercurial boyfriend. On Loin Du 16E, a struggling single mother (Catalina Moreno) must work late as a nanny while her own baby waits in daycare.
Some stories depict exactly what you imagine true love to be. On Feubourg Saint-Denis, an up-and-coming actress (Natalie Portman) and a blind boy (Melchoir Beslon) have an unconventional, roller-coaster romance.

On Bastille, an adulterous husband (Sergio Castillito) changes his ways to make the last months of her life as wonderful as possible.

However, other films took a darker turn. They didn't portray sugar-coated love stories. They were the complicated and strange sides of love. This is true for the two immigrants in Place Des Fetes, whose sweet flirtations take a heart-breaking twist. Two mimes find love on Tour Eiffel, and Oscar Wilde gives one couple some love advice on Pére-Lachaise. On the Quartier De La Madeline, a deadly and destructive love affair between a vampiress (Olga Kurylenko) and a human (Elijah Wood) beats Twilight hands-down.



"Paris, Je T'aime" premiered at the 2006 Toronto and Cannes Film Festivals. It recieved the "Golden Trailer" award for 2008. Other actors in the film include the wonderful Juliette Binoche, as well as Maggie Gyllenhhal, Rufus Sewell Willem Dafoe, Nick Nolte, and Emily Montimer.

Since "Paris, Je T'Aime" was a collection of separately directed short films, 22 directors were all able to bring very different visions to life. The directors are:

Bruno Podalydès ("Montmartre")
Gurinder Chadha ("Quais de Seine")
Gus Van Sant("Le Marais")
Ethan and Joel Coen ("Tuileries")
Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas ("Loin du 16e")
Christopher Doyle("Porte de Choisy")
Isabel Coixet ("Bastille")
Nobuhiro Suwa ("Place des Victoires")
Sylvain Chomet ("Tour Eiffel")
Alfonso Cuarón("Parc Monceau")
Olivier Assayas and Emmanuel Benbihy ("Quartier des Enfants Rouges")
Wes Craven("Pére-Lachaise")
Oliver Schmitz ("Place des Fetes")
Richard LaGravenese ("Pigalle")
Vincenzo Natali ("Quartier de la Madeleine")
Tom Tykwer("Faubourg Saint-Denis")
Gérard Depardieu and Frédéric Auburtin ("Quartier Latin")
Alexander Payne ("14e arrondissement")

Did you like the film? Why or why not?
I loved it. That is, most of it. The stories, the scenery, and the treasure trove of actors were all wonderful to behold. Still, I didn't really care for "Tour Eiffel" or "Porte de Choisy". Both seemed overdone, and somehow unrelated to the "point" of the movie, which was to show true love in all its forms. Those films seemed to be mockeries of love.

Was the film aesthtically beautiful? If yes, how so? If not, then why not?
Yes. "Paris, Je T'aime" was filled with swoon-worthy overhead shots of Paris (which is always breathtaking), and the cinematography in "Faubourg Saint-Denis" and "Quartier de la Madeleine" was epecially fantastic. Even "Tour Eiffel" and "Porte de Choisy" had interesting aethetics, such as the bringing to life of the mime's actions and the brightness of the nail salon.

How does the film compare to an American film of a similar genre? How is it different?
"Paris, Je T'Aime" reminded me very much of a mix between "Love Actually" and "Annie Hall". Both films are romantic comedies, but had stories with real depth and understanding of love. Like "Paris, Je T'aime", "Love Actually" features multiple couples, all in different stages of love. "Annie Hall" was one of the first films to break the conventional, happy-ending romance cookie cutter. "Paris, Je T'Aime" was filled with new and unromanticized approaches to love. However, "Paris, Je T'Aime" had an almost documentary-like feeling to it which is rare in American films. Lots of romantic comedies seem unrealistic, or have recyled plots. "Paris, Je T'Aime" definitely didn't suffer from this.

What does this film show about French culture? Be specific!
The French are known for being exceedingly polite and courteous. But this doesn't mean they are afraid of exploring taboo topics. I think the French are known for romance for a reason. They are never taught to shy away from love, whether that's a love of food, art, work, or a person. This film showed every kind of love and every stage of it. It showed happy and sad endings, and those in between. I think most of all, that "Paris, Je T'Aime" shows the wonderful ability to communicate and connect deeply with others which is sometimes lost in American culture.

La Cité des Enfants Perdus- The City of Lost Children

The movie "The City of Lost Children" is about a scientist, Krank,who cannot dream. He sends out his henchmen t/kidnap children to venture into their dreams and steal them. Yet every time, it is a nightmare. He ends up crying at the end of every nightmare and does not understand why. He has a brain in a box that helps him with his experiments.

When Krank steals One's, an ignorant strongman who once was a whale hunter, little brother, One seeks the help of some orphaned children. These are controlled by the cyclops, men who can not see and have a telescope attached to their left eye. An orphan named Crumb runs away with One to help him defeat Krank.
But Crumb is being followed by these evil twins that "care" for the orphans. They make them steal jewels and money from neighbors and have to turn in a good amount or they are sent to the "hole". The twins catch up with Crumb and One and try to poison One with a potion from a flea that will make him kill Crumb.

But the flea master turns the flea onto the twins and they are killed in their own death trap they set up for One and Crumb. One and Crumb finally are able to get to Krank's lab on an island far away in the water.

They rescue all the children from Krank's possession. Even his little brother right before Krank stole his dreams.

This movie was filmed in 1995 and directed by Marc Caro and Jean- Pierre Jeunet. It stars Ron Perlman as One, Daniel Emilfork as Krank, and Judith Vittet as Crumb/ Miette. The film wasnominated 10 times for awards and won two. One for Best Production Design from Cesar Awards in 1996 and the other for best sound editing at Golden Reel Award in 1996.

Questions:

Did you like the film? Why or why not?

Overall this film was very good. It was intriguing and interesting and i have never seen a movie plot like that before. But some things were quite confusing. Maybe because it was a french film but I didn't understand the whole idea of a city on water. And the fact that it wasn't explained annoyed me. I feel that if I was to watch it again, I would catch things I didn't in the first time I watched it. But in general I loved the movie and would recommend it.

Was this film aesthetically beautiful? If yes, how? If no, why not?

I wouldn't say this movie is the exact meaning of aesthetically beautiful because the scene and plot were not happy and blissful. They were gray and dark and gloom. Children were stolen and a man could not dream.

How does the film compare to an American film of the similar genre? How is it different?

I have never seen a film like this one before. The plot was so creative and different. Yes there are orphan movies where the kids find another "parent" in this case One.

What does the film show about the French culture? Be specific?

The film shows that French directors and film writers have a very open mind and like to take risky attempts in film making. Not too many american directors wouldn't feel comfortable stepping into that sort of comfort zone. The movie was so different and strange and yet amazing that i couldn't stop watching it.

Le Trou (The Hole)

Le Trou is a film based on José Giovanni’s book Le Trou. This movie was filmed in black and white in 1960. It tells the story of how five prison inmates plan to escape.

It opens up with an inmate being moved to a cell with four others planning an escape. The four were very friendly (very French, right?) and take him in immediately. After they feel comfortable with the newbie they inform him about their plan. They will go underground. They dug until they break through to the underground chambers. From there, they made their way to the prison sewers. Then, they dug a tunnel to the main sewers, under the city. They find a manhole to climb out of into the streets of Paris. However, they do not make it out. They got found out.

I believe the prisoner that moved cells was a “plant” sent by the prison director, because one of the inmates in that cell already escaped three times before. He could have told the director about their escape plan.

The five inmates of Le Trou were Roland, Geo, Manu, Vosselin “Monseigneur”, and Claude. Roland was the leader of the group. He was the one that had escaped before and he thought up the escape plan. Geo was the laid back, relaxed guy that just went with the flow. Manu was the tough guy. Monseigneur was the funny guy of the group. Claude was the prisoner that moved cells to the one with Roland, Geo, Manu, and Monseigneur.

Le Trou was a very well made drama. Not only was it about prisoners’ attempt at escape, it was about life in a prison. Throughout the film, difficulties of being in a prison arose. One I liked was that the plumbers stole their cigarettes while they were exercising in the prison yard. When they found out, they called the prison director in and said that the faucet wasn’t fixed just to get their cigarettes back. When the plumbers came, the inmates showed them not to mess with their stuff again. Only, they did it in the French way, with slaps.

I believe that Jacques Becker, the director, did very well adapting this film from the book. Strangely, he died shortly after shooting for Le Trou ended. An interesting thing about him was he used unknowns to play the parts of the main characters. The star actor of Le Trou was basically a non-actor. Jacques Becker took Marc Michel, the star, and made him into an actor.

One thing I noticed was that he used a lot of close-ups. I think that he did that to show the emotions the characters were showing. That is a very good technique and I think it is very French. Le Trou was entered in the 1960 Cannes Film Festival, but didn’t win.

Did you like the film? Why or why not?

Yes, I liked this film because it was entertaining throughout all of it. Many movies have dull spots; Le Trou does not. It was very elaborate, too, which I liked. The movie had many sub-plots and other story-lines involving the inmates. One I remember was that Geo didn’t want to leave because his mother was a nervous wreck. He knew that if he escaped, the police would have went straight to her and would have gotten a heart attack. He wanted to stay to help his mom.

Was the film aesthetically beautiful? If yes, how so? If not, then why not?

I believe Le Trou was beautiful because of the sub-plots. The one mentioned above was beautiful. Another sub-plot was why Claude was sent to prison. He was imprisoned because his wife sued him because she claims he shot her. Claude says that he and his wife were fighting and she pulled a gun on him. While he was trying to take it away from her, it went off and hit her in the shoulder. She won the suit and he was sent to jail. After a couple weeks, Claude’s wife’s sister came and visited him and she said that his wife sobs at night for him. She never wished for him to leave her forever.

How does the film compare to an American film of a similar genre? How it is different?

Le Trou is very similar to an old prison/drama. It contained all the main elements: complex characters, a small cell, and an escape plan. I think an American Le Trou would not have gone too in-depth with the characters. We like to keep things simple. I also think that an American Le Trou would have less than five inmates, maybe three. Us, Americans, want less dialogue between the characters and more action. Fewer characters would do just that. Le Trou reminded me of The Great Escape with Steve McQueen. That movie was about American troops captured in a German camp planning an escape. They dug a tunnel just like in Le Trou.

What does this film show about French culture?

Le Trou showed how polite the French are even in undesirable situations like prisons. The guards and inmates weren’t rude at all like in the American jail movies. The guards were polite and courteous. The prison director was the nicest of them all. Probably because he had the highest paycheck, but that is beside the point. I believe that French culture is all about being courteous towards others.