My Journey Through French Cinema
Bertrand Tavernier's personal journey through French cinema, from films he enjoyed as a boy to his own early career, told through portraits of key creative figures.Bertrand Tavernier's personal journey through French cinema, from films he enjoyed as a boy to his own early career, told through portraits of key creative figures.Bertrand Tavernier's personal journey through French cinema, from films he enjoyed as a boy to his own early career, told through portraits of key creative figures.
- Awards
- 1 win & 3 nominations
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- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaPrologue: "Something unites Bertrand and me: We are both of the Liberation and of the Cinemathèque.---Jean-Luc Godard"
- Quotes
Bertrand Tavernier: "Dernier Atout" is a brilliant but minor film of Becker's. The real shock cam in seeing "Casque d'Or" at the Noctambule on Rue Champollion where I used to play hooky. I was staggered by the serene assurance with which Becker managed to create a tragic climate that he usually distilled with more restraint... Here the tragedy hits you frontally. What's striking is his formal and visual command, the narrative elegance, and the way this mastery never interferes with the emotion, never makes the work impersonal. It's a film in which you constantly feel the character's heartbeat. The mise en scène flexes emotion like you flex your muscles.
- ConnectionsFeatures Under the Roofs of Paris (1930)
The first half is fantastic, but the movie loses itself after the tale of Gabin, France greatest actor. There is no thread liking one part with another, no message to be told. It is just one recollection after another, which could go on forever, and indeed it went on as TV series of 10 episodes.
The movie or documentary fails because he actually carries very little interest. If you know French cinema prior to see this documentary, you will learn very little. If you don't know much about French cinema then yes, you will learn about Renoir, Becker, Gabin and The Great Illusion (the undisputed greatest movie ever made) but you will miss out on the legends that were Raimu, Fernandel, Bourvil, Clouzot, Dassin, De Funes and the greatest director out of them all Robert Bresson.
How come they've been left out? One might ask, well, for one thing, by time restrictions, although Clouzot and Guitry were touched upon in the TV series. But the main reason is Tavernier's own taste. Tavernier likes film noir and gritty films, hence the omission of all the comics of France Golden Age. He also isn't a particularly spirituel director, hence the omission of Bresson and Bunuel. It's a shame, it is similar to directing a documentary about the France football team and omitting to talk or even mention Zidane, Cantona and Papin.
A nice effort but lacking too much in structure and interest, although the first half is brilliantly told.
- alexcornas
- Mar 24, 2019
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- A Journey Through French Cinema
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $52,214
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $10,636
- Jun 25, 2017
- Gross worldwide
- $73,514
- Runtime3 hours 21 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1