For those of you who came in late (any Phantom comic fans out there) Alliance Francaise and Palace Cinemas each in Australia put on a French film festival each year in Feb/March. This year it's 436 screenings nationwide with 37 movies and documentaries on offer.
For me the gem of the festival was Odette Toulemonde starring Catherine Frot who was in last years The Page Turner and is quite a well known French actress.
The Palace Cinema festival booklet describes this film as a joy. That would be understating the fact. I can't work out how I missed getting onto Frot before this. She is a delight, the other actors and characters in this are a delight. It's sort of like an "Italian for Beginners" feeling but French made. There's parts in here that rival the Notebook. Like many romantic comedies this film could be seen time and time again.
Highly recommended... I give it 10/10. Catherine Frot is about 52. She has some moves and dancing in this movie that would make an African American envious. Great music with a bit of Josephine Baker going on (a fabulous soundtrack) and Catherine you are quite a mover in character shaking your bootie.
Odette, her personality and outlook on life are a pure delight. I read recently a short article by a woman who finally realized that men do in fact like to sleep with women. Yes that's true. We men can never be sure if women in fact like to sleep with men. Some make it quite clear, others not so. But putting aside the physical, many men like or are really seeking to get close to a woman or be in her world. So here we have Odette doing her ironing in her petticoat, there's a knock at the door and she answers it. It's the simple things like this, the old Renault 10, her positive outlook on life that make this film so joyful. How could any man not be drawn to Odette.
I might be late getting onto Frot as an actress but now the pleasure of seeking out her earlier films awaits.
I confess to being a big fan of the French soprano Yvonne Printemps (1894-1979) who was on the French, English and American stage from around 1910 onwards,a founding member of the Parisian Comedy Francaise and an actress in about 6 or 7 films including "The 3 Waltzes" and "Paris Waltz" both available on Ebay on video or direct from the Bel Canto Society. More on her filmography at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0697869/
So the French have done "La Vie en Rose" with Marion Coutlhard documenting Edith Piafs life. My great hope is now the French have this under their belt that they will move onto a real star like Printemps.
In Catherine Frot we have someone the right age (52 born 1956) about the same age as Printemps when she made Paris Waltz. Frot could do Printemps with her little finger, she could mimic Printemps mannerisms in an instant. I just hope someone in the French Film industry can see this. First Frot morphing Josephine Baker. Next stop Printemps!
For me the gem of the festival was Odette Toulemonde starring Catherine Frot who was in last years The Page Turner and is quite a well known French actress.
The Palace Cinema festival booklet describes this film as a joy. That would be understating the fact. I can't work out how I missed getting onto Frot before this. She is a delight, the other actors and characters in this are a delight. It's sort of like an "Italian for Beginners" feeling but French made. There's parts in here that rival the Notebook. Like many romantic comedies this film could be seen time and time again.
Highly recommended... I give it 10/10. Catherine Frot is about 52. She has some moves and dancing in this movie that would make an African American envious. Great music with a bit of Josephine Baker going on (a fabulous soundtrack) and Catherine you are quite a mover in character shaking your bootie.
Odette, her personality and outlook on life are a pure delight. I read recently a short article by a woman who finally realized that men do in fact like to sleep with women. Yes that's true. We men can never be sure if women in fact like to sleep with men. Some make it quite clear, others not so. But putting aside the physical, many men like or are really seeking to get close to a woman or be in her world. So here we have Odette doing her ironing in her petticoat, there's a knock at the door and she answers it. It's the simple things like this, the old Renault 10, her positive outlook on life that make this film so joyful. How could any man not be drawn to Odette.
I might be late getting onto Frot as an actress but now the pleasure of seeking out her earlier films awaits.
I confess to being a big fan of the French soprano Yvonne Printemps (1894-1979) who was on the French, English and American stage from around 1910 onwards,a founding member of the Parisian Comedy Francaise and an actress in about 6 or 7 films including "The 3 Waltzes" and "Paris Waltz" both available on Ebay on video or direct from the Bel Canto Society. More on her filmography at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0697869/
So the French have done "La Vie en Rose" with Marion Coutlhard documenting Edith Piafs life. My great hope is now the French have this under their belt that they will move onto a real star like Printemps.
In Catherine Frot we have someone the right age (52 born 1956) about the same age as Printemps when she made Paris Waltz. Frot could do Printemps with her little finger, she could mimic Printemps mannerisms in an instant. I just hope someone in the French Film industry can see this. First Frot morphing Josephine Baker. Next stop Printemps!