Jun 2nd  
My Old Lady**     

(US/GB/Fra 2014)     
BBC Films/Cohen Media Group/Ingenuous. 107m. Panavision

An American inherits a house in Paris complete with old lady inside it, who turns out to be an ex-lover of his late father.
Slight and full of Bohemian Parisian charm, this sentimental comedy melodrama (with, strictly speaking, a miscast English old lady instead of French) would be a little meandering and boring, were it not for excellent performances.

Written and Directed by: Israel Horowitz, based on his play.
Producers: Rachel Horowitz, Gary Foster, Nitsa Benchetrit, David C. Barrot.
Starring: Kevin Kline, Maggie Smith, Kristin Scott Thomas, Dominique Pinon, Stephane Freiss.
Photography: Michel Amathieu.
Music: Mark Orton.

Preceded by:
Read All About It**
(GB 1945. ABCA. 28m. bw; Curious semi-information drama about the various editorial methods in telling the same newspaper story - quite contrasting to nowadays, but intrinsically no different.; w: Jack House; d: Roy Baker; s: John Laurie, Alfie Bass, Derek Blomfield, John Slater, Ralph Truman, and others.)

MY OLD LADY (2014). Kevin Kline meanders past the now poignant sight of the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral.

Nov 22nd  
Lola Montes* 
(Fra/WG 1955) 
Gamma Films/Florida/Oska. 115m. Cinemascope                         

A 19th century courtesan has a succession of lovers, including the King of Bavaria which brings about his ultimate ruin, and she is resorted to telling her life story a New Orleans circus.
Overblown and magisterial looking epic romantic drama with its circus setting the most audacious and the most bizarre aspect about it. Sweeping in its scope but utterly empty emotionally, perhaps deliberately so. It's director's last great folly, the version here is a 2008 restoration, after the original was heavily altered following the premiere that offended many - although one struggles to see how any alterations would have changed the basic premise.

Written by: Max Ophuls, Franz Greiger, Annette Wadement, based on the novel by Cecil Saint-Laurent (Jacques Laurent).
Producer: Albert Caraco.
Director: Max Ophuls.
Starring: Martine Carol, Peter Ustinov, Anton Walbrook, Ivan Desny, Oskar Werner, Will Quadflieg (as Franz Liszt), Lise Delamare, Carl Esmond.
Photography: Christian Matras.
Music: Georges Auric.

Mar 11th  
Midnight in Paris**   
(US/Spa/Fra 2011)                                   

A California scriptwriter on vacation in Paris drifts away from his fiancee as he intermingles with figures from the city's literary past.
Woody on his European travels; a gentle Twilight Zone nostalgia comedy with a few familiar Allen stereotypes, and Paris evoked in picture postcard fashion, much like it was for Everyone Says I Love You.

Written and Directed by: Woody Allen.
Producers: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum, Jaume Roures.
Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Michael Sheen, Kathy Bates (as Gertrude Stein), Tom Hiddleston (as F. Scott Fitzgerald), Corey Stoll (as Hemingway), Adrien Brody (as Salvador Dali), Lea Seydoux, Carla Bruni.
Photography: Darius Khondji.
Music: Stephane Wrembel, and others.

Dec 15th
Le Rayon Vert*
(The Green Ray)                      
            
(Fra 1986)

A single woman finds her original holiday plans scuppered and spends the remaining weeks in various locations searching for love, happiness and the green ray of sunlight that will herald them.
Fifth in Rohmer's series of "Comedies and Proverbs", boringly plotted although the central performance is engaging, shot in natural sound with largely improvisational dialogue, with the belated ending worth the wait.

Written by: Eric Rohmer, Marie Riviere.
Producer: Margaret Menegoz.
Sarring: Marie Riviere, and others.
Photography: Sophie Maintigneux.
Music: Jean-Louis Valero.

Aug 24th 

Two Days in Paris*                                 

(Fra/Ger 2006)
Polaris Films/Tempete Sous un Crane/3LFilmproduktion/Back Up Media/Rezo Films International. 96m.

A couple returning from Venice to spend two days with her parents and various acquaintances in Paris find the experience to be anything but romantic.
A refreshing antidote to the usual notion of Paris as a city of romance, from an actress/director who has clearly learned from hanging around with Richard Linklater (in films like Before Sunrise and others), quite of-the-moment with a funny and frank first hour, until the joke begins to wear thin and a lack of believability slips in by the end.

Written and Directed by: Julie Delpy.
Producers: Julie Delpy, Christopher Mazodier, Thierry Potok.
Starring: Adam Goldberg, Julie Delpy, Marie Pillet, Albert Delpy, Alexia Landeau, Adam Jodorowsky, Alex Nahon, Daniel Bruhl.
Photography: Lubomir Bakchev.
Music: Gustaf Heden, Julie Delpy.

Jul 22nd 

Au Revoir les Enfants***                               

(Fra/WG 1987)

Experiences at a Carmelite boarding school in occupied France during WWII, where a boy realises his quiet, reserved classmate is a Jew in hiding.
Beautifully observed, no-nonsense filming by Malle based on his own childhood (as downbeat and truthful as were The Pianist and Schindler's List), with a heart-wrenching finale.

Written, Produced and Directed by: Louis Malle.
Starring: Gaspard Manesse, Raphael Fejto, Philippe Morier-Genoud, Francois Berleand, Francine Racette, Stanislas Carre de Malberg, Francois Negret, Irene Jacob.
Photography: Renato Berta.
Music: Various classical.
Production Design: Willy Holt.

Feb 21st
The Science of Sleep*
original title: La Science des Reves
Fra 2006. Partizan/Gaumont/France 3 Cinema/Canal+/TPS Star. 105m.

A calendar maker returns home to Paris and spends half his life as dream.
Surreal romantic comedy from the director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, rather more indulgent and less skillful in its imagination, but the main performances help to engage.

Written and Directed by: Michael Gondry.
Producers: Michael Gondry. Georges Permann, Frederic Junqua.
Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alain Chabat, Miou-Miou, Aurelia Petit, Sacha Bourdo, Emma De Caunes.
Photography: Jean-Louis Bampoint.
Music: Jen-Michel Bernard.
Art Direction: Pierre Pell, Stephane Rosenbaum.

Sep 3rd
Indigenes**
English language title: Days of GloryFra/Algeria/Belgium/Morocco 2006. Tessalit/Kissfilms. 120m. ws

The plight of African and Muslim soldiers who volunteered to fight for colonial France in World War II.
Moving war drama with an agenda - highlighting the prejudices toward the North Africans both during and after WWII (their war pensions were withdrawn after independence, only recently reinstated because of the film), with a powerful ending, a few cliches administered along the way, and action up to standard.

Written by: Olivier Lorelle, Rachid Bouchareb.
Producer: Jean Brehat.
Director: Rachid Bouchareb.
Starring: Roschdy Zem, Jamel Debbouze, Samy Naceri, Sami Bouajila, Bernard Blancan, Mathieu Simonet, Assaad Bouab, Antoine Chappey, Aurelie Eltvedt.
Photography: Patrick Blossier.
Music: Aarmand Amar, Cheb Khaled.
Production Design: Dominique Douret.

July 14th
Paris Je T'aime* (15)
Screen on the Green, Islington

Fra 2006. Victoires International/Pirol Film. 120m.

Appropriately for Bastille Day, I saw this compilation of 18 vignettes set in most of the various districts of Paris, "the city of love".
Typically, it's a VERY mixed bag, with many of the segments resembling extended commercials or trailers, and the subjects range from conventional French romance to animated mime clowns in love - there is even a vampire tale featuring Elijah Wood. Other segments seem to stop short just when the characters are becoming interesting, whilst on the other hand they leave the audience to pleasantly imagine what happens next.

Producers: Emmanuel Benbiby, Claudie Ossard.

"Montmartre": w, d: Bruno Padalydes; s: Bruno Podalydes, Florence Muller.

"Quais de Seine": w: Paul Mayeda Berges, Gurinder Chadha; d: Gurinder Chadha; s: Leila Bekhti, Cyril Descours.

"Le Marais": w, d: Gus Van Sant; s: Gaspard Ulliel, Elias McConnell, Marianne Faithful.

"Tuileries": w, d: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, s: Steve Buscemi.

"Loin du 16e": w, d: Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas; s: Catalina Sandino Moreno.

"Porte de Choisy": w: Gabrielle Keng, Kathy Li, Christopher Doyle; d: Christopher Doyle; s: Barbet Schroeder, Li Xin.

"Bastille": w, d: Isabel Coixet; s: Sergio Castillitto, Miranda Richardson.

"Place des Victoires": w, d: Nobuhiro Suwa; s: Juliette Binoche, Hippolyte Girardot, Willem Dafoe.

"Tour Eiffel": w, d: Sylvain Chomet; s: Paul Putner, Yolande Moreau.

"Parc Monceau": w, d: Alfonso Cuaron; s: Nick Nolte, Ludivine Sagnier.

"Quartier des Enfants Rouges": w, d: Oliver Schmitz; s: Aissa Maiga, Seydou Boro.

"Place des fetes": w, d: Richard LaGravenese; s: Bob Hoskins, Fanny Ardant.

"Quartier de la Madeleine": d: Vincenzo Natali; s: Elijah Wood, Olga Kurylenko, Wes Craven.

"Pere-Lachaise": w, d: Wes Craven; d: Rufus Sewell, Emily Mortimer, Alexander Payne.

"Faubourg Saint-Denis": w, d: Tom Tykwer; s: Natalie Portman, Melchior Beslon.

"Quartier Latin": w: Gena Rowlands; d: Gerard Depardieu; s: Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara, Gerard Depardieu.

"14e arrondisement": w, d: Alexander Payne; s: Margo Martindale.

Photography: David Quesemand; Bruno Delbonnel; Eric Gautier; Kathy Li; Pascal Marti; Eric Guichard; Tetsuo Nagata; Frank Griebe; Michael Seresin; and others.
Music: Pierre Adenot, and others.