1.
French Algeria
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French Algeria began in 1827 with the blockade of Algiers by the French navy and lasted from 1830 to 1962, under a variety of governmental systems. From 1848 until independence, the whole Mediterranean region of Algeria was administered as an part of France. The vast arid interior of Algeria, like the rest of French North Africa, was never considered part of France, one of Frances longest-held overseas territories, Algeria became a destination for hundreds of thousands of European immigrants, known as colons and later, as pieds-noirs. However, indigenous Muslims remained a majority of the population throughout its history. Gradually, dissatisfaction among the Muslim population with its lack of political and economic status fueled calls for political autonomy. Tensions between the two groups came to a head in 1954, when the first violent events of what was later called the Algerian War began. The war concluded in 1962, when Algeria gained complete independence following the March 1962 Evian agreements, since the 1516 capture of Algiers by the Ottoman admirals, the brothers Oruç and Hayreddin Barbarossa, Algeria had been a base for conflict and piracy in the Mediterranean. In 1681, Louis XIV asked Admiral Abraham Duquesne to fight the Berber pirates, again, dEstrées bombarded Tripoli and Algiers from 1685 to 1688. An ambassador from Algiers visited the Court in Versailles, and a Treaty was signed in 1690 that provided peace throughout the 18th century, however, Bonaparte refused to pay the bill back, claiming it was excessive. In 1820, Louis XVIII paid back half of the Directorys debts, the dey, who had loaned to the Bacri 250,000 francs, requested from France the rest of the money. The Dey of Algiers himself was politically, economically. Algeria was then part of the Barbary States, along with todays Tunisia – which depended on the Ottoman Empire then led by Mahmud II —, the Barbary Coast was then the stronghold of the Berber pirates, which carried out raids against European and American ships. Conflicts between the Barbary States and the newly independent United States of America culminated in the First, an Anglo-Dutch force, led by Admiral Lord Exmouth, carried out a punitive expedition, the August 1816 bombardment of Algiers. The Dey was forced to sign the Barbary treaties, while the advance of U. S. British. The name of Algeria itself came from the French and his intention was to bolster patriotic sentiment, and distract attention from ineptly handled domestic policies by skirmishing against the dey. In the 1790s, France had contracted to purchase wheat for the French army from two merchants in Algiers, Messrs, Bacri and Boushnak, and was in arrears paying them. These merchants, Bacri and Boushnak who had debts to the dey, devals nephew Alexandre, the consul in Bône, further angered the dey by fortifying French storehouses in Bône and La Calle against the terms of prior agreements. After a contentious meeting in which Deval refused to provide answers on 29 April 1827
2.
Cannes Film Festival
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Founded in 1946, the invitation-only festival is held annually at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. On 1 July 2014, co-founder and former head of French pay-TV operator Canal+ Pierre Lescure took over as President of the festival, the Board of Directors also appointed Gilles Jacob as Honorary President of the festival. The 2016 Cannes Film Festival took place between 11 and 22 May 2016, australian film director George Miller was the President of the Jury. I, Daniel Blake, directed by British director Ken Loach, in 2017, The Festival de Cannes will celebrate its 70th anniversary edition from May 17 to 28. In 1947, the festival was held as the Festival du film de Cannes, at that time the principle of equality was introduced, with a jury made up of only one representative per country. The festival is now held at the Palais des Festivals, expressly constructed for the occasion, although for its 1949 inaugural the roof was unfinished, the festival was not held in 1948 and 1950 on account of budgetary problems. Although its origins may be attributed in part to the French desire to compete with Autumns Venice Film Festival, in 1955, the Palme dOr was created, replacing the Grand Prix du Festival which had been given until that year. In 1957, Dolores del Rio was the first female member of the jury as a Sélection officielle – Member, in 1959, the Marché du Film was founded, giving the festival a commercial character and facilitating exchanges between sellers and buyers in the film industry. Today it has become the first international platform for film commerce, in 1962, the International Critics Week was born, created by the French Union of Film Critics as the first parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival. Its goal was to showcase first and second works by directors all over the world. In 1965, an hommage was paid to Jean Cocteau after his death, the next year, Olivia de Havilland was named the first female president of the festival. The 1968 festival was halted on 19 May, some directors, such as Carlos Saura and Miloš Forman, had withdrawn their films from the competition. The filmmakers achieved the reinstatement of the President, and they founded the Film Directors Society that same year, during the 1970s, important changes occurred in the Festival. In 1972, Robert Favre Le Bret was named the new President and he immediately introduced an important change in the selection of the participating films. Until that date, the different countries chose which films would represent them in the festival, Bessy created one committee to select French films, and another for foreign films. In 1978, Gilles Jacob assumed the President position, introducing the Caméra dOr award, in 1983, a new, much bigger Palais des Festivals et des Congrès was built to host the Festival. It was nicknamed The Bunker and provoked many reactions against it, in 1984, Pierre Viot replaced Robert Favre Le Bret as President of the Festival. It was not until 1995 that Gilles Jacob created the last section of the Official Selection and its aim was to support the creation of works of cinema in the world and to contribute to the entry of the new scenario writers in the circle of the celebrities
3.
Jean de Florette
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Jean de Florette is a 1986 French period drama film directed by Claude Berri, based on a novel by Marcel Pagnol. It is followed by Manon des Sources, the film takes place in rural Provence, where two local farmers scheme to trick a newcomer out of his newly inherited property. The film starred three of Frances most prominent actors – Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil, who won a BAFTA award for his performance, the film was shot, together with Manon des Sources, over a period of seven months. At the time the most expensive French film ever made, it was a commercial and critical success. The two films helped promote Provence as a tourist destination, the story takes place outside a small village in Provence, France, shortly after the First World War. Ugolin Soubeyran returns early in the morning from his military service, Ugolin stays only briefly to talk, as he is eager to get to his own place farther up in the mountains. Here he throws himself into a project that—at first—he keeps secret from Papet and he eventually reveals that the project consists of growing carnations. Papet is at first skeptical, but he is convinced when the flowers get a price at the local market. They decide the project is worthy of expansion, and together they go to see the neighbouring farmer known as Pique-Bouffigue, the land in question is apparently dry, but Papet knows of a source of water, a spring, that can solve that problem. The neighbour does not want to sell, and an altercation breaks out when he insults the Soubeyran family, in the fight Pique-Bouffigue is killed, but rather than feeling remorse, Papet sees this as an opportunity. After the funeral, they dig out the rubble that is filling the spring, plug the hole, unknown to them, they are seen blocking the spring by a poacher. The property descends to the mans sister, Florette, a childhood friend of Papet. He writes to a friend for news on Florette. The property thereby descends to her son Jean, who is a tax collector and unfortunately, to discourage the new owner from taking up residence, Ugolin breaks many tiles on the roof of the buildings. Florettes son, arrives with his wife Aimée and young daughter Manon, the new owner is called Jean Cadoret, but Ugolin, in the local custom, calls him Jean de Florette. Jean makes it clear that he has no intention of selling and he has a grand scheme for making the farm profitable within two years, involving breeding rabbits and feeding them off cucurbit. Jean does not know about the spring, only of a more distant one. The distant spring, where an old Italian couple lives, is 2 kilometres away, Jean believes the needs of the farm can be met from here
4.
Manon des Sources (1986 film)
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Manon des Sources is a critically acclaimed and commercially successful 1986 French language film. Directed by Claude Berri, it is the second of two films adapted from the 1966 two-volume novel by Marcel Pagnol, who wrote it based on his own film of the same title. It is the sequel to Jean de Florette, following the events of Jean de Florette, Manon, the daughter of Jean, is living in the countryside of Provence near Les Romarins, the farm that her father once owned. She has taken up residence with an elderly Piedmontese squatter couple who teach her to live off the land, tending to a herd of goats and hunting for birds, after seeing her bathe nude in the mountains, Ugolin develops an interest in Manon. When he approaches her, she seems disgusted by his vileness, but Ugolins interest in Manon becomes obsessive, culminating in sewing a ribbon from her hair onto his chest. At the same time, Manon becomes interested in Bernard, a handsome, as a small child, Manon had suffered the loss of her father, who died from a blow to the head while using explosives in an attempt to find the water source. César and Ugolin then bought the farm cheaply from his widow—Manons mother—and unblocked the spring, Manon witnessed this as a child. The two men profited directly from his death, when she overhears two villagers talking about it, Manon realises that many in the village knew of the crime but had remained silent, for the Soubeyran family was locally important. While searching for a goat that fell into a crevice above the village, Manon finds the source of the spring that supplies water to the local farms. To take her revenge on both the Soubeyrans and the villagers, who knew but did nothing, she stops the flow of water using the iron-oxide clay, the villagers quickly become desperate for water to feed their crops and run their businesses. They come to believe that the flow had been stopped by some Providence to punish the injustice committed against Jean. Manon publicly accuses César and Ugolin, and the villagers admit their own complicity in the persecution of Jean and they had never accepted him, as he was an outsider and was physically deformed. César tries to evade the accusations, but an eye-witness, a poacher who was trespassing on the vacant property at the time, steps forward to confirm the crime, Ugolin makes a desperate attempt to ask Manon for her hand in marriage, but she rejects him. Rejected by Manon, Ugolin commits suicide by hanging himself from a tree, the villagers appeal to Manon to take part in a religious procession to the villages fountain, hoping that acknowledging the injustice will restore the flow of water to the village. With the assistance of Bernard, Manon unblocks the spring in advance, and she is last seen very pregnant and leaving a church service on Christmas Eve with her husband. Meanwhile, César has been broken by his nephews suicide, delphine, an old acquaintance of his, returns to the village and tells him that Florette, his sweetheart from that period, had written to him to tell him she was carrying their child. Receiving no reply from him, she had tried to abort it, Florette left the village, married a blacksmith from nearby Créspin, and the child was born alive but a hunchback. César, away on military service in Africa, never received her letter, in a cruel twist of fate, Jean, the man he drove to desperation without having met him, was the son he had always wanted
5.
Girl on the Bridge
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Girl on the Bridge is a 1999 French film shot in black and white and directed by Patrice Leconte, starring Daniel Auteuil and Vanessa Paradis. The plot centres around knifethrower Gabor and a girl called Adèle, Gabor intervenes to prevent the suicide and persuades Adèle to become the target girl in his knifethrowing act. The film then follows their relationship as they travel around Europe with the act and their companionship and teamwork mean great luck for both of them. Then they get separated and their lives once again become luckless, the film ends on a bridge in Istanbul, this time with her saving him from suicide. Ruth Vitale declared herself pleased with the performance in the U. S. market. However, Paramount did not release the film on DVD until July 2008, impalement arts Official Site Girl on the Bridge at the Internet Movie Database Girl on the Bridge at Rotten Tomatoes
6.
British Academy Film Awards
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The British Academy Film Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to honour the best British and international contributions to film. Between 2008 and 2016, the ceremony was held in central London at the Royal Opera House, the 70th British Academy Film Awards were held on 12 February 2017 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. British Academy of Film and Television Arts was founded in 1947 as The British Film Academy, by David Lean, Alexander Korda, Carol Reed, Charles Laughton, Roger Manvell and others. BAFTA stated charitable purpose is to support, develop and promote the art forms of the image, by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners. In addition to awards ceremonies BAFTA runs a year-round programme of educational events including film screenings. BAFTA is supported by a membership of about 6,000 people from the film, television, the Academys awards are in the form of a theatrical mask designed by American sculptor Mitzi Cunliffe, which was commissioned by the Guild of Television Producers in 1955. The ceremony previously took place in April or May and since 2002 it takes place in February in order to precede the Oscars. The awards are open to all nationalities, though there is an award for Outstanding British Film. Only UK films are eligible for the categories of The British Short Film, the Awards ceremony is delayed broadcast on British television the same evening, and across the world for example its shown on BBC America in the United States. It has been broadcast in colour since 1970, the award ceremony is held in London. From 2000 to 2007 the ceremonies took place at the flagship Odeon cinema in Leicester Square, between 2008 and 2016, the ceremonies took place at the Royal Opera House. The 70th Awards in 2017 were held at the Royal Albert Hall, until 2012, the mobile network Orange sponsored the awards and starting in 2013 Oranges parent company, EE, began sponsorship. British Academy of Film and Television Arts British Academy Television Awards Official website BAFTA Awards database Museum of Broadcast Communications, BAFTA IMDB, BAFTA
7.
Algiers
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Algiers is the capital and largest city of Algeria. In 2011, the population was estimated to be around 3,500,000. An estimate puts the population of the metropolitan city to be around 5,000,000. Algiers is located on the Mediterranean Sea and in the portion of Algeria. The casbah and the two form a triangle. A Phoenician commercial outpost called Ikosim which later developed into a small Roman town called Icosium existed on what is now the quarter of the city. The rue de la Marine follows the lines of what used to be a Roman street, Roman cemeteries existed near Bab-el-Oued and Bab Azoun. The city was given Latin rights by Emperor Vespasian, the bishops of Icosium are mentioned as late as the 5th century. The present-day city was founded in 944 by Bologhine ibn Ziri and he had earlier built his own house and a Sanhaja center at Ashir, just south of Algiers. Although his Zirid dynasty was overthrown by Roger II of Sicily in 1148, the city was wrested from the Hammadids by the Almohads in 1159, and in the 13th century came under the dominion of the Ziyanid sultans of Tlemcen. Nominally part of the sultanate of Tlemcen, Algiers had a measure of independence under amirs of its own due to Oran being the chief seaport of the Ziyanids. As early as 1302 the islet of Peñón in front of Algiers harbour had been occupied by Spaniards, thereafter, a considerable amount of trade began to flow between Algiers and Spain. However, Algiers continued to be of little importance until after the expulsion of the Moors from Spain. In 1510, following their occupation of Oran and other towns on the coast of Africa, in 1516, the amir of Algiers, Selim b. Teumi, invited the corsair brothers Aruj and Hayreddin Barbarossa to expel the Spaniards, Aruj came to Algiers, ordered the assassination of Selim, and seized the town and ousted the Spanish in the Capture of Algiers. Hayreddin, succeeding Aruj after the latter was killed in battle against the Spaniards in the Fall of Tlemcen, was the founder of the pashaluk, Algiers from this time became the chief seat of the Barbary pirates. Formally part of the Ottoman Empire but essentially free from Ottoman control, starting in the 16th century Algiers turned to piracy, repeated attempts were made by various nations to subdue the pirates that disturbed shipping in the western Mediterranean and engaged in slave raids as far north as Iceland. The United States fought two wars over Algiers attacks on shipping, among the notable people held for ransom was the future Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes, who was captive in Algiers almost five years, and who wrote two plays set in Algiers of the period
8.
Avignon
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Avignon is a commune in south-eastern France in the department of Vaucluse on the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 90,194 inhabitants of the city, about 12,000 live in the ancient town centre enclosed by its medieval ramparts. Between 1309 and 1377, during the Avignon Papacy, seven popes resided in Avignon. Papal control persisted until 1791 when, during the French Revolution, the town is now the capital of the Vaucluse department and one of the few French cities to have preserved its ramparts. The historic centre, which includes the Palais des Papes, the cathedral, the medieval monuments and the annual Festival dAvignon have helped to make the town a major centre for tourism. The commune has been awarded one flower by the National Council of Towns, the earliest forms of the name were reported by the Greeks, Аὐενιὼν = Auenion Άουεννίων = Aouennion. The Roman name Avennĭo Cavarum, i. e. Avignon of Cavares accurately shows that Avignon was one of the three cities of the Celtic-Ligurian tribe of Cavares, along with Cavaillon and Orange. The current name dates to a pre-Indo-European or pre-Latin theme ab-ên with the suffix -i-ōn This theme would be a hydronym - i. e. a name linked to the river, but perhaps also an oronym of terrain. The site of Avignon has been occupied since the Neolithic period as shown by excavations at Rocher des Doms and the Balance district. In 1960 and 1961 excavations in the part of the Rocher des Doms directed by Sylvain Gagnière uncovered a small anthropomorphic stele. Carved in Burdigalian sandstone, it has the shape of a tombstone with its face engraved with a stylized human figure with no mouth. On the bottom, shifted slightly to the right is an indentation with eight radiating lines forming a solar representation - a unique discovery for this type of stele. There were also some Chalcolithic objects for adornment and an abundance of Hallstatt pottery shards which could have been native or imported, the name of the city dates back to around the 6th century BC. The first citation of Avignon was made by Artemidorus of Ephesus, although his book, The Journey, is lost it is known from the abstract by Marcian of Heraclea and The Ethnics, a dictionary of names of cities by Stephanus of Byzantium based on that book. He said, The City of Massalia, near the Rhone and this name has two interpretations, city of violent wind or, more likely, lord of the river. Other sources trace its origin to the Gallic mignon and the Celtic definitive article, Avignon was a simple Greek Emporium founded by Phocaeans from Marseille around 539 BC. It was in the 4th century BC that the Massaliotes began to sign treaties of alliance with some cities in the Rhone valley including Avignon and Cavaillon, a century later Avignon was part of the region of Massaliotes or country of Massalia. Fortified on its rock, the city later became and long remained the capital of the Cavares, with the arrival of the Roman legions in 120 BC. the Cavares, allies with the Massaliotes, became Roman
9.
Nancy, France
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Nancy is the capital of the north-eastern French department of Meurthe-et-Moselle, and formerly the capital of the Duchy of Lorraine, and then the French province of the same name. The metropolitan area of Nancy had a population of 410,509 inhabitants at the 1999 census,103,602 of whom lived in the city of Nancy proper. The motto of the city is Non inultus premor, Latin for Im not touched with impunity—a reference to the thistle, the earliest signs of human settlement in the area date back to 800 BC. Early settlers were attracted by easily mined iron ore and a ford in the Meurthe River. A small fortified town named Nanciacum was built by Gérard, Duke of Lorraine around 1050, Duke Charles the Bold of Burgundy, was defeated and killed in the Battle of Nancy in 1477, René II, Duke of Lorraine became the ruler. In 1736 Emperor Charles arranged her marriage to Duke François of Lorraine, exiled Polish king Stanisław Leszczyński, father-in-law of French king Louis XV, was given the vacant duchy instead. Under his nominal rule, Nancy experienced growth and a flowering of Baroque culture and architecture, with his death in 1766, the duchy became a regular French province and Nancy lost its position as a residential capital city with its own princely court and patronage. As unrest surfaced within the French armed forces during the French Revolution, a few reliable units laid siege to the town and shot or imprisoned the mutineers. In 1871, Nancy remained French when Prussia annexed Alsace-Lorraine, the flow of refugees reaching Nancy doubled its population in three decades. Artistic, academic, financial and industrial excellence flourished, establishing what is still the Capital of Lorraines trademark to this day, Nancy was freed from Nazi Germany by the U. S. Third Army in September 1944, during the Lorraine Campaign of World War II at the Battle of Nancy ), in 1988, Pope John Paul II visited Nancy. In 2005, French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, Nancy is situated on the left bank of the river Meurthe, about 10 km upstream from its confluence with the Moselle. The Marne–Rhine Canal runs through the city, parallel to the Meurthe, Nancy is surrounded by hills that are about 150 m higher than the city center, which is situated at 200 m amsl. The area of Nancy proper is small,15 km2. Its built-up area is continuous with those of its adjacent suburbs, the neighboring communes of Nancy are, Jarville-la-Malgrange, Laxou, Malzéville, Maxéville, Saint-Max, Tomblaine, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy and Villers-lès-Nancy. Adjacent to its south is the quarter Charles III – Centre Ville and this quarter contains the famous Place Stanislas, the Nancy Cathedral, the Opéra national de Lorraine and the main railway station. The old city centers heritage dates from the Middle Ages to the 18th century, the cathedral of Nancy, the Triumphal Arch and the Place de la Carriere are a fine examples of 18th-century architecture. The Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine is the princely residence of the rulers
10.
Swashbuckler film
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Swashbuckler films are a subgenre of the action film genre, often characterised by swordfighting and adventurous heroic characters, known as swashbucklers. Real historical events often feature prominently in the plot, morality is often clear-cut, heroic characters are clearly heroic, there is often a damsel in distress and a romantic element. Right from the advent of cinema, the silent era was packed with swashbucklers, the most famous of those were the films of Douglas Fairbanks, such as The Mark of Zorro, which defined the genre. The stories came from romantic novels, particularly those of Alexandre Dumas. Triumphant, thrilling music was also an important part of the formula, richard Lesters Dumas adaptations revived the genre in the 1970s. The term swashbuckler originates from boisterous fighters who carried a sword, swashbuckler was a putdown, used to indicate a poor swordsman who covered his lack of skill with noise, bragging, and clamour. Novels, and then Hollywood, altered the words connotation to make swashbuckler mean a loudmouthed but good braggart, jeffrey Richards describes the genre as very stylized. The hero is one who maintains a decent standard of behavior, fights for King and Country, believes in truth and justice, the values are those of a knight and therefore the setting is generally the eleventh to nineteenth century. Fencing was always a mainstay of this genre, and a duel was often a pivotal part of the storyline. Nowhere else is more apparent than in the swashbuckler film. Famous fencing instructors included Henry Uyttenhove, Fred Cavens, Jean Heremans and they all had additional long careers in sport fencing. Erich Wolfgang Korngold won the 1938 Academy Award for his score to The Adventures of Robin Hood, the 1935 Captain Blood was nominated for Music, in 1940 The Sea Hawk was nominated for best Original Score. Korngold was known for his late Romantic compositional style and assigning each character his or her own leitmotif, alfred Newman wrote the scores for, The Prisoner of Zenda, both the 1940 and 1952 versions of The Mark of Zorro, and the 1942 The Black Swan. The 1940 film of The Mark of Zorro was Nominated for an Academy Award for the Best Original Score, dimitri Tiomkin scored Cyrano de Bergerac. American television produced two series of Zorro, following the film The Mask of Zorro, a television series about a female swashbuckler, the Queen of Swords, aired in 2000
11.
On Guard (1997 film)
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On Guard is a 1997 French swashbuckler film directed by Philippe de Broca and starring Daniel Auteuil, Fabrice Luchini, Vincent Perez, and Marie Gillain. Adapted from the 1858 historical novel Le Bossu by Paul Féval, when the duke is attacked by his evil cousin Gonzague, the duke in his dying moments asks Lagardère to avenge him and look after his infant daughter. On Guard was released on 3 December 1997 in France, the film had 2,385,688 admissions in France and grossed $96,750 in the United States. The film also received a BAFTA Film Award Nomination for Best Film in 1999, in 1700 in Nevers, France, a skilled swordsman named Lagardère challenges Duke Philippe de Nevers to a friendly duel in order to learn his secret lethal maneuver known as the Nevers Attack. Nevers agrees and quickly dispatches the upstart whom he soon befriends, Nevers learns that he has a son by Blanche de Caylus—a fact previously concealed by his cousin and would-be heir, the wicked Comte de Gonzague. That night Nevers escapes an attempt by Gonzagues men. Determined to claim his bride, Nevers leaves for Caylus with Lagardère along as his escort and they are followed by Gonzague and his men who plan to murder Nevers before he can marry Blanche and claim his son and heir. Along the way Nevers teaches Lagardère the Nevers Attack—an acrobatic sleight of hand that ends with a blade between the opponents eyes, soon after, they spot the assassins, and Lagardère is able to delay the attackers long enough to allow Nevers to reach Caylus and marry Blanche. The newlyweds happiness, however, is short-lived, when Gonzague and his men arrive at Caylus, they murder the entire wedding party. Lagardère arrives, and after a sword fight, Nevers is fatally stabbed by a masked Gonzague. With his dying breath, Nevers implores Lagardère to avenge him, Lagardère flees Caylus with the infant and finds refuge in the mountains in an abandoned farmhouse, where he discovers that the son is in fact a girl named Aurore. Gonzagues men track Lagardère to his mountain hideaway looking to kill Nevers rightful heir, Lagardère and Aurore escape with the help of a band of strolling players who convince the pursuing killers that Lagardère and Aurore have plunged to their deaths in a mountain torrent. After Gonzagues men leave, Lagardère and Aurore join up with the strolling players, back in Nevers, after attending the funeral of her daughter—the coffin actually contains a wax doll—Blanche retires to a convent, and the evil Gonzague is named executor of her estate. Sixteen years later, Lagardère and Aurore are still with the players, after witnessing Lagardère defend her against three outlaws using sophisticated swordplay with a stick, Aurore asks about his past. Lagardère keeps his past hidden, but he teaches her the Nevers Attack, one night after a performance, Aurore is taken to a party given by one of Gonzagues men, Louis-Joseph, and is soon assaulted by the host. Using fencing skills she learned from her father, Aurore escapes her attacker, when Gonzague learns how his finest blade was killed, he suspects that Aurore is still alive, his suspicions are confirmed when Aurores tomb is opened revealing a decayed wax doll. Gonzague then orders his men to find and kill her, Lagardère sets out to plan his revenge on Gonzague. If you do not come to Lagardère, he states, Lagardère will come to you, when Aurore is captured by Gonzagues men, Lagardère executes a daring rescue
12.
Comedy
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In a modern sense, comedy refers to any discourse or work generally intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, television, film, and stand-up comedy. The origins of the term are found in Ancient Greece, in the Athenian democracy, the public opinion of voters was influenced by the political satire performed by the comic poets at the theaters. The theatrical genre of Greek comedy can be described as a performance which pits two groups or societies against each other in an amusing agon or conflict. Northrop Frye depicted these two opposing sides as a Society of Youth and a Society of the Old, a revised view characterizes the essential agon of comedy as a struggle between a relatively powerless youth and the societal conventions that pose obstacles to his hopes. Satire and political satire use comedy to portray persons or social institutions as ridiculous or corrupt, parody subverts popular genres and forms, critiquing those forms without necessarily condemning them. Similarly scatological humour, sexual humour, and race humour create comedy by violating social conventions or taboos in comic ways, a comedy of manners typically takes as its subject a particular part of society and uses humor to parody or satirize the behaviour and mannerisms of its members. Romantic comedy is a genre that depicts burgeoning romance in humorous terms. The adjective comic, which means that which relates to comedy is, in modern usage. Of this, the word came into usage through the Latin comoedia and Italian commedia and has, over time. The Greeks and Romans confined their use of the comedy to descriptions of stage-plays with happy endings. Aristotle defined comedy as an imitation of men worse than the average, however, the characters portrayed in comedies were not worse than average in every way, only insofar as they are Ridiculous, which is a species of the Ugly. The Ridiculous may be defined as a mistake or deformity not productive of pain or harm to others, the mask, for instance, in the Middle Ages, the term expanded to include narrative poems with happy endings. It is in this sense that Dante used the term in the title of his poem, as time progressed, the word came more and more to be associated with any sort of performance intended to cause laughter. During the Middle Ages, the comedy became synonymous with satire. They disassociated comedy from Greek dramatic representation and instead identified it with Arabic poetic themes and forms and they viewed comedy as simply the art of reprehension, and made no reference to light and cheerful events, or to the troubling beginnings and happy endings associated with classical Greek comedy. After the Latin translations of the 12th century, the term gained a more general meaning in medieval literature. Starting from 425 BCE, Aristophanes, a playwright and satirical author of the Ancient Greek Theater wrote 40 comedies,11 of which survive. Aristophanes developed his type of comedy from the satyr plays
13.
The Closet (2001 film)
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The Closet is a 2001 French comedy film written and directed by Francis Veber. It is about a man who pretends to be homosexual to keep his job, with absurd, françois Pignon, an unassuming divorced man with a teenage son who ignores him, lives a quiet and unremarkable life. Belone proposes that Pignon start a rumor he is homosexual by inserting his image in sexually provocative snapshots of a gay couple in a bar and anonymously mailing them to his boss, Mr. Kopel. The factorys primary product is condoms, so the gay communitys support is essential, Pignon does not change his usual mild and self-effacing behavior and mannerisms in any way as part of his masquerade. But his supervisors and co-workers begin to regard him in a new light, seeing him as rather than dull. Félix Santini, a homophobic co-worker who used to him, is warned he could be fired for discrimination if he continues to belittle Pignon. The company enters a float in a gay pride parade. The son is thrilled to learn his father, whom he considered bland and boring, has a wilder side. His suspicious ex-wife invites Pignon to dinner and demands an explanation and he has by this point gained enough self-confidence to tell her exactly what he thinks of her. After this, Santini invites Pignon to move in with him, when Pignon turns him down, Santini snaps, a fight ensues, and Santini is institutionalized to recover from his emotional breakdown. Eventually, Pignons ruse is discovered when Kopel catches him making love in the office to his co-worker, Mlle Bertrand. However, he has become so assertive that he keeps his job, relates to his son, patches up his relationship with Santini, cheers up Belone, interiors were shot in Studios Éclair in Epinay-sur-Seine. The film was first released in France, Belgium, and Switzerland and it grossed $6,678,894 in the US and $43,425,851 in foreign markets for a worldwide box office of $50,104,745. Stephen Holden of the New York Times called it giddy social comedy, the target of its blunt lusty humor is as much exaggerated political correctness and the panic it can engender as it is bigotry. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said, The movie passes the time pleasantly and has a few good laughs, but the screenplay relies too much on the first level of its premise and doesnt push into unexpected places. Once we get the setup, we can more or less anticipate the sitcom payoff, in the rating system of the Michelin Guide, its worth a look, but not a detour or a journey. Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly rated the film A-, calling it a cagey, high gloss comedy, daniel Auteuil was named Best Actor at the Shanghai International Film Festival. Official website The Closet at the Internet Movie Database
14.
Romantic comedy film
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Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is a movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily. Another definition states that its primary distinguishing feature is a plot in which two sympathetic and well-matched lovers are united or reconciled. Romantic comedy films are a genre of comedy films as well as of romance films. However a romantic comedy is classified as a film with two genres not a new genre. Some television series can also be classified as romantic comedies, a wedding-bells, fairy-tale-style happy ending is practically mandatory. The basic plot of a comedy is that two characters meet, part ways due to an argument or other obstacle, then ultimately reunite. Sometimes the two meet and become involved initially, then must confront challenges to their union. Sometimes they are hesitant to become involved because they believe that they do not like each other, because one of them already has a partner. However, the screenwriters leave clues that suggest that the characters are, in fact, attracted to each other, the protagonists often separate or seek time apart to sort out their feelings or deal with the external obstacles to their being together. While the two protagonists are separated, one or both of them realizes that they are ideal for each other, or that they are in love with each other. Then, after one of the two makes some effort to find the other person and declare their love, or through an astonishing coincidental encounter. Then, perhaps with some comic friction or awkwardness, they declare their love for each other, the couple does not, however, have to marry, or live together happily ever after. The ending of a comedy is meant to affirm the primary importance of the love relationship in its protagonists lives. There are many variations on this basic plotline, sometimes, instead of the two lead characters ending up in each others arms, another love match will be made between one of the principal characters and a secondary character. Alternatively, the film may be a rumination on the impossibility of love, the basic format of a romantic comedy film can be found in much earlier sources, such as Shakespeare plays like Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Nights Dream. Some comedy films, such as Knocked Up, combine themes of romantic comedies and stoner comedies, often known as bromance, such films usually use sexual elements which bring the two characters together. Films in this genre include American Pie 2 and even Wedding Crashers, romantic comedies have begun to spread out of their conventional and traditional structure into other territory
15.
Thriller film
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Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a film genre that falls under the general thriller genre. The thriller films key characteristics are excitement and suspense, the suspense element, found in most films plots, is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. Tension is created by delaying what the audience sees as inevitable, a strict definition of the thriller film is that the films overarching goal is to build tension in audiences as the film approaches its climax. Tension is built through situations that are menacing or where escape seems impossible, Life is typically threatened in thriller film, such as when the protagonist does not realize entering a dangerous situation. Thriller films characters conflict with other or with an outside force. Thriller films are typically hybridized with other genres, there exist adventure thrillers, science fiction thrillers, Western thrillers, Thriller films also share a close relationship with horror films, both eliciting tension. In plots about crime, thriller films focus less on the criminal or the detective, common themes include terrorism, political conspiracy, pursuit, or romantic triangles leading to murder. Alfred Hitchcocks first thriller was his silent film, The Lodger. His next thriller was Blackmail, his and Britains first sound film and his notable thrillers in the 1930s include The Man Who Knew Too Much and The 39 Steps. 326 —this film would be an inspiration for the future James Bond films, the German film M, directed by Fritz Lang, starred Peter Lorre as a criminal deviant who preys on children. Hitchcock continued his suspense-thrillers, directing Foreign Correspondent, the Oscar-winning Rebecca, Suspicion, Saboteur and Shadow of a Doubt, notable non-Hitchcock films of the 1940s include The Spiral Staircase and Sorry, Wrong Number. In the 1950s, Hitchcock added technicolor to his thrillers, now with exotic locales and he reached the zenith of his career with a succession of classic films such as, Strangers on a Train, Dial M For Murder with Ray Milland, Rear Window and Vertigo. Non-Hitchcock thrillers of the 1950s include The Night of the Hunter —Charles Laughtons only film as director—and Orson Welless crime thriller Touch of Evil, director Michael Powells Peeping Tom featured Carl Boehm as a psychopathic cameraman. After Hitchcocks classic films of the 1950s, he produced Psycho about a lonely, mother-fixated motel owner, J. Lee Thompsons Cape Fear, with Robert Mitchum, had a menacing ex-con seeking revenge. A famous thriller at the time of its release was Wait Until Dark by director Terence Young, john Boormans Deliverance followed the perilous fate of four Southern businessmen during a weekends trip. In Francis Ford Coppolas The Conversation, a bugging-device expert systematically uncovered a covert murder while he himself was being spied upon, Peter Hyams science fiction thriller Capricorn One proposed a government conspiracy to fake the first mission to Mars. His notable films include Sisters, Obsession, which was inspired by Vertigo, Dressed to Kill. Other films include Curtis Hansons The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and Unlawful Entry, detectives/FBI agents hunting down a serial killer was another popular motif in the 90s
16.
2013 Cannes Film Festival
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The 66th annual Cannes Film Festival took place in Cannes, France, from 15 to 26 May 2013. Steven Spielberg was the head of the jury for the main competition, new Zealand film director Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the Cinéfondation and Short Film sections. French actress Audrey Tautou hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, Actress Kim Novak was named guest of honour and introduced a new restored version of Alfred Hitchcocks Vertigo. The festival opened with The Great Gatsby, directed by Baz Luhrmann and closed with Zulu, the film poster for the festival featured Paul Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward. The Bling Ring, directed by Sofia Coppola, opened the Un Certain Regard section, the French film Blue Is the Warmest Colour won the Palme dOr. In an unprecedented move, along with the director, the Jury decided to take the step of awarding the films two main actresses, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux, with the Palme dOr. On the occasion of 100 Years of Indian Cinema, India was the Official Guest Country at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, seven Indian feature films were premiered among various sections on the festival. Actress Vidya Balan was one of the official Jury of the festival, the first Incredible India Exhibition, a joint participation of the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Republic of India was inaugurated by Indian delegate Chiranjeevi. The Cinéfondation section focuses on films made by students at film schools, the following 18 entries were selected, out of 1,550 submissions from 277 different schools. One-third of the films selected represented schools competing for the first time and it was also the first time for a Chilean film to be selected in Cinéfondation. The line-up for the Directors Fortnight was announced at a conference on 23 April with the following films being selected. Feature films The line-up for the International Critics’ Week was announced on 22 April at the sections website, in a first for the competition, the jury decided to award the Palme dOr to Kechiche and the actresses who star in the film, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux. Blue Is the Warmest Colour is a film that tells the story of a lesbian relationship between a 15-year-old girl and an older woman. It has shocked critics with its graphic and controversial sex scenes. A reporter for the Radio France Internationale stated that Kechiche paid tribute to the Tunisian revolution, the Grand Prix was won by the Coen brotherss Inside Llewyn Davis, while Bruce Dern and Bérénice Bejo were awarded Best Actor and Best Actress respectively
17.
A Heart in Winter
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A Heart in Winter is a French film which was released in 1992. It stars Emmanuelle Béart, Daniel Auteuil and André Dussollier and it was chosen to compete at the 49th Venice International Film Festival, where it won four awards, including tying for the Silver Lion. It was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 1994 BAFTA awards, the romantic drama was the second-to-last film made by French writer/director Claude Sautet. He would work with Béart again on his feature, 1995s Nelly. Highly regarded violin restorer Stéphane works and plays squash with his business partner Maxime. After Maxime, who is married, begins romancing concert violinist Camille, Camille begins to fall for Stéphane, and reveals the truth to Maxime. Stéphanes cool reaction causes confusion for Camille, and she lashes out at him for denying his feelings, Emmanuelle Béart – Camille Daniel Auteuil – Stéphane André Dussollier – Maxime Élizabeth Bourgine – Hélène Brigitte Catillon – Regine Myriam Boyer – Mme. New Zealand musician Jeffrey Grice appears in the film in the role of the pianist, the film contains only excerpts of Ravel compositions, but the soundtrack album includes them in their entirety, performed by Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Philippe Muller and Jacques Rouvier. A fourth Ravel composition not excerpted in the film, Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Faure, is on the soundtrack album, the film helped further popularise especially Ravels Piano Trio. The track listing, Trio Pour Piano, Violon Et Violoncelle i, final Sonata Pour Violon Et Violoncelle i. Vif, Avec Entrain Sonate Pour Violon Et Piano i, Béart and Auteuil were in a real life relationship during the making of this film. Claude Sautet based it on his memories of reading Russian Mikhail Lermontovs Princess Mary, the film is distributed by Koch-Lorber Films. A Heart in Winter at the Internet Movie Database Un Coeur en Hiver at AllMovie Un Coeur En Hiver at Rotten Tomatoes A Heart in Winter Philosophical Films
18.
Porto-Vecchio
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Porto-Vecchio is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica. The city hosted the start of the first stage of Tour de France 2013 It is the seat of the canton of Porto-Vecchio, Porto-Vecchio is a medium-sized port city placed on a good harbor, the southernmost of the marshy and alluvial east side of Corsica. The inhabitants are called Porto-Vecchiais in French, and Portivechjacciu in Corsican, the canton of Porto-Vecchio has a population of about 12,900 living in four communes making up a total of 34,787 hectares. It is divided in two by the commune of Zonza, which holds a section of the coast around the Gulf of Pinarellu, Porto-Vecchio has two communes to the north, Sari-Solenzara and Conca, and two to the south, Porto-Vecchio and Lecci. The commune of Porto-Vecchio is 64 kilometers east of Sartène, the north shore of the gulf has many resorts, such as Benedettu, Marina di Fiori, and others of the commune of Lecci. The east coast, a shore with cliffs, is less habitable, off the southeast shore are the four îles Cerbicale, protected by a nature reserve of 36 hectares, which are part of the larger reserve of Bouches de Bonifacio. From north to south are, Forana, Maestro Maria, the smallest, Piana, the largest, hills to the northwest are included in the national park, the village of Ospedale there probably takes its name and origin from a large ancient hospital of the Roman era. It never lost that function but continues as a health center employing about 150 people, nearby is a reservoir, the Lac de lOspedale, created with a dam at the foot of punta di Corbu in the forest of Ospedale. These hills culminate at the 1,314 meters peak of the dead cow, the heights of Ospedale are noted for their forest of Corsican Pine. Between them and the coast extends a plain drained by the Stabacciu, which flows into the end of the Gulf of Porto through salt marshes and these marshes were a barrier between the Roman settlements along the Via Corsicana of the eastern plain and the Roman ports of the south. Some marshland was filled to make the city and commercial salt pans were constructed on other parts. Crossed by Highway N198 south, it is no longer a barrier, Porto-Vecchio is easily accessed through FigariSud Corse Airport, which is 24 kilometers away. It has a high school and two community colleges, a private hospital of 107 beds, a medical school, a cork industry. The port includes moorings for 450 small craft, commercial facilities, the population expands to 50,000 in the summer, predominantly Italian. The beaches are well-populated, especially Palombaggia Beach 3 kilometers to the south-east, in 1983 it acquired a Film Institute, which organizes an annual film festival. Dated to the Corsican Bronze Age, it features circular or semi-circular citadels of stone, in the direction of Figari, the hamlet of Ceccia also has prehistoric remains, and not far away is another Torréen site, Castellu di Tappa. Castellu dAraghju is at 45 meters, just above the village of Araggio and it has a circuit wall 2 meters thick and 4 meters high. West of the commune is the site of Tivulaghju
19.
Corsica
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Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 13 regions of France. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, southeast of the French mainland, a single chain of mountains make up two-thirds of the island. While being part of France, Corsica is also designated as a territorial collectivity by law, as a territorial collectivity, Corsica enjoys a greater degree of autonomy than other French regions, for example, the Corsican Assembly is able to exercise limited executive powers. The island formed a single department until it was split in 1975 into two departments, Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud, with its capital in Ajaccio, the prefecture city of Corse-du-Sud. Bastia, the city of Haute-Corse, is the second-largest settlement in Corsica. After being ruled by the Republic of Genoa since 1284, Corsica was briefly an independent Corsican Republic from 1755 until it was conquered by France in 1769. Due to Corsicas historical ties with the Italian peninsula, the island retains to this day many elements of the culture of Italy, the native Corsican language, whose northern variant is closely related to the Italian language, is recognised as a regional language by the French government. This Mediterranean island was ruled by various nations over the course of history but had several periods of independence. Napoleon was born in 1769 in the Corsican capital of Ajaccio and his ancestral home, Maison Bonaparte, is today used as a museum. The origin of the name Corsica is subject to much debate, to the Ancient Greeks it was known as Kalliste, Corsis, Cyrnos, Cernealis, or Cirné. Of these Cyrnos, Cernealis, or Cirné derive from a corruption of the most ancient Greek name of the island, Σειρηνούσσαι, the claim that latter Greek names are based on the Phoenician word for peninsula are highly unlikely. Corsica has been occupied continuously since the Mesolithic era and it acquired an indigenous population that was influential in the Mediterranean during its long prehistory. The Romans, who built a colony in Aléria, considered Corsica as one of the most backward regions of the Roman world, the island produced sheep, honey, resin and wax, and exported many slaves, not well considered because of their fierce and rebellious character. Moreover, it was known for its wines, exported to Rome. Administratively, the island was divided in pagi, which in the Middle Ages became the pievi, Corsica was integrated by Emperor Diocletian in Roman Italy. In the 5th century, the half of the Roman Empire collapsed, and the island was invaded by the Vandals. Briefly recovered by the Byzantines, it became part of the Kingdom of the Lombards—this made it a dependency of the March of Tuscany. Pepin the Short, king of the Franks and Charlemagnes father, expelled the Lombards, in the first quarter of the 11th century, Pisa and Genoa together freed the island from the threat of Arab invasion
20.
Philippe Monnier
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Philippe Monnier was a Swiss writer in the French language. Most of his writings dealt with his birthplace of Geneva and its region and he also wrote on the history of Italy and the arts of Italy. He died, aged 46, in Plainpalais, Jullien,1927 Jeunes ménages, Genève, J. Jullien et fils,1926 La Genève de Töpffer, Genève, A. Jullien,1914 Souvenirs de Kientzheim, Colmar, J. -B. Jung,1888 Vers bellettriens, Genève, Jules-Gme Fick,1888 Philippe Monnier at Éditions Plaisir de Lire
21.
Claude Lelouch
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Claude Barruck Joseph Lelouch is a French film director, writer, cinematographer, actor and producer. Lelouch was born in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, the son of Charlotte and his father was born to an Algerian Jewish family and his mother was a convert to Judaism. His father gave him a camera to him a fresh start after his failure in the baccalaureat. He started his career with reportage – one of the first to film life in the Soviet Union. He also filmed sporting events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and his first full-length film as director, Le Propre de lhomme, was decried by the critics – Claude Lelouch, remember this name well, because you will not hear it again – Cahiers du cinéma said. La femme spectacle, following prostitutes, women shopping, going for nose-jobs, was censored for its misogynist tendency, a Man and a Woman changed his fortunes and was met with favour even by the Cahiers group. The 1981 musical epic Les Uns et les Autres is widely considered as his masterpiece and his 1976 film, Cétait un rendez-vous, purportedly features a Ferrari 275 GTB being driven at extreme speed through the streets of Paris at dawn. The entire short is shot from the point of view of the car, legend has it that Lelouch was arrested after it was first shown publicly. In a 2006 interview, Lelouch stated that he drove his own Mercedes-Benz 450SEL6.9 in the film and he has collaborated more than two dozen times with composer Francis Lai. They scored a hit with the piece chabadabada for the film A Man and a Woman sung by Nicole Croisille and Pierre Barouh. He is the father of 7 children, in 1993 he was the President of the Jury at the 18th Moscow International Film Festival. 2016, Commander in the Order of the Crown, lelouchs A Man and a Woman won the Palme dOr at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival, as well as two Oscars including Best Foreign Language Film. His 1967 film, Vivre pour vivre, was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, in 1971, he won the David di Donatello for Best Foreign Directing for Le Voyou. Media related to Claude Lelouch at Wikimedia Commons Claude Lelouch at the Internet Movie Database
22.
Men Prefer Fat Girls
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Men Prefer Fat Girls is a French comedy film directed by Jean-Marie Poiré. It was released in 1981, adapted from a script by Josiane Balasko, Lydie has just paid a considerable rent deposit for a new flat when her boyfriend breaks up with her. Now she is alone in a flat she cannot afford, so she starts looking for a flatmate and finally chooses Eva, a model. Eventually Lydie gets to know Evas friends and that changes her life
23.
Claude Berri
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Claude Berri was a French film director, writer, producer, actor and distributor. Born Claude Berel Langmann in Paris, Berri was the son of Jewish immigrant parents and his mother, Beila, was from Romania, and his father, Hirsch Langmann, was a furrier from Poland. His sister was the screenwriter and editor Arlette Langmann, Berri won the Best Film BAFTA for Jean de Florette, and was also nominated for twelve César Awards, though he never won. Berri also won the Oscar for Best Short Film for Le Poulet at the 38th Academy Awards in 1966, internationally, however, two films in 1986 overshadow all his other achievements. Jean de Florette and its sequel Manon des Sources were huge hits, in 1991, his film Uranus was entered into the 41st Berlin International Film Festival. Six years later, his film Lucie Aubrac was entered into the 47th Berlin International Film Festival, in 2003, he was elected President of the Cinémathèque Française where he obtained enough state subsidies to cover the costs of its resurgence at its new site in the rue de Bercy. Berris wife, Anne-Marie Rassam, committed suicide in 1997, jumping from the apartment of Isabelle Adjanis mother, Berri and Rassam had two children, actor Julien Rassam and actor and film producer Thomas Langmann. Berri died of a stroke on 12 January 2009, aged 74, after his death, a group of nine works by Robert Ryman, Ad Reinhardt, Giorgio Morandi, Richard Serra and Lucio Fontana was promised to the Centre Pompidou in Paris in lieu of tax. But the heirs of the director finally sold them through French art dealer Philippe Ségalot for about €50 million to Qatar
