
Monday, July 20, 2009
Jean-Honoré Fragonard -French Painter


Sunday, July 19, 2009
Quick Phrase of the Day - What Are You Reading?

French Film To See -Last Year at Marienbad

L'Année dernière à Marienbad (translated as Last Year in Marienbad in the UK and Last Year at Marienbad in North America) is a 1961 French movie directed by Alain Resnais, starring Delphine Seyrig, Giorgio Albertazzi, Sacha Pitoëff. The screenplay is by Alain Robbe-Grillet. It is great example of surrealism in film.
The film is set at an elite social gathering at un chateau. A man approaches a woman and asks "Didn't we meet at Marienbad last year?" The woman is non-committal and demure. "Didn't you say you would leave votre mari and we would run away together?" he asks. Again, she says "No," but they continue to talk as if they perhaps had indeed made plans. When un deuxième homme, who may be A's husband, approaches, la conversation ends somewhat awkwardly and the characters move on.
As the film progresses, the relationship of the characters and the sequence of events are not made clear. Instead images and events such as the conversation above are repeated several times, but in different places in the chateau and its grounds. Several sequences involve les hommes at the chateau passing the time with various games (such as Nim and target shooting). There are numerous tracking shots of the chateau's corridors, with ambiguous voiceovers.
The film is famous for its enigmatic narrative structure, in which la vérité and fiction are difficult to distinguish, and the exact temporal and spatial relationship of the events is open to question. The dream-like nature of the film has fascinated and baffled audiences and critics, some hailing it as a masterpiece, others finding it to be incomprehensible.
I personally found it had a creepiness to it, largely in part from the eerie background organ music (reminded me of "Carnival Of Souls"). Many scenes had a salvador dali feel to it.
un chateau (uhn shah toh) -a castle
votre mari (voh truh mah ree) -your husband
la conversation (lah kahn vehr say shee yohn) -the conversation
un deuxième homme (uhn duh zee ehm ohm) -a second man
les hommes (layz ohm) -the men
la vérité (lah vay ree tay) -the truth
Last Year at Marienbad (1961) re-release trailer with subtitles
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Quick Phrase of the Day - We Are Going To Our Favorite Restaurant...
Nous allons à notre restaurant favori ce soir (nooz ah lohn ah noh truh rehss toh rahnt fay vohr ee seh swah) -we are going to our favorite restaurant tonight.

Friday, July 17, 2009
Quick Phrase of the Day -And What Else Is New?

Thursday, July 16, 2009
Lesson # 93 Old

Pierre Arditi -French Actor
Pierre Arditi (born 1 December 1944) is an award-winning French film and stage actor. He is the brother of French actress Catherine Arditi.
He has often played romantic, womanizing roles, similar to those played by Marcello Mastroianni.
In 1987 he won a César Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in Mélo, and in 1994, a César Award for Best Actor for his role in Smoking/No Smoking.
Although his work has primarily been in French film and theater, Arditi is known in the Anglophoneworld as the French voice of Christopher Reeve. Arditi dubbed Christopher Reeve on the French-language version of the three first Superman movies by Richard Donner and Richard Lester (See the French Wikipedia article on Pierre Arditi for more information). Because of the added footage in the DVD Special Edition of Donner's Superman, the movie had to be re-dubbed with a different voice actor, much to the chagrin of the generation of moviegoers who had grown up with the original soundtrack and identified Superman's voice with Arditi's. He also provided the French voice for Reeve in the comedy/whodunit Deathtrap. Finally, he was the voice of the documentary serieUntamed Africa, written and produced by Frederic Lepage.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Quick Phrase of the Day - It Smells Really Good

Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Quick Phrase of the Day - I Like This Artisit's Work

Monday, July 13, 2009
Quick Phrase of the Day
Okay since it a holiday, we are skipping any lessons today. Everyone (kids too) wish everyone you know "Joyeux Quatorze Juillet" today (July 14th).Sunday, July 12, 2009
Lesson # 92 Rented

Must See French Film - Purple Noon

Purple Noon (French: Plein Soleil, aka Full Sun or Blazing Sun) is a 1960 film directed byRené Clément, based on The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, and starring Alain Delon in his first major movie.
Purple Noon was lauded by critics and made Delon a star. In 1962, Clément and Paul Gégauff won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Foreign Film Screenplay. It enjoys a loyal cult following even today, with many fans including film director Martin Scorsese.
The movie has been cited as similar to Highsmith's novel in tone, style, and especially in the characterization of Tom Ripley. Out of all the actors who have played Ripley in movie adaptations of books in Highsmith's "Ripliad" series, many critics, including Highsmith herself, have called Delon's characterization the closest to her personal vision of the character: a charismatic sociopath who lies, murders, and manipulates without a shred of remorse.
This is a terrific version of the book, with a better slam bang ending then the American version starring Matt Damon.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Quick Phrase of the Day - I'm Not In The Habit Of Getting Up Early

Friday, July 10, 2009
Quick Phrase of the Day - This Car Runs Well

Thursday, July 9, 2009
Quick Phrase of the Day - They Are On The Train

Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Quick Phrase of the Day - He Appeared Out Of Nowhere






