The Occupation era during WWII and its unique noir sub-genre known as the "provincial gothic" takes center stage; we will see its psychological and historical echoes in several other films in the lineup.
We also salute under-appreciated director Pierre Granier-Deferre, whose career straddled the end of France's late blooming "last wave" of noir in the late 50s-to-mid '60s, with films featuring many familiar faces to movie fans: Lino Ventura (in CLOPORTES); Simone Signoret and Alain Delon (in 1971's update on the provincial gothic, LA VEUVE COUDERC); Jean-Louis Trintignant and Romy Schneider in 1973's LE TRAIN, set during the fall of France in 1940.
There are four repeat screenings from previous festivals, including a double feature honoring the alluring Mylene Demongeot, starring in two films that dazzled audiences in during FRENCH 1 and FRENCH 2: A KISS FOR A KILLER, with old friend Henri Vidal, and CETTE NUIT LA, also starring Maurice Ronet and Jean Servais.
The festival closes with films featuring two key figures in the festival over the years: Jean Gabin, in THE WALLS OF MALAPAGA, set in Genoa after WWII, and a brooding mix of noir, neo-realism and rubble film; and Robert Hossein, in the best French noir of the 1960s, Julien Duvivier's CHAIR DE POULE.
Full schedule and times below. Discount passes on sale now, higher-priced single tickets will be put on sale on Thursday, October 26. This is a good chance for several Bay Area Blackboarders to join us for one of our most intriguingly wide-ranging lineups.
Sunday November 6
Matinee Madness runs in the family...
GOUPI MAINS ROUGES/IT HAPPENED AT THE INN (1943, 96m, dir. Jacques Becker) 12:30
LA TETE CONTRE LES MURS/HEAD AGAINST THE WALL (1959, 95m, dir. Georges Franju) 2:30
Evening Pierre Granier-Deferre + Simenon (with Ventura, Signoret, Delon, Trintignant & Schneider!)
CLOPORTES/THE METAMORPHOSIS OF WOODLICE (1965, 95m, dir. Pierre Granier-Deferre) 5:00 Lino!
LA VEUVE COUDERC/THE WIDOW COUDERC (1971, 92m, dir. Pierre Granier-Deferre) 6:45 Signoret & Delon!
LE TRAIN/THE LAST TRAIN (1973, 95m, dir. Pierre Granier-Deferre) 8:30 Trintignant & Schneider!
Monday November 7
Tribute to Mylene Demongeot (with Henri Vidal, Maurice Ronet, Jean Servais)
UNE MANCHE ET LA BELLE/A KISS FOR A KILLER (1957, 105m, dir. Henri Verneuil) 6:30 Mylene & Vidal!
CETTE NUIT-LA/THAT NIGHT... (1958, 100m, dir. Maurice Cazeneuve) 8:30 Mylene, Ronet & Servais!
Saturday November 12
Matinee Edmond T. Gréville
MENÀCES/THREATS (1940, 95m, dir. Edmond T. Gréville) 12:30 Von Stroheim, Balin & Leclerc!
LE DIABLE SOUFFLE/THE DEVIL’s BREATH (1947, 87m, dir. Edmond T. Gréville) 2:30 Charles Vanel!
Evening Is possession nine-tenths of the law?
LE MAIN DU DIABLE/THE HAND OF THE DEVIL aka SINNERS’ CARNIVAL (1943, 80m, dir. Maurice Tourneur) 5:00
SORTILÈGES/SPELLS (1945, 85m, dir. Christian-Jaque) 6:45
Sunday November 13
Matinee Hommage à Françoise Arnoul (1931-2021)
LA CHATTE/THE CAT (1958, 108m, dir. Henri Decoin) 12:00
LUCKY JO (1964, 87m, dir. Michel Deville) 2:15 with Eddie Constantine!
Evening Can one walk upright when they’re on the run? Featuring GABIN and HOSSEIN...
AU-DELA DES GRILLES/THE WALLS OF MALAPAGA (1949, 89m, dir. René Clément) 5:00 Gabin & Isa Miranda!
CHAIR DE POULE/HIGHWAY PICKUP (1963, 105m, dir. Julien Duvivier) 6:45 Hossein & Catherine Rouvel!
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