Every Wednesday up to March 20, 2013 from 20 to 22 at the Institut Français in Florence a plunge into in French films. A fil rouge links Florence with French culture, cinema in particular. In fact, the “Institut Francais”, one of the most prestigious centers of French culture in the world has got its site here in Piazza Ognissanti and the successful event such as France Odeon takes place yearly in Florence. Now a good opportunity to take part to sessions devoted to the history of French cinema, organized by the film critic Marco Luceri.
A charming journey into the French film-making, originally shaped by the Lumière brothers, whose “ Arrival of a train at the Ciotat Station” screened at the end of the 19th century, is justly considered the real birth of cinema. But the movie as a story, told through images turning round a plot, was pioneered by Georges Méliés.
The silent movies of Abel Gance followed. In the twenties the avant-garde Dadaism and Surrealism approached film-making. Thence the productions of Ferdinand Lèger, Antonin Artaud ant the masterwork “A Chien Andalou” of 1929 from the joint collaboration of Bunuel and Dalì. The poetic realism of Jean Renoir, Julien Duvivier and Marcel Carnè prevailed in the thirties. The audience is going to appreciate masterworks such as “ A Day in the Country”, “Pépé le Moko”, “Quai de Brumes” and above all ”Les Enfants du Paradis” a romantic story shot during the German occupation which became symbol of the French cultural identity. Chef-d’oevre of Marcel Carnè based on a script by Jacques Prévert, spanning between dream and reality, is a must of the French cinema, known all over the world and loved since its first show in 1945. After the disruption caused by the second war witnessed by directors such as Robert Bresson and Jean Cocteau, a new generation of radical film-makers grew under the guide of André Bazin, one of the authoritative founders of the Cahiers du Cinema.
The French New Wave of the late fifties was born with François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard and Claude Chabrol triggering later brilliant directors such as Alain Resnais, Agnès Varda, Jacques Demy, Louis Malle, Eric Rohmer who were to deeply mark European and American filmmakers. Surely such an interesting program can’t be summarized in few lines. It honestly deserves better interest and attention. Spend few days in Florence. The exhibition “ Anni Trenta” is going to end up in a short while (see on purpose the blog Tuscany Holiday Rent ”Palazzo Strozzi. Anni Trenta. Arti in Italia oltre il Fascimo” published on October 18th 2012). You might as well profit from a lecture of Marco Luceri to widen your perspectives about French cinema. As far as accommodations downtown have a look at Tuscany Holiday Rent.
