Le 4 septembre - La Chèvre
La Chèvre (The Goat)
(1981) dir. : Francis VEBER - 95 min.
First movie of three films starring Depardieu and Richard as a comic duo, the french comedy La Chèvre features Depardieu as the tough-guy private detective Campana, hired to find Marie, the daughter of a rich businessman, who has mysteriously disappeared while vacationing in Mexico. The case turns out to be complicated -several attempts to find her have already failed. A psychologist, Meyer, who works for the businessman, suggests a plan. Marie is known to be extremely unlucky and accident-prone; the psychologist advises sending someone equally accident-prone to find her, on the theory that what happened to her may also happen to him, and thus, following her steps while the detective tags along, the daughter can be found and returned home. Richard's character Perrin is an awkward, accident-prone accountant who works for the businessman, and is chosen to implement the scheme. The adventures of an odd duo begin...
(1981) dir. : Francis VEBER - 95 min.
First movie of three films starring Depardieu and Richard as a comic duo, the french comedy La Chèvre features Depardieu as the tough-guy private detective Campana, hired to find Marie, the daughter of a rich businessman, who has mysteriously disappeared while vacationing in Mexico. The case turns out to be complicated -several attempts to find her have already failed. A psychologist, Meyer, who works for the businessman, suggests a plan. Marie is known to be extremely unlucky and accident-prone; the psychologist advises sending someone equally accident-prone to find her, on the theory that what happened to her may also happen to him, and thus, following her steps while the detective tags along, the daughter can be found and returned home. Richard's character Perrin is an awkward, accident-prone accountant who works for the businessman, and is chosen to implement the scheme. The adventures of an odd duo begin...
Le 11 septembre - Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac
(1990) dir. Jean-Paul RAPPENEAU - 137 min.
Cyrano de Bergerac is a Parisian poet and swashbuckler with a large nose of which he is self-conscious, but pretends to be proud of. He is madly in love with his "friendly cousin" (they were not actually related as cousins), the beautiful Roxane; however, he does not believe she will requite his love because he considers himself physically unattractive. Soon, he
finds that Roxane has become infatuated with Christian de Neuvillette, a dashing new recruit to the Cadets de Gascogne, the military unit of which Cyrano is the captain. Christian however, despite his good looks, is tongue-tied when speaking with women. Seeing an opportunity to vicariously declare his love for Roxane, he decides to aid Christian, who does
not know how to court a woman and gain her love.
This film is based on the famous 1897 play of the same name by Edmond Rostand. Starring Gérard Depardieu and Anne Brochet. It is the first theatrical film version of Rostand's original play in color, and the second theatrical film version of the play in the original French.
Furthermore, for his role in this movie, Gérard Depardieu won the Best Actor award at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival.
(1990) dir. Jean-Paul RAPPENEAU - 137 min.
Cyrano de Bergerac is a Parisian poet and swashbuckler with a large nose of which he is self-conscious, but pretends to be proud of. He is madly in love with his "friendly cousin" (they were not actually related as cousins), the beautiful Roxane; however, he does not believe she will requite his love because he considers himself physically unattractive. Soon, he
finds that Roxane has become infatuated with Christian de Neuvillette, a dashing new recruit to the Cadets de Gascogne, the military unit of which Cyrano is the captain. Christian however, despite his good looks, is tongue-tied when speaking with women. Seeing an opportunity to vicariously declare his love for Roxane, he decides to aid Christian, who does
not know how to court a woman and gain her love.
This film is based on the famous 1897 play of the same name by Edmond Rostand. Starring Gérard Depardieu and Anne Brochet. It is the first theatrical film version of Rostand's original play in color, and the second theatrical film version of the play in the original French.
Furthermore, for his role in this movie, Gérard Depardieu won the Best Actor award at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival.
Le 18 septembre - Le Placard
Le Placard (The closet)
(2001) dir. Francis VEBER - 84 min.
In this french comedy, François Pignon, an unassuming divorced man with a teenaged son who ignores him, lives a quiet and unremarkable life. When he learns he will be fired from his job as an accountant in a rubber factory, he contemplates suicide, but his new neighbor Jean-Pierre Belone, a former industrial psychologist, dissuades him from jumping from his balcony and suggests a way to keep his position. 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 factory's primary product is condoms, so the gay community's support is essential, and Kopel will have to keep Pignon on the payroll to avoid charges of anti-homosexual bigotry... Pignon didn't imagine such absurd and unexpected consequences.
(2001) dir. Francis VEBER - 84 min.
In this french comedy, François Pignon, an unassuming divorced man with a teenaged son who ignores him, lives a quiet and unremarkable life. When he learns he will be fired from his job as an accountant in a rubber factory, he contemplates suicide, but his new neighbor Jean-Pierre Belone, a former industrial psychologist, dissuades him from jumping from his balcony and suggests a way to keep his position. 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 factory's primary product is condoms, so the gay community's support is essential, and Kopel will have to keep Pignon on the payroll to avoid charges of anti-homosexual bigotry... Pignon didn't imagine such absurd and unexpected consequences.
Le 25 septembre - La Tête en Friche
La Tête en Friche (My Afternoons with Marguerite)
(2010) dir. Jean BECKER - 82 min.
In a small French town, Germain (Gérard Depardieu), a nearly illiterate man in his fifties and considered to be the village idiot, takes a walk to the park one day and happens to sit beside Margueritte, a little old lady who is reading excerpts from her novel aloud. She's articulate, highly intelligent and frail. Germain is lured by Margueritte's passion for life and the magic of literature from which he has always felt excluded. As Margueritte broadens his mind via reading excerpts from her novel, Germain realizes that he is more of an intellectual than he has ever allowed himself to be. Afternoons spent reading aloud on their favorite bench transform their lives and start them both on a new journey—to literacy and respect for Germain, and to the deepest friendship for Margueritte.
(2010) dir. Jean BECKER - 82 min.
In a small French town, Germain (Gérard Depardieu), a nearly illiterate man in his fifties and considered to be the village idiot, takes a walk to the park one day and happens to sit beside Margueritte, a little old lady who is reading excerpts from her novel aloud. She's articulate, highly intelligent and frail. Germain is lured by Margueritte's passion for life and the magic of literature from which he has always felt excluded. As Margueritte broadens his mind via reading excerpts from her novel, Germain realizes that he is more of an intellectual than he has ever allowed himself to be. Afternoons spent reading aloud on their favorite bench transform their lives and start them both on a new journey—to literacy and respect for Germain, and to the deepest friendship for Margueritte.