“Throughout both the foreground and background of ‘Fahrenheit 451,’ Truffaut emphasizes the characters’ self-absorption via a hyper-sexual form of narcissism in a society lacking real love.”
“‘Sauvage’ emerges in the context of ‘BPM (Beats Per Minute)’ as a darker, grittier cousin. Both tell physically intimate stories, but where ‘BPM (Beats Per Minute)’ brims with romance, anger and sheer joy, ‘Sauvage’ has a harder edge and leaves more of a bitter taste.”
Marshall Shaffer on Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2019
Marshall Shaffer’s Selections for Rendez-Vous with French Cinema (March 8-18, 2018)
“Within the shell of its high-concept premise, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s ‘The Wages of Fear’ develops into a harrowing depiction of humanity in crisis; economic, political and cultural crisis.”
“Communication — or the lack thereof — is key to ‘Black Moon.’”
“Like ‘Visages, villages’ and ‘Claire’s Camera,’ ‘The Workshop’ continues a Cannes 2017 trend for the unmatched power of creation and artistic expression, and this film reaches to darker depths than those tales.”
“Canet’s performance seems to come from a place of real insecurity, and the resulting film plays out like an externalized catharsis.”
“Fifty-three years after initial release, ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’ continues to be a formally and contextually innovative French New Wave production; a film that has influenced contemporary directors such as Barry Jenkins, Damien Chazelle and Joachim Trier.”
“While Truffaut’s ‘Day for Night’ (1973) is his most pronounced and profound love letter to the moviemaking process, ‘Shoot the Piano Player’ is an exuberant tribute to the end result.”
