The French invented cinema, so can rightly claim to know two or three things about it. The twin impulses of French film – the realism of the Lumieres together with the showmanship of Melies – means it feels like the progenitor of cinema as we understand it. It was the French, after all, who declared cinema the seventh art.
Surprisingly however, for such a cineaste nation, France has been rather poorly served by documentary attempts to take stock of its contribution to the world of filmmaking. Even one of its most celebrated maverick visionaries, Jean Luc Godard, made a hash of it when called upon to mark the centenary of French cinema in 1995.
A Journey Through French Cinema, showing at Leeds Everyman tonight at 7.00 pm, at least has the engagingly acerbic Bertrand Tavernier to recommend it. Responsible for arguably the greatest jazz movie ever made – the smokey moodpiece Round Midnight – Tavernier is one of France’s most interesting veteran directors. A Journey Through French Cinema is, as the title suggests, a personal stroll through the work of those French filmmakers Tavernier most reveres. He may have been on first name terms with the cream of the nouvelle vague, but what comes across most is Tavernier’s obvious deep affection for the unsung directors, writers, actors and composers that fired his love affair with film to begin with.
As a footnote, the sad news, announced last week, of the death of pioneering French cinematographer, Raoul Coutard, means there has never been a better time to remind yourself why French cinema still matters.
A Journey Through French Cinema is showing at 19.00 on Monday 14th November at Everyman, Leeds.
For more information, visit leedsfilm
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