The 1983 Mini-List

[martin]

Coup de foudre (Diane Kurys)
The story is based on the actual life of director Kurys’ mother but it’s not a biopic. At the core this is a critique of women’s position in marriages. Getting married (for a woman at the time) was often required simply to survive rather than something she would do out of love. When the mother (Huppert) has her first orgasm after 10 years of marriage it’s not with her husband. There are some subtle lesbian connotations in the film towards her friend Miou-Miou. Guy Marchand, the husband, actually says “it’s plain as a day” (the lesbianism) so maybe it’s not so subtle, I don’t know. Coup de foudre was a relatively large success: the 2nd largest box-office hit in France of the entire 1980’s directed by a female: 1.6M admissions, only bettered by Coline Serreau’s Trois hommes et un couffin selling 10M tickets! (source: Cinema and the Second Sex). It was also nominated for a Best foreign film Academy Award. Sure, neither OSCAR nominations nor ticket sales are reliable signs of artistic quality but this is pretty good.

Spoiler

It’s not really much of a spoiler but a short text before the closing credits suggests that the character Sophie, the youngest girl, is supposed to be Diane Kurys as a kid.

Le destin de Juliette (Aline Issermann)
I’m going to mention a film I’ve never seen, Aline Issermann’s first feature Le destin de Juliette. I ordered the French blu-ray a while ago hoping it would arrive in time for me to consider it for my list but it’s been delayed, so I can't/won't vote for it. But I read about it recently and think it’s worth mentioning, so here are some excerpts/quotes from a somewhat longer analysis/appreciation in Cinema and the Second Sex. The film “received an enthusiastic critical response… and was much praised by Marguerite Duras”. It is a quite depressing film, according to Cinema and the Second Sex, yet it

is actually an exhilarating film because of the unusual beauty of the mise-en-scène, lighting and camera work, the subtlety of the narrative development, and the quality of Laure Duthilleul’s hypnotic performace.
[...]
The camera lingers on the perfectly framed pictorial imagery, particularly the awesome open spaces of the Beauce plain which isolate the characters and efface the outside world of social reality. Instead of crude documentary realism, the film’s distancing effects produce a sort of abstract hyperrealism, closer to inner reality.
Le destin de Juliette provides a useful companion piece to Kurys’s portrayal of a woman’s revolt within a bourgeois marriage.

Le destin de Juliette was shot by cinematographer Dominique Le Rigoleur. She had shot Agatha et les lectures illimitées and L'homme atlantique for Marguerite Duras in 1981. Incidentally, Dominique Le Rigoleur was also the cinematographer on Claire Denis’ very first credited work Le 15 mai (1971).

[swo17]

Do people need a reminder that lists are due tonight? Because they're due tonight

[ryannichols7]

I was on a trip for almost the entire month so I didn't watch anything new but I did vote for the first time in the last two polls (pretty sure) so tradeoffs. next month...hopefully both!

[TMDaines]

Now submitting. 1984, 85 and 1986 are gonna be very sketchy with long holidays planned and the Euros…

[swo17]

The 1983 List



##. Film (Director) points/votes(top 5 placements, aka likely votes in decade list)/highest ranking

01. L'Argent (Robert Bresson) 168/9(4)/2(x2)
02. Sans soleil (Chris Marker) 145/8(4)/1(x2)
03. Local Hero (Bill Forsyth) 140/7(4)/1
04. Videodrome (David Cronenberg) 139/7(3)/2(x2)
05. Pauline à la plage [Pauline at the Beach] (Éric Rohmer) 135/7(5)/3
06. The Right Stuff (Philip Kaufman) 134/7(2)/2
07. Zelig (Woody Allen) 108/7(2)/1(x2)
08. La Ville des pirates [City of Pirates] (Raúl Ruiz) 96/5(3)/1(x3)
(tie) Ностальгия [Nostalghia] (Andrei Tarkovsky) 96/7(3)/3
10. À nos amours (Maurice Pialat) 90/7(1)/1
11. Tender Mercies (Bruce Beresford) 88/5(2)/2
(tie) Prénom Carmen [First Name: Carmen] (Jean-Luc Godard) 88/6(1)/5
13. Koyaanisqatsi (Godfrey Reggio) 80/6(2)/2
14. 海灘的一天 [Hai tan de yi tian] [That Day, on the Beach] (Edward Yang) 77/4(1)/3
(tie) Rumble Fish (Francis Ford Coppola) 77/5(1)/3
(tie) Terms of Endearment (James L. Brooks) 77/6(1)/3
17. E la nave va [And the Ship Sails On] (Federico Fellini) 74/5(2)/2
18. Star 80 (Bob Fosse) 69/4(1)/3
19. El sur [The South] (Víctor Erice) 68/5(2)/2
20. 戦場のメリークリスマス [Senjō no merī kurisumasu] [Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence] (Nagisa Ōshima) 62/5(1)/3
21. The Dead Zone (David Cronenberg) 61/3(2)/4(x2)
22. 楢山節考 [Narayama bushikō] [The Ballad of Narayama] (Shōhei Imamura) 57/4(1)/1
23. Baby It's You (John Sayles) 56/4/10(x2)
24. ションベン・ライダー [Shonben raidā] [P.P. Rider] (Shinji Sōmai) 53/3(2)/1
25. 新蜀山劍俠 [Shu shan xin shu shan jian ke] [Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain] (Tsui Hark) 52/4(1)/4
26. Risky Business (Paul Brickman) 50/4/6
27. Death and Transfiguration (Terence Davies) 48/3(1)/2
28. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (Terry Jones) 47/3/6
29. Scarface (Brian De Palma) 45/2(1)/1
(tie) 家族ゲーム [Kazoku gēmu] [The Family Game] (Yoshimitsu Morita) 45/2(1)/1
31. Carmen (Carlos Saura) 43/3/7
32. My Brother's Wedding (Charles Burnett) 40/3(1)/4
33. The Outsiders (Francis Ford Coppola) 38/2(1)/4
34. Psycho II (Richard Franklin) 36/3/9
35. Les Trois Couronnes du matelot [Three Crowns of the Sailor] (Raúl Ruiz) 34/3/7
36. Return of the Jedi (Richard Marquand) 33/2/9
37. It's a Good Life (Joe Dante) 31/2/9
38. Silkwood (Mike Nichols) 29/3/12
39. The Pressures of the Text (Peter Rose) 26/2/6
(tie) 陽暉楼 [Yōkirō] [The Geisha] (Hideo Gosha) 26/2/9
41. The Big Chill (Lawrence Kasdan) 24/2/6
(tie) Valley Girl (Martha Coolidge) 24/2/8
(tie) 生死決 [Xian si jue] [Duel to the Death] (Ching Siu-tung) 24/2/12
44. The Man with Two Brains (Carl Reiner) 22/2/7
(tie) 細雪 [Sasame-yuki] [The Makioka Sisters] (Kon Ichikawa) 22/2/10
46. Under Fire (Roger Spottiswoode) 21/2/9
(tie) Possibly in Michigan (Cecelia Condit) 21/2/15
48. The Dresser (Peter Yates) 20/2/12
49. 風櫃來的人 [Feng gui lai de ren] [The Boys from Fengkuei] (Hou Hsiao-hsien) 18/2/9
(tie) Christine (John Carpenter) 18/2/12
(tie) Never Cry Wolf (Carroll Ballard) 18/2/12
(tie) A Christmas Story (Bob Clark) 18/2/15

ALSO-RANS

The Cure: The Lovecats (Tim Pope) 17/2/12
Gorky Park (Michael Apted) 15/2/18
Educating Rita (Lewis Gilbert) 13/2/17
Breathless (Jim McBride) 11/2/19
魚影の群れ [Gyoei no mure] [The Catch] (Shinji Sōmai) 10/2/20
Trading Places (John Landis) 9/2/18
魔 [Mo] [The Boxer's Omen] (Kuei Chih-hung) 6/2/21
Strange Brew (Dave Thomas & Rick Moranis) 6/2/23(x2)

ORPHANS

Film (Director) highest ranking

Rikos ja rangaistus [Crime and Punishment] (Aki Kaurismäki) 12
Visages perdus (Alain Mazars) 5
La vie est un roman [Life Is a Bed of Roses] (Alain Resnais) 25
Die Macht der Gefühle [The Power of Emotion] (Alexander Kluge) 12
Eine Liebe in Deutschland [A Love in Germany] (Andrzej Wajda) 15
Abuse (Arthur J. Bressan Jr.) 14
R.E.M.: Radio Free Europe (Arthur Pierson) 13
大桥下面 [Da qiao xia mian] [Under the Bridge] (Bai Chen) 10
Stone Circles (Barbara Hammer) 7
Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Relax (Bernard Rose) 15
Variety (Bette Gordon) 8
Kilka opowieści o człowieku [A Few Stories About a Man] (Bogdan Dziworski) 10
Балкан експрес [Balkan ekspres] [Balkan Express] (Branko Baletić) 13
Bananarama: Cruel Summer (Brian Simmons) 21
Haysi Fantayzee: Shiny Shiny (Cameron McVee) 25
Depeche Mode: Everything Counts (Clive Richardson) 19
Depeche Mode: Love, in Itself (Clive Richardson) 18
Coup de foudre (Diane Kurys) 17
Cammina, cammina [Walking, Walking] (Ermanno Olmi) 7
Le Bal [Ballando ballando] (Ettore Scola) 11
Rue Cases-Nègres [Sugar Cane Alley] (Euzhan Palcy) 11
Oingo Boingo: Nothing Bad Ever Happens (Francis Delia) 24
The Store (Frederick Wiseman) 11
Angst [Fear] (Gerald Kargl) 16
I Paladini: Storia d'armi e d'amori [Hearts and Armour] (Giacomo Battiato) 14
अर्ध सत्य [Ardh Satya] [Half Truth] (Govind Nihalani) 14
El Norte (Gregory Nava) 2
No habrá más penas ni olvido [Funny Dirty Little War] (Héctor Olivera) 18
A計劃 [A gai wak] [Project A] (Jackie Chan) 18
Passionless Moments (Jane Campion) 17
L'Été meurtrier [One Deadly Summer] (Jean Becker) 15
La Lune dans le caniveau [The Moon in the Gutter] (Jean-Jacques Beineix) 25
Cracking Up (Jerry Lewis) 20
Balada o zeleném dřevu [A Ballad About Green Wood] (Jiří Barta) 3
Lianna (John Sayles) 17
My Breakfast with Blassie (Johnny Legend & Linda Lautrec) 17
The Rolling Stones: Undercover of the Night (Julien Temple) 16
Unknown Chaplin (Kevin Brownlow & David Gill) 16
The Police: Wrapped Around Your Finger (Kevin Godley & Lol Creme) 14
Sprout Wings and Fly (Les Blank) 4
Big Country: In a Big Country (Lindsey Clennell) 17
Born in Flames (Lizzie Borden) 7
Karnal [Of the Flesh] (Marilou Diaz-Abaya) 7
Cross Creek (Martin Ritt) 23
東京裁判 [Tōkyō saiban] [Tokyo Trial] (Masaki Kobayashi) 4
U2: New Year's Day (Meiert Avis) 14
Strange Invaders (Michael Laughlin) 21
La Petite Bande [The Little Gang] (Michel Deville) 2
الحرِّيف [El harrif] [The Street Player] (Mohamed Khan) 24
はだしのゲン [Hadashi no gen] [Barefoot Gen] (Mori Masaki) 25
Eureka (Nicolas Roeg) 3
時をかける少女 [Toki o kakeru shōjo] [The Girl Who Leapt Through Time] (Nobuhiko Ōbayashi) 9
De vierde man [The 4th Man] (Paul Verhoeven) 7
Entre tinieblas [Dark Habits] (Pedro Almodóvar) 16
Suburbia (Penelope Spheeris) 13
Bérénice (Raúl Ruiz) 8
Streamers (Robert Altman) 11
The Osterman Weekend (Sam Peckinpah) 25
奇謀妙計五福星 [Qi mou miao ji wu fu xing] [Winners and Sinners] (Sammo Hung) 24
मंडी [Mandi] [Market Place] (Shyam Benegal) 3
ZZ Top: Sharp Dressed Man (Tim Newman) 20
The Hunger (Tony Scott) 5
Olivia (Ulli Lommel) 16

13 lists submitted

[domino harvey]

Did I not submit a list?

[swo17]

You did not. If you do so now I can post alternative results

[domino harvey]

I could have sworn I did! I will do so now, thanks swo — going forward, is there any way to add email confirmation to the submission form, so anyone could just check their emails after to see if they’ve submitted/access their editing link?

[swo17]

I can ask skilar about that, but I haven't heard from him in a while. In the meantime, if anyone would like to be on a list of "people I check in with when I don't get a list from them to see if they forgot to vote," please let me know

[domino harvey]

Me, obviously. Sorry about that, I've submitted now. Thanks for letting me play

[swo17]

I'm going to leave the original results in place, but here are the alternative results incorporating domino's vote:

##. Film (Director) points/votes(top 5 placements, aka likely votes in decade list)/highest ranking

01. L'Argent (Robert Bresson) 193/10(5)/1
02. The Right Stuff (Philip Kaufman) 157/8(3)/2
03. Sans soleil (Chris Marker) 145/8(4)/1(x2)
04. Local Hero (Bill Forsyth) 140/7(4)/1
05. Videodrome (David Cronenberg) 139/7(3)/2(x2)
06. Pauline à la plage [Pauline at the Beach] (Éric Rohmer) 135/7(5)/3
07. Zelig (Woody Allen) 119/8(2)/1(x2)
08. La Ville des pirates [City of Pirates] (Raúl Ruiz) 114/6(3)/1(x3)
09. Rumble Fish (Francis Ford Coppola) 99/6(2)/3
10. Ностальгия [Nostalghia] (Andrei Tarkovsky) 96/7(3)/3
11. Terms of Endearment (James L. Brooks) 92/7(1)/3
12. À nos amours (Maurice Pialat) 90/7(1)/1
13. Tender Mercies (Bruce Beresford) 88/5(2)/2
(tie) Prénom Carmen [First Name: Carmen] (Jean-Luc Godard) 88/6(1)/5
15. Koyaanisqatsi (Godfrey Reggio) 80/6(2)/2
16. 海灘的一天 [Hai tan de yi tian] [That Day, on the Beach] (Edward Yang) 77/4(1)/3
17. E la nave va [And the Ship Sails On] (Federico Fellini) 74/5(2)/2
18. Star 80 (Bob Fosse) 69/4(1)/3
19. El sur [The South] (Víctor Erice) 68/5(2)/2
20. 戦場のメリークリスマス [Senjō no merī kurisumasu] [Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence] (Nagisa Ōshima) 62/5(1)/3
21. The Dead Zone (David Cronenberg) 61/3(2)/4(x2)
22. 楢山節考 [Narayama bushikō] [The Ballad of Narayama] (Shōhei Imamura) 57/4(1)/1
23. Baby It's You (John Sayles) 56/4/10(x2)
24. ションベン・ライダー [Shonben raidā] [P.P. Rider] (Shinji Sōmai) 53/3(2)/1
25. 新蜀山劍俠 [Shu shan xin shu shan jian ke] [Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain] (Tsui Hark) 52/4(1)/4
26. Risky Business (Paul Brickman) 50/4/6
27. La Petite Bande [The Little Gang] (Michel Deville) 48/2(2)/2(x2)
(tie) Death and Transfiguration (Terence Davies) 48/3(1)/2
29. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (Terry Jones) 47/3/6
(tie) It's a Good Life (Joe Dante) 47/3/9
31. Scarface (Brian De Palma) 45/2(1)/1
(tie) 家族ゲーム [Kazoku gēmu] [The Family Game] (Yoshimitsu Morita) 45/2(1)/1
33. Carmen (Carlos Saura) 43/3/7
34. The Big Chill (Lawrence Kasdan) 41/3/6
35. My Brother's Wedding (Charles Burnett) 40/3(1)/4
36. The Outsiders (Francis Ford Coppola) 38/2(1)/4
37. Psycho II (Richard Franklin) 36/3/9
38. Possibly in Michigan (Cecelia Condit) 35/3/12
39. Les Trois Couronnes du matelot [Three Crowns of the Sailor] (Raúl Ruiz) 34/3/7
40. Return of the Jedi (Richard Marquand) 33/2/9
41. Trading Places (John Landis) 29/3/6
(tie) Entre tinieblas [Dark Habits] (Pedro Almodóvar) 29/2/7
(tie) Silkwood (Mike Nichols) 29/3/12
44. The Pressures of the Text (Peter Rose) 26/2/6
(tie) 陽暉楼 [Yōkirō] [The Geisha] (Hideo Gosha) 26/2/9
46. Valley Girl (Martha Coolidge) 24/2/8
(tie) 生死決 [Xian si jue] [Duel to the Death] (Ching Siu-tung) 24/2/12
48. The Man with Two Brains (Carl Reiner) 22/2/7
(tie) 細雪 [Sasame-yuki] [The Makioka Sisters] (Kon Ichikawa) 22/2/10
50. Under Fire (Roger Spottiswoode) 21/2/9

ALSO-RANS

The Dresser (Peter Yates) 20/2/12
風櫃來的人 [Feng gui lai de ren] [The Boys from Fengkuei] (Hou Hsiao-hsien) 18/2/9
Christine (John Carpenter) 18/2/12
Never Cry Wolf (Carroll Ballard) 18/2/12
A Christmas Story (Bob Clark) 18/2/15
The Cure: The Lovecats (Tim Pope) 17/2/12
Gorky Park (Michael Apted) 15/2/18
Educating Rita (Lewis Gilbert) 13/2/17
Breathless (Jim McBride) 11/2/19
魚影の群れ [Gyoei no mure] [The Catch] (Shinji Sōmai) 10/2/20

魔 [Mo] [The Boxer's Omen] (Kuei Chih-hung) 6/2/21
Strange Brew (Dave Thomas & Rick Moranis) 6/2/23(x2)

ORPHANS

Film (Director) highest ranking

Rikos ja rangaistus [Crime and Punishment] (Aki Kaurismäki) 12
Visages perdus (Alain Mazars) 5
La vie est un roman [Life Is a Bed of Roses] (Alain Resnais) 25
Die Macht der Gefühle [The Power of Emotion] (Alexander Kluge) 12
Eine Liebe in Deutschland [A Love in Germany] (Andrzej Wajda) 15
Abuse (Arthur J. Bressan Jr.) 14
R.E.M.: Radio Free Europe (Arthur Pierson) 13
大桥下面 [Da qiao xia mian] [Under the Bridge] (Bai Chen) 10
Stone Circles (Barbara Hammer) 7
Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Relax (Bernard Rose) 15
Variety (Bette Gordon) 8
Kilka opowieści o człowieku [A Few Stories About a Man] (Bogdan Dziworski) 10
Балкан експрес [Balkan ekspres] [Balkan Express] (Branko Baletić) 13
Bananarama: Cruel Summer (Brian Simmons) 21
Haysi Fantayzee: Shiny Shiny (Cameron McVee) 25
Depeche Mode: Everything Counts (Clive Richardson) 19
Depeche Mode: Love, in Itself (Clive Richardson) 18
Coup de foudre (Diane Kurys) 17
Cammina, cammina [Walking, Walking] (Ermanno Olmi) 7
Le Bal [Ballando ballando] (Ettore Scola) 11
Rue Cases-Nègres [Sugar Cane Alley] (Euzhan Palcy) 11
Oingo Boingo: Nothing Bad Ever Happens (Francis Delia) 24
The Store (Frederick Wiseman) 11
Angst [Fear] (Gerald Kargl) 16
I Paladini: Storia d'armi e d'amori [Hearts and Armour] (Giacomo Battiato) 14
अर्ध सत्य [Ardh Satya] [Half Truth] (Govind Nihalani) 14
El Norte (Gregory Nava) 2
No habrá más penas ni olvido [Funny Dirty Little War] (Héctor Olivera) 18
A計劃 [A gai wak] [Project A] (Jackie Chan) 18
Passionless Moments (Jane Campion) 17
L'Été meurtrier [One Deadly Summer] (Jean Becker) 15
La Lune dans le caniveau [The Moon in the Gutter] (Jean-Jacques Beineix) 25
Cracking Up (Jerry Lewis) 20
Balada o zeleném dřevu [A Ballad About Green Wood] (Jiří Barta) 3
WarGames (John Badham) 5
Michael Jackson: Thriller (John Landis) 14
Lianna (John Sayles) 17
My Breakfast with Blassie (Johnny Legend & Linda Lautrec) 17
The Rolling Stones: Undercover of the Night (Julien Temple) 16
Unknown Chaplin (Kevin Brownlow & David Gill) 16
The Police: Wrapped Around Your Finger (Kevin Godley & Lol Creme) 14
Sprout Wings and Fly (Les Blank) 4
Big Country: In a Big Country (Lindsey Clennell) 17
Born in Flames (Lizzie Borden) 7
Karnal [Of the Flesh] (Marilou Diaz-Abaya) 7
Cross Creek (Martin Ritt) 23
東京裁判 [Tōkyō saiban] [Tokyo Trial] (Masaki Kobayashi) 4
U2: New Year's Day (Meiert Avis) 14
Strange Invaders (Michael Laughlin) 21
الحرِّيف [El harrif] [The Street Player] (Mohamed Khan) 24
はだしのゲン [Hadashi no gen] [Barefoot Gen] (Mori Masaki) 25
Eureka (Nicolas Roeg) 3
時をかける少女 [Toki o kakeru shōjo] [The Girl Who Leapt Through Time] (Nobuhiko Ōbayashi) 9
De vierde man [The 4th Man] (Paul Verhoeven) 7
Suburbia (Penelope Spheeris) 13
L'Ami de Vincent [A Friend of Vincent] (Pierre Granier-Deferre) 13
Bérénice (Raúl Ruiz) 8
Streamers (Robert Altman) 11
The Osterman Weekend (Sam Peckinpah) 25
奇謀妙計五福星 [Qi mou miao ji wu fu xing] [Winners and Sinners] (Sammo Hung) 24
मंडी [Mandi] [Market Place] (Shyam Benegal) 3
ZZ Top: Sharp Dressed Man (Tim Newman) 20
The Hunger (Tony Scott) 5
Olivia (Ulli Lommel) 16

14 lists submitted

[ryannichols7]

as long as you bump Sans Soleil to #1, I absolutely endorse the late vote

also I was the one who tacked all the music videos on the end of my list, a practice I'll continue going forward.

EDIT: wow pushing it down!!

[domino harvey]

I’m just here to hurt

[therewillbeblus]

I’m just here to hurt

Considering the Deville was somehow orphaned, I'd say so

Thanks swo!

1. City of Pirates
2. La petite bande
3. P. P. Rider
4. Pauline at the Beach
5. Sans Soleil
6. The Big Chill
7. Rumble Fish
8. Valley Girl
9. “It’s a Good Life”
10. First Name: Carmen

17. Lianna
20. Cracking Up
25. The Moon in the Gutter

[domino harvey]

Look at the new list, I ranked it the same as you

[therewillbeblus]

Thank goodness, everything is in its right place

[ryannichols7]

in all seriousness, is City of Pirates the best place to start with Ruiz? I've never seen one, despite being a decade+ member of this board

[therewillbeblus]

in all seriousness, is City of Pirates the best place to start with Ruiz? I've never seen one, despite being a decade+ member of this board

You could. It's just as strong to start with Manoel for the current '84 project (spoiler: It's another #1)

[ryannichols7]

in all seriousness, is City of Pirates the best place to start with Ruiz? I've never seen one, despite being a decade+ member of this board

You could. It's just as strong to start with Manoel for the current '84 project (spoiler: It's another #1)

I'll go with Pirates based on length, chronology, and the last time I started with a lengthy, "accessible" film by a forum favorite, I absolutely hated it

Spoiler

Celine and Julie Go Boating

but good knowing it'll be your #1! I'll definitely give it a shot regardless of my feelings on Pirates

[knives]

I didn’t vote for it but I appreciate those who did for Gorky Park which was one of the more fun discoveries this past month.

[therewillbeblus]

I didn’t vote for it but I appreciate those who did for Gorky Park which was one of the more fun discoveries this past month.

I'd love to hear more about why you think so. "Fun" would probably be the last adjective I'd afford that film and I'm a William Hurt fanboy

[knives]

I just found it a cozy sort of thriller. One deep enough to keep me going, but also easy enough to fold laundry to if need be. Kind of the perfect scrolling through the channels movie.

[domino harvey]

ORPHANS
L'Été meurtrier [One Deadly Summer] (Jean Becker) 15

Apologies to whoever voted for this, as I just caught up with it and would have voted for it as well. It's a singular experience as a movie, to be sure. It's not a surprise that the film was a huge box office success in France because the movie is at heart an efficient Isabelle Adjani nudity delivery system. Beyond that appeal, though, her performance is deeeeeeply bizarre, weirder even than her more flashy work in Possession. Taking the role of bratty coquette to levels of assholishness not yet imagined, she plays a small town slut who beds and weds a local average joe as part of an overcomplicated revenge plot that has some unexpected twists that revel in their narrative fuckery. The film is contemporary but feels like a 50s pulp novel, especially the incessant narration, which switches speakers several times throughout the action. And of course it all ends bad for everyone, as it must. But it is also so much weirder than you could possibly imagine from the outside looking in. To give some sense of the tone on this one, let's just say it belongs in the Trash Canon with works like Killer Joe and This World, Then the Fireworks. Also what a treat to watch this on Cult Epics' (region-free) Blu-ray and be treated to a boutique release of a French film that doesn't look yellow or blue

[brundlefly]

ORPHANS
L'Été meurtrier [One Deadly Summer] (Jean Becker) 15

Apologies to whoever voted for this, as I just caught up with it and would have voted for it as well. It's a singular experience as a movie, to be sure. It's not a surprise that the film was a huge box office success in France because the movie is at heart an efficient Isabelle Adjani nudity delivery system. Beyond that appeal, though, her performance is deeeeeeply bizarre, weirder even than her more flashy work in Possession. Taking the role of bratty coquette to levels of assholishness not yet imagined, she plays a small town slut who beds and weds a local average joe as part of an overcomplicated revenge plot that has some unexpected twists that revel in their narrative fuckery. The film is contemporary but feels like a 50s pulp novel, especially the incessant narration, which switches speakers several times throughout the action. And of course it all ends bad for everyone, as it must. But it is also so much weirder than you could possibly imagine from the outside looking in. To give some sense of the tone on this one, let's just say it belongs in the Trash Canon with works like Killer Joe and This World, Then the Fireworks. Also what a treat to watch this on Cult Epics' (region-free) Blu-ray and be treated to a boutique release of a French film that doesn't look yellow or blue

Enjoyed this as well. I’m a fan of form fitting function, and deftly switching narrators emphasizes (as the deaf aunt says) that everyone only knows their part of the story, the root of several unfortunate courses of action. It also periodically re-energizes a film that runs long (not as long as the three-hour cut Becker describes, a shame the deleted scenes couldn’t make it into the package) and allows a broader range of tones than there’d be if this was just a focused noir. Not that there’s a lazy 1:1 in mood:narrator. But the film is often a lot funnier than something mired in trauma and tragedy could have been, and a lot warmer as well. Time spent hanging around the Montecciari family does wonders to pointedly frustrate cynicism.

I’d add The Hot Spot to your trash canon, though as much as Becker and Japrisot's film also feels sprung from the mind of a horny teenage boy, it’s well in line with the Adjani character’s arrested and calculating worldview. Shocked the camera doesn’t pan back and forth with her exaggerated hip-swagger. Amazing (and also pointed) that Adjani was like 27 and a mother when playing 19/20 and 14.

[Beloved Aunt]

Star 80 at number 18, that's unfortunate.

To give some sense of the tone on this one, let's just say it belongs in the Trash Canon with works like Killer Joe and This World, Then the Fireworks.

Indeed--Isabelle Adjani in the fancy restaurant snaring Alain Souchon with, among other things, her multiplication tables lol really reminded me of Billy Zane's bizarre, self-conscious Noir Ubermensch Fantasy patter when he's picking up Sheryl Lee's cop character in Fireworks. Everyone else in the French film is a very ordinary person, but there's Adjani soaring miles above them and being an utter freak about it. It's a very, um, stark visualisation of the femme fatale being surrounded by rubes.