Voyage à travers le cinéma français

I thought that I had seen a lot of French films, but now after having gone on this journey with Bernard Tavernier, I realize that I have missed many more! This documentary should be required viewing for film students and basically anyone who appreciates world cinema and/or French culture and language.

Incredibly interesting, informative and strangely intimate. Merci beaucoup, Bernard, mon ami!

Is it recommended and useful to persons studying theory of film, history of cinema etc? Yes, certainly. Is it interesting, and enlightening about how to better understand cinema in general? Yes. But.... it is a very personal, Tavernier's history of French cinema, which means it is subjective and ultimately frustrating. I think "personal Bertrand Tavernier's" should have been included in the title, so that viewers don't feel misled and frustrated. For example, he spends a lot of time on the actor Jean Gabin or the director Melville but ignores many important and interesting personalities of French cinema, like Jean Vigo, Robert Bresson, Truffault, Delon, Deneuve, Auteil and many, many others. He spends short few minutes on Godard... and ignores the phenomenon of the French Nouvelle Vague altogether. And not one word is mentioned about modern French cinema in the 21st century. These 191 minutes (!) are worth your while, but also frustrating.

I saw it as a beautiful confession. Subjective out of doubts. But charming exactly for the public exposure of stories, enthusiasm, choices, stories, portraits, fragments of films. A nice trip across French cinema, having as pleasant guide Bertrand Tavernier. Confession of an admirable director, it can be not the expected film. But it is ot exactly a list of must see films but bricks of a long way to understand , love and make cinema.

The excellent director, Bernard Tavernier ("Coup de Torchon") discusses his fondness for particular films and admiration for particular directors and actors. But it is not any sort of comprehensive study: the emphasis is on "my" not "French cinema." Accounting for his own career and obsessions, Tavernier is especially fond of gangster yarns, inspired by American crime movies and/or westerns. He reminds us of some important filmmakers and their achievements. It is important to bring along into the 21st century some forgotten excellent works of the 20th century. But the brief remarks and clips only serve to remind us of what we're missing. Many fine filmmakers such as Rene Clair, Rene Clement, Eric Rohmer, Jacques Rivette, Alain Resnais and Luc Besson are not discussed.

Tavernier is a very important figure in the history of not only French but world cinema. There is no better man suited to direct a documentary about the history of French cinema. Alas, this is a very subjective voyage through French cinema based on Tavernier personal connections and recollections and, most importantly, own taste.

The first half is fantastic, but the movie loses itself after the tale of Gabin, France greatest actor. There is no thread liking one part with another, no message to be told. It is just one recollection after another, which could go on forever, and indeed it went on as TV series of 10 episodes.

The movie or documentary fails because he actually carries very little interest. If you know French cinema prior to see this documentary, you will learn very little. If you don't know much about French cinema then yes, you will learn about Renoir, Becker, Gabin and The Great Illusion (the undisputed greatest movie ever made) but you will miss out on the legends that were Raimu, Fernandel, Bourvil, Clouzot, Dassin, De Funes and the greatest director out of them all Robert Bresson.

How come they've been left out? One might ask, well, for one thing, by time restrictions, although Clouzot and Guitry were touched upon in the TV series. But the main reason is Tavernier's own taste. Tavernier likes film noir and gritty films, hence the omission of all the comics of France Golden Age. He also isn't a particularly spirituel director, hence the omission of Bresson and Bunuel. It's a shame, it is similar to directing a documentary about the France football team and omitting to talk or even mention Zidane, Cantona and Papin.

A nice effort but lacking too much in structure and interest, although the first half is brilliantly told.