La France
One of the pitfalls of the weekend forecast is that I miss limited releases all the time. Most often, something will be released in New York, but it won’t show up on the national radar and I won’t know about it until the Friday NY Times comes out or someone tells me about it.
In this case, Sam Juliano pointed out that Serge Bozon’s La France is playing for one week in New York. I saw it at LAFF and tapped out a few words but hardly enough to do it justice. Meanwhile, Sam points us to Manohla Dargis’ NY Times Review and I would add Karina Longworth’s typically thoughtful take over at SpoutBlog.
It turns out it was a lucky thing I caught it at LAFF because it may never make it to LA for a theatrical run. However, Greencine Daily reports that Seattle’s Northwest Film Form has picked up limited rights to the film and will be releasing it in ten cities including Boston, Rochester, Houston, Chicago, Seattle, Vancouver, Ithaca and Portland.
Part World War I drama, part love story and part musical, La France is a haunting, dreamy film that tells the story of Camille (Sylvie Testud), a woman who disguises herself as a man in order to travel to the front to find her husband. Along the way she falls in with a disheveled band of soldiers who reluctantly take her in as one of their own.
That’s when the singing starts. From time to time, the soldiers pull out period instruments and break into ballads that would be more at home in the 1960s than 1914. Indeed it turns out their songs are variations on Robbie Curtice and Tom Payne’s ’60s tune Gospel Lane.
It’s a little disconcerting at first, but it ultimately adds to the strange, otherworldly quality hanging over the entire film.
La France is better experienced than explained so keep an eye out for it if you live in one of the above cities.
Here’s the French trailer, but it’s not subtitled:
Filed under: Miscellaneous
Related Posts: - Notes from the LA Film Fest - Part 5
- Notes from the LA Film Fest - Final
- The Watercooler: 6/23/08
- Guillaume Depardieu, Actor: 1971 - 2008
- The Watercooler: 9/29/08
My sincerest thanks, Craig for mentioning me and my earlier post on this film. I will be seeing the 9:00 P.M. show at the Anthology Film Archives on Second Avenue and Third Street in Manhattan with my wife and a friend and teaching colleague.
My excitement for LA FRANCE was based solely on your near-rave a few weeks ago in recapping the LAFF. Based on your summation, I know what to expect, but this is hardly the kind of film that would be spoiled by in-advance reports. The war/love story/musical combo is surely bizarre, but it has potential to be a winning mix.
I’m sure a number of people here know Dennis Potter’s PENNIES FROM HEAVEN, a BBC classic which was set in a hospital room, with the main characters suddenly breaking into song at vital moments that commented on the narrative.
I am very excited to see this tonite, and I thank you for spreading that infectious enthusiasm.
It really does sound like an amazing film.
The song that accompanied the trailer seemed an odd choice. I presume this is in keeping with the tunes used during the film.
And yes Sam, I too know and love the BBC’s Pennies from Heaven adaptation.
I will reserve my assessment of LA FRANCE for tomorrow’s round-up on The Watercooler. I will only say that it isn’t any kind of a masterwork by a stretch, and it is not without some issues, but it is still a work of cinema that yields some thoughtfulness and inventiveness within its minimalist framework.
My own review of LA FRANCE will be headed by the grading of three-stars out of four, which is fairly solid.
Sartre, that’s the song that the soldiers actually riff on during the film. It’s strange, I know.
Sam, actually I think your impression is in line with my own. Perhaps my words weren’t clear. I had a difficult time processing this one on one viewing in the middle of the festival. I liked it, but I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. I would like to see it again.
Craig, I am nearing the completion of my review, which wasn’t at all easy to write. This is indeed a difficult one to process. And yes, indeed, I think my views on this one are in right in line with yours—somewhat uneven and cryptic, but still compelling in many of his elements and definitely deserving of a second viewing.
It gets bonus points for originality and being unexpected. Looking forward to your review.