NODA FILM FESTIVAL
FRENCH NEW WAVE
FILM FESTIVAL
FEBRUARY 25-27, 2007
FREE Reception - Sunday at 5pm
Wine and food provided by Alliance Francaise
Please note the schedule has changed
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25: NEW WAVE CLASSICS
4:00 PM THE 400 BLOWS
(Francois Truffaut, 1959)
“One of the most intensely touching stories ever made”
– Roger Ebert, The Great Movies
The 400 Blows is universally acclaimed as the best coming-of-story to ever grace the screen — and one of the best films ever made. The first movie film by brilliant director Francois Truffaut recreates the trials of his childhood, unsentimentally portraying aloof parents, oppressive teachers, and petty crime. A young Jean-Pierre Leaud gives an unforgettable performance as a misunderstood Parisian kid who’s branded as a juvenile delinquent. The film has touched countless filmgoers over the years, including Bob and Harvey Weinstein, who were inspired to start Miramax Films after seeing this movie!
100 minutes
6:00 PM ZAZIE IN THE METRO
(Louis Malle, 1960)
“Are you feeling completely nutty? Are you in an agreeable mood to have your leg pulled right out of its socket by a practical joker with a movie camera? Then you may just be ready for Zazie.”
– New York Times
Zazie, a precocious eleven-year-old girl, arrives in Paris to visit her uncle. All she wants to do is ride the subway but her hopes are dashed by a transit strike. It’s a simple premise but a completely madcap movie. Zazie in the Metro is a headlong tour through 1950s Paris, complete with car chases, zany characters, surreal gags, wild slapstick, and astounding camera tricks. Famed director Louis Malle pulls out all the stops for this adaptation of Raymond Queneau’s best-selling novel. Trust us: You’ve never seen anything like it.
90 minutes
8:00 PM THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG
(Jacques Demy, 1964)
“
A glorious romantic confection, unlike any other in movie history.”
– Washington Post
“
An unmitigated triumph. A unique masterpiece. Inescapably addicting.”
– New York Post
“
Fresh and timeless.”
– Los Angeles Times
This valentine to the classic Hollywood musical is one of the most beloved romantic movies of all time. Every word of dialogue is sung in this glorious masterpiece, which stars Catherine Deneuve as a shop assistant who falls madly in love with a gas station mechanic. Their love story unfolds to Academy-Award winner Michel Legrand’s enchanting score. A symphony of eye-popping colors and ravishing music, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is the perfect blend of playfulness, beauty, and pathos. Winner of the 1964 Cannes Film Festival and nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Song. A must-see on the big screen.
92 minutes
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26: NEW WAVE NOIR
7:00 PM LES BONNES FEMMES
(Claude Chabrol, 1960)
“
One of the great films of the Sixties.”
– Andrew Sarris, New York
“
A Masterpiece. Deeply unsettling.”
– Village Voice
Known as the Hitchcock of France, director Claude Chabrol has made over 50 films but Les Bonnes Femmes is his masterpiece. A gritty noir mood piece, the movie details the lives of four Parisian shop girls who are looking for love — of one kind or another. They flirt with deliverymen, wander the nightclubs, and gossip about the enigmatic motorcyclist who always seem to be hanging around. A deft blend of frank eroticism, moments of gripping suspense, and cinematic daring, Les Bonnes Femmes reminds us that love and danger sometimes walk hand in hand.
93 minutes
9:00 PM PARIS BELONGS TO US
(Jacque Rivette, 1961)
“
A masterpiece of Left Bank paranoia.”
– The Village Voice
Paris Belongs To Us is the remarkable first feature from cinematic visionary Jacques Rivette. The story revolves around Anne, a student trying to unravel the suicide of her friend Juan. Or was it murder? There are warnings that the forces that killed Juan will soon strike again. Conspiracies unfold into conspiraces as the plot unfolds. Rivette brilliantly captures the mood of Cold War intrigue alongside scenes from a long-vanished Paris full of fleabag hotels and corduroy-clad intellectuals. Rarely shown, this is one of the most important and far-reaching of the New Wave films.
140 minutes
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27: NEW WAVE NIGHTMARES
7:00 PM ALPHAVILLE
(Jean-Luc Godard, 1965)
“
A poetic, funny, and visually inspired blend of science fiction, detective-film satire, and political allegory.”
– TV Guide Movie Guide
You’ve never seen a science fiction film like Alphaville. One of legendary director Jean-Luc Godard’s most unusual and stylish films, it’s a bold mash-up of pulp characters and surrealist poetry. Eddie Constantine stars as hard-boiled secret agent Lemmy Caution. He’s on a mission to kill the inventor of a fascist computer that controls the city of Alphaville. Along the way, he meets the inventor’s daughter, played by always chic Anna Karina. Transforming 1960s Paris into a creepy dystopia without any special effects, Alphaville proves you don’t need a huge budget to make a great sci-fi movie, just imagination.
99 minutes
9:00 PM BLOOD OF THE BEASTS
(Georges Franju, 1950)
“
One of the most startling documentaries ever made.”
– Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer
A surrealist documentary about the slaughterhouses of Paris, this affecting film captures the horror that lies beneath the seeming bucolic calm of the suburbs. Not for the squeamish, Blood of the Beasts is a powerful and ultimately unforgettable piece of cinema.
25 minutes
9:45 PM LA JETEE
(Chris Marker, 1962)
“
One of the best of all science fiction films.”
– The Chicago Reader
This innovative short film was the inspiration for Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys — but remains unrivalled for its impact. The survivors of World War III live underground in a destroyed Paris. They research time travel, hoping to send someone back before the devastating war to recover food and medicine for the present. La Jetee is both a haunting love story and meditation on time.
30 minutes