Brie and more Brie and more (September 21, 2001)

The French Cine-Club of Palo Alto kicks off its 26th season

by Matt McKillop

With fall's more complex, high-minded fare still weeks away, the French Cine-Club of Palo Alto's latest program of films comes at just the right time for anyone in need of a cinematic fix.

Next Wednesday's kickoff marks the 26th year of the French Cine-Club's run in Palo Alto. Helene Laroche Davis, a professor of French and Film Studies at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, has headed the group since its inception.

"It is a place where people meet and speak French and talk about film . . . People discuss anything that has to do with France and French culture," Davis said.

There's much more to the group's longevity, however, than the promise of a little French chitchat and a few mouthfuls of brie and baguette. It is, in fact, the films that draw people in. Davis admits that after all these years she has developed a knack for choosing the right mix of films.

"There is not one theme. I show some comedies and some dramas, some new films and some old films. I know my audience well," she said.

The eight-week fall series starts on Wednesday with "L'Emmerdeur," ("A Pain in the Ass"), an oddball comedy from director Edouard Molinaro, whose best-known film, "La Cage aux Folles," was later remade into "The Birdcage" with Robin Williams. A special reception featuring a spread of French goodies (pate, brie, all the usual suspects) will follow the feature.

This year Davis leans heavily on films that have ties to upcoming French releases. For instance, "Amelie," directed by Jean Pierre Jeunet and starring Audrey Tautou, has received great acclaim in France but has yet to make the journey across the Atlantic for stateside release. To announce its coming, Davis is showing two films that prominently feature its principals: "La Cite des Enfants Perdus," ("The City of Lost Children"), a bizarre fantasia of stunning tableaus and intriguing plot twists from director Jeunet; and "Venus Beaute (Institut)," starring Tautou. The latter is a wry romantic comedy about four modern women working in a beauty salon. It won four Cesar Awards (France's Oscar equivalent) and will be shown Oct. 3.

In screening these films Davis hopes to "announce the future of French cinema" by familiarizing American audiences with its most luminous stars.

"Film is a very powerful medium and it opens horizons for many people," she said. "The exposure of the American public to French cinema is too little."

Yet Davis feels that Palo Alto is an extremely cosmopolitan city and is hungry for knowledge of and exposure to foreign cultures. This appetite for more cerebral films has been an important component of the Cine-Club's success.

With that said, Davis also realizes the need to show films that have a broader draw, sprinkling in among the club's offerings an action film here, a Gerard Depardieu vehicle there.

"I always keep a certain variety. I have my own recipe," Davis said.

Along these lines is the Nov. 28 film, "La Fille de Dartagnan," ("Revenge of the Musketeers") a French offering in the exhaustive line of swashbuckling Musketeer films.

The compulsory Depardieu entry is "Un Pont Entre Deux Rives" ("The Bridge"), an actor's showcase about life in a small provincial town in Normandy, showing Dec. 12.

People with more classic taste should check out "French Cancan," a tale of art and love starring Edith Piaf, on Dec. 5. In it famed director Jean Renoir manages to recreate the Moulin Rouge without a single digital effect or disco revival. The final cancan scene is among the most famous dance sequences in film history.

What: The French Cine-Club of Palo Alto. All films are in French with English subtitles. A discussion with refreshments follows each film.

When:8 p.m. Wednesdays through Dec. 12. There will be no screenings on Oct. 7, 10, 17 and 24, nor on Nov. 21.

Where: Palo Alto Art Center Auditorium, 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto.

Cost: Tickets are $7 general; $5 members, seniors and children under 12. A $25 annual membership entitles the bearer to a $2 reduction per film. A $40 series card covers the cost of eight films; $32 for members and seniors.

Info: Call the Cine-Club at (650) 390-9354 or the Art Center at (650) 329-2366. E-mail davishl@aol.com
French Cine-Club of Palo Alto fall program:

Sept. 26: "L'Emmerdeur" ("A Pain in the Ass") (1973)

Oct. 3: "Venus Beaute (Institut)" (1999)

Oct. 31: "Beaumarchais L'Insolent" (1996)

Nov. 7: "La Cite des Enfants Perdus" ("The City of Lost Children") 1996)

Nov. 14: "Une Liaison D'Amour" ("An Affair of Love") (2000)

Nov. 28:La Fille de Dartagnan" ("Revenge of the Musketeers") (1994)

Dec. 5: "French Cancan" (1954)

Dec. 12: "Un Pont Entre Deux Rives" ("The Bridge") (2000)