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| Bertrand Tavernier |
It’s kind of suitable that
the end of my European movie excursion should be Bertrand Tavernier's Voyage a travers le cinema francais
(France, 2016), his three hour plus answer to the Martin Scorsese films about
his own discovery of US and Italian movies.
It's like talking to
Tavernier himself. I keep on wanting to disagree with what he's saying while admiring
the passion behind his choices and there's always the moment of connection -
our shared delight in Delannoy's "Von Sternbergian" Macao, l’enfer du jeu (France, 1939) which
gets early prominence along with Renoir and Gabin - and Eddie Constantine and
Jean Sacha.
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| Edmond T Greville |
I loved the story of
Edmond T Greville (‘the ultimate cult director” – well his Mlle Docteur (France, 1937) is better than the Pabst film it cannibalises)
being told by Von Stroheim that he intends to wear a toga in his role and
Greville, desperate, coming up with the half face mask to cover the character's
WW1 injuries - the Janus face, War and Peace. The Von was totally absorbed and
forgot about the toga.
Usually beautiful copies in
the correct format - I sweat on it turning up locally with subtitles. The
Taverrnier documentary packed the 2.00 o’clock at UGC Les Halles
Editor’s
note: Wikipedia advises further on the matter of the Pabst/Greville film Mademoiselle
Docteur which acquired the English title Street
of Shadows. "Street of Shadows is a 1937 French spy film directed by G. W. Pabst. An
English-language version with exactly the same plot was filmed at the same time
under the direction of Edmond T. Gréville, but with some changes in the cast." Now you know.
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