THE MOVIE:

Julien Duvivier's 1930 silent film Au Bonheur des Dames is a visual delight. It's a winning example of the regular cinematic innovation undertaken by silent film directors, using real sets, evocative compositions, and even some pioneering matte work to create a complete and utterly stunning world. Based on an Emile Zola novel, Duvivier and screenwriter Noël Renard update the story of the country girl seduced by the glitz of big city shopping to the 1920s, making an effective commentary on capitalist greed and the perils of progress at any cost. Though the movie famously flinches in the final scenes, doing an astonishing about face that would make even the most money-grubbing of Hollywood execs blush, Au Bonheur des Dames manages to retai...Read the entire review

THE MOVIE:

Childhood is the source of many a pain and many a happiness, and the collision of the two is often the basis for some our best art. The 1925 film Poil de Carotte (Carrot Top) is based on the writing of Jules Renard, and the material was adapted to silent cinema by director Julien Duvivier, perhaps best known for directing Jean Gabin in the exquisite crime thriller Pepe le Moko. This material would end up being so important to the filmmaker, he would remake the story again in 1932 as a sound picture. Though I haven't seen the later version, based on what I've seen here, there was no need. He got Poil de Carotte right the first time.

Francois, played with a hyperactive sense of drama by André Heuzé, is a nine-year-old boy...Read the entire review

The Film:

Transcriptions, a film by Andy Sommer, offers a collage of musical performances by French choir Accentus conducted by Laurence Equilbey. Here original works by Barber, Chopin, Debussy, Mahler, Prokofiev, Ravel, Schubert, Vivaldi, and Wagner have received new arrangements and filmed with interesting but ultimately discomforting imagery meant to enhance the listening experience.

The idea of mixing sounds with visuals in order to enhance a musical performance isn't groundbreaking. During the early 80s French industrial guru Jean-Michelle Jarre began experimenting with a number of live sets where fascinating visuals often proved to be much more enticing than his eclectic mix of ambient tunes. Jarre also chose some particularly stunning locations for his most successful performances and audiences adored his flashy style. Other artists followed up (Yanni, Enya, Enigma, Era...Read the entire review