Bertrand Tavernier’s Cinéma Français

While preparing a documentary on the history of French cinema from the 1930s to 1970s, filmmaker and cinephile Bertrand Tavernier will share a selection of rarities and grand films from the 40s and 50s, some of them not seen in years.

Master class Institut Lumière Wed. 11:30am

Nightclub Hostess  by Albert Valentin (1939, 1:35)
Suzy (Michèle Morgan), a hostess at a cabaret in Montmartre, goes on holiday on the French Riviera thanks to a wealthy widower, dreaming of a new life... A melodrama shot in Berlin in 1938, a portrait of the bourgeois lifestyle.
Institut Lumière Thu. 4:45pm

Paradise Lost  by Abel Gance (1940, 1:30)
A budding young painter (Fernand Gravey) meets the lovely Janine (Micheline Presle) at the ball. He pursues her and they fall in love. Meanwhile, the war is raging... A sweet comedy of sublimated love with a dramatic turn of events.
Institut Lumière Tue. 9:30am | Pathé Cordeliers Thu. 3pm | CNP Sat. 5pm

Le Café du cadran  by Jean Gehret and Henri Decoin (1946, 1:38)
Louise (Blanchette Brunoy) and Julien (Bernard Blier) leave Clermont-Ferrand and move to Paris to run the Cadran Café. The post-war daily life of a bar, with a script penned by an editor of the political satire newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné !
Institut Lumière Fri. 11:30am

Woman of Evil  by Edmond T. Gréville (Le diable souffle, 1947, 1:35)
On a Basque island, Laurent (Charles Vanel) is in love with Louvaine (Helena Bossis) but threatened by the arrival of a refugee, Diego (Jean Chevrier)... An intimate look at exacerbated eroticism in the wilderness.
Institut Lumière Wed. 2pm

Au grand balcon  by Henri Decoin (1949, 1:43)
In Toulouse in the 1920s, the boarding house of intrepid pilots working on airmail routes... Henri Decoin pays tribute to these pioneers. With Pierre Fresnay.
Pathé Bellecour Wed. 5pm | Institut Lumière Sun. 2:30pm

Four Bags Full  by Claude Autant-Lara (La Traversée de Paris, 1956, 1:23)
In 1942, Martin (Bourvil) gets involved in the black market. He is forced to ask a stranger (Jean Gabin) to accompany him... According to Marcel Ayme, the film paints a picture of a mediocre France. With the great Louis de Funes.
Comœdia Mon. 11am | Pathé Cordeliers Wed. 6pm | Pathé Bellecour Thu. 8pm | Cinéma Saint-Denis Sat. 2:30pm

The Night Affair  by Gilles Grangier (Le Désordre et la nuit, 1958, 1:35)
Following the murder of a nightclub owner, Vallois (Jean Gabin) investigates. First lead: Lucky, the mistress of the deceased... An efficient film noir, one of the most successful of the Gabin-Grangier Audiard trio. With Danielle Darrieux.
Institut Lumière Mon. 11am | Pathé Bellecour Tue. 5pm