Cartes blanches to Pedro Almodóvar
The director has chosen two categories of films: the Spanish cinema and works that have inspired his films.
A Tribute to Spanish Cinema
Embrujo by Carlos Serrano de Osma (1948, 1:11)
The trajectory of a duo of performance artists... A film about the flamenco - song and dance - with the most famous duo of the era (Lola Flores and Manolo Caracol).
Pathé Bellecour Tue. 9:30pm | Institut Lumière Thu. 2:30pm | Comœdia Fri. 6:45pm
Main Street by Juan Antonio Bardem (Calle Mayor, 1956, 1:39)
Unkind boys convince Isabel (Betsy Blair), a spinster of 35, that Juan is in love with her... The harshness of everyday life and the moral suffocation under the regime of Franco, in a major film of Spanish cinema.
Comœdia Th. 11am
The Executioner by Luis García Berlanga (El verdugo, 1963, 1:28)
The meeting of the public executioner of Madrid’s daughter (Emma Penella) and an undertaker (Nino Manfredi)... The new age of Spanish cinema, a comedy with neorealist accents, tinged with irony.
Pathé Bellecour Thu. 5:15pm | CNP Sat. 2:45pm
Strange Voyage by Fernando Fernán Gómez (El extraño viaje,1964, 1:32)
Paquita and her brother live under the domination of their sister, who wants to sell their property and run away... According to Pedro Almodóvar, Strange Voyage is «one of the legendary films of Spanish cinema.» A dark comedy not afraid to confront social criticism.
Institut Lumière Thu. 9pm
The Spirit of the Beehive by Víctor Erice (El espíritu de la colmena, 1973, 1:38)
In the Castilian countryside of 1949, a father, mother and their two little girls are fascinated by the mobile cinema... A secret and mysterious work, with miraculous grace, the story of an apprenticeship. With Ana Torrent.
Pathé Bellecour Tue. 2:45pm | Comœdia Fri. 2:30pm
Poachers by José Luis Borau (1975, 1:23)
In the forest, the story of a young poacher and his mother, possessive and incestuous (Lola Gaos)... Released shortly before the death of Franco, the film is a furious attack on the regime, with grinding irony. A symbolic film of the resistance.
Cinéma Opéra Sat. 2:30pm | Institut Lumière Sun. 9:30am
Rapture by Iván Zulueta (1980, 1:54)
A young director (Eusebio Poncela) is dissatisfied with his film. Or could it be his addiction to heroin or separation that are bothering him?... An alternative film born in the feverish excitement of the Movida.
Institut Lumière Wed. 8:15pm
« El cine dentro de mí » - « The cinéma in moi »
For each work of his filmography, Pedro Almodóvar had a specific cinema reference in mind.
Choice pairings.
Duel in the sun by King Vidor (1946, 2:10) for Matador
In the West of 1860, Jennifer Jones drives men crazy: Joseph Cotten, Gregory Peck (and tyrannical producer Selznick). American mythology in a lyrical and exaggerated western.
Cinéma Opéra Wed. 8:30pm | Pathé Bellecour Fri. 9:45pm
The Adultress by Marcel Carné (1953, 1:46) for Bad Education
In Lyon, married Thérèse (Simone Signoret) lives a monotonous existence until her world is turned upside down when she meets Laurent (Raf Vallone)... The classic novel by Émile Zola adapted by Carné portrays a scandalous passion in the face of the petty bourgeoisie.
Institut Lumière Thu. 11:30am
Johnny Guitare by Nicholas Ray (Johnny Guitar, 1954, 1:49) for Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
The reunion between Johnny (Sterling Hayden) and Vienna (Joan Crawford), the strange and beautiful proprietress of a saloon... A Western behind closed doors, a unique and mythical film with feminist accents and unforgettable music.
CNP Tue. 5:45pm | UGC Astoria Fri. 8:30pm | CinéDuchère Sat. 8:30pm
Journey to Italy by Roberto Rossellini (Viaggio in Italia, 1954, 1:25) for Broken Embraces
While traveling in Italy, an English couple (George Sanders and Ingrid Bergman) realize their life together has been a failure… A direct plunge into Naples and its surroundings by the master of neo-realism.
Pierre-Bénite Thu. 8:30pm | Comœdia Fri. 11am
The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz by Luis Buñuel (Ensayo de un crimen, 1955, 1:30) for Live Flesh
Archibaldo is haunted by a childhood memory: that a music box would fulfill the dark wishes of the person who operates it... An ambiguous, ominous film, made during the filmmaker’s Mexican period.
Institut Lumière Fri. 7:15pm
The Incredible Shrinking Man by Jack Arnold (1957, 1:21) for Talk to Her
On a cruise, Scott passes through a mysterious cloud. Soon afterwards, he begins to shrink... A masterpiece of science fiction, mixing tragedy and comic horror. The quintessential B-movie: made on a shoestring budget and still awesome !
Pathé Bellecour Tue. 7:30pm | Cinéma Opéra Sat. 4:30pm
Imitation of Life by Douglas Sirk (1959, 2:04) for High Heels
The lives of two mothers - an actress (Lana Turner) and her black housekeeper - and their two daughters... A fiery film evoking a conservative America with racist overtones.
Vénissieux Thu. 2:30pm | Cinéma Opéra Sat. 6:45pm
Eyes Without a Face by Georges Franju (Les yeux sans visage ,1960, 1:28) for The Skin I Live In
A brilliant surgeon, who loves his disfigured daughter and feels responsible for her plight, is willing to do anything to restore her face... The twisted deviations of passion, madness and science provide a first foray into French horror films.
CNP Thu. 5:30pm | UGC Cité Internationale Fri. 8:30pm
Peeping Tom by Michael Powell (1960, 1:41) for Kika
A lonely, anti-social film operator is obsessed with terror, borne of his traumatic childhood - his psychiatrist father would subject him to blood-curling situations to study his reactions... Disturbing and brilliant, of breathtaking artistic beauty, an unparalleled reflection on the cinema.
Pathé Bellecour Mon. 4:45pm | Villa Lumière Tue. 5:45pm
Opening Night by John Cassavetes (1977, 2:24) for All About My Mother
After a performance, an actress (magnificent Gena Rowlands) is sought after by an over-zealous female fan. The ensuing accident will weigh heavily on the actress’s conscience... Themes of love, the theater, the passage of time, the life of an artist.
Comœdia Mon. 4:45pm | CNP Sat. 8pm
