Contemporary French Cinema

A Student's Book

Alan J. Singerman and Michèle Bissière

 

Clips from the films covered in Contemporary French Cinema are available in a password protected video collection on Vimeo. If you are an instructor using Contemporary French Cinema in your class please complete the form below to request the Vimeo link and password for accessing the film clips. A full list of the films covered in the book, organized by chapter, as well as a list of clips available for each film is listed below the request form.

 

 

Index of films and film clips:

 

1. François Truffaut, The Last Metro (1980)

1) Bernard hits on Arlette in the street

2) Marion visits Lucas in the cellar

3) The fake nose scene

4) The record player scene

5) Nadine arrives late

6) Marion and Daxiat

7) Bernard punishes Daxiat

8) The cabaret scene

9) Marion kisses Bernard behind the curtain

10) The Gestapo searches the cellar

11) The epilogue

 

2. Louis Malle, Goodbye, Children (1987)

1) The opening scene

2) The stilts scene

3) Father Jean's sermon

4) Joseph and the students

5) The conversation between Julien and François

6) At the public bathhouse

7) Julien and Jean in the forest

8) The restaurant scene

9) Movie night

10) The infirmary scene

11) Julien and Joseph—the last meeting

12) The closing scene

 

3. Claire Denis, Chocolat (1988)

1) The scene in the car

2) France and Protée

3) Protée, Aimée, and the shower

4) Marc leaves; Aimée and France

5) Delpich and the man with the goat

6) Doctor Prospère’s visit

7) Luc and the meal with the servants

8) Protée helps Aimée get dressed

9) Aimée and Protée (intimacy)

10) Protée lets France burn her hand

11) The scene at the airport

 

4. Régis Wargnier, Indochine (1992)

1) The opening scene

2) Eliane’s home

3) The rowing race

4) Eliane punishes her coolie

5) Camille shares a meal with the peasant family

6) Jean-Baptiste orders the sampan to be burned

7) The slave market

8) Tanh and his mother

9) The closing scene

 

5. Mathieu Kassovitz, Hate (1995)

1) The opening scene

2) Saïd and the policemen

3) The police in the projects

4) Hubert and Vinz at the police station

5) The scene with the drone shot

6) The three buddies arrive in Paris

7) In the public restroom in Paris

8) The art gallery opening

9) The nightclub scene

10) Vinz learns of Abdel’s death

11) The closing scene

 

6. Bruno Dumont, The Life of Jesus (1997)

1) The opening scene

2) Freddy and Marie—a ride in the chairlift

3) The hospital scene

4) The macho scooter game

5) The gang of friends kills time

6) Kader chased by the gang

7) Kader, Marie, and the cathedral portal

8) The North-African family at the café

9) The father of the molested girl bawls the guys out

10) Kader’s death

11) The closing scene

 

7. Erick Zonca, The Dreamlife of Angels (1998)

1) Isa gets fired

2) The scene at the brasserie

3) Isa et Marie quarrel

4) Isa spends the night in the chapel

5) Marie's suicide

6) The closing scene—the music

7) The beach scene

8) The opening tracking shot

 

8. Abdellatif Kechiche, Games of Love and Chance (2003)

1) The boys get ready to fight

2) Krimo meets Magali

3) The girls in the projects have a chat

4) Lydia shows her dress to Zina

5) Fathi speaks to Krimo’s mother

6) Lydia and Frida discuss how to play their roles

7) Lydia and Frida continue their discussion

8) Lydia and Krimo rehearse their roles

9) The teacher interprets Marivaux’s play

10) The teacher gives Krimo some advice

11) The scene with the police

12) The end-of-year show at the school

 

9. Laurent Cantet, The Class (2008)

1) The teachers’ meeting; the students arrive in M. Marin’s classroom

2) The use of the name “Bill”

3) The imperfect subjunctive

4) Rabah explains why he was ashamed

5) Esméralda and Wei’s self-portraits

6) Wei’s, Nassim’s, Arthur’s, and Burak’s parents

7) Esméralda and Plato’s Republic

8) The teacher’s response to Souleymane when he asks him if he is gay

9) The class council

10) The teachers’ discussion about the disciplinary hearing

11) M. Marin goes down to the school yard to have it out with Esméralda and Louise

12) Souleymane hits Khoumba in the face as he bolts from the classroom

13) The disciplinary hearing

 

10. Philippe Lioret, Welcome (2009)

1) Bilal on the telephone; soccer; in the line with Zoran

2) Simon and Marion make love

3) Zoran’s experience in Lille

4) The supermarket incident

5) The police burst into Simon’s home

6) Bilal at the police station and in court

7) Police violence

8) The scene with Simon’s neighbor

9) Nicolas Sarkozy on television

10) Bilal at the beach and at the swimming pool

11) Simon with Marion, then at the restaurant

12) Simon at the swimming pool; Bilal swims the Channel

  

11. Jean-Jacques Beinex, Diva (1981)

1) The beginning of the film

2) The scene inside the Opera House

3) Jules and Cynthia—the walk around Paris

4) Gorodish and the “zen” of buttering bread

5) Alba steals the record

6) The lighthouse episode

7) Jules’s loft

8) Gorodish’s studio apartment

9) Saporta in Gorodish’s Traction Avant

10) Krantz is murdered at the carnival

11) The dénouement

 

12. Michael Haneke, Caché (2005)

1) The first shot

2) The front of the Laurents’ home, at night

3) The Laurents’ dining room

4) The incident with the cyclist

5) Georges refuses to confide in Anne

6) Anne confides in Pierre

7) Anne and her son Pierrot

8) Majid’s suicide

9) Majid as a child (first insert)

10) Majid as a child (second insert)

11) The nightmare scene

12) Little Majid is sent away

13) The closing shot, in front of the school

 

13. Jacques Audiard, A prophet (2009)

1) The beginning of the film

2) The prison school and Reyeb’s ghost

3) Reyeb’s religious talk

4) Malik and Jordi

5) Brahim Lattrache and the deer episode

6) The Bearded Ones arrive in the prison yard

7) Malik meets Hassan

8) The herd of deer run on the road

9) Malik’s activities in the prison

10) Malik delivers the briefcase to the gangsters

11) César bawls Malik out; the delirious dream

12) Malik and Jordi at the prison party; Reyeb

13) Malik attacks Jackie Marcaggi’s bodyguards

14) The final scene in the prison yard

15) Malik leaves prison (closing scene)

 

14. Diane Kurys, Coup de foudre/Entre nous  (Love at First Sight/Between Us) (1992)

1) Léna and Madeleine meet

2) The picnic episode

3) Lena describes her husband to Madeleine

4) Michel surprises Madeleine with Carlier

5) Michel refuses to go out with Léna

6) Michel comes home; Perry Como’s song

7) Costa does his pantomime act

8) Léna and Madeleine dance the mambo

9) Michel brings Sophie home

10) Léna and the soldier in the train

11) The scene at the garage, then at home

12) Michel arrives for the shop opening

13) The closing scene:

 

15. André Téchiné, Wild Reeds (1992)

1) François, Henri, and Serge in the lavatory

2) François confesses he is gay

3) At the party

4) Maïté’s visit to François

5) Henri and the Algerian conflict

6) Mrs. Alvarez returns the compositions

7) Henri and Mr. Morelli

8) Mrs. Alvarez and Mr. Morelli at the restaurant

9) La Fontaine’s fable

10) Maïté and François on the river bank

11) Henri watches Maïté swim

12) The two couples chat near the river

13) Maïté runs toward François

14) The wedding celebration and the Occitan song "Se Canto"

 

16. Agnès Varda, The Gleaners and I (2000)

1) The beginning of the film

2) Gleaning in former times; gleaning today

3) Conversations with Claude

4) A conversation with Alain

5) Varda as a gleaner

6) Varda’s return from Japan

7) Heart-shaped potatoes

8) The discovery of the clock

9) The Last Judgment and the wine grower

10) A chat with Jean Laplanche

11) Varda and the figs; Maître Dessaud in the cabbage field

12) The demonstrations

13) The supermarket problem

 

17. Josiane Balasko, French Twist (1995)

1) Laurent and Antoine at the café in town

2) Loli at home

3) Marijo arrives

4) Laurent and Antoine at the café terrace

5) Loli meets Marijo outside, at night

6) Loli comes back to bed with Laurent

7) The restaurant scene

8) The episode with the old prostitute

9) The evening with Marijo’s old friends

10) The copulation between Marijo and Laurent

11) The film’s denouement

 

18. Agnès Jaoui, The Taste of Others (2000)

1) Castella arrives at his factory

2) The Castellas’ living room

3) Moreno and Manie chat at her place

4) Moreno goes to Manie’s place

5) Manie chats with her friends

6) Castella discovers Clara at the theater

7) The meal at the bar with Clara and her friends

8) The opening of Benoît’s show

9) The scene at the tea shop

10) Clara, Antoine, and Benoît visit the art gallery

11) Clara and her friends discuss Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid

12) Angélique and her husband’s painting

 

19. Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Amélie (2001)

1) The beginning of the prologue and the opening credits

2) Amélie finds the treasure box

3) Amélie meets Dufayel

4) Amélie returns the album to Nino

5) Amélie helps the blind man

6) Amélie finds Nino’s album

7) Amélie steals her father’s garden gnome

8) Amélie creates the false love letter

 

20. Eric Toledano et Olivier Nakache, The Intouchables (2011)

1) The Parisian suburbs (Driss's neighborhood)

2) The chic areas of Paris (Philippe’s place)

3) Antoine expresses his concerns

4) Driss kicks Elisa out

5) Driss and Philippe at the museum (abstract painting)

6) The naked woman seen from behind (Dalí)

7) Driss’s job interview

8) "No handy, no candy"

9) Philippe's birthday party (classical music)

10) Philippe’s birthday party (Driss dances)

 

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