Abel Gance's Napoleon so overwhelmed me that I hardly know where to start. Despite a few slow sequences, the experience was as innovating, exciting, and entertaining as anything I've experienced as part of an audience. I doubt I have ever seen such a perfect melding of cinema and showmanship; the movie requires this special presentation, … Continue reading Napoleon at the Paramount: An Incredible Day at the Movies
Tag: french Cinema
What’s Screening: March 23 – 29
In festival news, Cinemadness starts tonight and ends Sunday (more on that below). But this week really means one thing for Bay Area film lovers: Napoleon, Oakland Paramount, Saturday and Sunday (plus Saturday and Sunday next week), 1:30. To call this the biggest Bay Area movie event in recent memory would be a gross understatement. … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 23 – 29
Children of Paradise: Mystery of the Second Credits
Like a lot of long epics, Marcel Carné's Children of Paradise has an intermission. But there's something odd about it. When the intermission is over, Part II begins with a full repeat of Part I's opening credits, which is then followed by a brief summary of Part I's action. Both seem pointless. Carné wanted to … Continue reading Children of Paradise: Mystery of the Second Credits
Children of Paradise
Something struck me as I watched Children of Paradise Saturday at the Castro. The main characters are, at heart, all extraordinarily selfish. Even when expressing deep and undying love, they're thinking only of their own needs and desires. They want to own the object of their adoration, but they don't see that object as a … Continue reading Children of Paradise
What’s Screening: March 9 – 15
Cinequest runs through Sunday, and the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival continues through the week. The San Francisco Dance Film Festival opens Friday. A Children of Paradise, Castro, Saturday. Shot while the Nazi occupation of Paris fell apart, Children of Paradise may be the most ecstatically French film ever made. A three-hour epic … Continue reading What’s Screening: March 9 – 15
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