★★★☆☆This is essential viewing for cinephiles and Francophiles alike, but others may find the three-hour-plus running time a little excessive. It’s a lovingly detailed documentary from the director Bertrand Tavernier (Round Midnight), who takes a deeply personal tour through the classic French films that influenced his career and the national cinema. So sit back and enjoy exegetic lines such as: “The mise en scène flexes emotion the way you flex muscles.” Gasp at Tavernier’s juicy insider gossip (he’s good on Brigitte Bardot’s nude scene in Le Mépris). And emerge with a desire to watch previously obscure French classics from the 1940s (the films of Jacques Becker are now on my hitlist). Like going to film school.

Source: The Times September 14, 2017 22:52 UTC