Films Announced for Cinema St. Louis’ CLASSIC FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL March 8th -24th at Washington University

By Tom Stockman | February 6, 2019

Cinema St. Louis presents the 11th Annual Robert Classic French Film Festival which takes place  March 8-10, 15-17, and 22-24, 2019. The location this year is Washington University’s Brown Hall Auditorium, Forsyth & Skinker boulevards. 

he 11th Annual Robert Classic French Film Festival — presented by TV5MONDE and produced by Cinema St. Louis — celebrates St. Louis’ Gallic heritage and France’s cinematic legacy. The featured films span the decades from the 1930s through the 1990s, offering a revealing overview of French cinema.

The fest annually includes significant restorations, and this year features seven such works: Pierre Schoendoerffer “The 317th Platoon,” Marcel Pagnol’s “The Baker’s Wife,” Olivier Assayas’ “Cold Water,” Jacques Becker’s “The Hole,” Jacques Rivette’s “The Nun,” Agnés Varda’s “One Sings, the Other Doesn’t,” and   Diane Kurys’ “Peppermint Soda.”

The schedule is rounded out by Robert Bresson’s final film, “L’argent,” and two 1969 films celebrating their 50th anniversaries: Luis Buñuel’s “The Milky Way” and Eric Rohmer’s “My Night at Maud’s.”

This year’s edition of the fest is held at Washington University’s Brown Hall Auditorium.

Every program features introductions and discussions by film or French scholars and critics. The discussions will place the works in the contexts of both film and French history and provide close analyses.

TV5MONDE serves as the presenting sponsor. The global French-language entertainment network, TV5MONDE presents up to 300 films and dramas every year. Title-sponsor support is provided by the Jane M. & Bruce P. Robert Charitable Foundation, and additional support is provided by Arts & Education Council, American Association of Teachers of French, Alliance Française de Saint Louis, Centre Francophone at Webster University, Les Amis, Missouri Arts Council, Regional Arts Commission, Ann Repetto, Washington University’s Film & Media Studies, and Whitaker Foundation.

For more information, call Cinema St. Louis at 314-289-4150 or visit www.cinemastlouis.org.

 

SCHEDULE:

All films are in French with English subtitles. For descriptions of each film, visit cinemastlouis.org.

7:30 p.m. Friday, March 8

The 317th Platoon/La 317ème section

Pierre Schoendoerffer, 1965, 100 min., B&W, new restoration, DCP projection source

With Joshua Ray, film critic for Cinema St. Louis’ The Lens.

7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 9

The Milky Way/La voie lactee

Luis Buñuel, 1969, 101 min., color, Blu-ray projection source

With Pier Marton, video artist.

7 p.m. Sunday, March 10

The Nun/La religieuse

Jacques Rivette, 1966, 140 min., color, new restoration, DCP projection source

With Pete Timmermann, interim director of the Webster U. Film Series and adjunct film professor at Webster U.

7:30 p.m. Friday, March 15

The Hole/Le trou

Jacques Becker, 1960, 132 min., B&W, new restoration, DCP projection source

With Andrew Wyatt, editor of and film critic for Cinema St. Louis’ The Lens and the Gateway Cinephile.

7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 16

The Baker’s Wife/La femme du boulanger

Marcel Pagnol, 1938, 133 min., B&W, new restoration, DCP projection source

With Lionel Cuillé, the Jane and Bruce Robert professor of French and Francophone studies at Webster University.

 

7 p.m. Sunday, March 17

One Sings, the Other Doesn’t/L’une chante l’autre pas

Agnès Varda, 1977, 120 min., color, new restoration, DCP projection source

With Cait Lore, film critic for Cinema St. Louis’ The Lens.

7:30 p.m. Friday, March 22

L’argent

Robert Bresson, 1984, 84 min., color, DCP projection source

With Colin Burnett, interim chair and associate professor of Film & Media Studies at Washington U.

 

5 p.m. Saturday, March 23

Peppermint Soda/Diabolo menthe

Diane Kurys, 1977, 101 min., color, new restoration, DCP projection source

With Jean-Louis Pautrot, professor of French and international studies at Saint Louis University.

 

7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 23

Cold Water/L’eau froide

Olivier Assayas, 1994, 94 min., color, new restoration, DCP projection source

With Diane Carson, professor emerita of film at St. Louis Community College at Meramec and film critic for KDHX (88.1 FM).

 

7 p.m. Sunday, March 24

My Night at Maud’s/Ma nuit chez Maud

Eric Rohmer, 1969, 111 min. B&W, DCP projection source

With Robert Garrick, attorney, board member of the French-preservation nonprofit Les Amis, and former contributor to the davekehr.com film blog.

Look for more coverage of the Cinema St. Louis’ CLASSIC FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL here at We Are Movie Geeks in the upcoming weeks. 

Tickets are $13 for general admission; $10 for students and Cinema St. Louis members. Advance tickets can be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets at brownpapertickets.com.

Free parking is available on the street and in the yellow-zone sections of lots along Forsyth Boulevard and in the Danforth University Center garage; no permits are required on weekends.

More info: cinemastlouis.org, 314-289-4150