MOVIE NIGHT: Le Péril Jeune (1994) – The movie of the French youth

A classic!!

Every summer in Paris, for the poor Parisians left working in the empty capital are organized movie nights in parks. And every summer, they show this movie, Le Péril jeune (the youth peril, wordplay based on the phrase “le péril jaune”-yellow, referring to China). As we say in French, “c’est une valeur sûre”=it’s a sure bet, no matter how many times people saw this movies, they are coming back. 

The story begins with the gathering of 4 friends five years after high school graduation. They gather at the hospital where was born the son of the fifth member of their crew, who has died a couple of weeks before. They recall the past, and hop, ellipse, we are in 1976, and it’s their graduation year. It’s the group of friends that makes every Frenchmen nostalgic of their high school years, being insolent and rebel, getting in troubles/into politics, looking at girls, joking around, pretending to be intellectuals, not giving a shit about anything. If you are interested in learning French through movies, I have to tell you that the dialogues are full slang -as you can expect in such a context.

PROUST’S LITTLE MADELEINE AND RATATOUILLE

Lately, I stumbled upon the word « Proustian ». In French,”proustien” simply refers to Proust, French writer of the late 19th-early 20th century; we talk about a « style proustien », «atmosphère proustienne », « personnage proustien » maybe.

1. The meaning of “proustian”

But in English, the term is much more interesting than that as it has more meanings than in French :

1. A kind of reverie, recollection or memory triggered by something in the present.

2. Writing in a way that many might think long-winded, indulgent, even a little rambling… but which would more charitably be seen as the kind of writing which is unhurried and patient, that has time for details and digressions, and that is characteristic of a more relaxed and literate era.

3. It can be used perjoratively, to convey negative connotations of being arty, highbrow, supposely intellectual but actually rather tedious, e.g. ‘He bored us all to tears, wittering on in his usual Proustian way…’

MOVIE NIGHT: La Reine Margot/Queen Margot (1994) – French movie you should watch

I love these covers!

Beautiful movie with the amazing Isabelle Adjani, my favourite actress. She’s so dramatic in this movie, when she whirls around in her dress and shouts her despair – she gives me goosebumps.

The movie was released in 1994, and is based on a novel of the same title by Alexandre Dumas, published in 1845. Dumas is also the author of The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask or the Count of Monte Cristo, if you’ve already read those books or seen movie adaptions and you liked them, you will like La Reine Margot.

The atmosphere: Dark, under pressure, passionate.

Guys, I have some good news: watch La Reine Margot/ watch Queen Margot in streaming in ok quality, subtitled in English!