The Filmlings The Filmlings

One of the less well-known of the Cahiers contributors, but also one of the first to break into directing, Claude Chabrol is the subject of this week's deep dive in which Alex and Jonathan talk about his films Le beau Serge (1958), Les cousins (1959), and Les bonnes femmes (1960). We discuss Chabrol's role in getting the French New Wave off the ground as a movement, the way he uses typical genre techniques to tell personal stories, and why Chabrol could be the perfect place to start if you're trying to get into French New Wave cinema.



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(33:44) – Le beau Serge
(53:14) – Les cousins
(1:12:16) – Les bonnes femmes
(1:25:15) – Overall
(1:33:28) – Coming Attractions



Coming Attractions:


Paris Belongs to Us (1961)
L'amour fou (1969)
Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974)


*Episode correction: Destiny (1921) was directed by Fritz Lang, not F. W. Murnau, but the point stands. You can hear our discussion of Destiny on Episode 42. Legendary Lang.


For more information, visit the blog:
https://thefilmlings.com/2024/05/03/chabrol/
Join us on Discord for ongoing film discussion:
https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

François Truffaut, known as "the destroyer of French cinema" during his time as a critic, is the focal point of this episode and the turning point of our series on the French New Wave. Alex and Jonathan discuss three of his many films, Shoot the Piano Player (1960), Jules et Jim (1962), and Day for Night (1973), and talk about the origins and intentions of the French New Wave, Truffaut's love for American genre films, and how he aims to make and watch films which express the emotional experiences of filmmaking itself.

Skip to:
(33:44) – Shoot the Piano Player
(53:14) – Jules and Jim
(1:12:16) – Day for Night
(1:25:15) – Overall
(1:33:28) – Coming Attractions
Coming Attractions:

Le Beau Serge (1958)

Les Cousins (1959)

Les bonnes femmes (1960)
For more information, visit the blog:
https://thefilmlings.com/2024/04/12/truffaut
Join us on Discord for ongoing film discussion:
https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

Author, critic, teacher, moralist, and editor of Cahiers du Cinema, Éric Rohmer is this month's featured director from the French New Wave. Alex and Jonathan look at three of the six films Rohmer directed based on a series of his own short stories called the "Moral Tales" – My Night at Maud's (1969), Claire's Knee (1970), and Love in the Afternoon (1972). We discuss Rohmer's literary approach to filmmaking, the ways he builds multi-dimensional characters through extensive dialogue, and his preference for the "invisible camera" as opposed to the self-aware methods of some of his fellow French New Wave directors.



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(32:12) – My Night at Maud's

(1:02:31) – Claire's Knee

(1:18:51) – Love in the Afternoon

(1:37:35) – Overall

(1:57:44) – Coming Attractions



Coming Attractions:

Shoot the Piano Player (1960)

Jules and Jim (1962)

Day for Night (1973)


For more information, visit the blog: https://thefilmlings.com/2024/03/01/rohmer
Join us on Discord for ongoing film discussion: https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

As we begin our dive into the directors of the French New Wave, Alex and Jonathan take a look at one of the primary disrupters from this heavily disruptive period of cinema history, the singular Jean-Luc Godard. Through three of his classic films – Vivre sa vie (1962), Band of Outsiders (1964), and Pierrot le Fou (1965) – we discuss Godard's place in the New Wave, the ways he was influenced by both classic film and literature, and how he later began to transcend his influences to reinvent his own art and use of the medium time after time.



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(38:22) – Vivre sa vie

(1:11:25) – Band of Outsiders

(1:35:51) – Pierrot le Fou

(1:54:36) – Overall

(2:14:29) – Coming Attractions




Coming Attractions:

My Night at Maud's (1969)

Claire's Knee (1970)

Love in the Afternoon (1972)




For more information, visit the blog:
https://thefilmlings.com/2024/02/02/godard
Join us on Discord for ongoing film discussion:
https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

For the final episode of the fairy tale series, Alex and Jonathan take a look at three films that transpose classic fairy tale stories onto the setting of the modern day: The Red Shoes (1948), Ponyo (2008), and Undine (2020). We discuss how fairy tale elements can help us look at the ordinary parts of life with a new appreciation, how the form and style of a film affects the perception of the magical elements, and ways to incorporate the unknown into modern storytelling.

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(08:58) – The Red Shoes
(27:59) – Ponyo
(54:53) – Undine
(1:10:37) – Overall
(1:20:24) – Coming Attractions



Coming Attractions:

In January we'll be starting a new series all about the French New Wave!


For more information, visit the blog:
https://thefilmlings.com/2023/11/24/modern-fairy-tales/
Join us on Discord for ongoing film discussion:
https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

Today Alex and Jonathan look at three of the common ways that fairy tales are modified from their original setting to fit various modern sensibilities. We talk about the fairy tale mashup through the lens of Shrek (2001), the science fiction angle via A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), and the misunderstood villain as portrayed in Maleficent (2014). We also discuss how to expand on and subvert fairy tale themes based on a common story bank, the need for strong creative and directorial vision, and the pitfalls of using fairy tales as a shortcut to audience appeal.


Skip to:


(6:15) – Shrek
(35:01) – A.I. Artificial Intelligence
(59:23) – Maleficent
(1:22:06) – Overall
(1:24:33) – Coming Attractions


Coming Attractions:


The Red Shoes (1948)
Ponyo (2008)
Undine (2020)


For more information, visit the blog:
https://thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2023/10/27/fairy-tales-with-a-twist
Join us on Discord for ongoing film discussion:
https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF