Five Funny French Films
This weekend fans of French cinema have the chance to see new Gallic films with stars like Ludivine Sagnier, Romain Duris and Isabelle Huppert. There’s even a retrospective screening of French silent film star Max Linder’s Seven Years Bad Luck (1921). Linder was setting the tone for slapstick comedy years before Chaplin, Keaton or Lloyd.
The most important aspect of these films is that they are not slated for domestic distribution and this is a perfect, and perhaps only, opportunity to see them on the big screen. The museum’s film programming always scores unique movies and the house is usually packed.
The titles include: Tip Top, a slapstick murder mystery; Rendez-Vous of déjà vu, a rom com at the beach; Populaire, examines love and fast typing skills in the 1950s; Love is in the Air (Amour et turbulences), a couple reviews their relationship while seated next to each other on a plane flight; Tour de force, a rom com set during the Tour de France; Sept ans de malheur; Linder’s silent film, one of the few of his works that still exist.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s annual Five Funny French Films unwinds March 20 through 23. Times, prices and summaries can be found on the MFAH website.
- Michael Bergeron
