Speak Frog

Sep.18
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120 BPM

Posted by in Blog, Cinema, London, Music

120 Battements Par Minute is the film of the ‘rentrée’. After winning the ‘Grand Prix’ at Cannes 2017, it came out on French screens a few weeks ago and has been winning audiences’ hearts since. It will be shown at the London Film Festival   on October 7th and 10th. Set in Paris in the early 90’s at the height of the Aids epidemic, it follows the lives, loves, clubbing sessions and deaths of a group of activists from Act Up Paris in their fight against the virus. Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=114&v=ai2WhkTWfKM Read an article…read more

Jun.20
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Love letter

Posted by in Art, Cinema, History, Language, Literature

Most of my students learn French because they have a French speaking partner. So, as the weekend begins, here is the ultimate French love letter. Je suis perdu, vois-tu, je suis noyé, inondé d’amour: ‘I am lost you see, I am drowned, flooded with love’… Romantic poet and playwright Alfred de Musset writes to his lover George Sand (aka Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin), another prominent 19th century writer. Their passionate and tumultuous relationship is also the subject of a 1999 film with Juliette Binoche: Les Enfants du Siècle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFwSYTLHEjE Baden, 1834 Voilà…read more

The Past

Posted by in Blog, Cinema, London

It’s a good month for French films in the UK. After Yves Saint Laurent, Le Passé (The Past) comes out this Friday. I saw the film during a preview and highly recommend it. It features fine performances from Bérénice Béjo (The Artist) who won the best actress award at Cannes for this film; Tahar Rahim (A Prophet) and Ali Mosaffa, Iranian actor who performs in French here. As well as a great cast of children who are equally good. Which is all to the credit of Iranian director Asghar Farhadi. The Past takes…read more

Mar.25
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The march

Posted by in Blog, Cinema, History, News

This year is the 30th anniversary of the March for Equality and Against Racism, also known as “Marche des Beurs“, the ‘walk of the arabs’. Started in Marseille in reaction to the racist violence inflicted by police on the migrant youth of the suburbs, the walkers covered over a thousand km through France and ended in Paris. Watch the news report of the time: A feature film titled ‘La Marche‘ is also released in France today.

Nov.27
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