Francophiles And Cinephiles, Rejoice—French Film Fest Returns Friday

By Joel Wicklund in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 28, 2015 1:44PM

"The King and the Mockingbird" (Photo courtesy of Rialto Pictures)

Though various French film showcases have dotted the Chicago movie scene for decades, the Chicago French Film Festival is making a place for itself as a worthy ongoing event for cinephiles and Francophiles. Its 5th edition launches this Friday at the Music Box Theatre, with 14 features showing through Aug. 6.

While France itself dominates the offerings, there are also French language films from Canada, Switzerland and Belgium. And while recent features comprise most of the schedule, a couple of notable revivals may be the biggest draws for this year's offerings.

René Clément's 1952 classic Forbidden Games was once one of the most widely acclaimed portraits of childhood and the traumas of war, but its theatrical revivals have become increasingly rare. Modern opinion is divided on the film: Roger Ebert included it among his "Great Movies" canon in 2005, while former Reader and Tribune critic Dave Kehr dismissed it as "self-consciously poetic" in 2013. Decide for yourself when the film screens Saturday, Aug. 1 and Wednesday, Aug. 5.

Less well known (especially in the U.S.), but widely admired by animation lovers, The King and the Mockingbird (1979) actually began its difficult road to the screen in 1948. Director Paul Grimault was removed from the project after a dispute with producers, who went on to release a version Grimault disowned in the early '50s. After decades of fighting to regain the rights and finish the movie to his liking, Grimault's revised version was released to much acclaim in 1979. Based on a Hans Christian Andersen story, with a screenplay by poet Jacques Prévert, the film was reportedly a major influence on the work of Japanese animation giant Hayao Miyazaki—though to this writer's eyes, the clips of The King and the Mockingbird look like a more fluid, classical style than Miyazaki's work. The film shows Friday, July 31 and Sunday, Aug. 2.

Contemporary films showing include the dark comic thriller Number One Fan (which earned Sandrine Kiberlain her fifth Cesar nomination as Best Actress); Breathe, a coming-of-age drama directed by actress Mélanie Laurent (U.S. viewers know her best from her starring role in Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds); and two films directed by Abdellatif Kechiche (2000's Blame It on Voltaire and 2010's Black Venus) that preceded his international erotic hit, Blue Is the Warmest Color.

Details on all the films, including show times and info on purchasing individual tickets or festival passes, are available here.