The French Issue

The French Issue

A welcome return this week for Kamera’s special series exploring the state of national cinemas around the world. Following on from Japan and Hong Kong, our writers head for the land of le septième art

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The French Cinema Book

The French Cinema Book

The enormous canon of French cinema can be a daunting prospect even to the most ardent fan. This new release from the BFI aims to cover French film all the way from 1894 to 2004, but it all proved too much for Ed Lamberti

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Subway

Subway was the film that made Luc Besson’s name as a director, and it became a cult classic of the 80s both in France and abroad. Adrian Gargett wonders how the film stands up twenty years on

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The French Occupation on film

The French Occupation on film

Sixty years on, the occupation of France still weighs heavily on French consciousness, and the subject remains fertile ground for the country’s filmmakers. Ben McCann examines some of the most notable films d’occupation

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Jean-Pierre Melville

Jean-Pierre Melville

Jean-Pierre Melville is one of the most influential French directors of the last fifty years, but during his lifetime he arguably never received the level of recognition he deserved. Ed Lamberti sets the record straight

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The films of Luc Besson

The films of Luc Besson

Along with Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Luc Besson is one of the select band of French filmmakers who have managed to find success on the global stage. Deryck Swan looks back at the career of one of French cinema’s finest exports

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Sideways

Alexander Payne is one of the few directors working in mainstream Hollywood who seems able to translate intelligent filmmaking into critical success and popular appeal. Ian Haydn Smith applauds his latest movie

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The Thin Red Line (BFI Modern Classics)

The Thin Red Line (BFI Modern Classics)

The mysterious Terence Malick is one of the most intriguing and elusive directors in modern cinema, and his films are equally complex. Ben McCann delves into a recent critical analysis of The Thin Red Line in the BFI’s Modern Classics series

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Collateral (DVD)

Collateral (DVD)

Michael Mann is known for his stylish, intelligent thrillers, and his latest film is no exception. Ben McCann follows the unlikely partnership between an LA cab driver and a contract hitman

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