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Director: Bertrand Tavernier Writers: Jean Cosmos, François-Olivier Rousseau, Bertrand Tavernier Cinematographer: Bruno de Keyzer Stars: Mélanie Thierry, Christopher Lambert, Raphaël Personnaz, Gaspard Ulliel, Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet Studio/Running Time: IFC Films, 139 min. Period romances may not be a genre as popular as horror flicks or westerns, but despite the stuffiness that its name implies, perfectly well-executed ones need not be boring. At least that’s the case with Bertrand Tavernier’s Princess of Montpensier, set during 16th-century France’s endless civil wars and unsurprisingly focusing on various aristocrats aiming to sleep with the titular princess. Aside from her husband this includes her childhood...

Sometimes veteran directors make slower, more deliberate films as they get older, but there’s nothing draggy about Bertrand Tavernier’s historical drama The Princess Of Montpensier. Adapted by 69-year-old Tavernier and screenwriter Jean Cosmos from Madame de La Fayette’s 1662 novella, Princess stars Mélanie Thierry as a much-desired heiress who’s studying for her introduction at court with the help of principled count Lambert Wilson, while her husband (Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet) and her lover (Gaspard Ulliel) fight in the raging Catholic/Protestant wars of the late 1500s. Wilson worries about the his charge’s loyalty, but even ...

Filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier.

Bertrand Tavernier: Taking Rabbits Out Of Hats

By Alex Simon

Bertrand Tavernier was bitten by the cinema bug at a tender age, falling in love with a diverse slate of films and filmmakers like Jean Renoir, Fritz Lang and Buster Keaton. Born in Lyon in 1941, Tavernier abandoned his law studies to write for the now-legendary French cinema magazine Cahiers du Cinema, which also launched auteurs like Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. Making his directing debut with The Clockmaker of Saint-Paul in 1974, Tavernier’s career has been a prolific one, with 35 films to his credit, and dozens of awards, including the Best Director prize at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival for A Sunday in the Country.

Tavernier’s latest film is the sweeping epic The Princess of Montpensier, an adaptation of a 1662 novel which was published anonymously, but later credited to French noblewoman Madame de La Fayette. Set...

Reviewed by Annlee Ellingson

(from the 2010 AFI Fest)

Directed by: Bertrand Tavernier

Written by: Jean Cosmos, François Olivier Rousseau and Bertrand Tavernier

Starring: Mélanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson, Grégoire Leprince Ringuet, Gaspard Ulliel and Raphaël Personnaz

“The Princess of Montpensier’s” titular young noblewoman and her sheltered, privileged milieu are far removed from the 16th-century France we first encounter in Bertrand Tavernier’s period romance. Set during the reign of Charles IX in the midst of a war that pits Catholics against Protestants, the film opens on the battlefield, the camera panning the gruesome scene at ground level as horsemen trample dead soldiers before it lifts above the tree line to capture the scope of both the conflict and the countryside.

A Western by way of Gaul, “Princess” is at once epic in its depiction of war and authentic in its portrayal of combat, with swordfights that are choreographed rather than...

Reviewed by Annlee Ellingson

(from the 2010 AFI Fest)

Directed by: Bertrand Tavernier

Written by: Jean Cosmos, François Olivier Rousseau and Bertrand Tavernier

Starring: Mélanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson, Grégoire Leprince Ringuet, Gaspard Ulliel and Raphaël Personnaz

“The Princess of Montpensier’s” titular young noblewoman and her sheltered, privileged milieu are far removed from the 16th-century France we first encounter in Bertrand Tavernier’s period romance. Set during the reign of Charles IX in the midst of a war that pits Catholics against Protestants, the film opens on the battlefield, the camera panning the gruesome scene at ground level as horsemen trample dead soldiers before it lifts above the tree line to capture the scope of both the conflict and the countryside.

A Western by way of Gaul, “Princess” is at once epic in its depiction of war and authentic in its portrayal of combat, with swordfights that are choreographed rather than...

Xavier Beauvois' "Of Gods and Men" dominated the nominations of the 36th Annual Cesar Awards, the French equivalent of the Oscars. "Of Gods" received 11 nominations total and will compete against Heartbreaker (L'Arnacoeur), Gainsbourg (Vie Heroique), Mammuth, Le Nom Des Gens, The Ghost Writer, and On Tour for Best Film.

The Social Network, Invictus, Inception, Illegal, The Secret In Their Eyes, Bright Star, and Les Amours Imaginaires will duke it out for the Best Foreign Film category.

Jodie Foster will preside over the ceremony and Quentin Tarantino will be given an honorary Cesar award. The 36th Annual Cesar Awards will be held on Feb. 25th.

Here is the full list of nominees:

Best Film

Heartbreaker (L'Arnacoeur), dir: Pascal Chaumeil

Of Gods and Men (Des Hommes Et Des Dieu), dir: Xavier Beauvois

Gainsbourg (Vie Heroique), dir: Joann Sfar

Mammuth, dir: Benoit Delepine, Gustave Kervern

Le Nom Des Gens, dir: Michel Leclerc

The Ghost Writer,...

The nominations for this year’s César Awards (France’s Oscar equivalent) has been announced. In addition the awards ceremony has also chosen Quentin Tarantino as the recipient of the ceremony’s honorary award. Alain Terzian, the president of the Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma announced at a press conference this morning confirmed that the director would be present to ick up his award in person.

It is also worth noting that there are three American movies among the seven nominees for Best Foreign Film: Inception, The Social Network and perhaps the biggest surprise, Invictus.

The 36th edition of the Césars will take place on February 25 in Paris.

Here’s the full list of nominees:

Best Movie

L’arnacoeur by Pascal Chaumeil

Le nom des gens by Michel Leclerc

The Ghost Writer by Roman Polanski

Tournée by Mathieu Amalric

Des Hommes et des Dieux by Xavier Beauvois

Gainsbourg...

Three U.S. films are among the seven nominees for best foreign film in this year’s César Awards, France’s version of the Oscars. Meanwhile, American director Quentin Tarantino has been selected to receive an honorary award and will be at the Feb. 25 ceremony in Paris to accept it, it was announced Friday.

The three American films cited by the Académie des arts et techniques du cinema are Christopher Nolan’s “Inception,” David Fincher’s “The Social Network” and Clint Eastwood’s “Invictus,” an Oscar contender in the States last year.

Xavier Beauvois’ “Of Gods and Men” (“Des hommes et des Dieux”) — not one of the nine films still in contention for the best foreign film Oscar — leads with 10 nominations, while Roman Polanski’s “The Ghost Writer” and Joann Sfar’s “Gainsbourg” (“Vie Héroïque”) are also nominated in multiple categories.

Presiding over this year’s awards is American actress and director Jodie Foster.

IFC Films announced that it has acquired the U.S. rights from European studio Studiocanal to director Bertrand Tavernier’s “The Princess of Montpensier,” which is screening in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film was produced by Eric Heumann and coproduced by Studiocanal, with a screenplay by Jean Cosmos, Francois-Olivier Rousseau and Tavernier, based on the novel by Madame de la Fayette. It stars Melanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson, Gaspard Ulliel, ...

This is likely to be my last preview of this nature before I take off for the 2010 Cannes Film Festival on Monday morning, but seeing how it includes first look photos at several of the higher profile films at the festival I didn't think I could pass up the opportunity to share.

Unfortunately the images I received were not high resolution so I have put them together as best as I could to give you the best look at each and not distort the images. I've also included the date the first screen at the festival and hopefully (if all goes right) I'll have reactionary coverage soon after the credits for each. Stay tuned and enjoy...

Biutiful (dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu) First Screening: Monday, May 17

Biutiful is directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel) and stars Javier Bardem as a man involved in illegal dealing who is confronted by his childhood friend,...

Over the weekend I was hard at work adding additional titles debuting at this year's 2010 Cannes Film Festival in an effort to make sure once I am in town it is all about seeing the movies and working as little as possible on the asset process. As a result, I now have 17 of the 18 films in competition in the database as information on Sergei Loznitsa's Schastye Moe (My Joy) doesn't seem to be available. However, information on the other 17 is now readily available along with some new pictures and trailers for several of them.

First off, to the right is one of the first three images available for Mathieu Amalric's Tournee, of which I also have the official synopsis for the film from the man most of you know as the villain from Quantum of Solace or Jean-Dominique Bauby from The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

In Tournee...

As you all know, from May 12 through 23, 12 feature films produced or co-produced by France will be showcased in the Official Selection of the 63rd Cannes Film Festival.

One movie that will be shown In Competition is La Princesse de Montpensier, directed by Bertrand Tavernier.

Little history repeating for this director, since he’s taking a break from thrillers. Let’s see how things at Cannes Festival will work out for him…

If you are familiar with Tavernier’s work, than you know he already had huge success with In The Electric Mist. But this time, looks like he has started working on a European history title about 16th century French aristocracy.

This is the story about the passions and tragic fate of a princess in the French kingdom of 1562. but if you’re interested in official synopsis part check this out: “Based on a short story by Madame de La Fayette...

With a Gangster film, WWII tale, Old Asian lady portrait and a period piece in the Main Competition you'd think we'd be talking about last year's batch of films: e.g.: Mother, Basterds and Bright Star. Not a recycling of story ideas, but rather same genres, among the surprise films below being nominated in the category, I was expecting Tavernier to occupy an Out of Comp or Special Screening slot. - With a Gangster film, WWII tale, Old Asian lady portrait and a period piece in the Main Competition you'd think we'd be talking about last year's batch of films: e.g.: Mother, Basterds and Bright Star. Not a recycling of story ideas, but rather same genres, among the surprise films below being nominated in the category, I was expecting Tavernier to occupy an Out of Comp or Special Screening slot. Here are four more from the 16. Outrage...

• You won't find veteran filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier anywhere close to swampy Cajun backwoods (In the Electric Mist) or for that matter, return to the thriller format, instead his next pic is set in 1562 and includes matters of the heart. Set to begin production later this month, La Princesse de Montpensier will see Mélanie Thierry in the lead with Lambert Wilson, Gaspard Ulliel, Louis Garrel and Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet also joining the pic. Paradis Films' Eric Heuman and Marc Silam are producing. Based on a short story by Madame de La Fayette (published in 1662), co-scripted by Tavernier and Jean Cosmos, La Princesse de Montpensier is a tale of the passions and tragic fate of a princess, a rich heiress of a French kingdom under threat in the wars of religion of 1562. The focal point of La Fayette’s work is the love Mlle de Mézières feels for the duke de Guise

...

Palm Springs International Film FestivalStudio Canal

PALM SPRINGS -- Rooted by another effortlessly accomplished Daniel Auteuil performance, the tender, low-key comedy Conversations With My Gardener makes for an intimate, rewarding excursion to the French countryside.

At the core of the film, based on a novel of the same name, is a deftly played two-hander between Auteuil, as a respected Parisian artist, and Jean-Pierre Darroussin, as the gardener he hires to rejuvenate the long-neglected garden outside of his rural family home.

Auteuil plays a man peering up from the depths of a particularly tricky midlife crisis -- his wife is about to divorce him; his mistress is two-timing him with a pompous idiot of a younger man; and, to top it all off, he's in a creative funk.

Taking refuge at the rustic family villa where he was brought up, he has posted an ad for someone to carve out a vegetable garden on the parched property. The first person to respond turns out to be Leo (Darroussin), an old school chum and retired railroad worker who's always been happiest when tilling soil.

Although the two men come from different social and professional backgrounds, they discover they enjoy each other's company, musing about life, the universe and its simple pleasures, with each taking away something of value from the lively exchanges.

Director Jean Becker, who wrote the airy, articulate screenplay along with Jean Cosmos, maintains a neatly tended garden himself, keeping things unfussy and uncluttered, encouraging developments to unfold at their own organic pace.

The arrangement provides plenty of space for Auteuil and Darroussin (a favorite actor of filmmaker Robert Guediguian) to toss that terrific dialogue back and forth with expertly calibrated precision.

Although Becker ultimately opens up Conversations to include several supporting characters, including the men's wives as well as Auteuil's daughter and mistress, the film finds itself on the most fertile ground during those philosophical garden-side chats.

Out of Competition

CANNES -- Talk about an identity crisis. "Fanfan la Tulipe", directed by Gerard Krawczyk and written by Jean Cosmos and Luc Besson, wants to be a charming satire of swashbuckling epics. But this lead-footed affair can never find its comic rhythms. Instead, it wanders sadly through routine action sequences, mixing slapstick with derring-do yet never generating any wit or romance. Despite having Vincent Perez and Penelope Cruz as its leads, "Fanfan" should win few fans in its native France. Indeed, moviegoers may resent this buffoonish remake of the classic 1951 movie starring Gerard Philippe and Gina Lollabrigida.

The film, a curiously lackluster choice to open the 56th Festival de Cannes, opens in France this week.

Fanfan is a beloved character of 18th century France, a brash soldier in the army of Louis XV who, despite a disrespect for authority and defiance of social conventions, wins the day and his lady love through his courage, fighting skill and saucy wit.

As Fanfan, Perez has the right idea in his lighthearted, athletic approach, but the script and direction fail him at every turn. He prances through the movie without ever becoming a part of it. He makes love to women and fights many a man but never connects with anyone.

Cruz as Adeline, the gorgeous daughter of the recruiting sergeant, stands on the sideline, cheering Fanfan on -- and occasionally firing a pistol to save his butt -- but even she fails to catch his eye for long. Why is her heart so set on him, you wonder?

The film's comic thrusts are third-rate Mel Brooks without the great jokes and one-liners. The characters are mostly goofs on movie roles in the swashbuckling films of old, so there are no surprises here. If a priest shows up, you know he will be a drunken reprobate. The king is incalculably stupid, the sergeant a coward and every officer an egotistical fool.

Krawczyk's direction may please children, like those who cheer on Fanfan in the movie, but everyone else will most likely be disheartened by the lame gags and misfired comedy. If you want to spoof swashbucklers, shouldn't the King of France (Didier Bourdon) be more than a glorified dress extra? Shouldn't the villain's (Gerald Leroche) treachery contain a degree of menace? Shouldn't Fier-a-Bras (Philippe Dormoy), so determined to destroy Fanfan, be a cunning fellow? And if you bring on the age's great mistress, Madame de Pompadour (Helene De Fougerolles), shouldn't she be more than an insipid supermodel?

The $15 million production makes decent use of a few of France's ancient chateaux, and its period costumes, while a tad too spick-and-span, are effective. The fights are tame by today's high standards, neither clever enough to create tension nor comic enough to inspire laughs.

The movie's most satiric moments come in chaotic battle sequences, where masses of soldiers slaughter one another without a clue why they are doing so. The film takes the view that war in that era was the sport of the royals, even if the king often can't tell which men are his. A rascal like Fanfan getting mixed up in such murderous foolishness might have sparked some dark comedy. Alas, the new "Fanfan" seems based less on the old movie than on children's puppet shows.

FANFAN LA TULIPE

A EuropaCorp production with Open Art Prods and FI1 Films Production in association with Canal Plus and CNC

Credits:

Director: Gerard Krawczyk

Screenwriters: Jean Cosmos, Luc Besson

Producers: Michel Feller, Luc Besson

Executive producer: Bernard Grenet

Director of photography: Gerard Simon

Production designer: Jacques Bufnoir

Costume designer: Olivier Beroit

Music: Alexandre Azaria

Editor: Nicolas Trembasiewicz

Cast:

Fanfan: Vincent Perez

Adeline: Penelope Cruz

King Louis XV: Didier Bourdon

Madame de Pompadour: Helene De Fougerolles

Tranche-Montagne: Michel Muller

Fier-a-Bras: Philippe Dormoy

La Franchise: Jacques Frantz

Corsini: Gerald Leroche

Running time -- 98 minutes

No MPAA rating...

In a relentless foray into war and injustice, Bertrand Tavernier uses World War I as his framework for the excellent "Captain Conan".

Set in the Balkans in 1918, Gallic soldier Captain Conan (Philippe Torreton) and his men take the war to the enemy in guerrilla fashion, sweeping in through the brush and using slings to fling grenades. Their tactics are to sneak up on the enemy and never, never take prisoners.

War is not the problem for Conan and his platoon, who thrive on their status as warriors, not soldiers. The trouble begins when the platoon is forced to leave the battlefield after armistice. But Conan is no flunky, and he'll break any rule to do the right thing for his men.

With well-constructed humor and pathos, screenwriters Tavernier and Jean Cosmos explore the nature of heroism and duty under the anvil of uncaring authority in this strong indictment of war.

There's a tone of outrage at the lack of compassion of officers who proclaim, in effect, that every soldier indicted must be guilty of something. Points are made clearly and strongly, although "Conan" sometimes teeters into preachiness.

As the story progresses, the French armistice is signed, but this contingent remains mobilized, ready to move out to do more battle with new enemies -- to the dismay of the soldiers, who have already fought for years.

In one of the central conflicts, Conan and his good friend, Lt. Norbert Samuel Le Bihan), find themselves at odds. Norbert has his strong morality and sense of justice challenged when he is forced to take the position of accuser, prosecuting soldiers for relatively minor offenses.

The bull-headed Conan tries to defend his ill-behaved men, but Norbert is bound to prosecute in earnest the ones who committed the most heinous crimes.

The film has a compelling realism, but the most vivid parts are the battle scenes, where at times the camera lingers on the fallen men -- just one of the nifty bits of business in Tavernier's well-directed and excellently photographed film (credit Alain Choquarat).

Although it feels a bit episodic and may be too long to attract mainstream audiences, "Conan" has a set of complex, unforgettable characters and a strong feel for the important issues. The acting across the board is first-rate, and there are plenty of darkly humorous lines in the script.

Torreton's Conan is a tragically flawed and memorable character. Le Bihan's Norbert is a fine, sensitive counterpart as the man who holds justice dear.

CAPTAIN CONAN

Les Films Alain Sarde

Litle Bear Prods.

TFI Films Prods.

A film by Bertrand Tavernier

Director Bertrand Tavernier

Screenplay Jean Cosmos & Bertrand Tavernier

Producers Alain Sarde & Frederic Bourboulon

Director of photography Alain Choquarat

Based on the novel by Roger Vercel

Composer Oswald D'Andrea

Lyrics Jean Cosmos

Color/stereo

Cast:

Conan Philippe Torreton

Norbert Samuel Le Bihan

De Sceve Bernard Le Coq

Madeleine Erlane Catherine Rich

Commandant Bouvier Francois Berleand

General Pitard de Lauzier Claude Rich

Colonel Voirin Andre Falcon

Running time -- 130 minutes

No MPAA rating...