The second episode of Tavernier's voyage in the French cinema was also theatrically released .Some parts of it are not my cup of tea,but there is no accounting for taste.
1)The music in films ,focussing of Jaubert who passed away in 1940 ,after giving memorable scores ,notably "Carnet De Bal" and "La Bête Humaine" ;Tavernier points out that,unlike the American directors of the era, French ones would choose their music :hence the extraordinary scores of Bresson's "Un Condamné A Mort S'est Echappé "or Cocteau's "La Belle Et La Bête".
2)Edmond T GReville :his work is not very known in France ;with the exceptions of "Menaces" and "L'Envers Du Paradis" ,none of the works I've seen ("brief ecstasy" "secret life" "Le Port Du Désir" "Les Menteurs" "L'accident") really filled me with enthusiasm.But Tavernier talks about two very attracting movies : "Le Diable Soufflé " is ,alas,nowhere to be seen.But " Remous " was recently released on DVD .
3)Eddie Constantine sequence :"at a time when French thrillers were sluggish" ..Well Decoin ,Clouzot ,sluggish?Constantine's movies ,OK ,just for fans.Tavernier keeps harping about on Tarentino ,particularly "inglorious bastards " ,in which the American pays a tribute to Clouzot (twice).
3)A long time is given over to Jean-Pierre Melville ,who was Tavernier's mentor;my favorite is "Leon Morin Prêtre " ,particularly for the Belmondo/Riva confrontation.
4) Jean-Luc Godard :as I can't say something nice .... The Nouvelle Vague is also represented by Claude Chabrol ,but the choice of the movies is poor,and Varda's lovely "Cléo De Cinq A Sept".
5)Claude Sautet's extracts ,on the other hand ,are excellent: the extraordinary "Classes Tous Risques" ,"Les Choses De La vie ",an editing Tour De Force ,and his short return to thriller with "Max Et Les Ferrailleurs".
Mini- sequences are devoted to Jean Delannoy's "Le Garçon Sauvage " ,to Pierre Schoendorffer 's "La 317 Eme section" and ,yes! to Truffaut.
