France and the UK have their fare share of amazing classic movies. For this post, I thought it would be fun to have a little head to head matchup between the former rivals over their movie acumen.
First Match: Scary scary thrill thrills!
| UK Entry | French Entry | |
| Movie Title | Black Narcissus (1947) | Les Diaboliques (1955) |
| Rating | ||
| The Hook | A group of nuns try to create a convent in the Himalayas, but worldly temptations and the setting create an untenable situation. | Pissed off wife and lover of a terrible man join forces to murder him, but the novices quickly get in over their heads. |
| The Case… | This movie sucks you in with its spectacular imagery, using a combination of elaborate sets and paintings to create a foreboding, grand task ahead of the nuns. The suffocating literal and sexual atmosphere surrounds everything these women do, to the point that you know one or two of them are going to break. The slow build up leads to a terrifying 3rd act, led by a transformation of one of the characters and a spectacular display of makeup and color scheme that will scare the bejesus out of you. | Henry George Cluzot’s thriller quickly sets up the unlikable school headmaster, explaining why these women would join forces to get revenge. But the movie takes off after the murder attempt happens, as strange, almost supernatural things start happening. By that point, the movie has you confused and tense as hell, culminating one of the great twists in movie history: simple, but brilliantly constructed. |
Winner: Slight edge to Black Narcissus which is better beginning to end, but Les Diaboliques’s ending is bettter. It’s a coin flip.
1 Point for the UK!
Next Category: Strange RomComs
| UK Entry | French Entry | |
| Movie Title | Blow-Up (1966) | Jules et Jim (1962) |
| Rating | ||
| The Hook | A lothario photographer becomes infatuated with a woman whom he photographed; he also realizes might be involved in something sinister. | Story of two friends who fall in love with the same woman, and how their story unfolds over time. |
| The Case… | Michelangelo Antonioni, clearly a master photographer himself, has a blast composing the shots in this art studio, as gorgeous an interior as I’ve seen in a film. The plot meanders along until the photographs snap it into focus, and then it becomes a fun sorta thriller. However, this movie is more of a mind f*ck, putting you so firmly in the main character’s head you question if anything you see is real, plus Antonioni has a knack for leaving stories unfinished, more true to real life, but potentially a tad frustrating. | Of the French New Wave filmmakers, Francois Truffaut might be my favorite, in large part thanks to this film. This romance is one of the great screen romances. Truffaut eschews the normal obvious love triangle angle for something deeper: focusing on the complications of love and how love can evolve over time and place. It’s empathetic and riveting to watch, as progressive today as it was when it was made. The ending isn’t great, but you’re so wrapped up in Truffaut’s tale that you don’t care that much. |
Winner: Jules et Jim is one of the best films of the French New Wave for a reason.
Vive la France! 1 Point for them.
Final Category: Ambitious Movie Ideas
| UK Entry | French Entry | |
| Movie Title | Henry V (1945) | The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) |
| Rating | ||
| The Hook | Laurence Olivier’s Shakespeare adaptation of the play about England’s famous king. | Jacque Demy’s all singing conversation movie about a young woman left behind by a boy who has to go to war. |
| The Case… | This was a propaganda film for British troops in WWII. As such, Olivier uses his giant budget to great effect. We start in the Globe Theater, as if we are witnessing a play. Then all of a sudden, Olivier takes us onto the grassy knolls of Agincourt, where Henry wins his great battle against the French army’s superior numbers. Olivier blends the play into real life, giving us a full on epic cinematic battle, but then taking us back to the stage to acknowledge Shakespeare’s importance to the story as well. | Demy’s film will take some time getting used to, since everyone is singing what they are saying. This is a movie of highs and lows. When the main characters are singing about nothing in particular, you’ll probably roll your eyes a bit. However, when something emotional happens, the singing brings the emotions to a high everytime: sadness is excruciating, happiness is exhilarating, elevating the simple moments of everyday life to something special. |
Winner: Both are inconsistent and powerful, but slight edge to Henry V: nothing in Umbrellas is as awesome as the Battle of Agincourt.
Congrats to the UK, winning ever so slightly. The real winners though: me and you, who get a chance to view these great films still, and be inspired and wow’ed by them!