Jean-Pierre Léaud
Blu-Ray Review: Masculin Féminin
By the midway point of the 1960s Jean-Luc Godard was arguably at the peak of his powers. After the success of À bout de souffle, Bande à part, Alphaville and Pierrot le Fou he was one of the most sought-after directors in Europe. Whilst his work had always been political, The Vietnam War and the …
Blu-Ray Review: Irma Vep
France has one of the most vital, innovative and creative film industries in the world. At times during the last century, the French have led whilst the rest of us have simply attempted to follow. However, there have also been a few barren spells. The 1990s was a particularly lean period, punctuated by a few …
Blu-Ray Review: La Chinoise
After making some of the most iconic films of the French new wave, including Breathless, Pierrot le Fou, Le Mépris and Bande à Part, Jean-Luc Godard decided to move away from traditional film-making. At the end of the 1960s, for just over a decade, he made staunchly political films which reflected his Maoist sensibilities and …
Film Review: The Death of Louis XIV
Over more than half a century, Jean-Pierre Léaud has had a profound influence on French cinema. He’s arguably the most important actor of his generation. He first came to notice as a child as the star of François Truffaut’s masterpiece 400 Blows. He excelled in some of Truffaut’s best films and worked with some of …
Blu-ray Review: Day For Night
Of all the film directors who have ever lived there’s probably none with a greater love of cinema than François Truffaut. The great French auteur simply lived, breathed and ate film. As one of the greatest directors of the 20th Century and a pioneer of the French New Wave he helped define modern cinema. In …
Blu-Ray Review: Hawks and Sparrows/Pigsty
Pier Paolo Pasolini’s death was as controversial and murky as much of his life and cinematic output. An outspoken Communist, Pasolini had a singular drive and worldview which lead to him falling foul of the police and the Communist Party. As a film director he continued this path, courting controversy with much of his work. …