La grande illusion
At our invitation, Francesca Bozzano, the Director of Collections at the Cinémathèque de Toulouse, has curated a varied selection of short and feature films from their catalog. This program includes ten screenings ranging from silent cinema, experimental films, and animation to underground, documentary, and classic films, with several restorations done by the Cinémathèque de Toulouse or from elements preserved in their vaults.
First World War. Two French soldiers are taken prisoner by Commander von Rauffenstein, a refined and respectful German. Taken to a prison camp, they help their roommates dig a secret tunnel. But on the eve of their escape, the prisoners were transferred. They were finally taken to a high-security fortress run by von Rauffenstein. He treated the prisoners with courtesy, even befriending Boeldieu. But the French officers were planning a new escape.
Jean Renoir
Second son of the famous painter Auguste Renoir, his films had a profound impact on the mutations of French cinema between 1930 and 1950, paving the way for the French New Wave. After serving in the army during World War I, he directed his wife and older brother in his first film in 1924, The Whirlpool of Fate (La fille de l'eau). The film wasn't a success, but the young Jean, passionate about cinema, did not give up. His career really took off with La chienne in 1931. La grande illusion, starring Jean Gabin, and The Rules of the Game (La règle du jeu) are now considered major masterpieces of world cinema. In the early 40s, as war was declared, he moved to Hollywood, where he made several films such as This Land Is Mine, The Southerner, and The Diary of a Chambermaid. He returned to France in the early 1950s, directing several masterpieces like The Golden Coach (Le carrosse d'or) and French Cancan. In 1962, he made his last film, The Elusive Corporal (Le caporal épinglé). In 1975, he received an Honorary Academy Award for his career achievements, before passing away four years later in Beverly Hills, California. He was one of the first filmmakers to be known as an auteur.
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