This recurring cycle is an opportunity to watch or re-watch classics from cinema history, or films representative of certain national cinematographies, trends or eras, on the big screen.
Winner of the Best Film of the Youth, 1965 Cannes Film Festival
A millionaire feels lonely and isolated in his vast mansion. A traveling circus arrives in town, and he recognizes a young woman with whom he once had an affair. She has a son who is, in fact, also the son of the wealthy man...
Pierre Étaix
Author, filmmaker, clown, illustrator, graphic designer, playwright, magician, musician, and gag writer, Pierre Étaix has built his career primarily around comedy, magic, and the circus arts. His mastery of visuals, sound, and comedy in each of his films, combined with his knack for gags, make him one of the few masters of slapstick in France, much like Jerry Lewis in the United States. He met Jacques Tati in 1954 and worked as a draftsman and gagman on his film Mon oncle (1958), including the creation of the film's promotional poster, then as assistant director. His work with Tati naturally led him to direct his first short film, Rupture, which he co-wrote with his friend, collaborator, and partner, screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière. Together, they also made Heureux anniversaire, which won the Oscar for Best Live-Action Short Film in 1963. His first feature films as director were The Suitor (1963) and Yoyo (1965), where he paid homage to the circus world. He then directed an anthology film of four shorts, As Long as You've Got Your Health (1966), and The Great Love (1969). Both of these were co-written with Carrière. Faced with the scarcity of French circus artists, Étaix decided to found the National Circus School (1973) with Annie Fratellini, whom he married in 1969, and wore a white clown suit during tours of their own circus, having long played the tramp.
