Le Forum - Your French bookshop in Australia

Behind the scenes of classic films, and the era in which they were created.

Children of Paradise (Les enfants du paradis)
Regularly voted as the finest French film ever made, and one of the top three films of all time, "Les Enfants du Paradis" is a magical, yet somewhat black piece of escapism set in nineteenth century Paris, a deeply romantic and theatrical tour-de-force. The film was made by Marcel Carné and Jacques Prévert in 1943 during the golden age of French cinema under the occupation. French legends, Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault and and Pierre Brasseur feature through archive interviews along with original contributions from Bertrand Tavernier, Edward Turk and others.

Contempt (Le Mépris)
At the height of the French New Wave, director Jean-Luc Godard procured Brigitte Bardot for a big-budget film which was not quite what the investors were expecting. Filmed in lavish Cinemascope and Technicolor, but often shot with a handheld camera, the film pushed boundaries and appalled traditionalists.

The documentary places the film within its era, as French society is in turmoil at the end of the Algerian war of independence and the movie industry is in crisis. Godard hires Fritz Lang as the old hero of art-house films, forced to direct gladiator movies for an unscrupulous Hollywood producer. Features extensive contributions from Godard and Michel Piccoli and archive interviews with Bardot and Fritz Lang.

Pour les Yamakasi, «l'art du déplacement» est un art de vivre. Véritables sportifs de haut niveau, ils transforment une architecture bétonnée et oppressante en des lieux de rêves, de jeux et de tous les possibles.
DVD 1: Vol au-dessus des cités (80') et Grimper aux murs (26'), DVD 2: Les reportages, les clips (2h env.)

1974. 1350 feet up. The artistic crime of the century.

A daredevil, a maverick, a dreamer, an artist: Philippe Petit is all of these things and more. On a slightly windy day in the summer of 1974, a lone figure appeared high above the heads of the people of Manhattan, balancing perfectly on a high wire strung between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. For almost an hour, the performer danced on the wire, ignoring the pleas from police to get down, simply rejoicing in his artistic expression. This "coup" marked the culmination of several months of planning, during which Petit and his rag-tag bunch of conspirators would become implicated in a feat considered "the artistic crime of the century".

MAN ON WIRE is a spectacle of human achievement, tenacity and sheer amazement, in which archival footage and dramatic re-enactment are used to tell the story of Petit and his rebellious team of artistic innovators.

This film, lasting one hour, will take you on a journey through the most attractive places of this magnificient region, taking in the abundance of touristic, historical and archaeological features.

- Le Vaucluse  - Avignon  - Orange  - La Route des Côtes du Rhône  - Vaison la Romaine  - Le Roussillon  - Gordes  - Fontaine de Vaucluse  - Les Châteaux du Luberon  - Aix et ses environs  - Salon, St Rémy, Les Baux, Arles  - La Camargue  - Aigues-Mortes et Nîmes  - Le Pont du Gard  - Marseille  - Cassis et les Calanques  - Le Var Ouest

Ce film vous ouvre les portes du Louvre et vous invite à une visite. Vous comprendrez l’histoire du palais. Vous découvrirez les chefs-d’oeuvre qu’il abrite. Vous suivrez l’itinéraire le plus complet qu’on puisse imaginer, celui que seul un film permet de découvrir en une heure.

Un film d'exception qui nous invite à une visite privée complète du plus grand musée du monde, tel qu'il se présente aujourd'hui, après plus de quinze ans d'aménagements et de restaurations : une visite idéale et magique...

The best way to explore a new city is to connect with the people who live in it. Join jetsetting presenters Toby Amies and Asha Gill on a radical urban adventure as they plug into city after city with the help of its most colourful and clued-in residents.

Paris

In Paris, Toby goes from the avant-garde of an artist squat led by the charismatic Gaspard Delanöe to the serious arts of Paris chic and fine dining with society dandy Emmanuel de Brantes.

Trendspotter Joelle Dirringer gives Toby a backstage look at the Paris perfume industry when she takes him to a perfume laboratory to mee the 'noses' who develop the world's favourite toilet cleaners and exquisite new fragrances.

After a memorable encounter with Buggy Rollin' Toby gets an insight into Paris trash-chic and takes to the dance floor when casting agent Speedy Yellow decides Toby fits the bill for an upcoming fashion shoot in a traditional Guinguette ballroom...