Well, it’s been a week. And once again I find myself sitting on the park bench in Vevey, Switzerland next to the statue of Charlie Chaplin, with whom I share the panorama of shimmering Lake Geneva and the pristine snowcapped Alps in the distance. I’ve covered a lot of tracks: indulging in the region’s world-class wines and scrumptious Swiss-French cuisine, wandering Lausanne’s cobblestone streets, and seeing the former home of Audrey Hepburn in Tolochenaz, near Lausanne, and the current home studio of Jean-Luc Godard, also near Lausanne. I tried to make sense of Huguenot, John Calvin’s Gestapo-like control of Geneva, and laid victim to the region’s steep prices. A simple café au lait and a buttery croissant set me back twenty U.S dollars! But it was time to return to the centerpiece of my trip, an exploration of the life of Sir Charles Spencer Chapin. He chose Manoir de Ban, a neoclassical mansion in Corsier-sur-Vevey, to live his remaining 25 years, which, according to his family, constituted his “happy years.” I had reserved my final day to visit the Manoir, now rechristened Chaplin’s World – which has been repurposed and expanded as a museum that showcases Chaplin’s work and life as a family man in Switzerland.

Personal Life

Chaplin enjoyed what had appeared to be a fun-filled period during his time in Hollywood, but privately led a lonely life, filled with scandal and haunted memories of his impoverished youth. His home in the Pickfair neighborhood of Beverly Hills – a neighborhood named after the mansion of married couple, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks – was designed by himself and built by studio carpenters, not known for building structures that lasted.  It began to slowly fall apart, and was affectionately coined, “The Breakaway House.” The guests loved it, and it became a place of merriment and refuge from Hollywood’s bright lights. Chaplin would entertain his guests by playing a pipe organ, inventing new gags, organizing swimming parties and games of tennis, where even the elusive Greta Garbo was a frequent player.

Sadly, defamation was also part of his life. During World War 1, the British press labeled Chaplin as a self-absorbed coward whose loyalty to his home country of England was questioned for never serving in the military, despite aggressively selling war bonds and transferring large amounts of his substantial income to the British government. Nevertheless, cutouts of the Tramp were propped up by British soldiers in the trenches “so the Germans would die laughing” and his movies were projected on the ceilings of military hospitals where wounded warriors could enjoy morale-raising laughs from their beds. Another scandal occurred when Chaplin briefly dated 22-year-old Joan Barry, who later reappeared in his life, claiming that Chaplin was her baby’s father, and filed a paternity suit.

The public trial was so intense that Chaplin’s hair literally turned gray overnight. Blood tests proved that Chaplin was not the father, but, at the time, blood tests were inadmissible evidence and he was ordered to pay $75 a week until the child turned 21. Matrimony was also a problem for Chaplin: marrying three times to younger women with striking resemblances to his mother, Hannah. The wives club included Mildred Harris, age 17; Lita Grey, age 16; and actress Paulette Goddard, age 28, who costarred with Chaplin in Modern Times and The Great Dictator.

I have the good fortune to be married to a wonderful wife. I wish I could write more about this,
but it involves love, and perfect love is the most beautiful of all frustrations
because it is more than one can express.
– Charlie Chaplin

His life took a blissful turnaround upon meeting the luminous Oona O’Neill in 1943, daughter of American playwright Eugene O’Neill. Chaplin had been looking for a lead actress for his next (unrealized) project, and discovered the mesmerizing 17 year old O’Neill. He was overwhelmed by her captivating beauty, and their meeting led to a life-long romance. A month after O’Neill turned 18, they eloped and married in a secret civil service in Carpentaria, California.  Playwright Eugene O’Neill immediately disowned her upon learning of her marriage to Chaplin, who was the same age as him. He refused all future attempts at reconciliation. Chaplin’s final marriage lasted until his death, producing eight children: Geraldine Chaplin, Michael Chaplin, Josephine Chaplin, Victoria Chaplin, Eugene Chaplin, Jane Chaplin, Annette-Emilie Chaplin and Christopher Chaplin. Although Oona stayed in the background, happy to focus on their home and children, she also spent time at the studios when Chaplin was working, offering her opinion about his various projects.

I have no further use for America. I wouldn’t go back there if Jesus Christ was President.
– Charlie Chaplin

During the 1950s, the House Un-American Activities Committee’s witch hunts, a disturbing period in U.S. history where Cold War tensions fueled fears of widespread Communist subversion, was in full swing. The committee used various charges of communism, communist sympathies and disloyalty to attack a number of  individuals, which included many left-leaning Hollywood personalities. Chaplin was considered dangerously progressive and amoral. FBI Chief J. Edgar Hoover and HUAC mistakenly believed that he was injecting Communist propaganda into his films. It was also revealed that he had never bothered to become a U.S. citizen. When Chaplin and family were departing back by vessel to Hollywood from a European vacation, Chaplin was informed that he would have to submit to an interview concerning his political views and moral behavior in order to re-enter the U.S. Rather than fight a pending investigation by Immigration Services, Chaplin decided not to return to Hollywood at all. The Chaplin family, though, needed a new address in Europe. His older half-brother Sydney Chaplin, suggested they visit Switzerland’s Lake Geneva region. Chaplin set his eyes on the enchanting town of Vevey, nestled along the lake. He was taken by its enticing tranquility, not to mention Switzerland’s attractive tax laws.

You’ll never find rainbows if you’re looking down.
– Charlie Chaplin

Manoir de Ban

He purchased the vacant Manoir de Ban, a neoclassical mansion in Corsier-sur-Vevey, in a resplendent country-like setting near the banks of Lake Geneva. This is where he chose to live his remaining years with his family, from 1952 until his death in 1977. It was the most joyful and contented period of his life, where he would take strolls in the spacious grounds, plant flowers in his radiant gardens, play with his children and host friends from around the globe. He also spent a large percentage of his time working on the screenplays for his films, A King in New York and A Countess from Hong Kong, as well as adding music to his silent feature films, which he composed at the family piano.

Chaplin’s health was in slow decline after suffering a series of minor strokes in the late 1960s. Despite the setbacks, he was soon writing a new film script, The Freak, which he intended as a starring vehicle for his daughter, Victoria. His fragile health prevented the project from being realized.  His speech, hearing and sight began to be impaired, and he later he was confined to a wheelchair.After 10 years of absence, Chaplin returned to the U.S. to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1972 Oscar ceremonies. (The same year, Limelight is finally released in the U.S. and he wins an Oscar for best original score the next year). In this clip, Chaplin is clearly overwhelmed by the audiences’ response as he accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award.  The applause lasts for a record of 12 minutes, still the longest in Academy Award history.

In 1975, Chaplin was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace as Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin. He was 85 at the time. He commented that he hoped to be called ‘Sir Charles’ (as opposed to ‘Sir Charlie’).

On Christmas Day in 1977, Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin died peacefully in his sleep with most of his family at his bedside.  Lady Chaplin said “All the presents were under the tree. Charlie gave so much happiness and, although he had been ill for a long time, it is so sad that he should have passed away on Christmas Day.” Family doctor, Henri Perrier, ascribed death to old age. Funeral services in Vevey were private and restricted to the immediate family. Sir Charles and Lady Oona are buried side-by-side in a simple gravesite at Corsier-sur-Vevein. When I told son Eugene Chaplin that I visited the gravesite, he smiled briefly with British understatement, and said that James Mason is also buried there, too.

Chaplin’s World – Manoir de Ban

On April 17, 2016, Chaplin’s former home and expansive grounds were officially open for the whole world to see. Rechristened Chaplin’s World – Manoir de Ban, it was repurposed and expanded as a museum that showcases Chaplin’s work and life as a family man in Switzerland. The goal was to allow visitors to discover the man behind the movies. The centerpiece of the museum is the three-story, richly decorated Manoir, and a newly constructed studio.

In  Chaplin’s World – Manoir de Ban, visitors are introduced to the Chaplin family. The home has been restaged with a number of its original furnishings, personal items, photographs and family mementos. Each room focuses on a particular period of Chaplin’s personal life, while the dining room pays homage to the family’s everyday routines as well as the many Hollywood celebrities who visited them. An interactive studio features the work of Chaplin the artist which commences with a montage of clips from his half-century of writing, directing, producing, scoring and acting in movies.

The interactive studio is followed by an exhibition of recreated scenes and sets from many of his most famous films, along with wax figures of Chaplin’s famous co-stars.

It’s almost like a theme park where guests can enter the iconic cabin from The Gold Rush, while in the middle of a simulated blizzard, sit in the famous barber’s chair from The Great Dictator, or negotiate  the cogs of the industrial revolution machine from the madcap scene in Modern Times.

A stroll in the Manoir’s 10 acres of expansive green grounds is mandatory with the reward of stunning views of the Swiss Alps and Lake Geneva. This is where Chaplin lived and what he saw and what he loved.

The world misses you, Sir Charles – but your legacy lives on.

This is the final installment of a three-part series about Charles Chaplin.

In Part 1, the focus is on Chaplin’s early life and the genesis of the Little Tramp, Part 2, Chaplin’s movies.

Special thanks to Chaplin’s World for their assistance in this article, and to My Switzerland for making my journey to Vevey possible.

The post In Search of Charlie Chaplin: His Personal Life, Part 3 appeared first on Traveling Archive.

This is a continuation of a three part series about Charlie Chaplin. For Part 1, visit Charlie Chaplin: The Man and the Genius.

To cineastes, Chaplin is more than the man who created the iconic Little Tramp, but one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time. Legendary film critic and father of American auteurism, Andrew Sarris, places Chaplin in his pantheon of the 14 most influential American film directors in his still ground breaking book, The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929–1968,’ which changed the course of film criticism. As head of his own studio, Chaplin had a unique approach in translating his ideas into visual form, virtually never shooting from a working script. Often times he would simply sit on the set, surrounding by his cast, waiting for an idea to come. Occasionally the idea would not come, and he would dismiss the cast for the day, still with full payment. This resulted in long periods of absence on the silver screen. In his autobiography, the only mention of his shooting style was long-shot for comedy, close-up for tragedy, in which he embraced both in his stylistic signature; the essence of the duality of the Little Tramps films.

(Read more about auteurism, and Richard Brody’s stunning memorial to Andrew Sarris.)

In June 1917, Chaplin signed up with First National Studios, and then built Chaplin Studios in Hollywood.  He formed United Artists in  1919 along with the world’s first movie star, Mary Pickford (often times simply referred to as “Little Mary,” or ‘’America’s Sweetheart”), popular Hollywood swashbuckling actor Douglas Fairbanks (who was married to Pickford), and film director, D.W. Griffith (who created the very visual language of film used today). They were the leading filmmakers of their day and wanted complete freedom in producing and distributing their films. Chaplin worshipped Griffith, later commenting, ‘We owe our very existence to him. ’

(Read more about D.W. Griffith’s innovations here.)

Chaplin’s Films

Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot.
– Charles Chaplin

Features

1921 The Kid (Feature): The Little Tramp cares for an abandoned child, but events put that relationship in jeopardy. Chaplin’s first feature at 60 minutes in length, with regular Chaplin player Edna Purviance, star of many of his shorts, and a young, endearing Jackie Coogan, who would grow up to be Uncle Festus in the Adam’s Family TV series. Coogan was discovered in 1919 by Chaplin, and soon after the release of The Kid, Coogan-mania was in full force, spawning a wave of Jackie merchandising. It wasn’t until his 21st birthday, after his father’s death, he found he was virtually broke, with no money left from his work as a child actor. Under California law at the time, the earnings of the minor belonged solely to the parent. Coogan sued his mother and former manager, and, in 1939, the Coogan Law was established to protect future young actors from the same terrible situation.  By modern day stands, the The Kid borders on the maudlin, pulling on all heart strings, but the overall result is remarkably emotionally effecting.

1923 A Woman of Paris: A Drama of Fate (Feature): A kept woman runs into her former fiancé and finds herself torn between love and comfort. After seventy films in which he had appeared in every scene, Chaplin is unbilled and unrecognizable as a porter at a railroad station. His first break from comedy, the film is a valentine to Edna Purviance, to whom he promised that one day he would make a feature film with her in the lead role. Still ahead of its time, the dark drama with its stark, groundbreaking sexual overtones, flopped with the general audience. It was, however, highly influential for film directors; in particular, the German-Hollywood director, Ernst Lubitsch.  The film initially feels like conventional melodramatic, but with a closer look you see how Chaplin has overturned all the stereotypes of the time. The heroine is a courtesan. The hero is a mother-dominated weakling. And the seductive bad guy is charming, considerate and amusing. After Purviance’s retirement, Chaplin continued paying her salary until her death. Chaplin, at 86, worked on the film again, composing a new musical score. Some critics felt it was a kind of reconciliation with a film which the public had rejected, though he himself remained intensely proud of it.

1925 The Gold Rush (Feature): The Little Tramp is a lonely prospector who ventures to the Klondike looking for gold. He gets mixed up with some burly characters and falls in love with the beautiful Georgia Hale, playing a rather hardened, dance-hall girl. He tries to win her heart with his kindness, but with no success. According to David Robinson, the idea came to him when viewing stereoscope pictures of the 1896 Klondike gold rush, and was struck by the image of an endless line of prospectors snaking up the 2300 feet Chilkoot Pass, the gateway to the gold fields. For two weeks Chaplin and his unit worked on location in the snow country of California’s Sierra Nevada, recreating the historic image of the prospectors struggling up the pass through mountain snow. Six hundred extras were used, with many vagrants and derelicts from Sacramento. The film was an important box office success after A Woman of Paris had bombed with audiences. In a revised version in 1942, Chaplin composed an orchestral score, edited the film a bit and replaced the title cards with a commentary which he spoke himself. In this clip, The Little Tramp has fallen asleep while waiting for the dance-hall girl and her lady friends to arrive for a New Year dinner in his little cabin. The ladies had forgotten about the party and never arrive. The Little Tramp dreams about how the party could have been, and does perhaps his most famous bit: ‘the dance of the rolls,’ with just forks and rolls. Audiences were so thrilled by the scene that often times they demanded theatres to stop the film, roll it back and perform an encore:

1928 The Circus (Feature):  The Little Tramp finds work and the girl of his dreams at a circus. When speaking with Chaplin’s son, the most gracious Eugene Chaplin, I asked him what was his father’s favorite of all his films. Eugene replied, he never really said, but it wouldn’t be The Circus for it’s his only feature that he doesn’t mention in his autobiography. I put on a brave face, as The Circus is one of my favorites of his films. Perhaps sandwiched between the enduring masterpieces, The Gold Rush and 1931’s City Lights, it felt light upon comparison. Nevertheless, it too is a masterpiece which Chaplin wrote, directed, produced, acted in and edited. Later he composed the musical soundtrack, along with an opening song, “Swing little girl” where he actually sings.

The film subsides with the Little Tramp’s trademark closing:

1931 City Lights (Feature): The Little Tramp falls in love with a sightless flower girl and desperately accumulates money to help her medically regain here sight. In the middle of City Lights’ production, the advent of sound recording blew through Hollywood like a storm. Initially this induced a disturbing stylistic turn-around in the medium. The silent film was at its zenith; German director F.W. Murnau, famous for his fluid (‘unchained camera’), had already made The Last Laugh in 1924, a film so visually expressive that there was not one single title card used throughout the entire movie. The new sound equipment was primitive, where the camera was placed by a clunky recording apparatus, leading to many static shots. Broadway actors and stage directors poured into Hollywood for the new opportunity. For many of the silent era stars, though, this proved to be tragic, in particular for foreign language speakers unable to continue with their careers in English.  Plus, the quality of the sound recording was so substandard that the voices of major stars, such as heartthrob John Gilbert, produced laughter from the audience. Gilbert already had a high-pitched voice, in contrast to his leading man image, and the primitive sound recording made his voice seem even higher. Chapin faced a dilemma, should he shut down City Lights’ production or continue making it a silent film? Lucky for us, he chose to march on with the silent film revision. City Lights was a stunning success with both critics and the movie going audience. The flower girl is played by Virginia Cherrill, a Chaplin discovery, who semi-retired from acting when she married Cary Grant; a union that would last for barely a year. The ending close-up, along with the final close-up in Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries, is among the cinema’s most moving endings:

1936 Modern Times (Feature) The Little Tramp struggles to live in a modern industrial society with the help of a young homeless woman. Chaplin’s last ‘silent’ film, filled with sound effects, an orchestral music score, and the milestone of the Little Tramp speaking for the first time (actually singing), was made when everyone else was making talkies. The Little Tramp turns against modern society, the machine age and progress. He first appears on the screen, frantically trying to keep up with a production line. He is selected for an experiment with an automatic feeding machine, but various mishaps leads his boss to believe he has gone mad, and Charlie is sent to a mental hospital. When he gets out, he is mistaken for a communist, sent to jail a second time, but foils a jailbreak, and is let out again. Chaplin co-stars with Paulette Goddard, with whom he later secretly married. Controversy struck when Films Sonores Tobis accused Chaplin of stealing the factory scene from French director René Clair‘s À Nous la Liberté, and filed a plagiarism lawsuit. Clair was  against the lawsuit, and mainstream audiences didn’t notice or seem to mind:

Audiences hear Chaplin speak, or sing rather, for the first time in this bit:

The film ends with Chaplin’s classic ending, but with a twist due to being with Goddard:

https://youtu.be/J3aQkfIvx6k

1940 The Great Dictator (Feature) Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel’s regime. Chaplin’s first full “talkie” stirred controversy where he plays a humorous caricature of Adolf Hitler, with many thinking that it was in bad taste. Truth be told, the release of the film was held back by long delays in production (primarily due to building innovative miniature sets), and by completion, Hitler was no longer considered a joking matter. Chaplin played two roles, Hinkel, a parody of Hitler, and the Little Tramp as a Jewish barber. Paulette Goddard is cast again as his co-star, and the underrated Jack Oakie, in a supporting role as Napaloni (a parody of Mussolini). The film was a smash hit. It has been said that Chaplin’s character was ballet, while Buster Keaton’s acrobatic. I regard them equally as the greatest comic silent film directors. In this clip Chaplin’s character performs balletic magic:

1947 Monsieur Verdoux (Feature) A suave Bluebird-like man supports his family by marrying and murdering rich women for their money, but has some occupational hazards when he seduces comedic legend, Martha Raye.  Verdoux  goes to the gallows with a supreme contempt for the laws and norms of the society which he blames drove him to such desperate extremes. Monsieur Verdoux bombed with audiences. According to Richard Brody, ‘Chaplin had lost his popularity, quickly, between 1940, when the “The Great Dictator” was released and ranked among the highest-grossing films ever, and 1947, with the release Monsieur Verdoux.  What had changed were Chaplin and the United States.’ Further controversy was fueled when Chaplin bought the premise of Monsieur Verdoux from Orson Welles.  (The film’s credits list ‘original story written by Charles Chaplin, ‘based on an idea by Orson Welles.’)  Welles was incensed that he did not receive a more prominent credit, and that Chaplin froze him out of the creative process. Sadly, Monsieur Verdoux flopped with the audience, nearly sinking United Artists. Today the film is considered a towering masterpiece.

1952 Limelight (Feature; UK) A fading comedian and a suicidal ballet dancer look to each other to find purpose and hope in their lives. Chaplin cast the unknown Claire Bloom as his leading lady, which propelled her to stardom. He aimed for a more serious tone, regularly using the word “melancholy” when speaking about the film. Stylistically, the final product felt a little dated with facile physiological depth, but today the sentimental drama is considered a major Chaplin film and a great pleasure to watch. Limelight featured a short appearance by Buster Keaton, whom Chaplin cast as his stage partner in the famous dressing room scene. This marked the only time the comedians worked together. Keaton called Chaplin “the greatest silent comedian of all time.” Orson Welles, no stranger to big personalities, commented that for Chaplin to imagine his own death on stage was a supreme act of egotism. Limelight was heavily autobiographical, alluding to Chaplin’s childhood, but also to his loss of popularity in the U.S. It was a family affair which included in the cast his five oldest children and his half-brother, Wheeler Dryden:

1957 A King in New York (Feature; UK) A recently-deposed European monarch seeks shelter in New York City, where he becomes an accidental television celebrity and is later wrongly accused of being a Communist. By this time Chaplin was disappearing from the public eye and A King in New York was not even released in the United States at that time. Those who did eventually see it, dismissed the narrative as preachy and self serving. It’s a movie still worth a look, and a real treat for auteurists.

1959 A Countess from Hong Kong (Feature; UK):  A Russian countess illegally climbs aboard a luxury liner to reach America for a better life. She hides in the cab of a diplomat billionaire. Perhaps the most bizarre threesome to ever work on the same film together: Chaplin, the iron clad director, Marlon Brando,  the temperamental method actor who could improvise on the spot, and Sophia Loren, the world-famous actress, who did not get along with Brando, especially when doing a love scene and commented, “Did you know you have black hairs up your nostrils?” Chaplin’s style was to act out each of the different roles, and then instruct the players with “OK, do this.” Brando bristled and threatened to quit. But he found in the 76 year old Chaplin a man whose ego was actually greater than his own, and eventually succumbed to his will.  “I agreed to be a marionette in his hands. I figured he must know something I didn’t.” Chaplin had written part of the script 34 years earlier, and composed the theme song, ‘This is My Song.” Audiences were disappointed to find that Chaplin only played a cameo role as the ship’s steward. In many respects the buildup to the release of the film was more exciting than the movie itself. See the trailer here.

It was his first and only foray in shooting in color and widescreen. It was also his final film. The reviews ranged from dismissive to savage. Chaplin was happy to return to the harmony of family life in Corsier-sur-Vevey.

Shorts

1921 The Idle Class (Short): Chaplin plays two roles, the little Little Tramp and an upper-class, unrepentant drunk.  In this clip the upper-class drunk forgets to wear his pants and tries not to be seen by any one:

https://youtu.be/zxavuHxun0s

Later, he learns his wife is leaving him due to his drinking; where shot from behind he appears to be sobbing:

1917 The Immigrant (Short): The Little Tramp is an immigrant who endures a challenging voyage and gets into trouble as soon as he arrives in America. Chaplin used the similar shot from the ‘behind gag’ in The Idle Class; this time appearing to be vomiting over the side of the vessel:

Special thanks to Chaplin’s World for their assistance in this article, and to My Switzerland for making my journey to Vevey possible.

Stay tuned for Part 3 where Ed Boitano addresses Chaplin’s private life.

The post In Search of Charlie Chaplin: The Man and His Movies, Part 2 appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Patrons, industry folks, actors, and media representatives gathered for the Opening Night Gala at the Directors Guild, which officially kicked-off this year’s festival. After feasting on a wide variety of nibbles and libations, we were ushered into the Renoir Theatre for the screening Les Misérables, co-written by Alexis Manenti and director Ladj Ly.  Shown for the first time in the U.S., in association with Amazon Studios, it won the Los Angeles Film Critics Award for Best First Film and is France’s 2020 Oscar submission for Best International Feature.* I must say that would not have been my first choice as we’ve seen a variation on that theme many times before.  The story revolves around of low-income housing projects in the Les Bosquets neighborhood of Montfermeil, France.  It features bad cops, a good cop, petty thieves, the Muslim Brotherhood, and a sad group of street kids left to their own devices who figure out how to retaliate against the abusive cops – nothing that we haven’t seen before. (Cast: Daniel Auteuil (Victor), Guillaume Canet (Antoine), Doria Tillier (Margot), Fanny Ardant (Marianne), Michael Cohen (Maxime), Denis Podalydès (François), Pierre Ardidi (Pierre)

In my opinion, a much more compelling film, with a very unique story line, is In Safe Hands. Written and tenderly directed by Jeanne Herry, who assembled an excellent acting ensemble, each of whom gives a heartfelt performance, the story takes us through the fascinating, intricate, and gentle process of adoption in France.  One could only wish we had a similar, almost painless, procedure here in the U.S. (Cast: Sandrine Kiberlain, Gilles Lellouche, Élodie Bouchez, Olivia Côte, Miou Miou)

Other films worth mentioning:

Hungry for Love, written by Laure de Colbert and well directed by Renaud Bertrand, the story revolves around the coming of age or “spring awakening” of a young girl named Chloé, fascinatingly played by Luna Carpiaux, who captures the teenage angst of young love.  The story takes us through the trials and tribulations of her first love, as well as touching upon the potential devastating consequences of social media. (Cast: Luna Carpiaux, Armelle Deutsch, Marilyn Lima, Jules Houplain)

Conviction is a fascinating courtroom drama written by Isabelle Lazard, Karim Dridi, and Antoine Raimbault, who is a first-time director. Based on a true story, the drama revolves around the second trial of Jacques Viguier, a law professor accused of murdering his wife who mysteriously vanished ten years ago. The story is both compelling and intriguing, as parts of a complicated puzzle are woven together.  Highly polished performances are given by the ensemble. (Cast: Antoine Raimbault, Isabelle Lazard, Karim Dridi, Marina Foïs, Olivier Gourmet, Laurent Lucas, Jean Benguigui)

One of my favorite films is Papicha, a stunning look at the life and times of young girls in Algeria trying to live like normal teenagers.  The powerful script written by Fadette Drouard and Mounia Meddour, who also directed, draws back the curtain on what a group of young women, attending a private school, endure because of Sharia law, sometimes enforced by violent women wearing burkas.  Despite the looming brutality, these spirited young women manage to enjoy some of the forbidden activities. A joint venture between France, Algeria, Qatar, and Belgium, hopefully one of those countries will submit Papicha for Best International Feature consideration. (Cast: Lyna Khoudri, Shirine Boutella, Amira Hilda Douaouda, Zahra Doumandji)

Writer/director Jérémy Clapin’s, I Lost My Body, won both the Audience Award and COLCOA Critics’ Award.  Honestly, the reason for the awards escapes me.  The film basically revolved around a hand searching for its body. (Cast: Hakim Faris, Victoire du Bois, Patrick d’Assumçao)

Cyrano My Love, one of two closing night films, won the American Students Award.  I absolutely loved this wonderfully written and directed film by Alexis Michalik, who also plays the lead role of the 20-year-old playwright who is commissioned to write a play while struggling with writer’s block.  Based on Michalik’s hit play, the story is set in turn-of-the-century Paris and said to be somewhat based on fact.  It is a hilarious look at how this playwright stumbles upon lines for his script. Cyrano My Love is deliciously photographed by cinematographer Giovanni Fiore Coltellacci, who captures the beautiful textures of that period of time. (Cast: Thomas Solivérès, Olivier Gourmet, Mathilde Seignier, Tom Leeb)

The second closing night selection was La Belle Époque.  Written and directed by Nicolas Bolduc, who also did the cinematography. (Maybe too many hats?) The story revolves around a theatrical troupe that specializes in historical re-enactments. I found the film tedious, and as it was getting late, I actually thought about leaving before the ending, but my professionalism prevented me from so doing.  Suddenly the fire alarm sounded and lights began flashing around the perimeter of the room.  We were asked to vacate the theatre but in a few minutes were allowed to re-enter.  However, I barely sat down in my seat when we were asked to leave again.  With fire trucks outside the Directors Guild building, I decided to call it a night. (Cast: Thomas Solivérès, Olivier Gourmet, Mathilde Seignier, Tom Leeb)  The film was screened the next day, but alas, due to a prior commitment, I was unable to make that screening.  Oh well. C’est la vie and… a l’année prochaine.***

*The COLCOA French Film Festival is the premier festival for French films in Los Angeles and is an acronym for City of Lights, City of Angels, the original name of the festival in Hollywood, which began in the 1990s.

**Formerly referred to as Best Foreign Language Film

*** “That’s life” and “See you next year”

The post Directors Guild of America Hosts COLCOA – The Annual French Film Festival appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Ron Howard was born into a show biz family making his acting debut at the ripe old age of 18 months. He made his screen debut at when he turned four and has spent his entire life in Hollywood with his breakout role as Opie Taylor on the “The Andy Griffith Show” shining a national spotlight on this adorable little kid from Duncan, Oklahoma.  As he grew up, he transitioned into playing teenagers on such television series as “Happy Days,” “The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang,”  “Laverne & Shirley,” and “Love, American Style.” He had co-starring roles in movies made for television as well as a part in the iconic coming-of-age film “American Graffiti.”

Over the course of his amazing career, Ron has won 39 awards which include, two Academy Awards, (“A Beautiful Mind,” and “Apollo 13”) four Emmys, a Grammy, two Golden Globes and was nominated for seven BAFTA Awards and was a recipient of the National Medal of Arts in 2001. He was honored twice by receiving two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the television and motion picture industries.

There are too many films to list but some of the most memorable include, “Cocoon,” “Splash,” “Parenthood,” “Cinderella Man,” Rush,” “Backdraft,” “The Da Vinci Code,” “Angels & Demons,” and “Frost/Nixon.” Ron is a national treasure with a reputation of being one of the nicest people in Hollywood, which is attested to by the famous actors with whom he has worked including, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Mel Gibson, Kurt Russell, Gary Sinise, Daryl Hannah, Robert Duvall, Steve Martin, Michael Keaton, Kevin Bacon, Ed Harris, Ewan McGregor, Henry Winkler, and Bill Paxton.  Ron is married to Cheryl Howard and they have four children:  Bryce Dallas, twins Jocelyn Carlyle and Paige, and their son Reed Cross.

Recap:  In Part 1 Ron discussed the making of “Pavarotti.”  His goal was to illuminate the life and times of the world’s most famous tenor.  The documentary includes interviews with Pavarotti’s family as well as rare archival footage.  The film is CBS Films Polygram Entertainment Brian Grazer presentation, an Imagine Entertainment and White Horse Pictures production, and is scheduled to open in select cities on June 7.

Following is Part 2 of my exclusive interview with Ron Howard, which has been edited for content and continuity for print purposes.

There is a thru line to your films, which are character-driven with a deep sensitivity to the human condition.  Why is that your preference?

Ron: I always think about character-driven stories.  As a fan, those are the stories that reach me the most deeply.  I can appreciate a good action movie or a fantasy that isn’t character driven and some of them are great.  But the movies and television shows that resonate with me are the ones where the characters are tested in ways that I find fascinating or I relate to or I feel I learned something through observing their journey – whether it’s fiction or based on real events.

A lot of young actors don’t make a healthy transition.  Some become drug addicts, some commit suicide.  Obviously, you never fell prey to some of the pitfalls of early success and the inherent financial rewards.  Another transition was when you decided you wanted to direct.  How was that received by the industry?

Ron:  That was another time and there were access limitations.  There was no cable, there were just three television channels and no independent stations, there was no Sundance, or independent film markets so it was a much more closed industry.   Generally, people were pretty patronizing when I would say that I wanted to direct.  They’d say how cute and someday I’m sure you will.  I was just chafing to do it now.  My dream was to direct a movie while I was still a teenager which I didn’t achieve, but my first film rolled the day after my 23rd birthday so I didn’t miss it by too much.

What grabs you when you’re reading a script?

Ron:  Usually it’s a surprise.  There’s something fresh about the setting and I like the way the characters are behaving within that setting and I feel like the script is offering the audience something fresh.

How do you set up your scenes with your actors?

Ron:  Through rehearsals and conversations, I try to understand what makes them tick as artists and I try to create an environment, which will allow them to excel.  I make known aspects of the scene that I think are important.  Some actors really want to talk about their characters and delve into it while others are very self-sufficient and lose something if they over articulate it or over analyze it.  As a director, I like to feel that I adapt my approach to what I think will allow the actor to really soar.

When you’re working with a narrative script, do you allow for improvisations or changes to the script as you’re shooting?

Ron:  It depends a little bit on the nature of it.  If I think the actor or actress has a gift, I’m definitely more inclined to try to open up some time in the schedule to let them improvise.   You wouldn’t think it, but the movie “Cocoon” had a lot of improvisation in it.  Other movies like “Parenthood” were very loose and very realistic and had very little improv.  It was tightly scripted and worked.  Even “Arrested Development” was initially supposed to have a lot of improvisation, but the scripts were so tight that while the actors might riff a little bit here and there, they just stuck with Mitch’s writing (Mitchell Hurwitz).  It gets down to how are we using our resources for the best effect.  Is it through improv or is it executing the script as written?

In a given week or a month, how many scripts land on your desk?

Ron:  Well, it depends on whether or not I’m shooting.  I’m getting ready to direct a scripted project from Netflix called “Hillbilly Elegy,” which will be starring Glenn Close and Amy Adams.  During the nine weeks of shooting in Georgia and Ohio, I doubt that I’ll be reading any scripts.  When I’m just being co-chairman of Imagine Entertainment, I will read two or three scripts a week.

As always, I look forward to seeing your next film.

Ron:  Thank you so much.  This was fun.

Ron Howard Interview, Part 1: Ron Howard Discusses His Documentary on the Iconic Tenor Luciano Pavarotti

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