In Search of… The Dardenne Brothers’ ‘Unknown Girl’ revisits their theme of ordinary people facing moral dilemmas 

Belgian filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne have been making movies together since the 1980s. The brothers, who write, direct and produce, are best-known for their breakout films, La Promesse (1996), about a young man (Jérémie Renier) whose father (Olivier Gourmet) trafficks African immigrants, and Rosetta (1998), a portrait of a disenfranchised teenager (Émilie Dequenne) who undermines a friend in order to get steady work. Nearly all of the Dardenne Brothers’ movies are about working-class characters who are compelled to make difficult decisions. Their latest feature, The Unknown Girl (opening Sept. 8 from IFC Films), represents a slight departure: Its protagonist is an ambitious medical doctor.Jenny Davin (Adèle Haenel) is middle-class. At the beginning of The Unknown Girl, she is on the verge of leaving her current position to join [ . . . ]

Read Full Review: In Search of… The Dardenne Brothers’ ‘Unknown Girl’ revisits their theme of ordinary people facing moral dilemmas | Film Journal International

Mireille Darc: the most beautiful roles of the great grasshopper

Mireille Darc, who just left us at the age of 79, was able to invent in the 60s a new kind of woman liberated with mutinous charm under the leadership of Georges Lautner and Michel Audiard. In the second part of her career, influenced by Delon, she encamped darker roles as in Ice Breasts .

A film gave him her nickname. In 1965, Mireille Darc became the great grasshopper forever. An actress apart from the crazy chic that sticks perfectly to her time. Men, and not just anyone, would transform her into a symbol of the liberated woman who would take power in the 1970s.

After a few appearances in the early 1960s, Mireille Darc became famous with the comedy Pouic-Pouic by Jean Girault. She is Patricia Monestier, the half-ingenious, half-sophisticated daughter of a businessman who [ . . . ]

Read More at: Mireille Darc: the most beautiful roles of the great grasshopper

Tourists defy Trump to return to Paris in record numbers after terror attacks 

On a warm August day, the world’s most famous boulevard, the Champs-Elysées, is heaving.Li-na and Zhangli from Shanghai, laden with bags from designer stores, are here to go shopping, while James from Illinois wants to climb the Arc de Triomphe.“I’ve already done the Eiffel Tower, Sacré Coeur and Notre Dame,” he says.

“Tomorrow it’s Versailles.” Bernard, from neighbouring Belgium, is in the French capital for a short break “because it’s beautiful and not far by train”.In the tree-lined street’s grand flagship stores and myriad eateries you can almost hear the collective sigh of relief: after a “catastrophic” 2016 for tourism following a series of terrorist attacks in France, the visitors are back – and in record numbers [ . . . ]

Read Full Story: Tourists defy Trump to return to Paris in record numbers after terror attacks | World news | The Guardian

‘Anti-petanque’ measures built at Paris tourist hotspot

The famous French game has been played at Place Dauphine, by the River Seine in Paris, since the early 20th Century.

Paris officials have sparked outrage by installing ‘anti-petanque’ measures at a tourist hotspot in a bid to stop players creating dust and making too much noise.

The famous French game has been played at Place Dauphine, by the River Seine, since the early 20th Century.

But the city council has decided to ‘reduce the surface available’ to enthusiasts after receiving a series of complaints about the noise and dust it creates.

Jean-François Legaret, Mayor of the city’s 1st arrondissement, confirmed that the site was due to be covered in new plants and other obstacles.

The Place Dauphine, by Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris, currently attracts up to ten separate games at any one time.

Tourists, including many from the UK, mill around watching and taking pictures of the action, just as they have done since the early 20th Century.

‘We’re part of Paris’s history,’ said Alain Groulet, 72, who was playing on the square with a group of friends on Sunday morning [ . . . ]

Read Full Story: ‘Anti-petanque’ measures built at Paris tourist hotspot | Daily Mail Online