Recommended for A2 and equivalent level French
This study day will introduce different film genres and approaches in French cinema to represent ideas and political movements, in this case the French feminist movement of the late 1960s.
Isabelle Vanderschelden will introduce the film in French, providing relevant contextual information on the women’s movement in the late 1960s and on the post May 1968 period. She will also explain the place of women directors in France and introduce the actors. A few short exercises will provide key vocabulary to help understand the film better.
The screening will be followed after lunch by more language exercises in French on the film’s main themes and its characters. Topics discussed during the session will include relationships, freedom, and feminist ideas more generally. It will also consider the contrast between life in rural France and in large cities as represented in the film. The session will also briefly address genre and style issues to evaluate the representation of the past.
Led by Isabelle Vanderschelden, Head of French at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Screening: La Belle Saison (Summertime) (15)
Dir Catherine Corsini / France / Belgium 2016 / 105mins / In French with English Subtitles / Cécile De France / Izïa Higelin / Noémie Lvovsky / Jean-Henri Compère
In 1971, farmers’ daughter Delphine moves to Paris to break free from the shackles of her family and to gain financial independence. Carole is a radical Parisian feminist, actively involved in the stirrings of the feminist movement. The film, powered by two terrific lead performances, offers an intellectual and frequently sensual look at the transformative power of love.
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