About a month ago, I posted an incomplete list of winners of the French Film Critics 2007 Étoiles d'Or, which had been announced the month before. Since I've finally completed the list of the French film critics' winners — and nominees — I've decided to post a brief article about them. I'll take any opportunity I can to mention Alain Resnais' masterful Coeurs / Private Fears in Public Places.
The Étoile d'Or for best film was given to two productions: Pascale Ferran's new look at D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley (which went on to win the best film César), and to Rachid Bouchareb's socially significant — but dramatically routine — Indigènes / Days of Glory, about North Africans fighting for France during World War II.
The best director prize, however, went to 82-year-old veteran Alain Resnais for — you guessed it — Coeurs, a beautifully made adaptation of Alan Ayckbourn's play in which six different people interact — or at least try to interact — in a snowy, dreamlike Paris.
The French critics also failed to decide who should take home the best actor prize. As a result, both Jean Dujardin and François Cluzet went on stage to receive their Étoiles: Dujardin for his suave James Bond-like spy in the highly successful comedy-adventure flick OSS 117 – Le Caire nid d'espions / OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies, and Cluzet — who went on to win a best actor César — for his doctor-in-distress in the thriller Ne le dis à personne / Tell No One.
Cécile De France was the best actress for both Quand j'étais chanteur / The Singerand Mauvaise foi (above)– though surprisingly not for her charmingly gauche waitress in Fauteuils d'orchestre / Avenue Montaigne.
The best first film was Mauvaise foi by Roschdy Zem (one of the stars of Indigènes), about how parental prejudices affect the relationship between a pregnant Jewish woman and her Muslim Moroccan boyfriend, while British director Anthony Minghella received the Honorary Étoile d'Or.
Full list of 2007 Étoile d'Or de la Presse winners and nominees
Full list of 2006 Étoile d'Or de la Presse winners and nominees
Full list of 2005 Étoile d'Or de la Presse winners and nominees
SXSW Film Festival Awards – 2007 Winners
Miami Film Festival Awards – 2007 Winners
ROSITA (2005) by Barbara Attie and Janet Goldwater: Film Review
No, I haven't seen "The Singer" yet. Looking forward to it. Thanks for the heads up!
If you haven't seen The Singer yet… you're in for a treat and one of the most sublime, understated endings of recent memory. You should, however, erase that knowledge from your memory, because otherwise you will be waiting for it, which is no good! It is perhaps a tad too meandering, but who cares when De France and Depardieu are as good as they are here?
Strange. "Avenue Montaigne" is not included in their list of eligible films, even though it opened in France last year. (The Etoiles d'Or cover French films released during the 2006 calendar year.)
I'm looking forward to "Mauvaise foi" and "The Singer" just because of Cecile de France. Her performance in "Avenue Montaigne" was flawless.
the Avenue Montaigne snub is indeed strange, since her turn in that film is decidedly more awards-worthy than her role in Mauvaise foi… maybe it has something to do with the cut-off dates for eligibility? Montaigne came out in the spring of 2006, so perhaps it does not count for this year's awards?
Mauvaise foi is a fun film but not an especially good one. It is certainly a surprise that it took Best First Film…. but then again, the other two nominees in this category did nothing for me either…