The Last Movie I Saw

When I was in Los Angeles a couple weeks back, I had the opportunity to attend a premiere (Los Angeles premiere anyway) of the new Bertrand Tavernier film The Princess of Montpensier. The film was entertaining, and like all of Tavernier's work that I've seen, extremely well-made in an almost classical style. By that I mean that he offers lengthy scenes that allow an audience to absorb a setting while also allowing the actors to really interact with each other, as opposed to the kind of quick-cutting and attention deficit editing that dominate American films. This historical epic revolves around the appeal of the title character, a young woman betrothed first to one, then another prince (the machinations behind all this dictated by their respective fathers, whose interests hardly account for the young people's feelings), while all the while loving the brother of her first fiance. As the story unfolds, her charms enchant another Duke and, most tragically, her husband's former teacher, all against the background of the ongoing war pitting Catholics against Huguenots. I wouldn't call the movie a masterpiece, but it's great to look at and the story is never less than engaging.

What made the experience even more special, however, was that Tavernier was on hand to introduce the film, and to talk about his career afterward, along with one of the lead actors Gaspard Ulliel. I was actually lucky to be there, as the show was sold out when I arrived at the theater (the Aero in Santa Monica), but there was a standby line that I stood in for forty minutes with the hope that there would be some no-shows (the rumor circulating amongst those of us waiting was that most of the tickets had been distributed to staff at the French Embassy, which seemed reasonable given all the French I heard spoken outside the theater that night). I was about twentieth in line and ended up being the second last person to get in. Even though that meant I watched the movie from the end seat on the right side of the front row (a very weird angle, I must say), the conversation with Tavernier made it more than worthwhile. I've enjoyed several of his earlier films (especially Coup de Torchon, 'Round Midnight, A Sunday in the Country, and Life and Nothing But), and it turns out he has a real affinity for classic American movies, so there was plenty of interesting commentary about his work and how it was inspired or influenced by such predecessors as John Ford and Anthony Mann. Taken as a whole, that evening was definitely the highlight of my brief visit to Southern California.