The French Journal

A word or two of explanation...

2008-05-07T06:55:18-04:00

While working on another writing project, fulfilling some professional obligations, and handling a few personal matters, my time for the blog has become very limited. I have no real opportunity to research and dig for the new items that give me pleasure and teach me new things about my beloved France, and that I get joy from sharing with you.

I'm going to put The French Journal on hiatus as I work through the crunch period. My apologies.

Lonely Planet tours Paris

2008-05-05T11:30:00-04:00

The travel guide Lonely Planet has a video page, and while it's not rich with items yet, the one above gives you a three minute swing around Paris.

Lyon with Peregrine

2008-05-05T08:00:07-04:00

I've written about Lyon many times in the past, but since my desires to visit the city are as of yet unfulfilled, I will gladly take an opportunity to follow in Anthony Peregrine's footsteps as he travels there for The Times (U.K.). Starting off in Vieux Lyon, there's a taste of the Renaissance, and the frightening information that the city fathers once considered bulldozing the area for urban renewal. Happily, that disaster was avoided, and now you can still poke around in the unique walkways (called traboules) which connect the buildings in this vicinity. There's shopping, of course, as well as museums dedicated to the filmmaking Lumière Brothers and the Resistance (whose leader, Jean Moulin, died in Lyon). And this being Lyon, food is king, with restaurants ranging from master chef Paul Bocuse's temples of cuisine to the bouchons, the characteristic eateries of the city.

For more, be sure to go to my Rhône Alpes index, where there's a wealth of material.

Wine truc: Cabernet Franc = herbs

2008-05-02T13:20:38-04:00

In some of the world's the finest wines, like those of Bordeaux, the Cabernet Franc grape is used sparingly as a blending element, adding a "herbaceous" note. As a varietal, however, the grape lacks prominence, despite some notable bottlers in the Loire region, such as Saumur-Champigny, Bourgueil and Chinon. To learn more about the grape, hie yourself o'er to the LA Times for an introduction to Cabernet Franc. Since the LAT is a California publication, be prepared for a report that emphasizes the grape's status in that state and in Washington, but there's a good dose of France in the article's blend. Should you not have the energy to follow the link, here are the salient tasting hints to remember: "(Cabernet Franc's) herbal marker is so unique that when it goes missing, as it does in warmer sites, the wines can seem generic and sullen.Too much and the wine can be green and weedy." Santé!

Four newish Parisian architectural gems

2008-05-02T07:56:06-04:00

As an article in The Guardian (U.K.) notes, the beauty of Paris is due at least in part to rigid guidelines about the kinds of construction that can take place in the heart of the city. This is not a town where skyscrapers dominate the view; when they do, like near the Tour Montparnasse, they are often reviled.

But in the outer arrondissements there is more freedom to experiment, so The Guardian offers four examples of modern building that give some "edginess" to the city's landscape. Most of them are in the Bercy area. They are:

The Headquarters of le Parti Communist Français, designed by Oscar Niemeyer, the prime architect of Brasilia.

Cinémathèque Francaise, by Frank Gehry, who is also responsible for the Guggenheim in Bilboa and the Disney Concert Hall in LA.

The Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir, a pedestrian bridge opened in 2006.

Bibliothèque Nationale de France, one of François Mitterand's "grands projets." The four buildings, used mostly for storage, look like open books. Beautiful at night, they are sometimes criticized for their inhospitality (all of the reading rooms are underground). The official BNF site has a video tour.

It's mai, it's mai, the not so lusty month of mai

2008-05-01T13:24:07-04:00

Three "timely" articles for you:

May breaks. Time suggests that the month of May is a tough time for French employers because of several national paid holidays which often "bridge" to even longer weekend breaks.
Barricade breaks. It's the 40th anniversary of the riots of 1968, which were a seminal event in France and in the lives of people of a certain age. The NY Times examines the legacies of the upheaval, ranging from societal (but not governmental) changes, to self-congratulation, to commemorations like a special tea sold at the gourmet store Fauchon "...with the perfume of revolution.” (Price: ca. $23.50.)
Price breaks. The NYT (again) focuses on a French family as it relates the pain of how monetary inflation is impacting Europeans. Chilling quote: “In France, when you can’t afford a baguette anymore, you know you’re in trouble.”

Muslims in France: An overview

2008-05-01T07:04:14-04:00

I can't pretend to understand the situation of Muslims who live in France, but I do know that it's volatile. For those like me who would like a primer on the issues, Spiegel On-Line has an overview of the life of Muslims in France. The article cites "discrimination on a daily basis: when their tickets are checked on the metro, when they have to meet the bouncer’s approval to enter a disco, when they go in for a job interview and when they apply for a bank loan" Observers say it's not a question of integration, but of Muslims being characterized by their religion, which is viewed with suspicion and distrust. And a bickering local Muslim Council has been unable to provide leadership that would ameliorate the situation. All-in-all, a fascinating read.

Related to this story, from The Washington Post via French Culture Now: estimates that Muslims make up 60 to 70 percent of France's prison population.

This month's literary scandal: Houellebecq versus mama

2008-04-30T07:28:12-04:00

Michel Houellebecq is one of the best-known, more notorious writers on the French scene, responsible for cynical, sex-filled novels like The Possibility of an Island andThe Elementary Particles. This latter book has a character which Houellebecq based on his mother, and he portrays her as an irresponsible flower child. Now Houellebecq's mother, Lucie Ceccaldi, 83, has "fired back," claiming that she was a hard-working woman (who nonetheless ceded the upbringing of her son to her mother-in-law). (TTC/AFP). Like most who follow this route, she says that going public to dispute her son's characterization of her is a way to reach out to him. Somehow, I don't think the tactic of telling the world that your son is a "liar" and a "parasite" will be the most effective way to bring about a reconciliation.

The Molières honor this year's best in French theatre

2008-04-29T17:00:00-04:00

The Molières, the French equivalent to the Tony Awards for theater, were given out last night in Paris, and they had a decidedly American flavor. The best musical award went to Le Roi Lion, that is, The Lion King, a French language recreation of the New York/Disney smash. And the best director award went to actor John Malkovich for his work on the play Good Canary.

Winning for best drama was La Vie devant soi, based on a novel by Romain Gary which had also served as the source for the well-known Simone Signoret film, Madame Rosa. The lead actress in the play, Myriam Boyer, was honored for her work. Boyer is the mother of French film star Clovis Cornillac, himself a nominee this year for a Molière for his role in L'Hôtel du libre-échange; Cornillac lost, however, to veteran French actor Michel Galabru, who starred in Les Chaussettes - opus 124.

A complete list of winners is available on Le Monde. If you want to try out your French, here's Galabru's acceptance speech.

Belatedly, Anzac Day in Villers-Bretonneux

2008-04-29T07:22:19-04:00

Late last week, in the village of Villers-Bretonneux, hundreds of Australians gathered to commemorate the efforts of their countrymen in World War I on the French front (Sydney Morning-Herald). VB, as it was known, had been captured by the Germans, who viewed it as a gateway for a march on Paris. The Australians fought - and regained - the town, but at an enormous cost: 1,200 lives. Even so, this battle was not the bloodiest for the Aussies in France during the Great War. At Fromelles, in 1916, there were over 5,000 casualties, including nearly 2,000 deaths.

Villers-Bretonneau planned a week-long celebration of the Australians, in recognition of the 90th anniversary of the battle. Anzac Day, a national holiday in Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere, takes place on April 25 and also honors the soldiers of World War I who fought at Gallipoli.

Spending a day in Paris #3: A guide to the tops (by The Telegraph)

2008-04-28T16:10:00-04:00

For our last taste of Paris, I'm sending you to The Telegraph (U.K.) for a recent update to its guide to the city. There are lists of the best hotels, restaurants, sites, nightspots, and shopping venues. The guide not necessarily the source I'd recommend if you are planning a trip; in its brevity, one almost feels it was written from a desk in London by someone who has never been to the city. For example, the Musée du quai Branly is one of the "top five sites," but Notre Dame and Montmartre are not to be found. We'll forgive the idiocyncracies, however; when faced with the richness of Paris, choosing a few glories is an impossible task anyway. And there's enough in the guide to generate some longing for a visit.

Spending the day in Paris #2: Cinematic Paris

2008-04-28T10:45:00-04:00

Over at the LA Times, Susan Spano offers us a list of the "Ten Best Films to See Paris on the Silver Screen." Last I'd heard, Spano had relocated to China; she may have left the Paris beat, but the LAT is still squeezing these articles out of her. In any case, there's a lot on her list to quibble with, like her number one: Ratatouille? A good movie, but it's perverse to select computer-generated Paris as your best way to experience the city on fillm. And I like An American in Paris, but most of it was shot in a studio. And then you get to Is Paris Burning?, which may have the scenery, but it's a lousy movie and hell to sit through. The others on Spano's list are Love in the Afternoon, Le Divorce, Funny Face, Gigi, Breathless, Day of the Jackal, and Amélie. What? No Paris, Je T'aime?

The opening credits for Love in the Afternoon, with some good Paris scenes, heads this post. I haven't seen the movie for a long time.

Spending the day in Paris #1: Through an artist's eyes

2008-04-28T07:29:28-04:00

Photograph by Ian Gittler for Budget Travel

April in Paris. Which is where I am not. Nonetheless, I found a good batch of Paris articles to share with you today, so those of us who are far away can spend some time there before this celebrated month ends.

First, through the auspices of Budget Travel, we see the city "through an artist's eyes," the artist being photographer Ian Gittler. There are many evocative delights in this series of 20 shots, including night time at Pigalle, Parisian rooftops, and a sequence on the Palais Royale. Gittler speaks for just about every tourist when he says "...I was as curious and enthusiastic about being here as anyone...I was free to wander and snap pictures of random or even insignificant details simply because I thought they might inspire a sweet memory at some point down the line."

There's even more on Gittler's web site; click on "Paris Journal" on the home page for a diorama, and be sure to look for Charlotte Gainsbourg as you circle around.

Wine truc: Get to know your Rothschilds

2008-04-25T15:13:00-04:00

Let's travel in rarefied air for our Friday wine truc and visit Château Lafite, the crown jewel in the kingdom of Domaines Barons de Rothschild, which includes vineyards in Bordeaux, Entre-Deux-Mers, Portugal, Chile, and Argentina (The Telegraph UK). Rothschild's concern produces over 12-million bottles a year.

Just to confuse you, and to prove life isn't fair, another branch of the Rothschild family owns Château Mouton Rothschild and several other labels. In spite of the proximity and overlap between the two producers, there is no rivalry as such between the two factions; one senses that in this world, competition is beneath consideration, as there's enough money to go around for everyone, isn't there?

Film: Claude Lelouche and Roman de Gare

2008-04-25T11:15:00-04:00

For your weekend at the movies, you could try out the latest film by Claude Lelouche, Roman de Gare. A tricky little puzzle movie, the movie is graced with swoony shots of the Bordeaux area and the presence of grande dame Fanny Ardant. The movie's supporters enjoy its glossy escapism; naysayers suggest that "too many scenes outstay their welcome." The title, BTW, means "airplane read," that is, a none-too-challenging novel to kill time.

Lelouche, who became famous several decades ago with the swirling romanticism of A Man and a Woman, was profiled recently in The New York Times. After the critical drubbing of some recent films, he made Roman de Gare under a pseudonym to test whether the reaction to his movies was a kneejerk response to his name on the credits. He submitted the movie to Cannes. Lelouche says, "“They thought they had discovered a wonderful new young director."