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Lumière d'été

Lumiere d'ete (1943)
October 17, 2015 - 7:30 pm

Lumière d'été  (France, 1943)


Acclaimed as one of the highest achievements of French Cinema under German occupation, Lumière d'été was banned by Vichy authorities for its critique of the corrupt ruling class.  A woman joins her artist lover at a mountaintop resort, becoming disillusioned with his decadent social set, and becoming attracted to an honest, young engineer.  The film's climactic bal-masque constitutes one of the great set pieces of French cinema.

35mm, b/w, in French with English subtitles, 108 min. Production: Films André Paulvé.  Distribution: DisCina.  Producer: André Paulvé. Director: Jean Grémillon.  Screenwriter: Jacques Prévert, Pierre Laroche.  Cinematographer: Louis Page.  Editor: Louisette Hautecoeur.  Composer: Roland Manuel.  With: Madeleine Renaud, Paul Bernard, Madeleine Robinson, Pierre Brasseur, Georges Marchal.

Preceded by

Les Charmes de l'existence  (France, 1950)


An incisive exploration of the dubious beauty of "official" art.

16mm, b/w, in French with English subtitles, 25 min.  Production: Les Films De Saint-German-Des-Près.  Producers: Frédéric Chauvelot, Jean-Pierre Vivet.  Director: Jean Grémillon, Pierre Kast.  Screenwriter: Jean Grémillon.  Cinematographer: Maurice Pecqueux.  With: Jean Grémillon (narrator).