Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:52:30 — 51.6MB)
This podcast focuses on Criterion’s Eclipse Series of DVDs. Hosts David Blakeslee and Trevor Berrett give an overview of each box and offer their perspectives on the unique treasures they find inside. In this episode, David and Trevor discuss Eclipse Series 22: Presenting Sacha Guitry, four urbane, sophisticated French comedies of the late 1930s.
About the films:
Sacha Guitry was once a household name. Something of a Gallic Noël Coward, this disarming, multitalented artist served up some of 1930s French cinema’s tastiest dishes. The son of a beloved theater actor, Guitry was devoted to the footlights, first turning to the silver screen only as a way of bringing his plays to a wider audience. His films were anything but stage-bound, however: often the director, writer, and star of his popular movies, Guitry brought a witty inventiveness to the cinema and deployed radical techniques with such aplomb and control that he’s considered one of the medium’s first complete auteurs. With these four films, American audiences can finally sample Guitry’s creative, comic confections.
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Timeline for the podcast:
Introduction/Background (00:00:01 – 00:20:05)
The Story of a Cheat (00:20:06 – 00:39:45)
The Pearls of the Crown (00:39:46 – 01:02:00)
Désiré (01:02:01 – 01:25:34)
Quadrille (01:25:35 – 01:41:09)
Conclusion (01:41:10 – 01:52:30)
Buy The Box Set On Amazon:
Episode Links:
Director Overview:
- French Film Site bio by James Travers
- Film Comment bio by Andrew Sarris
- Wikipedia entry on Sacha Guitry
- Criterion Cast review of La Poison by Scott Nye
- 246 quotes of Sacha Guitry (in French)
- Death of Sacha Guitry (1957 newsreel footage) from British Pathé
Jacqueline Delubac:
- “The Choice of Modernity” art collection exhibit at Musee des Beaux-Arts de Lyon
- YouTube preview of the exhibit (in French)
- Obituary (1997) in The Independent by Gilbert Adair
Box Set Reviews:
- New York Times review by Dave Kehr
- DVD Talk review by Jamie S. Rich
- Slant Magazine review by Fernando F. Croce
- PopMatters review by Thomas Britt
- DVD Verdict review by James A. Stewart
The Story of a Cheat:
- David’s Journey Through the Eclipse Series review
- Strictly Film School review by acquarello
- CinePassion review by Fernando F. Croce
- Boba_Fett1138 review by Frank Veenstra
The Pearls of the Crown:
- David’s Journey Through the Eclipse Series review
- TCM review by Nathaniel Thompson
- French Film Site review by James Travers
- Wonders in the Dark review by Allan Fish
Désiré:
- David’s Journey Through the Eclipse Series review
- L’Oiel sur L’Ecran review (French original, in English via Google Translate)
Quadrille:
- David’s Journey Through the Eclipse Series review
- French Film Site review by James Travers
- Cinematic Threads review by Matthew Lotti
Contact us:
- Email: theeclipseviewer (at) gmail.com
- David Blakeslee ( Twitter / Website )
- Trevor Berrett ( Twitter / Website )
Next time on the podcast: Eclipse Series 4: Raymond Bernard