Expédition Hoggar 79 1979 ( 10)

TSR documentary on the 1979 expedition to Algeria in the Atakor massif (Hoggar desert), organized by Geneva mountaineer Michel Vaucher and Jean-Blaise Fellay. The climbers make a dozen ascents including the famous summit of Adaouda (which means "finger" in Tamasheq, the Tuareg dialect), by several routes. Then a new route on the peaks of the southern Tezoulegs. They discover the volcanic geological characteristics of the Atakor massif and meet the nomadic inhabitants of the region, the Tuaregs, who are increasingly settling in the town of Tamanrasset.

The Duchess of Avila 1973 ( 10)

An epic six-hour adaptation of Potocki's The Manuscript Found in Saragossa. Most famously filmed by Wojciech Has, this four part adaptation has the advantage of a vastly expanded running time, allowing for more of the novel to be incorporated >> shot on film, it was clearly a very expensive production and is equally spectacular in its own way.

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The Wanderer 1967 ( 5.5)

Rural France, the 1890s. Always in motion, Augustin wanders three times. First, as a youth, while a boarder near Bourges, he's lost in the woods and finds a chateau where an engagement party's in progress: there he falls eternally in love with Yvonne and she with him. Back at school, he hears she is in Paris, so he follows in a vain search and meets a woman, jilted by her lover. In the countryside a few year's later, Augustin's friend François finds Yvonne and brings Augustin to her. They marry, but the next day, Augustin leaves to fulfill a youthful promise he made to Yvonne's brother. François comforts the pregnant Yvonne as they await Augustin's return.

Duende 1990

Duende, the title of this documentary, is a richly complex and untranslatably idiomatic Spanish word which evokes the mysterious, ineffable quality that the art of bullfighting has for its devotees. This film explores the process by which an apprentice bullfighter, Carmelo, became a matador, a term which is reserved only for those who are recognized as being fully qualified to serve as a central player in this ritualistic drama, la corrida, which is sometimes incorrectly described as being a "sport." Various senior and retired bullfighters and their relatives recount their observations and experiences, and Carmelo re-enacts his coming-of-age as a bullfighter for the cameras. Those who are already convinced that la corrida is a celebration of the mystery of life and death may particularly appreciate this respectful documentary.

Léopold R. 1998

The painter Léopold Robert took his own life on 20 March 1835 in his Venice studio, at the height of his fame. The central character of this film, the narrator, attempts to discover the causes of the artist's suicide with the help of his voluminous correspondence.

The Mirror 2010 ( 6.6)

About a man going from early childhood to old age in the time it takes to freshen up.

Land of the Heads 2009 ( 4.8)

Emile is an unhappy little vampire, doing a job he detests, in a world plunged into perpetual gloom. He serves a despotic mistress who loathes wrinkles, in the most extreme way.

Happy Easter 1984 ( 5.9)

Chronic serial womanizer Stephane Margelle drops his wife Sophie off at the airport so she can go away for Easter weekend. He immediately picks up beautiful young Julie, who has just had a fight with her married boyfriend. He gets her back to his apartment and is preparing for a sexy weekend, when his wife suddenly returns home. He makes up a bizarre, on-the-spot, spur-of-the-moment story that the gorgeous girl is actually his long-lost daughter. Julie plays along, but this leads to a whole series of increasingly ridiculous lies and comical situations (such as when her real mother shows up).

Pizzaiolo et Mozzarel 1985 ( 4.2)

Carlo Monte, a seductive pizza maker in charge of a straw hut on the beaches of the south of France, is contacted by barbouzes who notice his perfect resemblance to President-General Gonzales Y Ramirez, president for life of Malaguenia. Supposed to replace the dictator on a private visit to France and to announce his abdication in favor of the insurgents, he had them arrested and established democracy. As for the deposed tyrant, he found himself in charge of Carlo's straw hut with somewhat militarized colors.

Effraction 1983 ( 3.5)

During a robbery that goes wrong, Valentin Tralande kills his accomplices and bank customers.