The Lovely Month of May

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S R @ScottR May 24 I saw it since it was on the NYT 1000 list. I appreciate it for what it is, a time capsule of French people in 1962 sharing their thoughts. However, it was random and didn’t have a plot. I don’t plan to see it again. SLC dvd. See more spencer p @s_plewe 03/23/2017 Beautifully shot and masterfully conducted, this tour of a month in Paris not only tells the full picture of current events of the time, but paints life in the city like a filmic painting. See more 02/19/2016 My favourite actress narrates the English version of this. The film consists of numerous interviews with Parisians during the month of May 1962 which was a pivotal moment in French history as it was the first time in many decades that France was at peace. There was a cease fire with Algeria and De Gaulle had said that if Algerians wanted independence it was their choice and so Algeria was on the verge of said. There were references to recent events such as the massacre of 8 protestors during a protest on Feb. 8th, 1962 and a procession marking the anniversary of the death of Joan of Arc but primarily ordinary citizens were interviewed. What gets me the most is that in all the interviews with so many Parisians so few saw beyond the end of their noses and less cared. With peace came the prospect of using war dollars for social programs and thus a hope for a better future for all where poverty would be eradicated and so on. See more 09/02/2014 My husband and I thought it was brilliant. See more 10/17/2013 It is another man-on-the-street kind of documentary but then it isn't..with extreme political unrest unfolding at the same time, this is a society not at ease with itself. People undertake their day to day activities but with full knowledge that their rights and freedoms may be at risk threatening their existences. See more walter m @Harlequin68 09/16/2013 With the documentary "Le Joli Mai," Chris Marker and Pierre Lhomme attempt to capture a particular time and place, namely May 1962 in Paris. Sadly for them, nothing much was happening that month, just after Algerian independence. But at least we do get a weather report at one point, along with a musical interlude. On a thematic level, it just comes down to political statements and Marker's continuing fascination with all things cats. Otherwise there are just person on the street interviews which are much more miss than hit, and mostly dull, with the highlights being a couple of Algerian men. In short, this is nowhere near as fluid as some of Marker's later films, and only late do the filmmakers manage something interesting cinematically like the stop motion photography of Paris and the overhead shot of the women's prison where politics again overwhelm the visuals. See more Read all reviews

The Lovely Month of May

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