Rendezvous in Paris: Picasso, Chagall, Modigliani & Co (1900 - 1939) - Film Screenings at Louvre Abu Dhabi
A new season of film screenings curated by me for Louvre Abu Dhabi starts off with its latest exhibition, Rendezvous in Paris: Picasso, Chagall, Modigliani & Co (1900 - 1939). The screenings will take place between September and October, and the exhibition will be on until December 7th 2019.
The film series pays tribute to the city of Paris. They are free to attend and have now been moved from the usual slot of Saturdays to Wednesdays and they start at 6.00pm. You can register for the screenings here, or collect a free ticket at the museum’s ticket desk.
Here’s the line up:
Wednesday, September 25 at 6.00pm
An American in Paris
Director: Vincente Minnelli
1951 | 113 min | Musical | PG 15 | English
When ex-GI Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly) remains in Paris to pursue life as an artist, he is soon discovered by a wealthy patroness Milo Roberts (Nina Foch) who is interested in more than just his art.
Before he knows it, he finds himself torn between a sense of financial security and a young French woman, Lise Bouvier (Leslie Caron), he meets and falls in love with.
The film features dance scenes choreographed by Gene Kelly and music by George and Ira Gershwin, including I Got Rhythm, I'll Build A Stairway to Paradise, 'S Wonderful and Love Is Here to Stay. The climax of the film is The American in Paris ballet, a 17-minute dance featuring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron.
An American in Paris is ranked number 9 among American Film Institute’s Greatest Movie Musicals.
Wednesday October 2 at 6.00pm
Paris La Blanche
Director: Lidia Terki
2016 | 81 min | Drama | PG 15 | Arabic and French with English subtitles
With no news from her husband, who left Algeria in the 1970s to work in France, a middle-aged Rekia (Tassadit Mandi) leaves her village and goes on a journey to Paris.
She crosses Algeria and the Mediterranean Sea, gets lost in the alleys of the quarter of Pigalle, to finally find her dear Nura (Zahir Bouzerar) in the distant suburb of Paris in a hostel for retired migrant workers. But her hero, a veteran of the struggle for the liberation of Algeria, has become quite different, has become a stranger.
Wednesday, October 9 at 6.00pm
A Great Day in Paris
Director: Michka Saal
2017 | 76 min | Documentary | PG 15 | English
It all started with a celebrated photo and a nomadic friendship of more than 30 years between the jazzman Ricky Ford and the filmmaker Michka Saäl. Working for Esquire magazine, Art Kane brought together 57 jazz legends on the steps of a building in Harlem in 1958. In an homage 50 years later, Ricky Ford, with help from French photographer Philippe Lévy-Stab, gathered 75 American jazz musicians living in France for their own historic photo on the steps of Montmartre.
Michka Saäl wanted to make a film that witnessed this event and explored the question of artistic exile. It took her 10 years to finish this film where passion for music and the transmission of ancient knowledge cement the bonds of friendship.
The film includes interviews with six musicians to represent the diversity of the expatriate community, as well as footage of concerts and performances. Together, these elements paint a portrait of artistic exile, a fusion of genres and freedom as the bottom line for art.
Wednesday, October 16 at 6.00pm
Young Picasso - Exhibition on Screen
Director: Phil Grabsky
2019 | 91 min | Documentary | PG 15 | English
Pablo Picasso is one of the greatest artists of all time – and right up until his death in 1973 he was the most prolific of artists. Many films have dealt with these later years – the art, the affairs and the wide circle of friends. But where did this all begin? What made Picasso in the first place?
Too long ignored, it is time to look at the early years of Picasso; the upbringing and the learning that led to his extraordinary achievements. Three cities play a key role: Malaga, Barcelona and Paris. Young Picasso visits each and explores their influence on Picasso, focusing on specific artworks from these early years.
The film thus explains how this young artist acquired his craft. Looking carefully at two key early periods – the so-called Blue Period and Rose Period – the film takes us all the way to 1907 and the creation of a critical painting in the history of art – Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. It was a painting that shocked the art world but changed it irrevocably. Picasso was only 25 years old. Working closely with all three Picasso Museums in Malaga, Barcelona and Paris this film explains how he rose to great heights.
Previous film screenings curated by me for Louvre Abu Dhabi:
Cinem’Art 2018
Japanese Connections
Roads of Arabia
Rembrandt, Vermeer and the Dutch Golden Age
Photographs: An Early Album of the World
Cinem’Art 2019