Paris Court Bans Acclaimed French Film From Film Festivals (Too American)

[Khephra]

PARIS -- Never mind that Jean-Pierre Jeunet's new film is a French story filmed in the French language featuring one of France's biggest actresses. A Paris court has ruled that "Un Long Dimanche de Fiancailles" (A Very Long Engagement), which opened Friday in the United States, is too American to compete in French film festivals -- because of its Warner Bros. backing.

The movie, which opened at the end of October in France to much acclaim, stars Audrey Tautou, the winsome young actress who went from virtual unknown to international star with Jeunet's 2001 romance "Amelie."

The National Center for Cinematography, or CNC, made state funds available for Jeunet's movie in October 2003. A producer's association immediately questioned the film's nationality and filed a complaint.

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/news/wire/sns-ap-film-not-french-enough,0,3331352.story?coll=sns-ap-entertainment-headlines

[flordehinojos]

1. in this poisoned atmosphere that the bush have created against the French,

there are several ways of looking at the court's ban of "A Very Long Engagement" from the French Film Festival.

1) Payback time to America for America's slight and insults to the French from Freedom Fries, to no Crawford Ranch for you, to I'll be darn if I shake hands with you... that would be too bad becase "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" philosophy usually just escalates, leads no where, and creates more slights and more ... shall we say "violence" as between Palestine and Israel.

2)France is showing its backbone to america's "we rule the world" stand.

3) the French simply have a set of rules. The rules apply to the film. The film is out of luck.

In the fog of today's America ... which of these is true? I certainly don't know.

[nine23]

2. Re-read the article. It's the cultural bureaucracy in France.

It's their's to mould the way they choose. No biggie.