French Culture Through Films *In-Person* *NEW*

Join us for an exploration of French literature through the lens of captivating cinema. Over four weeks, immerse yourself in the essence of France as we study its diverse authors and works, one film at a time. Each week unveils a new story, a new region, and a new perspective, from the 17 th century to the 20 th century. Molière, Emile Zola, Marcel Pagnol and Victor Hugo will be our guides as we watch four iconic films in their original language (with English subtitles), delving deep into the soul of each author. But the adventure doesn't end with the credits, nor does it begin with the opening sequence. Engage in lively pre- and post-screening discussions as we dissect the cultural nuances and societal reflections portrayed on screen. Guided by the themes of each author and the insights of your instructor, our conversations will unveil the intricate web of traditions, values, and customs that have shaped French identity throughout the ages. Don't miss this opportunity to expand your horizons, ignite your passion for cinema, and discover the captivating diversity of French society. Join us on this unforgettable journey through film, culture, and conversation! Students of all levels of French are welcome, knowing French is not a prerequiste for this class but the willingness to immerse into the language is required.
Weekly Breakdown:
Week 1: We’ll start our course with Alceste à Bicyclette, a loving tribute to arguably France’s greatest author, Molière. A fascinating film based on a play within a play, with a clever plot twist to highlight Molière’s own quandary about his relationship to humanity, we’ll start off with an in-class reading of Moliere’s first act of Le Misanthrope to put us into the ambiance.
Week 2: Emile Zola’s most powerful novel, Germinal, was brought to the screen by Claude Berri in 1992 with Gérard Depardieu playing the lead role in this 19 th century drama of mine workers in the north of France. A gripping story about poverty and the dreadful conditions in which the miners lived, Zola’s concerns were heard through France, and Germinal! entered the French vocabulary as a cri de coeur.
Week 3: We’ll jump ahead to a 20 th century author who so lovingly describes his native Provence. In La Fille du Puisatier, we’ll watch author Marcel Pagnol portray a devoted father (Daniel Auteuil) tormented by his gifted daughter’s “condition” as a pregnant unmarried woman, and the ultimate decision he feels he must make to preserve his family’s dignity.
Week 4: Victor Hugo wrote the brilliant drama The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1832 initially as a plea to save the beloved church from decrepitude, but its haunting story lines reaches across the ages. The charming gypsy girl Esmeralda enchants the archdeacon of the church, the Captain of the king’s Archers, and the Hunchback of Notre Dame, unknowingly ensnaring the three in a mortal battle for her love.
Instructor: Valerie Sutter

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Instructor

The day after graduating from university with a BA in French, Valerie Sutter headed off to France for what she thought would be a year of polishing her language skills. Twenty years later, she returned home to the US, fluent not only in French but in intercultural relations. She earned a Master’s degree with honors at the Faculté de Lettres de Lyon and another one in Intercultural Relations at Lesley University. She shared her passion for language and culture by teaching for thirty years in public and private schools in France, Brazil, and the US and continues to teach French to adults. Believing that total language immersion is the best means of understanding another culture and most important, one’s own, she organizes language workshops in France every summer for teachers of French through her own company, The French Traveler. She owns an apartment in Paris where she lives half the year.