This week focuses on three documentaries by one of my favorite French filmmakers, the late great Bertrand Tavernier.
MISSISSIPPI BLUES (1984)
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
What surprised me most about this Bertrand Tavernier film (a collaboration with Robert Parrish) was the light, whimsical tone. I expected a serious, observational piece about Mississippi (and it is that too!) but I did not expect the amusing moments when “Bert” and Robert step in front of the camera, such as when the French filmmaker gets a shave or plays baseball as badly as I do. It’s those spots that make MISSISSIPPI BLUES a unique and memorable documentary.
Its portrait of the southern state is accurate though I think their piece would have benefited from a bigger canvas, perhaps exploring different areas of Mississippi and also diving a bit into white culture, the way it contrasts black lifestyle. They spend too much time in the churches and around the midpoint things start to feel a bit tedious before they finally switch over to the “blues”. Nevertheless, I am fond of this film and some of its images and moments will certainly stay with me.
Watched on Criterion Channel.
JOURNEYS THROUGH FRENCH CINEMA (2017)
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
If you’re like me, French cinema is an instant inspiration. Every time I turn to it, I feel like the French take to the art of film more naturally than any other country. So, when I found out that there was more of Tavernier’s doc than the delightful three hour first experience, I was excited.
This eight part series is for true cineastes, diggers in the bins of cinema. I loved hearing names of directors and movies I’d never known before, adding them to letterboxd for future viewing. Tavernier’s passion, best described by Scorsese at the time of his death, continues to show through but what makes the documentary great is his clear dedication to promoting these films and often changing his mind about them. I found his desire to re-evaluate to be refreshing. Sadly, I’ll never get the opportunity to have Bertrand talk my ear off about cinema but I’m grateful to him for this two-part gift he gave us all, a beautiful love letter to his art form.
Watched on Tubi.
THE UNDECLARED WAR (1992)
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
The third Bertrand Tavernier documentary I watched in this series is an exhaustive (and sometimes exhausting) four hour exploration of the effects of the French-Algerian war on a specific group of veterans.
I can see some audience members criticizing this film for not presenting both sides of the conflict but that isn’t Tavernier’s aim. Instead he focuses on men from a particular area of France, some who know each other and some who don’t, and tracks their experiences from enlistment to the aftermath of the war. I liked this approach, an intimate rather than broad perspective of the war. The film’s length is a lot to digest. Tavernier takes his time with each interviewee. He’s in no rush to tell this story which I respect but it makes this film one for only those deeply interested in the subject or filmmaker.
Watched on Criterion Channel
These reviews were also posted on my letterboxd account and will eventually be published on my Travis Mills filmmaker Facebook page