Tuesday 30 June 2009

audrey tautou

priceless

starring audrey tautou rescued from hollywood and looking her old self again, priceless perpetuates the myth that all french girls, drink ,smoke, eat what they like and still look dewey eyed and chic.this is enough to give the pc health police an apoplectic fit. the setting is the posh end of the riviera. huge hotels with bills as big as third world economies are the backdrop .tatou plays an amoral lady after a sugar daddy , who has a brief liason with a waiter on the side. he falls for her follows her gets drawn into the same milieu .as this is a rom com you know what happens in the end. fast paced, self effacing ,glamorous, the only flaw is the leading man gad elmaleh, who is neither boyish enough nor handsome enough to encourage an older lady to buy him a watch worth 35,000 .shame really because without a plausible leading man its pretty much reliant on the tautou show .in subtitles and on sky you can enjoy the scenery ,the interiors, the endless meals,shame free consumption of alcohol and cigarettes and improve you french at the same time.priceless is a harmless wallow in glamorous trivia for those who regard themselves as francophiles.

the burka

president sarkozy has stirred up controversy about the wearing of the burka in a secular society. in the uk from quakers to nuns to hari krishna weve allowed people to express their religion in the way they want .the aspect i find questionable is not that women wear muslim dress but that most of the men who acompany them dont. maybe some one can explain the reason

wimbledon

after garos, montone wimbledon looks chic. the new roof is very classy , the view at night stunning ,did we really produce something that good. though not everyone is happy, andy murray thought it was too humid and affected his play- he won didnt he.the worst sight of the night ,judy murray screaming him on. never mind the fact her son was white at the gills ,was shaking when he held the water bottle and could hardly speak and was so near total exhaustion. you get the feeling she is playing through him and has touch of the nightmare show biz mother about her, that i for one find profoundly scary. sad to see the french go out so soon especially the decorative chardy and where was monfils.best sights on court eastern european female tennis stars . worst sight the usually impeccable roger federer's gold tennis bag,get rid of it now

Monday 29 June 2009

french myths1

the myth that - French kids are given watered wine to drink , thus forming a sensible habit unlike the English who often seem to want to drink till they drop is not true .in my experience among a variety of families i've never seen underage wine drinking. the secret of french sobriety seems to be drinking wine as part of a meal not some thing separate. unfortunately binge drinking is begining to spread across the channel . the excuse for the English was a viking heritage so what is the reason for this sudden change in french drinking habits , explanations please

Sunday 28 June 2009

immune

the Eiffel tower in Paris is one landmark that doesn't disappoint .however it has a tragic record of suicide attempts, measures have been taken to prevent them being successful, though if someone is determined nothing will stop them . so it was with a Brazilian girl last week who threw herself from the second stage to land on the restaurant roof one stage and several hundred feet below. hitting the opaque roof above their heads the, diners in the restaurant paused for a moment then carried on with their meal . the immediate reaction is to criticise the parisians though anyone who has visited there will know it is usually filled with tourists ,the obamas dined there about a month a go . so what is the explanation for such disregard of human tragedy . have we been calloused by what we see on tv day in day out, are there less samaritans around than we thought, have violent movies taken the edge of reality,have we descended into a new dark age. its impossible to regather the group of people who went on tucking into their food ,but if it was possible i'd be more than interested to know why they thought a meal was more important than some sort of humane reaction . i remain baffled and shocked comments please

Friday 26 June 2009

CARLA BRUNI

in the u.k we have had only two exemplary first lady's since 1937 so we watch the antics of first ladies elsewhere with a sort of shock and awe.no one in the u k was particularly aware of Carla brun ibefore she married sarkozy,she was one of a blur of mick jagger's girl friends but that was about it.when she arrived with sarkozy on a state visit she impressed every one as did his speech in Westminster hall she seemed cool and reserved and chic and made us wish our political wives werent so frumpy . wisely she seemed to keep out of politics unlike mrs brown who blew her image by letting her husband hide behind her skirts at last years labour party conference. so after this initial success she still seems to hanker after a show business career .it is rumoured she will perform for mandela and that woody alan wants her for a movie .ms bruni undid a lot of the good she engendered when she appeared on the jools holland show. her voice is in the jane birkin, vanessa paradis ,princess stephanie of Monaco mould .a style of singing that baffles the anglo saxons who expect ,brell ,edith piaf or even a Maurice chevalier type bravura . still cool still elegant never putting a foot wrong why does she persist with show business pretensions which place a question an uneccessary mark over her veracity- some people are never satisfied with what they've got which in her case is a pity

CARLA BRUNI


Wednesday 24 June 2009

french click

french click is a web site where you can buy french products you normally cant find in england. attentive and friendly french click are willing to extend their range to fit a personal request. french click is worth visiting for anyone who wants to include hard to get gallic delicacies in their every day gastronomic life-the products came in an ice bag- now that is dedication for you. www. frenchclick.co.uk will get you there

Monday 22 June 2009

wimbledon v gaross

after the awful orange of the tennis court at Roland gaross, the lawns and Wimbledon look like a throw back to a more elegant age . the all white strips also add a touch of class the over designed multi coloureds worn elsewhere cant match . as crisp and as English as cucumber sandwiches long may it continue in its current restrained form

with apologies to friedrich hollander- want to buy some delusions

gordon brown in an interview said he could walk away from politics and take up teaching. teaching takes sincerity,communication skills ,a certain degree of dramatic ability as well as a sense of vocation for its own sake, if gordon brown thinks he has these aptitudes we've yet to see them demonstrated in public . hauteur and remoteness are not prized assets . if like many others he thinks teaching is a soft option i have news for him ,pupils are the toughest audience in the world they worship a good performer , can spot a phony a mile off and show no mercy to those who cant cut it.- gordon be warned

Wednesday 17 June 2009

marseille why i je t'aime

6 and half hours from st pancras in London and the tgv takes you to Marseille second city of france where east meets west north collides with the south. founded by phocene greeks the oldest city in france, it has bustle, buzz mixed with local culture a vibrant arts scene and the scent of north africa. important galleries ,ballet ,theatre are all here.places to see the waterfront and fish market ,the cathedral and the statue of the bonne mere overlooking one of the greatest views in the world . just out side the old port is the chateau d'if of count of monte christo fame. not to be missed the musee des beaux arts atop the the most spectacular fountain any where, like wise the gare st charles stair case. adjacent is the world heritage site the calanques de cassis, reached by a boat ride beneath the highest cliffs on the european mainland .then there is the olympic bar on the water front where you can eat well and take sides as the match is played out on the big screen,. dont miss the best fish restaurants anywhere and take your best friends for a meal at the dorade. what else can you say about marseille its an experience, a feeling of ancient and modern, conflicting cultures-, restless ,dynamic, seductive and overwhelming ,what else can you ask for.

je t' aime marseille


double edged day 18th june

this day has a double significance for France it is the date of the defeat of napoleon at Waterloo.it is also the date when general De Gaulle broadcasting from London roused the french to begin the resistance against Nazis.

Naissance virtuelle

Voilà comme une venue au monde virtuel, comme un trait d'union cyber d'une âme aux autres. Salutations solaires à tous.

Tuesday 16 June 2009

eva green


eva green should french girls go to hollywood

eva green made her debut along side louis garrel, in dreamers a film set in the 60's riots in Paris. a second generation actress following in the footsteps of her mother marlene jobert the sensational nature of dreamers brought her to immediate the prominence-though she only secured the role after 30 auditions. she then bagged the role of sybilla opposite orlando bloom in kingdom of heaven, this much underrated epic -see the directors cut and marvel ,positioned her as one of the all time beauties of the screen . the minimalistic acting of the two leads having more chemistry than a hundred clinically performed bedroom scenes .a world wide hit if not in the U.S it should have established them both as major leads. however Eva green then chose to do casino royale instead of the black dahlia. Hollywood getting to grips with her wayward beauty transformed her into another bond girl -alas. even though she picked up bafta and an empire magazine award the illusion of sybilla was damaged .since then she has played in the golden compass and couple of movies that have not enhanced her stature. instinctively she knows she doesn't quite fit in the brassy U.S mould - when i go to LA they think of me as french girl who drinks and smokes she states,which begs the question do french stars ever really succeed in the U.S. from Michele Morgan to Audrey Tatou it has been a risky venture which usually strips the actress of everything that made then noticeable in the first place. instead of having films built around her eva green has taken subordinate roles which underestimates her potential massively. there are scarcely any real screen beauties these days and too many easily forgotten actresses. maybe its time to dust off the old pepe le moko script that became Algiers in the U.S and give her chance to demonstrate as she did in kingdom of heaven what genuine smoulder and cinematic beauty is all about

louis garrel


hardly known in england but should be 1

2006 and s Louis Garrel was every where in Paris, widely imitated by every young guy under 25 and perhaps as influential an icon as Jean Paul Bel Mondo was in the 6o' s. Garrel achieved prominence in Bertolucci's dreamers along side a pre- Hollywood Eva green. from an acting family he is a third generation star. movies like Ma Mere and Dans Paris have given him art house appeal and some notoriety . the Gallic equivalent of Robert Pattinson he could have taken the role of Edward Cullen in twilight but seems so far to eschew the Anglo Saxon film industry. maybe as well, as Gallic belle laids seldom flourish out side France. nevertheless he is a strong screen presence all but obliterating michael pitt in dreamers. his icon status has recently been enhanced by the cover of vogue homme. whilst his films have something of the novelle vague about them , even when they are in colour they have the intensity of black and white . it is unfortunate there is no tv channel devoted to continental cinema in england ,nevertheless if you haven't come across garrell he's certainly worth investigation- 'his work obtainable on amazon a commands more than a second glance

Monday 15 June 2009

iraq war

80 perecent of the british people never wanted us to be there ditto afghanistan -the special relationship has cost us dear, france did well to hold back as the reasons toted for going in didn't really exist .now we have an inquiry at last and what does unelected gordon brown do do holds it in private the results to be released after the next election ---what fools does this man take us all for

Sunday 14 June 2009

cantona

new movie looking for eric is hit in england .apparently cantona gives an excellent performance -it concerns a fan fantasising about cantona's time at manchester. cantona is a legend in england as he was not only a footballer but appeared to many to be a philosopher, he in his appearances on tv to promote the film exudes presence and all the gallic attributes thick accent , brooding looks etc that are so admired in angleterre-- but no one is perfect cantona played for manchester united

Saturday 13 June 2009

let them eat cake

france apparently has a taste for british cakes here are a list of british perennial favourites, i christmas cake 2 simnal cake 3 madiera cake 4 battenburg5 victoria sponge6 the final four places in the top ten any variation on chocolate cake

why dont the english march

we have just had elections the current government polled only 16 percent of votes. worse than this it is only 7 percent of the possible electorate. then half the cabinet leaves so we not only have an unelected prime minister we then have 7 unelected cabinet ministers .would france tolerate this i think not, yet the british stay quiescent as the unelected prime minister remains like a dsifiguring boil on the face of democracy.brown now intends to change the voting system in the hope he can cling on to power who will rid us of this clone of richard the third

Thursday 11 June 2009

observations

d day comemoration sarkozy delivered a good speech on a box because he is smaller than the other leaders and is mocked gordon brown normal height delivered an inappropriate one and there was no comment- grossly unfair i say 2 does any one else think the french open was much improved bythe early demise of nadal 3 exports of food to france from the uk up by 20 percent french like eating cake apparently, ,but we've always known that 4 in the uk there is no channel that shows french films its almost impossible to enjoy gallic cinema these days , wake up programme planners 5 hopefully SOLAR WILL MAKE HIS DEBUT HERE IN THE NEXT WEEK , I FOR ONE CANT WAIT

Monday 8 June 2009

european elections sarkozy srengthened brown sinks deeper

sarkozy has strengthened his position while unelected brown sinks deeper, not only booed at the d day ceremony where his speech was ill judged compared to obama, he is now rejected by the electorate increasibgly angry at his intransigence .this mugabe like figure needs to face the electorate now . if his policies are good they will help him win. turning to figures like alan sugar and jk rowling etc shows increasing desperation .the worst aspect of this election has been the rise of the euro sceptic parties as believers in the european ideal and the brother hood of france and england we view this develpoment with alarm.

Sunday 7 June 2009

chevalier du tennis triomph a roland gaross

roger federer triumphed at the french open over sodererling the destroyer of nadal , the french open is the one major grand slam title that had eluded the great man but this year the tennis gods smiled on him. last year almost written off through ill health he has returned to full power to demonstrate that elegance and class still have place in a sport dogged by wham it back base line players and groaners.a true chevalier on and off the court he personifies all that is best in physical contest-- elegance grace perseverance wimbledon awaits you roger go take pete sampras's record

Friday 5 June 2009

browns follies

more lights more celebs more osrtich feathers but underneath the same old tired act, not only do we have an unelected prime minister we now have many in the cabinet who are unelected too -we have reality tv star and a fossil from wales all like the unlamented french prime minister dominique devillepaine ,the one with hair , no one voted for any of them .we have constitutional crisis in england yet no one's marching - french open well done roger - del potroe a teriffic apponent and beautiful game which would have not been possible if the dreaded rafa had been there

Thursday 4 June 2009

things about france i can do without

trains running late this never used to happen . 2 arriving in marseille station to find everything closed but macdonalds sacre bleu!3 long life milk the ruination of french coffee 4 irish bars why does any one need an irish bar out side of ireland

things i like about france

1 vin rose from var avoid new world friut juice and drink the amber coloured nectar 2 brandade de nimes a fish compote from that city come to think of it anything to do with nimes is very ok 3 audrey tatou not being in angels and demons her luck has returned and her career is back on track 4 madame gondray owner of the first bar and cafe liberated by the british in 1944 for her continuing welcome to retuning veterans -legion de honneur overdue

murdered french students

the murder of the two french students is a stain on the uk that can never be espunged. due to complete failure of the police and the probationary service two men were tortured to death. goverment targets and underfunding are also to blame. though nothing can bring these men back, their paretnts by sueing the authortires might produce a fitting memorial- safer streets and a probationary sevice more focused on its task

european election

the current political melt down in the uk has seen the rise of anti european parties . this is of course a dire consequence of an unpopular government, every body must think what they really want bloodying the government is more possible with mainstream partiesthan with fringe extremists. the main problem with europe for the uk is the french german axis , we appreciate a level playing field. this relationship which began after the war is like seeing your best girl go off with your worst enemy

Wednesday 3 June 2009

im polar

the french solar will be on here soon-- as for brown ifluencing him no i fired one arrow into the hide of an elephant -- he has three gifts all bad vanity,lack of self awareness and a thick skin he will destroy labour rather than go- the measure of this guy- he wont have time to attend british commemoration in normandy too busy with obama, who by the way secured the royal invitation, sarkozy what ever anyone might think at least got elected- and as an side bravo roger at the french open the crowd were marvelously un partisan- bravo french spectators

Tuesday 2 June 2009

going up in england

twilight the books the movie -----open air theatre in good weather the globe london performance of the tempest at bowes in yorkshire----- fringe political parties------ the daily telegraph for exposing political corruption -----affordable art why buy a print when you can have the real thing----- the gurkas and joanna lumley--- eating in istead of out unfashionable gardens that concentrate on plants not design

french open

for tennis fans intriguing no djockovic, no nadal,no murray only federer is left,perhaps it is his year after so many tries he deserves it however the surface at rg staduim looks horrible time for a rethink perhaps

messy but better

prince charles has been invited to d day belatedly by the french urged on by the americans,the uk prime minister skulking in the shadows as usual does nothing and will not have time to visit british graveyards so whats the point