The arctic is a strange and mysterious place. Few people know anything about it; yet it covers a huge amount of the globe. There is an amazing benefit to this locale. It could be used as a springboard for enhancing the imagination of young children. In many ways; you have to use your imagination to understand the arctic. The location must be visualized in the mind and this; alone; sparks the imagination of a young one. Once the imagination is nudged into being creative; the process never stops.
#1571712 in eBooks 2014-06-01 2014-06-01File Name: B00RTK4J88
Review
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful. LaSalle loves women!By Barbara C. HendricksonIve been reading Mick LaSalle for many years; first for his weekly reviews of film and literature; and then for his histories of early American films; actors; and actresses. In all cases its been a delight to read him and to learn from him.I didnt know if Id be interested in reading about French film and French actresses; but I havent been able to put down the book since I started reading it. And now Im considering renting and/or buying some of the films he describes (as long as they have English subtitles!LaSalle is one of our most eloquent writers and thinkers about modern film. We are so lucky to have him!Barbara Hendrickson; Retired Professor; English American literature0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy M. ZuckerComprehensive excellent detail of an unusual topic5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. The portrayal of substantial; sometimes ineffable womenBy Bert vanC BaileyOne of the most interesting extended essays Ive read in years. No doubt a love of film lies at the heart of this engagement; although by any measure Rick LaSalles perspective is compelling; persuasive and well illustrated through the careers of some of the best actresses currently active. Testing out the authors claims also requires viewing a few of the finest movies being crafted - so where; you might ask; is the down side?In any case; the argument here goes that actresses are central to French cinema; and are regarded and utilized in ways that radically differ from their treatment by the US movie industry. But note also the title: its not about French actresses beauty; but about their being *real* - something; LaSalle holds; that currently eludes Hollywood. Women of consequence are seldom portrayed in US films; which are all action and struggle and violence in the outer world. Only Meryl Streep or Ashley Judd occasionally play the characters once routine to Bette Davis; Crawford and Hepburn. So; unlike their US counterparts; French actresses now and over the past 20 years have been playing women with intriguing; even "overwhelming passions... [and] the actions resulting from [these passions] ...are worthy of interest; depiction and examination." (140)French filmmakers lower budgets presumably account for this turn inward; toward women; the intimate; and the interpersonal. LaSalles "French zone" is about "...exploring the intricacies; ambiguities and contradictions of human behavior; without assigning blame." (122) US cinema; by contrast; is over-preoccupied with right and wrong. Any culpability for having sex; for instance; requires dealing with human emotion; thoughts and motives (7) - which is precisely why; LaSalle argues; first-time lovers in US movies manifestly decide to have sex only seldom. Instead; they generally "...fall through the door and proceed to demolish the apartment;" or conduct their proceedings; most improbably; standing up (6f).French filmmakers dont feel compelled to derive moral lessons from every circumstance; thereby gaining "...freedom to be more specific and detailed in presenting adulterous situations; even if those details make us more uncertain as to the proper course; not less." (142)One should add at least Maggie; Blanchett and Mirren; and possibly Bening; to LaSalles list of actresses playing at least some meaty parts. This; in turn; blurs his clarity about how "Male box-office dominance has become a permanent condition." (p 7) Even so; much that he says is worth considering.Bilingual Kristin Scott Thomas and Charlotte Rampling regularly float in and out of French films; and Rampling revived a dormant career with rich roles relatively late in life; just by taking the Chunnel southwards. Scott Thomas is an even more telling example of the thrill for actresses of working in France - and of what; for LaSalle; afflicts English-speaking film-making. He lists several movies she made in France portraying "sexy ...neurotic; dangerous; high-strung" women (96); and adds that the English roles she played before and after them depict women focused on who they once were; or "...regretting lost youth or worrying about [a] child." In Easy Virtue she is not "the lead but ...the spiteful mother-in-law of the heroine; played by Jessica Biel." LaSalle sees Biel as among the "...most lightweight and unskilled of American actresses" (98) - which is hard to dispute; at least given the undemanding roles she chooses. She made no special impression in Easy Virtue; her first real opportunity to show acting chops; and perhaps her last. (Then again; Brad Pitt and Demi Moore developed hefty portfolios of last-chance opportunities.)In any case; Scott Thomas just went to France and "...at forty-nine; she was young again." (98) More accurately; she could play women of consequence.LaSalle develops a meaty and compelling study of film more generally by devoting brief chapters to a long list of notable actresses; scrutinizing some to a fine granularity. In passing; he discusses the longer shelf life of French actresses; who are seen as plausible in romantic parts even after 50. Deneuve; Moreau; Fanny Ardant; and Nathalie Baye are cited; he elaborates on how Huppert has "...incarnated some uniquely sick individuals" (171); botched adventures in plastic surgery (Beacute;art - who; like Faye Dunaway; could not resist leaving beautiful enough alone); how Adjani failed to make the most of her opportunities; directors who seek to "bring out new colors in" their actresses; the most promising talents from the past 20 years (Adjani; Huppert; Binoche; Bonnaire; Pailhas) and those worth watching downstream (Kiberlain; Carreacute;; Jaoui; Bruni Tedeschi). On the borderline between these two last groups Id certainly agree about Karin Viard - even if the 5 films Ive now seen differ from those touted by LaSalle; excepting Embrassez qui vous voudrez (see my review). Id single out her brilliant performance in My Piece of the Pie (Ma part du gateau) with Gilles Lellouche; and thought she also played to perfection a secondary role in Le Couperet (see my review). Not yet overwhelmed by Sandrine Kiberlain; although the single film of hers Ive seen Mademoiselle Chambon (see my review) was certainly striking.Actresses to watch; among dozens that he discusses; include Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi (on the books cover). Like Viard and Kiberlain; she is not particularly beautiful from many angles; yet her directors dont shy from these angles (note; again; the books title). She certainly commands a magnetic sensuality (note the shoulders; in league with Elizabeth Hurleys). Her background is one of privilege; including a sister who was recently Frances first lady. Yet Bruni-Tedeschi can depict working-class women; conveying with her eyes remote yet knowing depths; as well as a hidden determination.There is also Fanny Ardant; as I saw in Vivement Dimanche! (see my review). Francois Truffaut renders through her a very fresh idea of an independent female lead. This light noir was his last movie; and far from his most highly-touted with the gamine Ardant - pointing to yet more treats to come...An unexpectedly good read. Those who delight in good film; French or other; may agree.
