→ PROGRAM GUIDE AND IN-DEPTH FESTIVAL COVERAGE MID-CENTURY PRODUCTIONS

LAST NOVEMBER turnaway crowds at San Francisco’s Roxie Theatre discovered that the French did more than give film noir its name—they made unique and incredible noirs of their own. Twelve films over four days left audiences breathless—and we’re not talking about the Jean-Luc Godard film, either!

THIS NOVEMBER Midcentury Productions plants both feet onto that undiscovered continent of French film noir, taking audiences deeper into a world lost to film audiences for more than half a century. Familiar stars (Brigitte Bardot, Jean Gabin, Simone Signoret, Lino Ventura) are again seen in unfamiliar but compelling roles, suggesting that their iconic allure is tied to the dark world of noir.

From Mick LaSalle – SF Chronicle/SFGate.com:

“This year’s edition is the equal of last year’s. It’s 12 films in four days, and there’s not a weak selection in the whole lineup….France had advantages that Hollywood didn’t have. The most crucial one is that France had little or no censorship. This meant that whole areas of the human experience were available for exploration—and filmmakers didn’t have to be careful about how they said things…[The films are] sophisticated in the ways that they portray the dynamics of crime, marriage and adultery…. You can walk into any show—all of them double features—and be assured of seeing something good.”