From Méliès to Truffaut to Renoir, French film has
traditionally set the standard for high-class, innovative world
cinema.
Some would place Bertrand Tavernier in that tradition.
Unlike his would-be ancient counterparts, however, Tavernier
remains a thriving filmmaker today, still aiming to tell his tale.
And thanks to the third annual “On Set with French
Cinema” bicoastal college tour, Tavernier will be heard.
Featuring six established French directors, “On Set with
French Cinema” has visited college campuses with prominent
graduate film programs. Tavernier rounds out the West Coast roster,
which included Jan Kounen and Cédric Klapisch in late October
and early November, respectively.
He comes to UCLA on Monday and Tuesday, his visit culminating in
a screening of his newest film, “Holy Lola,” on Tuesday
at 8 p.m., presented in collaboration with the UCLA Master Class
Series and the UCLA Department of French and Francophone Studies. A
question-and-answer session with Tavernier will follow the
screening.
Sponsored by Unifrance and the French Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, the series proves a unique educational tool for the next
generation of American filmmakers. Each visiting filmmaker hosts
lectures and master classes between screenings of a cross-section
of his works ““ many of which are rarities in the United
States.
Tavernier contributes a unique cinematic perspective to the
“On Set” tour.
“Bertrand occupies a very important role in the history of
French cinema,” UCLA film Professor Maria Elena de Las
Carreras said.
“Unlike the filmmakers of the French New Wave, to which he
was connected to by age, he does not engage in an exploration of
film narrative. He was always interested in a realistic approach
““ he expresses a complex view of realism in the tradition of
Jean Renoir.”
“Holy Lola” depicts the arduous quest of a French
couple hoping to adopt a child from Cambodia.
“I just wanted to get into the mind and the heart of the
couple who wanted to adopt,” Tavernier said. “I wanted
to show that if you truly want to adopt, you must first adopt the
country.”
Influenced by early American and French films, as well as
prolific authors, Tavernier aspired to be a filmmaker from a young
age.
“I discovered early that directors were able to write with
images the way that Jack London would write with words,”
Tavernier said.
He directed his first feature in 1974, with the award-winning
“The Clockmaker of Saint-Paul,” the story of a
watchmaker who discovers his son is a murderer. Since then,
Tavernier has proven to be a master of longevity.
Today, he has made both big-issue documentary and fiction films,
addressing topics such as the human conflict of war, police
corruption (“L.1627″) and the recession in Northern
France (“It All Starts Today”).
“The term “˜socially relevant’ is
patronizing,” he said. “I am creating films that are
true, that are exploring worlds, or feelings, or periods, that I do
not know. I want to share the discoveries I make while exploring.
And if they are true, they will affect people.”
According to Las Carreras, people often overlook Tavernier
because he is not as formally innovative as filmmakers such as
Jean-Luc Godard.
Instead, she argues, Tavernier is revolutionary in his approach
to the French tradition of realism.
“He tackles historical, political and French issues of
everyday through his films,” Las Carreras said. “He
addresses the ambiguities and complexities of the human.”
In explaining his cinematic point of view, Tavernier takes the
position of the film viewer, a role he is more than happy to
fill.
“I’ve learned a lot of things because of films; I
have discovered moments of history, places I did not know,”
he said. “I learned a lot of things about America when I saw
“˜Grapes of Wrath’ and other great masterpieces of the
American cinema.”
Hollywood has since altered the standards for the typical
financially successful film, often veering away from social issues,
but Tavernier has not.
“Some people are tired of seeing films only with
technology, special effects and monsters. They want to have an
impression that films are also about humans,” he said.
In telling the truth on film, Tavernier hopes to shed new light
on significant global issues.
“I receive thousands of letters from people who are living
the same life as my characters,” he said. “I now have
more than 500 letters from adopters who say everything in
“˜Holy Lola’ is true.”