Webster Film Series Presents French Film Festival with Cinema St. Louis

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The 10th Annual Robert Classic French Film Festival — co-presented by Cinema St. Louis and the Webster University Film Series — celebrates St. Louis’ Gallic heritage and France’s cinematic legacy.

Sponsored by the Jane M. & Bruce P. Robert Charitable Foundation, the featured films span the decades from the 1920s through the 1990s, offering a revealing overview of French cinema.

Every program features introductions and discussions by film or French scholars and critics. The discussions will place the works in the contexts of both film and French history and provide close analyses. All films are in French with English subtitles. Admission is free for Webster University students, $10 for Cinema St. Louis members and non-Webster students, and $13 general admission ($15 for the March 10 double bill).

Highlights

This year’s fest kicked off with a screening of Bertrand Tavernier’s acclaimed documentary “My Journey Through French Cinema,” the director’s personal reflections on key films and filmmakers. Several of the works he highlights — such as Jacques Becker’s “Casque d’or” and Jean-Pierre Melville’s “Le Samouraï” — are screened at this year’s fest.

To celebrate Women's History Month, on March 10 the Centre Francophone at Webster presents an exceptional film by German Dulac : La souriante Mme Beudet (Smiling Madame Beudet, 1922) directed by pioneering avant-garde Germaine Dulac, and considered as the first feminist film. The film is an innovative representation of an abusive marriage and its constraining effects on the woman, while vividly externalizing her dreams of liberation.

That is part of a special Germaine Dulac double bill, presented with an original score and live accompaniment by the Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra. 

Learn about the full schedule of films this month, running through March 25, at Cinema St. Louis.