Antonio Vivaldi 🎵 Primavera 🌼 UGC Film Card 🎥

 

Yesterday I went to Venise,

In flights of fancy with a box of popcorn 🍿 

Jacques Demy

Staying with the theme of love, romance and Spring don't miss with a visit to the Jacques Demy exposition at the musee de la Cinémathèque Française. Who hasn't seen The Umbrellas of Cherbourg at one point or another? If you haven't you can catch it at the cinemathèque with your entry ticket to the exhibit

51, rue de Bercy Metro Bercy #6

The story of boy filmmaker, Jacques Demy meets girl filmmaker, Agnes Varda could not be more endearing...

In her own words...

Demy's earliest film efforts are displayed in a facsimile setup created in his attic at age 13. "It was alone in his attic young Jacques began to make short animated films, including Attaque Nocturne, in the tradition of films painted on celluloid. His desire to make films in 1949, next led him to Paris where he took classes at the École Technique de Photographie et de Cinematographie."

Throughout the exposition there are loads of interactive displays with film clips, headphones, sketches and storyboards many drawn by Demy himself.

Jacques Demy comes across altogether a tres sympathique guy passionately committed to creating his vision and supporting his actors in every way.

Catherine Deneuve, his main muse, appears in many of his films...

"Jacques is the first director who really looked at me, who really saw me. Something brought me to light, and gave me the self-assurance I could do something and confidence I could really do something I didn't really believe in, not because I had doubts but because I had a much deeper doubt about being able to do something special, about being unique".

Demy was mad for Hollywood and Marilyn Monroe. He made Jeanne Moreau over to replicate her in appearance, voice and gesture for Des Baies des Anges.

There's artwork to compliment and reference the films like Rual Dufy's Baies des Anges in Cannes. Other artists represented:Jean Cocteau, David Hockney, Alexander Calder, Niki de Saint-Phalle.

Costume sketches like Anouk Amiee's fabulous corselet from Lola..

Plus the elaborate costumes from Demy's fantasie period film, Peau d'Ane

With Deneuve again...

Sets if course and the amazing wallpapers specially designed for each film.. "For The Umbrella of Cherbourg, 90% of the papers were specially printed with the color we wanted. When I said to the production that I needed about 15,000 Francs worth of papers in a total sets budget of 120,000 Francs, they told me I was crazy. But that's where the money had to be spent; for the rest, we were sure we'd manage." 1981

The gift shop is a joy to behold, selling multicolored parapluies and the wIld hats worn by the sisters in 'Cherbourg'. On Saturdays at 5 there's a singing duo to accompany you through the exhibit (in French bien sur). And as previously mentioned your entry ticket can be used to see whatever films are playing that day in the Cinémathèque Française. A don't miss exhibit for total French immersion in my opinion.

The Draughtsman's Contract

This past weekend I wished I was in Peter Greenaway's movie, The Draftsman's Contract(1982).

Mr. Thomas Neville, a cocksure young artist is contracted by Mrs. Herbert, the wife of a wealthy landowner, to produce a set of 12 drawings of her husband's estate.

Mrs. Herbert offers an unorthadox agreement:
'For which Thomas, I am willing to pay 8 pounds per drawing and to provide full board for Mr. Neville and his servant'.

Kings of Pastry

Gerard Mulot Pastry Box, 9" x 11"

Pastry chefs and I have always seen eye to eye.  

They are the 'artistes' in the kitchen, painting with chocolate and sugar.  

They loved having their portraits on their own business cards. They got my food art biz going.

I was thrilled when I received an invite to a screening of KINGS OF PASTRY.The film is about the 3-day competition of carefully selected French pastry chefs, sixteen in total, competing for the much coveted M.O.F. award or Meilleur Ouvriers De France taking place in Lyon.

I was in Maine and missed the screening, but they sent me the video. And is it fun!  The Guardian said,"I never saw so many men sobbing at once" and,"A culinary HURT LOCKER"
You see top pastry artistes pushed to the limit, racing against time and against each other to make their super, fragiles creations. You see top pastry judges of France (PH included!) tasting and grading the contender's art works (16 desserts) and their responses. Full of suspense...catastrophes beaucoup. Even the judges are in tears. If you love French pastry, you MUST see KINGS OF PASTRY 

Top pastry chefs of the highest order are required to make chocolate confectionary sculptures.Made of sugar, these chocolate masterpieces were at the Salon du Chocolat last October. Now I have a better idea of the enormous effort that went into making them. Oh the torture, oh the sleepless nights.

I attended the Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie in Lyon in '94 - words cannot describe the fabulousness. Last June I returned to Lyon for a macaron class. Instead I ate lunch at Paul Bocuse's Brasserie Le Nord.

Chaleureuse/warm indeed.Steeped in the old French tradition of quality and simplicity.You know I had une salade.For my plat, the very traditional cote d'agneau.
Miam-miam
How I wished I had ordered dessert...something like this elaborate chocolate chapeau.
Chapeau TO THE M.O.F. WINNERS

And go see the movie.

I Am...Love

August will be "I Am Restraint" month regarding ice cream. Have you seen Tilda Swinton in I Am Love? Tilda is the absolute epidomy of restraint. Except when she dives into a plate of luscious shrimp and throws caution to the wind. (spoiler) Then all Hell breaks loose.
I could say the same thing happened in Maine when I dived into fried clams. And I'm someone who proudly proclaims I do not eat 'fried foods'. Oddly enough in the same movie, Tilda's gorgeous son, Flavio Parenti, shows restraint when his sister (in London) offers him a lemon macaron. He refuses. Restraint gets him nowhere in this case, but I don't want to give it all away. I have no problem showing restraint with macarons in Paris.After all they're everywhere, even if some flavors are seasonal. I have an impulsive nature. I like to dive in to a painting headfirst and anything. I look for the waterwings later. This is not a good idea (re:lessons learned in Maine), so I'm showing you thumbnails first.

Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland

'You're terribly late you know.Naughty!' said The Mad Hatter. I am terribly late catching up with Alice. And I was late for Tim Burton's MOMA show - next to last day! I asked, "Where are the Alice drawings?"
"There aren't any", they said,"Too current."
"Oh" But I did find this wonderful Tim Burton doodle on a scrap of newsprint.And I found The dasterly Red Queen in the catalog. Off to see Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland. I planned to stay an hour, take a quick snooze.Instead I was enthralled and enchanted.
J'adore Alice! Mia Wasikowska is perfect.
She has a lovely luminosity. An inner something or other that grabs you and does not let go. When the Mad Hatter tells Alice,
"You're not the same as you were before.
You were much more..."muchier"
You've lost your "muchness"
You find yourself rooting for Alice to find her muchness.
And she does. Like Jeanne d'Arc, she slays the dragon and comes out so much stronger.Girls rule!To channel your inner Alice, hightail it over to the new Anthropologie at Chelsea Market. They've got the best Alice Blue headbands.
And "Alice" pinneys in all colors and prints. How thoughtful of Anthro to provide man-sized comfy armchairs, while your beau naps, you shop till you drop.

Gathering up antique silver sugar shakers for your Mad Hatter's Tea party.

Heavens, just buy the whole table intact and you're set!

Mad Hatter:Would you like a little more tea?
Alice:Well, I haven't had any yet, so I can't very well take more.March Hare:Ah, you mean you can't very well take less.Mad Hatter:Yes. You can always take more than nothing.

I'm certain Alice slept here. I wanted too.

What will you serve at your tea party? You could wait on the endless lines around the corner at the new Magnolia Bakeries springing up.

Better yet, get your paws on David Lebovitz' utterly delicious new cookbook, Ready For Dessert. You'll be drooling over every picture by superb photographer, Maren Caruso. Even an idiot non-baker like me can make these recipes the way David sets them up. David lives in Paris, so there are quite a few French desserts.

So what if you drip chocolate icing on your new pinney.

That's what pinneys are for are they not?

Mark your calendars, Alice-obsessed PBers. You're invited to attend the tea party at Rizzoli's bookstore this Sunday, May 2 on West 57th street.

With scones for all, kids included, to commemorate the birthday of the real-life Alice and celebrate The Real Alice in Wonderland book.

ALICE JE T'AIME!