299 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830 Tel: (203) 629-1340 [email protected]www.afgreenwich.org La Lere de l’ Sommaire Pages 2-3: Social Events Page 4: Conferences Page 5: Cine-Club Pages 6-7: Proust and Book Clubs Page 8: French Cinemathéque Page 9: Movies and Téléthéque Page 10: Education Page 11-12 Club de Lecture OCTOBER OCTOBER- NOVEMBER NOVEMBER- DECEMBER 2016 DECEMBER 2016 Learn French, Live French Chers amis francophones et francophiles, L’équipe de l’Alliance Française de Greenwich est heureuse de vous retrouver pour une rentrée riche en activités et en nouveautés ! Nous étions toutes ravies de vous voir si nombreux a notre Cocktail de Rentrée. Une soirée bien agréable. Merci à tous ceux qui ont aidé à l’organiser. Un des premiers évènements culturels de la saison sera la conférence sur la Comtesse Greffulhede par Fereshteh Priou. La Comtesse est la muse de Marcel Proust dans le livres de Marcel Proust. Ceci aura lieu mardi 18 octobre à 1h30 à la bibliothèque de Byram Shubert. Cette conférence sera suivie d’une visite au musée de l’institut de la mode (FIT) à New York le 28 octobre au sujet de la mode de cette période et les magnifiques robes portées par la Comtesse Gref- fulhe. Ensuite nous aurons une conférence de Beth Gersh-Nesic le 15 novembre au sujet de l’architecte français Pierre Chareau. Le samedi 15 octobre à 3h nous projéterons le film d’actualité « Mariam ». Le sujet du film est sur la loi française qui bannit les symboles religieux dans les écoles publiques. Cet automne, vous pourrez à nouveau apprécier une bonne sélection de films français à ne pas manquer lors des soirées French Cinémathèque à l’Avon Théâtre à Stamford. Le 11 octobre nous passerons le film «Une Histoire de Fou» et le 15 novembre le film « La Bataille d’Alger ». Notez également dès à présent les dates de notre treizième édition de Focus on French Cinéma 2017 du 27 mars au 2 avril. La session d’automne des classes de français a bien démarreé. L’Alliance Fran- çaise continue de promouvoir l’étude de la langue française en créant des diffé- rents programmes. Nous sommes ravis de vous annoncer des journées d’immer- sion sur différents sujets. Nous vous promettons une année pleine d’activités intéressantes et enrichis- santes et nous vous remercions encore de la confiance que vous nous témoignez. Dear Francophone friends, We are delighted to welcome you all to a new year of activities and new events. We were happy to see so many of you at our Cocktail de Rentrée. Thank you to all who helped organize this evening. One of our first cultural events of the season will be a lecture by Fereshteh Priou about Proust’s muse, the countess Greffulhe. The con- ference will be on October 18 th at 1:30pm at the Byram Shubert Li- brary. This conference will be followed by a visit to The Fashion Insti- tute of Technology in New York on October 28 th . There is a current exhibit on the amazing wardrobe of the countess and the fashion of that period. On November15 th we will have a conference given by Beth Gersh- Nesic about the French architect Pierre Chareau. There is currently an exhibit at the Jewish Museum in New York on this accomplished archi- tect. On Saturday, October 15 th at 3:00pm we will screen the film “Mariam”. The film deals with the law in France banning wearing religious sym- bols in public schools. This autumn we continue our French Cinemathéque at the Avon Thea- tre in Stamford. On October 11 th we will screen “Don’t Tell Me the Boy was Mad” and on November 15 th we will screen the film “The Battle of Algiers”. Save the date for the 13 th edition of Focus on French Cinema from March 27 to April 2, 2017 . Our French classes are off to a good start. We are happy to announce new immersion days on various subjects. We are delighted to offer you a year filled with interesting and enrich- ing activities and we thank you for your continued support. Renée Ketcham & Gail Covney APÉRO-AMIS HOLIDAY PARTY AND CAROLING GROUP TRIP Proust’s Muse, Countess Greffulhe NYC Fashion Institute of Technology
Tuesday November 15 | 1:30 pm at the Byram Shubert Library
Pierre Chareau | Modern Architecture and Design (In English)
CONFERENCES
This conference in English is led by Beth Gersh-Nesic, The Conference will revolve around the Jewish Museum exhibit focused on the French Designer and architect Pierre Chareau (1883-1950). Showcasing rare furniture, light fixtures, and interiors, as well as designs for important projects in Europe and America, including the famous Maison de Verre in Paris and Robert Motherwell House in East Hampton, Long Is-land. The exhibition will bring together rarely-seen works from major public and pri-vate collections around the world.
The exhibition at the Jewish Museum is scheduled from November 4-March 26.
Beth Gersh-Nesic is Director of New York Arts Exchange and art history professor at the State University of New York at Purchase.
Group Tour to the Exhibit “Proust’s Muse - Countess Greffulhe”
Fashion Institute of Technology I Friday October 28 I 10 am
Tuesday October 18 | 1:30 pm at the Byram Shubert Library
Proust’s Muse - Countess Greffulhe (In English)
Proust’s Muse, The Countess Greffulhe, is an exhibition featuring extraordinary fashions from the legendary wardrobe of Élisabeth de Caraman-Chimay, the Countess Greffulhe (1860–1952). A famous beauty celebrated for her “aristocratic and artistic elegance,” the countess was a fashion icon comparable to Daphne Guinness today.
This exhibition is based on La Mode retrouvée: Les robes trésors de la comtesse Greffulhe, which was organized in Paris by Olivier Saillard, director of the Palais Galliera, Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris, which is the repository of the countess’s wardrobe. Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at FIT, has organized the exhibition in New York in collaboration with Saillard.
We have planned a group tour to view the show on Friday, October 28. The group will meet at 10:30 am at the F.I.T. We can gather for lunch at a local restaurant after the show.
The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology Seventh Avenue at 27 Street, New York City
Countess Greffulhe regarded fashion as a form of artistic expression. She not only patronized the greatest fashion houses of her time, but she also dictated her particular style.
Marcel Proust was one of the many men smitten by her charm. The Duchess de Guermantes, one of the characters of Proust’s book, “In Search of Lost Time (À la recherche du temps per-du)” is based on the Countess Greffulhe. He famously wrote, “Each of her dresses seemed like…the projection of a particular aspect of her soul.”
This lecture by Fereshteh Priou, focuses on the life of Countess Greffulhe, her role in the Belle Epoque Parisian society and her salon which was the place to be at turn of the last century in France. (See below for information on the 10/28 group tour of the show at the F.I.T)
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Ciné-Club
Byram Shubert Library | 7:00pm on a Thursday
Contagion | Thursday October 27
When Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns to Minnesota from a Hong Kong business trip, she attributes the malaise she feels to jet lag. However, two days later, Beth is dead, and doctors tell her shocked husband (Matt Damon) that they have no idea what killed her. Soon, many others start to exhibit the same symptoms, and a global pandemic explodes. Doctors try to contain the lethal microbe, but society begins to collapse as a blogger (Jude Law) fans the flames of paranoia.
In The Courtyard ( Dans la cour) | Thursday November 17
Antoine is too depressed to go on playing in his rock band. He is hired as the caretaker of an old Paris building and develops a particular friendship with Mathilde, a recently retired woman who lives in the block and whose mental bal-ance is deteriorating. In the Courtyard is one of the funnier films about depression.
Memories ( Les Souvenirs) |Thursday December 22
Romain, 23, is the watchman of a small Paris hotel. Madeleine is six decades older than him. She is his Grandmother. One day, Madeleine escapes from the nursing home where she has been placed against her will by her sons. Romain asks his employer for a leave and joins his grandmother in Etretat. Both have a wonderful day in the town of Madeleine’s youth. Memories is a pleasant, easily digestible family dramedy.
Ciné-Critique | Cos Cob Library
Jeudi 13 octobre | 13 heures La Fille sur le pont
Adèle est malheureuse et ne veut plus vivre, mais Gabor arrive avant l’irrépara-ble. Il est lanceur de couteaux et a besoin d’une cible. Pourquoi pas? Se dit Adèle… Film réalisé par Patrice Leconte en 1999 avec Vanessa Paradis et Dan-iel Auteuil qui a reçu le César pour la meilleur interpretation.
Jeudi 8 décembre | 13 heures Un Carnet de bal
Ce film est reconnu comme étant le premier film à sketches réalisé en France en 1937. Une veuve encore jeune ayant redécouvert le carnet de bal de ses 16 ans recherche ce que sont devenus ses cavaliers d’il y a 20 ans.
Avec Marie Bell, Francoise Rosay, Louis Jouvet, Raimu, Fernandel ainsi que beaucoup d’autres grands acteurs de cette époque. Un petit voyage dans le pas-sé.
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Proust is known for the depth of his prose and his meticulous examination and analysis of human behavior and psychology, but one feature of his writ-ing, present in every volume, is the way he looks with humor and wit at the everyday absurdities of life. Proust’s characters go about their dai-ly doings and their social engage-ments with serious commitment and with an absolute sense of immediacy. The personages in the book give great importance to the task at hand, no matter how trivial. The narrator wit-nesses it all and regales us with his astute observations and his mocking remarks.
Proust’s ultimate success lies in the fact that he recognizes the absurdities of our day-to-day life and tells us that, in order to overcome the tediousness and wastefulness of our daily drudg-ery, we must devote ourselves to our vocation. He illustrates successfully that life is full of wasted moments and that freedom from this human condi-tion lies in a commitment to a higher calling, such as the arts, literature, music or even a successful profes-sional career where one can excel. One has to find what brings pleasure to one’s life and pursue it deliberately and continuously. For Proust, that is the only way we can bring meaning to our lives and enrich not only our own souls, but also those of others.
Proust’s most notable characters are the writer Bergot, the musician Vin-teuil, the painter Elstir, the actress Berma, the academician Brichot and even a doctor named Cottard. These personages are for the most part ac-complished, but they are nevertheless eager to let go of all their artistic or professional occupations in order to attend the soirées thrown by society ladies. At one point Cottard, a very capable and revered doctor, refuses to see his own sick maid because he is all dressed in evening white for a night out and he is concerned that the bleeding servant might stain his attire.
What is noteworthy is that Proust broaches the subject in a humorous way. He pocks fun at people’s self-importance in their daily lives and their social interactions. He depicts his characters as caricatures and shows the wastefulness of their idle lives pre-sent even in the lives of those who are accomplished but show a tendency towards idleness and mindless activi-ties.
There are many other writers who en-gage in writing about the absurd, but very few use the same style. Most oth-er authors deal with it in a dark way. They write about the wastefulness of human life with disdain and often times with disgust. Albert Camus is a good example of an author with a gloomy view of life. He believes life is totally meaningless and full of suffer-ing. His view is so sinister that in some of his works, he advocates suicide as the ultimate solution to a purposeless life. Proust does none of that. His res-olution is more sensible and much brighter. He takes us along on a ride full of hilarity, making us contemplate our own personal life. We can be tal-ented, smart and accomplished, but we still crave the mundane and will accept an invitation to an exciting event at the drop of a hat. We are nev-er too busy to forego the playful pleas-ures of an absurd life which is prefera-ble at times to spending time to pur-sue our vocation.
Proust’s use of humor to show our non-ending occupation with mundane is
evident when the narrator discusses Mme. de Villeparisis, who is a semi- accomplished member of the aristo-cratic circle and a member of the dis-tinguished Guermantes family. At her youth, Marquise de Villeparisis was a beautiful woman who divorced a hus-band she did not love. Contrary to the rest of the aristocratic women, she likes to paint and she keeps a mem-oire and therefore her life is more meaningful than the rest of the society ladies. She also has a lover, the diplo-mat Mr. Norpois. In summary, she is a free thinking woman who toes the boundaries set for women of her class and status. This attitude and behavior makes the others uncomfortable and she is therefore not a desirable party companion and thus rarely invited to the aristocratic gatherings. The narra-tor tells us that this disdain by the so-ciety ladies affords the Marquise the leisure she needs to attend to her ca-reer as a lady of letters, but he further reflects that Mme. De Villeparisis craves the party circles so much that if the society ladies should invite her to dinner, she would at once rise from her writing table and order her car-riage. Such is her thirst and ours, for a frivolous and rather meaningless exist-ence.
Proust’s approach is light and funny and full of deep and amazing reflec-tions. His personal experiences as a social climber in his youth, and his subsequent awakening and attempt to a more meaningful life, attest to this phenomenon. Camus or Chekov’s ex-istential angst and despair at the ab-surdity of human destiny can make the reader feel hopeless and depressed, but Proust’s writing fills us with insight about our tendencies and makes us wonder at our own peculiarities. We become one with the narrator to ex-plore the mysteries of life; on one hand the absurdity of what we yearn to do in pursuit of pleasure, and on the other hand what we know we should do in order to leave our mark. If lucky, like the narrator, we are propelled by a force beyond imaginable waking us to the importance of our existence and transporting us to our destiny.
An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse, Sta-tion Eleven tells the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risk-ing everything for art and humanity.
A novel of art, memory, and ambition, Station Eleven tells a story about the relationships that sustain us, the ephemeral nature of fame, and the beauty of the world as we know it.
Tuesday, November 22 The Little Paris Book Shop
Monsieur Perdu calls himself a literary apothecary. From his floating bookstore in a barge on the Seine, he prescribes novels for the hardships of life. Using his intuitive feel for the exact book a reader needs, Perdu mends broken hearts and souls. The only per-son he can't seem to heal through literature is himself; he's still haunted by heartbreak after his great love disappeared. She left him with only a letter, which he has never opened. The Little Paris Bookshop” by Nina George is a novel about deeply damaged characters and wisdom plus redemption.
Tuesday, December 20 Submission
A controversial, intelligent, and mordantly funny new novel from France's most famous living literary figure. Michel Houellebecq.Houellebecq paints a picture of François’ mundane life: lecturing to disinterested students, microwaving TV din-ners, and thinking constantly about the 19th century author Huysmans, François’ specialty and obsession. But François lives in the near-distant future, 2022, where France’s political system is in crisis. Following election tampering, France’s new Muslim party allies itself with the Socialists, and sweeps the presidential election. The result is France under religious law.
Proust Group Byram Shubert Library | 5-7pm
Thursday, October 13, November 10 & December 15
We are reading the 6th Volume “Sweet Cheat Gone / Albertine Disparue”
In Proust group, you don’t choose the book, the book chooses you…
To join, contact Fereshteh Priou at: [email protected] or (203-918-1238)
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At the Avon Theatre - 272 Bedford Street - Stamford, CT 06901
French Cinémathèque Co-presented by Focus on French Cinema & the Avon Theatre
Tuesday November 15 | 7:30pm - Avon Theatre
Tuesday December 13 | 7:30pm - Avon Theatre
THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (La Bataille d’Alger) (1967)
ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS ( Ascenseur pour l’échafaud) (1958)
The action begins at dawn on October 7, 1957. Under torture, an Algerian nation-
alist reveals to Colonel Mathiew the hiding place of the last surviving guerilla
leader, Ali La Pointe. Mathiew’s paratroups surround the house in the Casbah,
ready to blow it up unless Ali surrenders. From the pensive faces of the four free-
dom fighters within, we flash back to November 1, 1954, when a message from
the National Liberation Front had launched the Battle of Algiers. After this pro-
logue, we follow the three-year history of the Battle. Terrorism escalates on both
sides. But the elite French paratroopers, with their vastly superior resources and
training and the ruthless use of torture, systematically destroy the Algerian Guer-
rilla movement. A victory for the French. But three years later the revolutionary
phoenix rises again in Casbah, leading to Algeria’s independence in 1962.
The feature film debut of famed director Louis Malle is an interesting modern film noir. Florence (Jeanne Moreau) and Julien (Maurice Ronet) are lovers who plan to kill Florence’s husband, a wealthy industrialist who is also Julien’s boss. Mo-reau gives an astonishing performance, perverse but naïve as she leads her young lover down a path that can only lead to doom for both of them. Malle and his photographer make extensive use of Paris at night, giving the film the feel of claustrophobia and desperation reminiscent of the classic noir films.
Pre-screening wine and cheese at 7pm prior to the movies
Tuesday October 11 | 7:30pm - Avon Theatre
DON’T TELL ME THE BOY WAS MAD (Une histoire de fou) (2016)
Paris, 1981, Aram a young man of Armenian origin blows up the Turkish Am-bassador’s car seriously injuring Gilles, who just happens to have been passing by on his bicycle. Aram flees to Beirut to join the Armenian Liberation Army. His mother, Anouch, visits Gilles in the hospital to ask for forgiveness for her son, but Gilles wants to meet his executioner face to face. With revenge in mind, he heads to Marseille to confront Aram’s family and find himself welcomed into their home for a prolonged stay. In Beirut, Aram clashes with his comrades until the day when he decides to meet the victim in order to make him his spokesman.
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Special Screening Presented by Focus on French Cinema of the AFG
Saturday October 15 | 3pm Byram Shubert Library
LES NOUVEAUTÉS À LA TÉLÉTHÈQUE
Mariam (2015) 2004 in Paris. A law bans religious symbols in public schools. Mariam aged fourteen. after a pilgrimage to Mecca with her grandmother has de-cided to wear the veil. Younes, her father ordered her to remove it to go to class but she resists. During those fateful days when she has to choose between being excluded from her school and to keep the veil, she agets closer to Karim, a Muslim boy of her age who she is in love with. A rare portrait of the coming-of-age of a Muslim teen, the film addresses the themes of Islamophobia, the diversity of the Muslim experience, the choice of some Muslim women to wear the hijab, and the assimilation and acceptance of Muslims in the West.
Written and directed by Faiza Ambah, Mariam is 45 minute film. It was awarded the Special Jury Prize at 2015 Dubai International Film Festival, screened at UNESCO as part of the commemoration of the 2015 Interna-tional Day of Peace,
Van Gogh (1991)
This excellent film is now available in DVD format! Maurice Pialat earned a Palme d’Or for his recreation of the last sixty days of Van Gogh’s life. With Jacques Dutronc, Bernard Le Coq and Alexandra London
Mustang (2015)
A great movie much loved by our viewers at Focus on French Cinema last spring. Made in 2015 in Turkish with of course English subtitles. It is the story of five sis-ters driven by the same desire of freedom, who fight back against the limits im-posed on them.
Jeanne Dielman 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
A singular work in film history, Chantal Ackerman meticulously details with a sense of impending doom, the daily routine of a middle-aged widow. Ackerman’s film can seem simple, an exacting character study or one of cinema’s most hypnotic depic-tion of spaced time. With Delphine Seyrig.
L’Empreinte de l’Ange (2008)
A film made by Safy Nebbou, with Catherine Frot and Sandrine Bonnaire. Based on a true story, it focuses on a single mom. Elsa who becomes sure that the child of an affluent couple is the daughter she lost in a maternity ward fire 6 years earlier.
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Education
Pronunciation and Phonetics Workshop
Wednesday 3pm-4:30pm (4 weeks) Thursday 6:30pm-8pm (4 weeks) Polish your French pronunciation through fun and creative activities such as tongue-twisters, songs, poems and audio exercises, with a special emphasis on hard to pronounce conso-nants and vowels
President Renée Ketcham Co-President Gail Covney Treasurer Fereshteh Priou
Les activités habituelles de l’Alliance
Conférences Round Hill Community Church Parlor Tuesdays |1.30pm 397 Round Hill Road
La Causerie Le deuxième lundi du mois à 13h30 à moins d’un avis contraire @ Cos Cob Library
Marie Agnès Peters, Tél: (203) 355-1787
Reed Lecture Conversation Troisième mardi à 13h30 @ Byram Shubert Library
Francis Polizio, Tél: (914) 939-1092
Café franco-américain Tous les deux vendredis à 9h30. Discussion chez un particulier. Une heure en anglais et une heure en français.
Susan Benthall, Tél: (203) 322-9219
Club de lecture Discussion dirigée de 5 livres dans l’année.
Viviane Ponslet, Tél: (914) 630-0654
Robert Henrey, Tél: (203) 661-8378
Ciné-Club Le dernier jeudi du mois à 19h @ Byram Shubert Lib.
Ciné-Critique Le jeudi à 13h00 @ Cos Cob Library Pour les amoureux du cinéma français. Projection vidéo suivie d’une discussion.
Mimi Wind, Tél: (203) 355-9499 Proust Group 17h00 See page 7 for dates & location
Fereshteh Priou, Tel: (203) 918-1238 La Table Française Le premier jeudi du mois Sylviane Liebowitz, Tel: (914) 536-8643
Board & Committees
Honorary Board Member Jean-Louis Gerin Board Member Harry Mclaclhin Ciné-Club Gail Covney Ciné-Critique Mimi Wind Conferences Catherine Ladnier Board Member Francis Polizio Conferences Renée Ketcham School Relations Gail Covney Bourses et Prix Gail Covney Education Outreach Anne Kern International Book Club Renée Ketcham Table Francaise Sylviane Leibowitz Proust Group Fereshteh Priou Cultural Liaison Miguel García-Colón Office Farah Walczuk & Antoine Bancharel
CLUB DE LECTURE
Mercredi 7 décembre | 13h30 Byram Shubert Library
Cinq Méditations sur la Mort de François Cheng
Mercredi 5 octobre | 13h30 Byram Shubert Library
Le Chat de Georges Simenon
Le Chat de Georges Simenon (né à Liège en 1903 et mort à Lausanne en 1969). Extraordinairement, Simenon a publié plus de 500 romans dont une centaine qu’il qualifie de romans durs. Je choisis des personnages qui sont ordinaires plutôt qu’ex-ceptionnels : je les montre à nu plutôt que vêtus. Roman impitoyablement ‘dur’ sorti en 1966, Le Chat met à nu les méfiances et les puérilités d’un vieux couple mal assorti mais incapable de vivre l’un sans l’autre. Magistrale étude psychologique le roman invite également le lecteur à pénétrer le quotidien d’un quartier ouvrier parisien de l’après guerre.
Cinq Méditations sur la Mort de François Cheng. Un beau livre qui invite à la méditation et à travers lequel l’auteur se met à l’écoute d’un groupe d’amis et partage avec eux non seulement son talent de poète mais aussi le fruit d’une pensée profondé-ment enracinée dans la culture et la spiritualité de la Chine traditionnelle aussi bien que dans celles de l’Occident. Cheng naît en Chine en 1929, y fait ses études universitaires et se trouvant par la suite exilé en France, réalisera sa vocation de poète, penseur et romancier au sein de sa patrie adoptive. Élu à l’Académie Française en 2002.
Presentation by Nathalie Nicolai
Le Fromage Français- French Cheese
Byram Shubert Library
Thursday December 8 | 7pm
Do you know that French people can eat a
different type of cheese every day? France
produces more that 356 different cheese,
from goat, cow and sheep milk.
If you want to propose a French cheese
plate to your friends what are the rules?
How to choose them, how many do you
need on a plate, how to cut them, with
fruits or nuts? With crackers or baguette?
We will discuss everything about cheese
with a cheese tasting !
Sponsored by the friends of
the Byram Shubert Library
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Membership
Le Centre de l’Alliance Française: our center, located in the Arts Center, 299 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich, CT is open to the public Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. French Classes: classes are held at the AFG Center, Monday through Saturday. Call Farah Walczuk (203) 629-2301. Become a member and enjoy a co-membership with FIAF / New York as well as take advantage of all our fabulous cultural events throughout the year. For more information on our membership and level of membership, please visit our Website: www.afgreenwich.org or call 203-629-1340
The Alliance Française of Greenwich (AFG) is a member supported, non-profit organization
All donations to the AFG are tax deductible
SAVE THE DATE March 27-April 2
Bow Tie Cinemas in Greenwich
Volunteers needed for Focus on French Cinema 2017 If you enjoyed FFC 2016, the festival team is looking for volunteers for the 13th annual Focus on French Cinema festival the week of March 27- April 2.
If you are interested in working with a great team on everything from communication, event planning, sponsorship, education and outreach, please e-mail Renée Ketcham at
Join members of the Alliance Française of Greenwich for a walk around Tod’s Point the first Wednesday of the month. We will meet at 11am at the second concession stand.
