1937. France. Dir: Jean Renoir. With Jean Gabin, Erich von Stroheim. 114 min.
After being taken prisoner during WWI, a group of French airmen separated by class and cultural background bond through their shared struggle for freedom. Renoir’s long-revered paean to the innate strength and goodness of humankind in the face of adversity was dubbed “Cinematic Public Enemy No. 1” by Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels.
Join the Wesleyan Institute for Lifelong Learning and the Friends of the Davison Art Center for “Painting for the People,” a short course on French lithographs in the 19th century. Sessions will discuss early lithographs by Théodore Géricault and Eugene Delacroix; political satires and social caricatures by Honoré Daumier; and the exploration of color lithography by Impressionists and Post-Impressionists including Édouard Manet, Pierre Bonnard, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Taught by Curator Clare Rogan, the course will meet at the Davison Art Center to view selected artists’ prints in the collection.
Dates: Wednesday, October 15, 22, and 29, 2014 from 6pm to 7:30pm
To register, contact:
Amy Bello
(860) 685-3005 will[at]wesleyan[dot]edu
Date: Wednesday, October 15th – Wednesday, October 29th Time: 6:00PM – 7:30PM Place: Davison Art Center Cost: $70, To register, contact the Wesleyan Institute for Lifelong Learning
Interested in French language and culture? Want to live with a great group of people? Want private laundry, a kitchen, and a single in the Nics? Then apply to live in French Hall for Spring 2013! The application is open to all sophomores and juniors not currently living in program housing.
Email dmai(at)wes(dot)edu for more info about the application. Bonne chance!
Natasha Phillips ’14 knows I don’t speak French, and really likes to rub it in with every chance she gets by making me post submissions in French about goings-on in French Hall. And it hurts. Like having a fight with an angry garden gnome covered in sandpaper. Natasha wants to remind you that:
Applications to live on French Hall are due Friday! Make sure to get your application in! For a taste of hall life, join us at French Conversation Hour every Wednesday from 8:30-9:30 PM in Usdan 114.
French Hall Conversation Hour
Date: Every Wednesday (including today, February 29)
Finally, what we’ve all been waiting for! Mon amieGabriela De Golia ’13 writes in about French Conversation Hour and features their awesome woodchuck mascot:
Come join the members of French Hall this Thursday for some fun times and activities (all done en Français) at the first weekly conversation hour of the semester! Some food will be provided.
There is no need to speak French well – everyone is welcome to participate!
If you have any questions, contact Isaiah Sypher at isypher(at)wesleyan(d0t)edu.
A hilarious bit of MGMT news – France’s conservative UMP party, led by President Nicolas Sarkozy, illegally used “Kids” in two online videos and at campaign events. And MGMT is suing their asses for compensation. From NME:
Sarkozy has admitted using the song at the UMP party’s national congress, but claims the lack of permission was a mistake and offered the band one euro as a gesture, reports BBC News.
The duo rejected the offer and are now seeking compensation. Their lawyer, Isabelle Wekstein, said, “This offer is disrespectful of the rights of artists and authors. It is insulting. We are dealing with acts of counterfeiting, an infringement of intellectual property.”
A fee of 53 Euros (£47) had initially been paid to gain use of the song, but Wekstein said that the sum was not enough to cover repeated plays of the song in the online videos.
According to Prefix, ideological opposition to the conservative organization is also a motivating factor. This is additionally funny because the UMP is strongly in favor of copyright laws, and is currently pushing a law calling for tougher penalties for infractions.
If anyone can find these campaign videos online, we will post them. In the meantime here is a video of MGMT on French television, apparently explaining the meaning of Thanksgiving: