As for Breillat Ozon and Assayas they don't make much for French cinema. Nothing with a style of its own that will "still be around in 50 years' time." Only biodegradable 'auteur' navel-gazing.
The problem here in France actually lies with the slowly eroding auteur-centered thinking. Over there are Luc Besson's yesmen on the payroll at EuropaCorp and here's this naive and stiff thought that France is full of young Truffauts to be discovered.
This Parisian cinematographical correctness even gets strenghtened by the scare of its yankee archrival. 'Here we make nice little films that have nothing to do with teen-targeting and TV-ads.'

Well, if you want a debate over talented young directors let's talk about Kassovitz (why has he gone to shoot a Halloween flick for Joel Silver?) or Gaspar Noé who both made movies that go against the political weather. It showed raw energy but they still have to assert themselves. They were brought up in auteurland so they can't seem to make a movie of their own without writing it from the very start to the bottom credit...
I say this is the craftsman's minutia disease: might be cured some day - at last.

Posted by: viktor on August 10, 2003 05:32 PM