Retro : Once upon a time

For this third program dedicated to the films that changed the history of cinema, we invite you on a brief journey through Europe. The changes that have deeply shaken it have generated new cinematographic waves at different times. As early as 1958, Andrzej Wajda succeeded in finding both Ashes and Diamonds in the Polish soil that had been martyred by the war. A dazzling film, full of visual inventons ahead of its time. In 1956, Milos Forman brought us Loves of a Blonde, which confirms the rise of the Czech New Wave. His unique and unmistakable sense of irony is also a fine act of resistance in the face of Soviet occupation. In 1975, it was Wim Wenders’ turn to introduce us to the new divided Germany in Kings of the road. A renaissance that deliciously blends romantic wandering with existential despair. In Spain, on the other hand, we had to wait until 1988 to see the emergence of a luminous new wave led by Pedro Almodovar. His Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown explodes with color and charm, with a wonderful sense of melodrama and a wicked sense of humor.

Text written by Guy Borlée, coordinator of the festival Il Cinema Ritrovato and programmer of the Once upon a time selection.