Villains Villaines, the figures of evil in cinema by Julien Magalhães (Hoëbeke editions)
We always trust his alert gaze and we love his spicy analyzes of staging. The fashion historian goes on the hunt for unattractive cinema villains, from Catwoman (a “soft BDSM” figure) to Regina George (the main villain of Lolita in spite of myself) passing through the unbearable Joker, whose origin story.
Obtain here.
Also read: INTERVIEW. Julien Magalhães: “ Isabelle Adjani as ‘Queen Margot’ with circumflex eyebrows and open neckline, it’s not possible »
Rose garden by Pierre Creton (Les Éditions de l’Œil)
In French cinema, he alone knows how to interweave nature and sensuality so well, in an ecosystem as abundant as it is idyllic. Filmmaker and gardener, Pierre Creton (A prince, released in 2023, or Seven walks with Mark Brownin theaters January 5) combines in this series of sublime collages homoerotic photographs and drawings of flowers and plants.
Obtain here.
Also read: REPORT: in Pierre Creton’s garden
Romy Schneider, I am not Sissi by Stéphane Betbeder and Rémi Torregrossa (editions Glénat)
Everything has been said about the romantic life of the immense actress, between her unforgettable roles with Andrzej Żuławski, Claude Sautet, her meeting with Alain Delon, or the early and tragic death of her son. This intimate comic strip lifts the veil on an Austrian childhood and adolescence marked by the Second World War and the discovery, full of fascination and naivety, of the world of cinema.
Obtain here.
Also read: In pictures: in the privacy of Romy Schneider
Traffic by Lucrecia Martel (Les Éditions de l’Œil)
A committed Argentinian filmmaker, Lucrecia Martel makes cinema an art of circulation where sounds, stories, identities and nature intertwine. In Trafficinterview, notebooks and filming photos immerse us in his works, like the disturbing The swamp (2002) et The holy girl, presented in Official Competition at Cannes in 2004.
Obtain here.
Also read: INTERVIEW. Lucrecia Martel: « The oral story allows you to project, to fantasize between the images. »
Sonny Boy. Memoirs d’Al Pacino (Seuil)
At 84, the legendary Al Pacino published his memoirs, written with raw energy. He reveals the secrets of his childhood in East Harlem with a family of Italian immigrants, his beginnings in the theater and his significant collaborations in the cinema with the director Francis Ford Coppola (the saga The Godfather) and alongside Robert De Niro (The Irishman by Martin Scorsese, 2019).
Obtain here.
Wanderer of Sterling Hayden (Marest, translated from English by Julien Guérif)
Known for his roles at Huston (When the city sleeps) by Kubrick (Doctor Strangelove), Sterling Hayden (1916-1986) was also a sailing enthusiast and a writer, author of only two, but cult, books. Today we are rediscovering Wanderer, a long-term autobiographical story in which he retraces his life in Depression-era America, his experiences in the cinema, his military exploits, his struggles with McCarthyism. An invigorating and captivating testimony, “ the testament of a man who is searching for himself ”, as James Ellroy writes.
Obtain here.
The reverse side, essay on Sophie Fillières by Quentin Mével, Dominique Toulat and Charlotte Garson(Playlist Society)
Tightrope walkers and dreamers, the heroines of Sophie Fillières resemble their author, who died in 2023 after filming the sublime existential comedy My life my mouthmounted under the supervision of his children. This essay, composed of a long interview with the filmmaker and a conversation with her close collaborators, pays tribute to their gentle madness.
Obtain here
On the occasion of the birthday of Mommyawarded at Cannes in 2014, mk2 and Sons of Manual take us behind the scenes of this crazy love film. Through images signed by photographer Shayne Laverdière, we discover the filming of this moving work exploring the close relationship between a single mother (fabulous Anne Dorval) and a hyperactive son (Antoine-Olivier Pilon).
Obtain here.
Also read: Xavier Dolan publishes a book of previously unpublished photos to celebrate 10 years of Mommy
LIFE. Hollywood (bags)
600 photos taken from the archives of the American weekly Life which chronicle all the decadence, beauty and grandeur of Hollywood’s Golden Age (1936 to 1950s) and New Hollywood (1950s to 1972).
Obtain here.
mk2 – 50 years: Another idea of cinema
From the production of films to their theatrical distribution and their preservation, a fascinating dive into the archives of the mk2 cinema company (which publishes this media), whose history intersects with that of the greatest filmmakers.
Obtain here.
Anatomy of a fall, commented scenario by Justine Triet and Arthur Harari (Gallimard)
Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2023, Golden Globe for best foreign language film, Oscar for best screenplay, Anatomy of a fall is no longer a film, it is a phenomenon, which continues with the publication of the screenplay by Justine Triet and Arthur Harari. A very interesting document on the behind the scenes of the production, and on the distance which separates the idea from the result. Included are the scenes not filmed or not included in the edit, with the reasons why they were not included (concern for conciseness, coherence, rhythm, character characterization, etc.). Captivating.
Obtain here.
Also read: INTERVIEW. Justine Triet et Arthur Harari : « In a trial, we say a lot of things »
John Carpenter, American Horror Stories by Nathalie Bittinger (Hoëbeke, Gallimard)
Even if John Carpenter never directed one strictly speaking, the western permeates all his work, a portrait of an America broken down and besieged from within (Halloween1978, The Thing1982, Ghost Of Mars2001); Marked as a teenager by a move to the Bible Belt, he will feel all his life going against the grain of a country haunted by violence and segregation. Impregnated by two maverick figures, Howard Hawks and George Romero, Carpenter will remain on the fringes of an industry that admires and rejects him. Nathalie Bittinger retraces her rebellious career film by film in this beautiful illustrated book.
Obtain here.
Also read: John Carpenter Masterclass: Quiet Horror
For a fraction of a second de Guy Delisle (Delcourt)
Emigrating to the United States in the middle of the 19th century, photographer Eadward Muybridge is considered in his adopted country as the inventor of cinema. Quebec author Guy Delisle delves into the life of this old bearded man with a always hunched and nervous figure, made cyclothymic by a stagecoach accident. Delisle plays on the precision of his drawing to perfectly imitate period photos.
Obtain here.
Le Cas David Zimmerman by Lucas and Arthur Harari (Sarbacane)
For his third graphic novel after The Magnet et The Last Rose of Summerthe designer Lucas Harari collaborates for the first time on the screenplay with his brother Arthur (director ofOnoda and co-writer ofAnatomy of a fallsee above). Victim of a body swap on New Year’s Eve, photographer David Zimmerman is trapped in the body of Rachel, a German woman he knows nothing about. Through a Paris that also changes its face depending on the neighborhood, David leads a police investigation visually inspired by Tardi’s adaptations of Nestor Bruma and tinged with the only valid metaphysical question: who am I if no one recognizes me anymore?
Obtain here.
The Serpent Crown of Guillaume Perilhou (publishing of the Observatory)
The Tadzio of Death in Venice from Visconti, it’s him. This book fictionalizes the meeting between the cherub-like Swedish actor, Björn Andrésen, and the aristocrat-like Italian filmmaker. Extremely documented, the novel adopts the point of view of the actor at different ages of his life and combines, despite all chronological logic, extracts from his diaries and letters with Visconti’s correspondence. Poignant.
Obtain here.
BONUS : The Office, the series told by its creators by Brian Baumgartner and Ben Silverman (Capricci editions)
Office life The Officebetween pranks We miss stupid people, mortal boredom and more than limited management. Fortunately, we console ourselves with the abundant testimonies of the showrunners, actors and screenwriters. A true anthology of the series worship, whose form of mockumentary (the mockumentary) was designed under the influence of emerging reality TV.
Obtain here.
Also read: Steve Carell in 5 surprising roles
