Show notes
This podcast focuses on Criterion’s Eclipse Series of DVDs. Hosts David Blakeslee and Trevor Berrett give an overview of each box and offer their perspectives on the unique treasures they find inside. In this episode, David and Trevor discuss Eclipse Series 22: Presenting Sacha Guitry, four urbane, sophisticated French comedies of the late 1930s.About the films:Sacha Guitry was once a household name. Something of a Gallic Noël Coward, this disarming, multitalented artist served up some of 1930s French cinema’s tastiest dishes. The son of a beloved theater actor, Guitry was devoted to the footlights, first turning to the silver screen only as a way of bringing his plays to a wider audience. His films were anything but stage-bound, however: often the director, writer, and star of his popular movies, Guitry brought a witty inventiveness to the cinema and deployed radical techniques with such aplomb and control that he’s considered one of the medium’s first complete auteurs. With these four films, American audiences can finally sample Guitry’s creative, comic confections.Subscribe to the podcast via RSS or in iTunes.Timeline for the podcast:Introduction/Background (The Story of a Cheat (The Pearls of the Crown (Désiré (Quadrille (Conclusion (Buy The Box Set On Amazon:Episode Links:Director Overview:French Film Site bio by James TraversFilm Comment bio by Andrew SarrisWikipedia entry on Sacha GuitryCriterion Cast review of La Poison by Scott Nye246 quotes of Sacha Guitry (in French)Death of Sacha Guitry (1957 newsreel footage) from British PathéJacqueline Delubac:“The Choice of Modernity” art collection exhibit at Musee des Beaux-Arts de LyonYouTube preview of the exhibit (in French)Obituary (1997) in The Independent by Gilbert AdairBox Set Reviews: New York Times review by Dave KehrDVD Talk review by Jamie S. RichSlant Magazine review by Fernando F. CrocePopMatters review by Thomas BrittDVD Verdict review by James A. StewartThe Story of a Cheat:David’s Journey Through the Eclipse Series reviewStrictly Film School review by acquarelloCinePassion review by Fernando F. CroceBoba_Fett1138 review by Frank VeenstraThe Pearls of the Crown:David’s Journey Through the Eclipse Series reviewTCM review by Nathaniel ThompsonFrench Film Site review by James TraversWonders in the Dark review by Allan FishDésiré:David’s Journey Through the Eclipse Series reviewL’Oiel sur L’Ecran review (French original, in English via Google Translate)Quadrille:David’s Journey Through the Eclipse Series reviewFrench Film Site review by James TraversCinematic Threads review by Matthew LottiContact us:TwitterEmail: theeclipseviewer (at) gmail.comDavid Blakeslee ( Twitter / Website )Trevor Berrett ( Twitter / Website )Next time on the podcast: Eclipse Series 4: Raymond Bernard