FIAF to Present JACQUES BECKER: LIBERATING CINEMA

This winter, the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) presents a retrospective of the films of Jacques Becker (1906-1960), whose richly detailed worlds, indelible characters, and a humanist outlook elevated genre filmmaking to an art form. The series brings together Becker's most celebrated films, lesser known gems, and newly RESTORED versions. The series will run from January 8 to February 26 in FIAF's Florence Gould Hall.

Called "the great revealer" by the esteemed auteur François Truffaut, Becker emerged as one of the most talented filmmakers in the post-World War II era, mastering the art of genre films like few directors have. Regardless of category, "his pictures always felt authoritative to the point of being definitive," wrote Glenn Kenny in The New York Times.

Whether it is his superb period love story Casque d'Or (1952), his gripping prison escape Le Trou (1960), his screwball-like comedy Édouard et Caroline (1951), or gangster film Touchez pas au Grisbi(1954), Becker exhibits skillful attention to detail, character development, sense of story-telling, plot, and pace.

"Becker's filmography is one the most accomplished in the history of French cinema and it's no surprise that he has been compared to the likes of Howard Hawks and Preston Sturges, and lauded by fellow filmmakers including François Truffaut, Bertrand Tavernier, Jean-Pierre Melville, and Martin Scorsese," said Delphine Selles-Alverez. "We are thrilled to be able to bring back these films, many in RESTORED versions, following their successful run at Film Forum this past summer."

A bridge between the silent era and the New Wave, Becker worked as Jean Renoir's assistant on films including Boudu Saved from Drowning, A Day in the Country, and Grand Illusion. While serving in the French military during World War II, he was briefly taken as a German prisoner of war. Before the war's end, he directed his first feature film, Last Trump (Dernier Atout), in 1942. This was followed closely by the film noir Goupi Mains Rouges (1943), and the wildly original Falbalas (1944) about a love triangle set in a fashion house, both of which will be screened as part of the series.

Becker's Parisian youth trilogy-Antoine et Antoinette (1947), Rendezvous in July (1949), and Édouard et Caroline (1951)-authentically capture the energy and uncertainty of Post-War Paris. While later works such as Le Trou (1960) and his masterpiece, Touchez pas le Grisbi (1954), delve into crime-ridden underworlds, tackling themes such as loyalty and betrayal.

FIAF will screen RESTORED versions of Casque d'Or, Le Trou, Rendezvous in July, Touchez pas le Grisbi, and Édouard et Caroline.