IFC Center says ‘bienvenue’ to French crime film series

Voulez-vous aller au cinéma? This spring, the IFC Center is presenting a collection of classic French crime films that promise passionate love affairs, thrilling chase sequences, and Parisian cafés. The “La Crème du Crime” series runs through early April, and includes award-winning films directed by Robert Bresson, Julien Duvivier, and, of course, Jean-Luc Godard.

Over Valentine’s Day weekend, the selection was “La Sirène du Mississippi” (“Mississippi Mermaid”). Directed by Nouvelle Vague ingénue François Truffaut, the 1969 crime film is about more than just illegal acts—it could be labeled as a romantic comedy or even a tragic romance. The opening credits, a montage of personal ads for singles, makes it painfully clear why the film was a fit for both the series and Valentine’s Day.

Jean-Paul Belmondo plays the unsuspecting Louis Mahé, and Catherine Deneuve plays the mysteriously enticing Julie Roussel. Following the tradition of French couples on the silver-screen, Belmondo and Deneuve share excellent chemistry. “You are adorable,” Belmondo repeats to Deneuve during their characters’ ill-fated marriage.

When Monsieur Mahé is first introduced, he and Julia are already engaged although they have never met. Mahé had placed an ad for a wife, Julie responded, and the two had been intimate pen pals ever since (think of it as an old-fashioned eHarmony.com). He greets his fiancée when her ship, “The Mississippi,” arrives. But the beautiful woman claiming to be Julie looks nothing like the one in the photograph sent to him. Mahé eventually comes to the shocking conclusion that his new wife is both an imposter and a thief.

Although the story slows down at certain points, the allure of the gorgeous European landscapes presented throughout “La Sirène du Mississippi” is undeniable. Over the course of the film, the characters travel to Paris, Lyon, and the French countryside. The spectacular scenery provides the escapism that moviegoers often hope for when watching a foreign film.

Other films being screened during the series include the stylistic pop-art 80’s classic “Diva”—about an opera-obsessed mail carrier who gets mistakenly involved with a mafia police investigation—as well as the Crime and Punishment-based “Pickpocket,” a loose and enjoyable Godard drama “Bande à Part” (“Band of Outsiders”), and Jean-Pierre Melville’s diamond-heist flick “Le Cercle Rouge.” “La Crème du Crime” is an excellent opportunity for foreign film lovers or fans of crime movies to get their fill of memorable films by historic directors. C’est magnifique!