LEXINGTON, Va., Oct. 20, 2022—The Department of Modern Languages and Cultures and Dean’s Academic Speakers Fund at Virginia Military Institute present four French films as part of the 2022-23 Albertine Cinémathèque film series. Albertine Cinémathèque expands access to French cinema and supports film programming at American colleges and universities. All films are free, open to the public and have English subtitles.

The first film, “Lost Illusions” will be shown Thursday, Oct. 20 at 6:30 p.m. in Gillis Theater in Marshall Hall. Lt. Col. Abbey Carrico, associate professor of modern languages, will give a brief introduction to the film, providing historical and literary context to this adaption of the novel of the same name written by Honoré de Balzac. It is a drama about a young unknown poet in 19th century France. He has great expectations and wants to forge a destiny. He leaves the family printing business in his native province to try his luck in Paris, on the arm of his protector. Soon left to his own devices in the fabulous city, the young man will discover the backstage of a world dedicated to the law of profit and pretense. A human comedy where everything is bought and sold, literature as well as the press, politics as well as feelings, reputations as well as souls. He will love, he will suffer, and survive his illusions.

The second film, simply titled, “France,” will be shown Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 7:45 p.m. in room 164 of Scott Shipp Hall. “France” is a drama and dark comedy which starts out as a satire of the contemporary news media before steadily spiraling into something richer and darker. France de Meurs is a seemingly unflappable superstar TV journalist whose career, homelife, and psychological stability are shaken after she carelessly drives into a young delivery man on a busy Paris street. This accident triggers a series of self-reckonings, as well as a strange romance that proves impossible to shake.

“Josep,” an animated film made for adults and will be shown Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 7:45 p.m. in Gillis Theater in Marshall Hall. It takes place in February 1939 when Spanish republicans are fleeing Franco’s dictatorship to France. The French government built concentration camps, confining the refugees, where they barely have access to hygiene, water, and food. In one of these camps, separated by barbed wire, two men will become friends. One is a guard, the other is Josep Bartoli, an illustrator who fights against Franco’s regime. This film is in French and Spanish and is co-sponsored by Sigma Delta Pi National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society.

“The Monopoly of Violence” is a documentary scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7:45 p.m. in the Nichols Engineering Building auditorium. In this film, a panel of citizens discuss their views on the social order and the legitimacy of the use of force by the state. For more information contact Lt. Col. Jeff Kendrick at kendrickjw@vmi.edu or 540-464-7067.

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