My Journey Through French Cinema

Bertrand Tavernier's personal journey through French cinema, from films he enjoyed as a boy to his own early career, told through portraits of key creative figures.

“I had the opportunity to see Bertrand Tavernier and share his very personal approach to French cinema, his French cinema. He has made an extremely precise and detailed film about Jacques Becker, Marcel Carneì, music in the French cinema of the 30s, Jean Renoir and so many other filmmakers. It is a remarkable work, made with great intelligence. It is enlightening about classic French cinema, and about many forgotten or neglected filmmakers. It is a very precious work. You are convinced that you know all that by heart, until Tavernier comes along to reveal to us the pure beauty of it all.” ~ MARTIN SCORSESE

“Working as a citizen, a spy, an explorer and painter, a chronicler and adventurer, as it is so well described by so many authors, from Casanova to Gilles Perrault...isn’t that a fine definition of the job of a filmmaker? That one would like to apply to Renoir, Becker the Vigo of L’ATALANTE, Grangier, Greìville or Sacha, who, in a scene or film, illumine an emotion, or uncover surprising truths. I would like this film to be an expression of gratitude to all those filmmakers, screenwriters, actors, and musicians who have erupted into my life. Memory keeps us warm: this film is a piece of glowing charcoal for a winter night.” ~ BERTRAND TAVERNIER