French lessons, events & trips
FRENCH LESSONS EVENTS & GIFTS
With the French Film Festival coming up in March/April, this article in the Guardian caught my eye.
We once ran a workshop on French film, and I remember coming across this woman when we were doing the research for the course. Many of us may associate the Lumière Brothers with the movies, but Frenchwoman Alice Guy-Blaché, who made over 1000 films in Hollywood? Probablement pas*.
*Probably not
On my recent reconnaissance voyage* to France, I came across a concept that simply did not exist when I was living in Paris just ten years ago….
Read MoreOur coup de cœur* continues...
Back from our weekend in Melbourne seeing the Dior exhibition and accompanied by Brisbane designer Paul Hunt, we're all inspirés* by the world of fashion.
Above, notes from our October Meetup which was devoted to la maison de Christian Dior*. We hope you enjoy them.
Below, links to some very interesting videos à propos de* Dior. Profitez-en*.
**love affair | *inspired | *the Christian Dior fashion house | *about | *make the most of them.
Paris - City of Fashion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1CosehYHWc
Inside Dior
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNUdRv1yRS4
Handmade with Love in France
As many of you may know, we are taking a group of students and friends down to Melbourne to see the Christian Dior exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria soon, with the lovely and talented Paul Hunt as our chaperon*.
In celebration of the seventieth anniversary of the House of Dior, the exhibition is organised by theme, and includes a sumptuous display of more than 140 créations* designed by Christian Dior Couture between 1947 and 2017.
Part of the reason for my interest in this exhibition is that this year I have watched two or three documentaries on Christian Dior and his famous maison de couture*. As often happens, someone recommended a doco to me, I watched it and then off down the rabbit hole of haute couture* I went. I wouldn't rate fashion as one of my passions (though I've always had an interest in it) but these documentaries really got me in. The creativity, the craftsmanship and the sheer beauty of the creations are really worthy of marvel and an absolute visual delight.
I started with 'Dior and I', which documents the arrival of Raf Simons as the new Creative Director of the house. Measured and modest, does Raf have what it takes to modernise the brand? If all it took were creativity, Raf would be a shoo-in (see his transformation of a somewhat bland exhibition space into a floral explosion for proof). However, as we learn, politics, egos, tempers and commerce all have a hand to play.
Next, I moved onto Inside Dior, which charts the arrival of Dior's first ever female Creative Director, Maria Grazia Chiuri. I cannot for the life of me work out how I managed to watch it as I can only find la bande annonce* now, but I believe it is available on Foxtel.
Then, thoroughly intrigued, I travelled back in time to see where it all started. Christian Dior: The Man Behind the Myth an English-language documentary that lifts the veil on Dior's upbringing and his unlikely rise to “director of dreams for high society”.
I hope you enjoy this most beautiful journey dans le terrier du lapin* as much as I did.
*chaperone | *creations | *fashion house | *high fashion | *the trailer | *down the rabbit hole
© Bianca Brandon-Cox
Even if your childhood has long passed, I am sure you’ll remember the little counting rhyme you used to use in order to make decisions. Does ‘Eeny, meeny, miny, moe…’ ring a bell at all? I bet it does. And I bet now you’ve remembered it you’ll be wishing you could use it as an adult from time to time when things get really compliqué*, non?*
Have you ever wondered (and I’m guessing not) how the French enfants* approach this decision-making process? Well, wonder no longer, because le voici*:
Am, stram, gram,
Pic et pic et colégram,
Bourre et bourre et ratatam,
Am, stram, gram.
As to the meaning of the ditty, speculation abounds, including having origins as a Teutonic saying used to decimate prisoners (not so nice) or even a Shamanic incantation (très mystérieux*). Ma version préférée* is that is simply a form of onomatopoeia, invented for the sheer pleasure children’s ears.
For those of you who are more visual, voici une vidéo*. It is très mignon*.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3jZmWdcebs
*complicated | *no? | *children | *here it is | *very mysterious | *My preferred version | *here is a video | *very cute
© Kevin Laurino / Netflix
Even if you don’t have Netflix, I strongly encourage you to take a look at Chef’s Table France on Youtube. If you have Netflix, tant mieux*, you are in for a sensual treat of the highest order.
The Emmy-nominated series opens the door on the world of French cuisine. Beautifully shot and captivatingly told, the stories of the passion, drive and sheer excellence of some of France’s top chefs will have your papilles* pulsating. The series will open your eyes to the esteem in which the French hold their most enduring obsession: la cuisine*.
One of the most touching stories comes from Alexandre Couillon, a high school dropout from the gastronomic wasteland of Noirmoutier on the Atlantic Coast, whose surname means ‘moron’. Despite this unfortunate moniker, Alexandre is an absolute genius in the kitchen. Along with his wife, Alexandre pours his heart and soul into their restaurant La Marine, in the hopes of putting his terroir* on the map. Seven years later, they are ready to walk away defeated, when un grand rebondissement* comes their way. No spoilers here, but if you don’t shed une larme ou deux*, you might need to check your pulse. Fantastic viewing. The best thing for you, as a student French: English subtitles. Watch, learn and be inspired.
Voici la bande announce* for season 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZsysCwH3zQ
*all the better | *taste buds | *food | *homeland | *twist in the tale | *a tear or two | *Here is the trailer
© Dix pour cent / DR
Call My Agent, or as it is known in France ‘Dix Pour Cent’* is a twelve-part series about a small team of theatre/cinema agents in the 1st arrondissement of Paris and is light entertainment at its best. The ‘dix pour cent’ of the title refers to the cut the agents take from their famous clients’ earnings. And believe me, once you've watched a couple of episodes, you’ll believe the agents deserve every single centime*. Perhaps borrowing from the success of HBO’s Entourage, the series includes cameos from some of French cinema’s greatest vedettes*, amongst them Cecile de France, Nathalie Baye, Laura Smet, Christophe Lambert and Isabelle Adjani.
Series 1 is now available on Netflix.
*Ten Per Cent | *cent | *stars
C'est vrai*, curfew is an English word, but did you know it has French origins?
Curfew originates from Middle French and is a mix of two words: the verb couvrir (to cover) and the noun feu (fire).
For the real intellos* out there, the word dates from the early 14th century and was originally, in Old French, cuevrefeu. Cuevre is the imperative form of the verb covrir, which later became couvrir as we know it today.
So why were the French being told to couvre-feu*? Well, it seems William the Conqueror, or Guillaume le Conquérant, the first Norman King of England, was to blame. Also known as Guillaume le Bâtard*, perhaps he was just a huge killjoy who wanted everyone safely tucked into bed by a certain heure*? In fact, his bastard moniker referred the fact that he was the son of Robert Le Magnifique* (imagine having such a great name?) and his maîtresse*, Arlette de Falaise, not that he was just a big old rabat-joie*.
In fact, demanding that townspeople return home to deaden or cover up their fires (not necessarily extinguish them) at the ringing of an 8pm bell served two purposes for William. Prohibiting the use of live fires after the curfew bell was used as a repressive measure to prevent rebellious gatherings of the conquered English. But clever William was able to pass this off as concern for his fellow citizens. Since most houses at the time were made of timber and particularly susceptible to fire, being forced to cover them at the ringing of the bell greatly reduced the risk of incendies*. Malin, non?*
*It's true | *brain-boxes | *cover-fire | *William the Bastard | *hour | *Robert the Magnificent | *mistress | *party pooper | *fires | *Clever, eh?
Those of you who are regulars at our nid* here in Newstead, Brisbane, will be aware that the walls are not exactly perfectly soundproofed. You'll often hears bursts of laughter coming from neighbouring rooms and occasionally even your name being mentioned (which can be a bit disconcerting...).
This week, however, was especially interesting. Elsa and I were beavering away in one room, while another of our tutors, Charlotte, was taking a conversation class with two of our lovely students next door. The lesson started off conventionally enough, with Charlotte asking 'Est-ce que vous avez déjà trouvé de l'argent dans la rue?* Elsa and I smiled and then went back to our work, becoming engrossed in our respective tasks. About ten minutes later, however, both of our heads snapped up as we heard 'caca'*, 'crotte'*, 'chien'* and finally 'quoi?'* in rapid fire and then Charlotte's laughter as she was cornered into delivering Scatologie 101* to our curious students.
It appears the conversation had turned from finding money in the street, to finding chewing gum on the bottom of your shoe and then, perhaps inevitably, to finding les crottes de chien - dog poo.
We've all heard disparaging remarks about les crottes de chien on the streets of Paris but the veracity of such criticism is in debate. So what do we know?
There are approximately 17 dogs for every hundred people in France, a figure significantly above the 10% worldwide average for dog ownership.
Many hotels offer a separate rate for dogs (in the order of €10/night) and not only are dogs welcomed in many restaurants, in some they are even able to take a seat at the table.
Approximately 600 Parisians are hospitalised every year from injuries sustained from slipping on les crottes.
In 1982 Jacques Chirac brought in specialised vehicles called moto-crottes* in order to deal with the problem. These were phased out in 2002 in favour of a new law allowing fines of up to €500 for dog owners who fail to clean up after le meilleur ami de l'homme*
There's an app for it! Bye Bye Crottoir* allows users to put out alerts as to the location of fresh crottes in the hope that authorities will then come along and clean them up.
It is said that the difference between tourists and true Parisians is that while tourists spend their time looking around them at the beauty as they traverse the streets of the city, locals have their eyes fixed firmly on the trottoir*, ever vigilant for an errant crotte.
However, the last word on this belongs to Charlotte, our tutor, who was heard telling her students the upside to this whole story. "In France it is actually considered good luck to step in a crotte with your left foot". So there you go, a porte-bonheur* with a difference.
PS This is why I love my job: in order to write this entry, I turned to wordreference.com to get to grips with the exact meaning of the word crotte. I literally laughed out loud when I got to crotte d'œil*. I may have an infantile sense of humour but it made my day.
*nest (our office) | *Have you ever found money in the street?" | *poo | *turd | *dog | *what? | *Scatology 101 | *dog poo | *lucky charm | *but why? | *poo buggies | *man's best friend | *a porte-manteau word mixing crotte (dog poo) and trottoir (pavement) | *pavement | *lucky charm | *eye booger
We mentioned in a previous post that we are often asked by our beginner students to recommend children's books for purchase. Since we all learn in different ways, we thought this time we'd highlight un CD* instead.
Bernard l'Hermite is a charming collection of French songs for children with an accompanying lyrics booklet. Brainchild of Kristel Latapie, owner of a music school near Montreux en Suisse, this is a really fun way to improve your vocabulary. And jeter un œil* at the video - c'est très mignon*.
Vous voulez* your own copy? Click here.
*a CD | * take a look | *it's very cute | *Do you want
One of our lovely students brought back this charming petit livret* on Coco Chanel from a recent trip to France. We frequently have people ask us to recommend children's books as a starting point to reading French, which in theory sounds like a good idea. However, if you think of the average vocabulary of a five or six-year-old, it is quite extensive: they can ask for pretty much anything they want. Therefore, children's books are often more difficult to read than one would expect. At the time of writing, we still haven't found a series of simple story books for learners of French. If you know of one, we'd love to hear about it.
This series by Quelle Histore, while not extremely simple, is great because they tell the story of a known figure, using illustrations help to flesh out the tale. While you're unlikely to understand every single word, with the help of a good dictionary (we recommend www.wordreference.com) you'll be well on your way to reading your first French book.
Coco Chanel is just one of many mini-biographies produced by Quelle Histoire. Bonne lecture!*
*little book | *Happy reading!
I hope you all have, or had, a lovely day on Monday, 1st May. For us here in Australia of course it is Labour Day, and the French, too, benefit from a jour férié* to celebrate the Fête du Travail*.
However, the French have a celebration the pre-dates the Fête du Travail by several hundred years: la Fête du Muguet* (pronounced mew-gay). So strong is the tradition of giving these delicate flowers to loved ones, that in 2013 the French forked out €31.8 million euros on them. The flowers are considered porte-bonheurs* and it is said you must give at least one sprig of lily of the valley every year. Quelle belle tradition.*
*public holiday | *Labour Day | *Lily of the Valley | *good luck charms | What a lovely tradition
