Ciné plein air

Movie: . AU BONHEUR DES DAMES Drama - Runtime: 1 hr 25 min Directed by: Julien Duvivier - Starring: Dita Parlo, Pierre de Guingand, Germaine Rouer *Au bonheur des dames* (1929) is the last silent film directed by Julien Duvivier. It is also one of the highlights of his entire body of work and perhaps his best film. Duvivier had considerable resources at his disposal to adapt Émile Zola’s novel for a contemporary setting. Particular care was taken with the sets—designed by future director Christian-Jaque—and the film also made use of the monumental spaces of Galeries Lafayette. *Au bonheur des dames* displays its symphonic ambition right from the opening shots, depicting the arrival of a young woman from the provinces in the capital, impressed by the frenetic pace of Parisian life and the unceasing flow of people and machines. Her fascination reaches its peak with the discovery of a massive department store “Au Bonheur des Dames,” located across from her uncle’s shabby shop, which is threatened with bankruptcy and closure due to the unfair competition from Mouret, a businessman who peddles luxury and the dream of a better life for all by slashing prices and crushing small retailers. Capitalism, monopoly, and speculation are presented as the inevitable driving forces behind the march toward progress and the transformation of not only the market but also the urban landscape. While his love for his employee humanizes the big boss, his ambition for a new Paris—with its megalomaniacal architecture and profit-driven system—evokes the visionary delusions of *Metropolis*. Gaël Mevel is a cellist, pianist, composer, and improviser, as well as a reader and author. His career has been marked by a passion for all forms of art and for the connections that can be forged between them: music, theater, dance, culinary arts, literature, poetry… He studied piano with Eric Watson, Geneviève Doyen, and Jay Gottlieb; arrangement and composition with François Théberge; harmony with Bernard Maury; and cello with Philippe Straszewsky and Agnès Vesterman. He holds a state teaching certificate with a specialization in jazz and a degree from the Louis Lumière Film School.