La Rochelle #33: CUFLE - Option Cinema

So, as I think(?) I've previously mentioned, as part of CUFLE we have to choose one of various options, where you learn about one subject in particular - and given that all my other subjects are quite heavy, I chose to avoid doing the summary/history of French governments (may regret this in future but fuck it) in favour of CINEMA.

Sadly the first blow was when the teacher announced that she had taught the beginnings of French cinema last semester, and despite the fact that no one is allowed to repeat the same option, we would now be doing French cinema from 1970's. (But that'll still be cool.)

I don't know why I said first blow because it was pretty much awesome after that.

Anyway everyone who's there is actually into cinema - which should be obvious, but at first I was worried that it would be taken by people who want a lazy class, since we watch a film in class every other week.

BUT turns out it is the perfect arena for me to be the sorta half-arsed film wanker I am, i.e. I am really enthusiastic about the small amount of shit I have been exposed to, but can't be fucked learning more about it properly on my own. (e.g. The teacher gave me bonus points for knowing "Les 400 Coups", but then I was still able to unashamedly admit that I always forget the name of the actor who plays Antoine Doinel and asked her to tell me his name.)

Also, unlike my grammar CUFLE classes, everyone participated more (though that could also just reflect the skills of the lecturer).

It was a good mix of people:
- French lecturer (obviously)
- the Greek girl from my grammar class
- four Brazilians (including one girl from my grammar class who has an awesome name)
- two white people who may or may not be Norwegian or something like that
- two Indonesians
- an English girl (who knows my exchange girls from a different class)
- about seven girls who are variously Chinese (and luckily, unlike the Chinese mob in my grammar class, these girls aren't too shy to talk more AND know how to speak audibly)
- me!

Now to the story:
After some technical vocabulary stuff, we did a general opinion-sharing discussion thing since it was the first class (half-way through the first half of the term? Yeah sure, France).

One of the last questions asked about the recent Big Films to come out of your country.

When the teacher asked the Chinese girls, they hesitated and whispered amongst themselves.

And after a second I just burst out: "RED CLIFF!"

Teacher, Chinese students, and non-Chinese students: "???"

Evidently 'Red Cliff' has a rather different title in both French and Chinese. And I don't know how to say 'cliff' in French anyway.

Then I rambled an explanation in rather rapid French that was garbled by my enthusiasm and accompanied by incomprehensible hand gestures:
"RED CLIFF, that Chinese action film, RED CLIFF, it was too long for one film so it's in two parts, and there are generals, I think three generals, and they try to join together, and one general steals the wife of another general, and the boats, and they fight, and... Red Cliff? Anyone?"

The response was a pretty much unanimously confused but amused expression. A couple Chinese girls made no effort to hide the fact that they thought I was absolutely hilarious. But in a good way. At least, that's how I'm gonna take it, so HAH.

Then the Norwegian(?) guy asked if I were sure it was even Chinese, and I said YES IT'S CHINESE though I (STUPIDLY) couldn't remember the director, but that Tony Leung Chiu-Wai was it in, the Chinese actor - blank response from the Chinese girls - "you know, how there are the two Tonys, Chinese actors, big Tony, and little Tony? He's the little Tony! Tony Leung Chiu-Wai? Red Cliff? Action film?"

And then FINALLY the Indonesian guy said, "And Takeshi Kaneshiro?" And I said YES!!! And then he said something to the Chinese girls - which I didn't hear because I was too busy responding to the teacher, who said "Isn't he Japanese?", and then I rambled how he's half-half, and how I know a Japanese person and a Taiwanese person, and both argue that he is theirs haha.

And then the Indonesian guy said John Woo, and THEN there was a big "OHhhhhhh" of understanding from the Chinese girls, and then I was finally able to exclaim that "SEE IT EXISTS, THEY KNOW IT, ISN'T JUST ME!"

So I think I made a pretty good first impression in that class. Pretty much.

P.S.
New word of the day: un polar = a noir film with a police investigation.
As in, "un policier noir", because you smoosh the two words together.

And "I don't mean like the skin", the teacher explained, baha.