Join us for the first annual French Film Series at Galaxy Cinema!

See six of the best popular and lesser-known French films right here in North Carolina. Hand picked by our staff, this series reflects the breadth and depth of the history of French Cinema. Series passes are available for $22, or $18 for Galaxy Cinema members. Regular admission to each event is $5. Advance tickets available July 30th. We'll see you then!

Schedule:

The 400 Blows (1959) - August 19th at 7:30 p.m.

"A remarkable confluence of talents are at work here: Cinematographer Henri Decae gets the coldness of Parisian dawns and Christmas displays in black-and-white widescreen; Jean Constantin's score meshes pluck and sad swoon; and there is 14-year-old Jean-Pierre Léaud, appearing here for the first time as Antoine (he'll never be so withdrawn again). The film was Truffaut's arrival, a triumph of publicity at '59 Cannes, the loudest early success of the loose confederation of New Wave filmmakers, and a milestone in autobiographical cinema." - Nick Pinkerton, The Village Voice

La Femme Nikita (1999) - September 2nd at 7:30 p.m.

"La Femme Nikita begins with the materials of a violent thriller but transcends them with the story of the heroine's transformation" - Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun-Times

"The end of French cinema as we know it." - Terrence Rafferty, The New Yorker

Diabolique (1955) - September 16th at 7:30 p.m.

"The three leads turn in impeccable performances. Paul Meurisse gives an entirely convincing portrayal of a man with no redeeming qualities. Michel Delasalle is a nasty piece of work. In his position as the director of a boarding school, he's the boys' worst nightmare. Simone Signoret is suitably no-nonsense as the practical mistress - cool and regal, with only a hint of suppressed sexuality. And Vera Clouzot is an effective blend of meekness and steel as the wife who is both repelled by and enticed by the thought of killing her wretched husband. Christina has turned her cheek for the last time." - James Berardinelli, ReelViews

City of Lost Children (1995) - September 30th at 7:30 p.m.

"The City of Lost Children is a series of associated visual stimuli so imaginative and omnivorous that their spectacle has the effect of wearing us out. Nevertheless, if you think of yourself as warped, you really must see this." - Jeff Millar, The Houston Chronicle

Caché (2005) - October 14th at 7:30 p.m.

"A stiletto-stab of fear is what Michael Haneke's icily brilliant new film delivers - not scary-movie pseudo-fear, but real fear: intimately horrible, scalp-prickling fear. It is a stalker-nightmare with a shiver of the uncanny and a double-meaning in the title: hidden cameras and hidden guilt. A famous Parisian TV presenter receives menacing, mysterious "surveillance videos" at his home, showing scenes from his private life. How on earth has the stalker filmed these? There is no dramatic musical score, none of the traditional shocks or excitements, just an IV-drip-drip-drip of disquiet leading finally to a convulsion of horror." - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

La Cage aux Folles - October 28th at 7:30 p.m.

"Describing a comedy is always a risky business; the bare plot outline is, of course, no hint as to how funny a film is, and to steal the jokes is a misdemeanor. What I can say, though, is that La Cage aux Folles gets the audience on its side with immediate ease; it never betrays our confidence; it astonishes us with the inspiration and logic it brings to ringing changes on the basic situation." - Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun-Times