Can't wait to see "Hidden/Cache" (sorry for the lack of accent). The Guardian described it on Friday as "the first great film of the 21st century". High praise indeed, and as a devotee of French cinema, I won't be missing it.
Not strictly French tho as it's been made by the German Michael Haneke... a modern day Werner Herzog (if I was pretending to be a lazy arse critic, which I am here). Definately on the 'must see' list. Have only seen one of his films *slaps own face with fish*, 'Funny Games' - which is simply unforgettable and absolutely terrifying. Nihilistic at times. He likes his French leading actresses it seems- Binoche, Isabel Huppert and Beatrice Dalle.
Went looking for that Guardian review and found this:
Paris braced for Michael Haneke's 'mystery' Mozart Paul Arendt
Tuesday January 24, 2006
The Guardian
A wall of secrecy surrounds the Parisian National Opera production of Mozart's Don Giovanni, which opens this week on January 27, the composer's 250th birthday.
Nobody would raise an eyebrow if this was just another revival in a year already glutted with Mozart revivals. However, the production is the work of Michael Haneke, the film director renowned for his pitiless examinations of sadism, whose latest thriller, Caché ("Hidden"), won him the best director award at last year's Cannes festival.
Although Haneke has worked extensively in the theatre, Don Giovanni will be his first attempt at opera. The director has imposed on an information blackout on the production that rivals the secrecy measures decreed by Mike Leigh during the staging of his play Two Thousand Years at the National Theatre last year.
Not only has Haneke refused to give any interviews about the production, his stars are also forbidden to talk to the press. The poster, which shows a businessman behind a desk, suggests a modern-dress production. It stars the Swedish baritone Peter Mattei as the Don, and German soprano Christine Schäfer as Donna Anna.
Singer Mireille Delunsch, who plays the role of Elvira, dropped a few hints to the Agence France Presse about Haneke's rigorous working methods. "He has written his directions, point by point, like a script, down to the tiniest detail," she said. "Haneke has gone far in experimenting with human cruelty."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,,1693547,00.html