Henri Langlois:
The Phantom of the Cinematheque is a richly textured portrait
of a visionary who co-founded the most important film archives
in 1936. Despite meager financial resources, Henri Langlois
was able to save and store thousands of film copies –
even during the Nazi occupation of Paris. He was also deeply
committed to showing them to the public at the Cinematheque,
which became the only place where one could discover classics
that were no longer screened, and new films that did not make
it to commercial theaters. These screenings, which Langlois
presented with buoyancy, helped to turn dozens of young men
and women into film lovers and filmmakers. Truffaut and Godard,
to name only a few, were tremendously inspired by his film
series. In 1972, Langlois painstakingly undertook a new project
that was to be his last: he created a museum of cinema to
display all the costumes, objects, furniture and sets that
he collected. Using old photographs, filmed archives and interviews
with dozens of people touched by his generosity as well as
his contentious personality, Jacques Richard brings to light
both the qualities and faults of a man whose passion for films
has not only marked individuals, but also the history of cinema.
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Time Features |
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