Nicolas Philibert: The Extraordinary Ordinary
June 5–7, 2003
The French documentary filmmaker Nicolas
Philibert finds beauty, grace, and mystery in observing the workaday
world. Whether chronicling a
year’s lessons in a one-room rural schoolhouse (Être
et avoir, 2002), behind-the-scenes activity of a great
museum (Louvre City, 1990), or the quotidian life
of the deaf (In the Land of the Deaf, 1992), Philibert
shapes compelling feature films from the discrete narratives his
subjects provide just by going about their business. Distinguished
by an unsentimental compassion, Philibert’s films are notable
for their affirmation of the serendipitous.
Organized by Laurence Kardish, Senior
Curator, Department of Film and Media. This exhibition was prepared
by the French
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris, to whom the Museum
offers its gratitude. The Department of Film and Media
also thanks the Cultural Services of the French Embassy,
New York, in particular Véronique Godard and Marie Bonnel,
the former and present directors of the audio-visual office,
for their support.
. 1992.
France. Directed by Nicolas Philibert. In his searching
look into the world of the profoundly deaf, Philibert
finds an intricate culture where, much like filmmakers themselves, his
subjects “dream, think and communicate in a language in
which every word and idea is translated by images drawn
in space.” Courtesy
Wellspring Entertainment. In French with English subtitles. 99 min.
. 1996.
France. Directed by Nicolas Philibert. This portrait of
the annual play staged by the residents and staff of a
psychiatric clinic examines both the meaning and value of theater
in an unconventional setting. In French with English subtitles.
Courtesy Wellspring Entertainment. 105 min.
. 1994. France.
Directed by Nicolas Philibert. (Stuffed) crustaceans,
amphibians, and insects…. Philibert
chronicles the renovation of the National Natural History
Museum (now the Galerie de l’Evolution), in Paris,
and reflects on humanity’s ever-changing perception
of—and often complicated relationship to—the
other creatures that share this planet. In French with
English subtitles. 59 min.
.
2002. France. Directed by Nicolas Philibert. Philibert’s
most recent documentary focuses on the classic one-room schoolhouse, a
form of education still quite common in France. The director opens a
window onto the complexity and wonder of childhood and community. Courtesy
New Yorker Films. In French with English subtitles. Introduced
by the director. 104 min.
. 1990. France.
Directed by Nicolas Philibert. From the hanging of paintings
and the rediscovery of hidden artworks to staff instruction on
fire extinguisher use, Philibert provides a rare glimpse of “the
city within a city” that the public never sees. In French with English
subtitles. 85 min.
top
|
